
As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe
In this episode, I speak with Frederic Schuller, an award-winning theoretical physicist and professor, who insists the undergrad tale of energy sloshing between kinetic and potential is just talk unless the math says so. Borrowing Port-Hamiltonian thinking, he’s building probability ports to pull measurement talk into actual quantum formalism—no change to QM, just sharper math. He also flips gravity: start from the matter action and construct the compatible gravitational dynamics—Maxwell in, Einstein–Hilbert out. And if nature ever breaks our current causal picture, the scheme points to richer structures (and the gravity to match)—a modest idea, pushed hard.
Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
Timestamps:
- 00:00 - Deriving Einstein from Maxwell Alone
- 05:55 - Why Energy Doesn't Flow in Quantum Systems
- 11:45 - How Modest Ideas Lead to Spacetime Revolution
- 19:00 - Matter Dynamics Dictate Spacetime Geometry
- 24:03 - Maxwell to Einstein-Hilbert Action
- 31:00 - If Light Rays Split in Vacuum Then Einstein is Wrong
- 38:04 - When Your Theory is Wrong
- 46:10 - From Propositional Logic to Differential Geometry
- 54:00 - Never Use Motivating Examples
- 1:02:00 - Why Only Active Researchers Should Teach
- 1:09:40 - High Demands as Greatest Motivator
- 1:16:00 - Is Gravity a Force?
- 1:27:00 - Academic Freedom vs Bureaucratic Science
- 1:38:00 - Why String Theory Didn't Feel Right
- 1:46:05 - Formal vs Conceptual Understanding
- 1:54:10 - Master Any Subject: Check Every Equal Sign
- 2:04:00 - The Drama of Blackboard Teaching
- 2:13:15 - Why Physical Presence Matters in Universities
Links Mentioned:
- Frederic’s Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations
- Frederic’s Lectures: https://www.youtube.com/@FredericSchuller
- Frederic’s Bio: https://people.utwente.nl/f.p.schuller
- General Relativity Lecture Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist
- Quantum Harmonic Oscillator [Lecture]: https://youtu.be/s3I_MGfGm-w
- Constructive Gravity [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2003.09726
- Geometry Of Manifolds [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/0508170
- Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/7oWip00iXbo
- Roger Penrose [TOE]: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU
- All Possible Paths [TOE]: https://youtu.be/XcY3ZtgYis0
- Neil Turok [TOE]: https://youtu.be/ZUp9x44N3uE
- Space-Time Structure [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/Space-Time-Structure-Cambridge-Science-Classics/dp/0521315204
- Greg Chaitin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/PoEuav8G6sY
- Ivette Fuentes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/cUj2TcZSlZc
- Ted Jacobson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3mhctWlXyV8
- Eva Miranda [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6XyMepn-AZo
- Jonathan Oppenheim [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6Z_p3viqW1g
- String Theory Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/X4PdPnQuwjY
- Sabine Hossenfelder [TOE]: https://youtu.be/E3y-Z0pgupg
- Leonard Susskind [TOE]: https://youtu.be/2p_Hlm6aCok
- What Is Energy? [TOE]: https://youtu.be/hQk9GLZ0Fms
- Claudia De Rham [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Ve_Mpd6dGv8
SUPPORT:
- Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):
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- Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
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SOCIALS:
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Guests do not pay to appear. Theories of Everything receives revenue solely from viewer donations, platform ads, and clearly labelled sponsors; no guest or associated entity has ever given compensation, directly or through intermediaries.
#science
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Aug 21
2 hr 37 min

As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe
In this episode, I speak with Nobel laureate Gerard ’t Hooft, a theoretical physicist known for his work on the electroweak interaction and his radical ideas about quantum mechanics. To him, the universe is a cosmic pinball machine. Every ball follows a fixed path. No randomness. No mystery. We only invented quantum mechanics to cope with our ignorance. In his picture, there are no real numbers. No wave functions. No superposition. Just discrete states clicking forward, one after another, beneath everything we see.
Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
Timestamps:
- 00:00 - Why Quantum Mechanics is Fundamentally Wrong
- 05:00 - The Frustrating Blind Spots of Modern Physicists
- 11:27 - The "Hidden Variables" That Truly Explain Reality
- 17:00 - The "True" Equations of the Universe Will Have No Superposition
- 23:00 - Our Universe as a Cellular Automaton
- 30:02 - Why Real Numbers Don't Exist in Physics
- 39:14 - Can This Radical Theory Even Be Falsified?
- 46:29 - How Superdeterminism Defeats Bell's Theorem
- 58:19 - 't Hooft's Radical View on Quantum Gravity
- 1:08:24 - Solving the Black Hole Information Paradox with "Clones"
- 1:14:00 - What YOU Would Experience Falling Into a Black Hole
- 1:20:17 - How 't Hooft Almost Beat a Nobel Prize Discovery
Links Mentioned:
- Gerard’s site: https://webspace.science.uu.nl/~hooft101/
- Gerard’s papers: https://inspirehep.net/authors/1019113
- Cellular Automaton Interpretation Of Quantum Mechanics [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/Cellular-Automaton-Interpretation-Mechanics-Fundamental/dp/3319823140
- David Wallace [TOE]: https://youtu.be/4MjNuJK5RzM
- Emily Adlam & Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/rw1ewLJUgOg
- Roger Penrose [TOE]: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU
- Conway’s Game Of Life: https://playgameoflife.com/
- Julian Barbour [TOE]: https://youtu.be/bprxrGaf0Os
- Emily Adlam [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6I2OhmVWLMs
- Sabine’s video on Gerard: https://youtu.be/2kxoq5UzAEQ
- Sabine Hossenfelder [TOE]: https://youtu.be/E3y-Z0pgupg
- Tim Palmer [TOE]: https://youtu.be/vlklA6jsS8A
- Carlo Rovelli [TOE]: https://youtu.be/hF4SAketEHY
- Stephen Wolfram [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0YRlQQw0d-4
- Bernardo Kastrup & Sabine Hossenfelder [TOE]: https://youtu.be/kJmBmopxc1k
- Tim Maudlin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss
- Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/wrUvtqr4wOs
- Ted Jacobson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3mhctWlXyV8
- Claudia De Rham [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Ve_Mpd6dGv8
- Neil Turok [TOE]: https://youtu.be/ZUp9x44N3uE
- Latham Boyle [TOE]: https://youtu.be/nyLeeEFKk04
- David Kaiser [TOE]: https://youtu.be/_yebLXsIdwo
- String Theory Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/X4PdPnQuwjY
- Birth of Asymptotic Freedom [Paper]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0550321385902068
- How To Become A Good Theoretical Physicist [Article]: https://www.goodtheorist.science/index.html
SUPPORT:
- Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):
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- Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
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SOCIALS:
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Guests do not pay to appear. Theories of Everything receives revenue solely from viewer donations, platform ads, and clearly labelled sponsors; no guest or associated entity has ever given compensation, directly or through intermediaries.
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Aug 12
1 hr 33 min

Curt discusses how philosophy has directly contributed to physics through Bell's theorem, decoherence theory, the hole argument, and more. Meanwhile, via John Norton, we uncover the hidden philosophical assumptions in physics that most scientists don’t even realize they’re making.
As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe
Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
SUPPORT:
- Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):
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- Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
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SOCIALS:
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Guests do not pay to appear. Theories of Everything receives revenue solely from viewer donations, platform ads, and clearly labelled sponsors; no guest or associated entity has ever given compensation, directly or through intermediaries.
LINKS MENTIONED:
- Curt's Substack article: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/philosophers-vs-physicists
- John Norton [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Tghl6aS5A3M
- Neil deGrasse Tyson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/ye9OkJih3-U
- How Not to Do Philosophy of Science [article]: https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/Goodies/How_not/How_not.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/gEK4-XtMwro
- The Hole Argument: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/spacetime-holearg/
- General covariance and general relativity [paper]: https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/decades.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- Emily Adlam Λ Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/rw1ewLJUgOg
- Eaters of the lotus [paper]: https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/Eaters_final.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- John Norton’s profile: https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/jdnorton.html
For further reading on these critiques of instrumentalism:
- Hempel (1988) - Oltre il positivismo logico
- Popper (1963) - Conjectures and Refutations, Ch. 3
- Deutsch (1997) - The Fabric of Reality
#science
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Aug 12
9 min

As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe
In this episode, I speak with Professor Felix Finster, a radical thinker reimagining the foundations of physics. We explore his theory of causal fermion systems, where reality emerges from quantum correlations—without assuming spacetime or geometry. From the Dirac sea to quantum gravity, this conversation challenges familiar concepts and offers a glimpse into where the next physics revolution might begin.
Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
03:12 The Origins of Causal Fermion Systems
06:55 Engaging with Alternative Theories in Physics
15:22 The Standard View of Causation
18:21 Classical, Quantum, and Pre-Quantum
23:06 How Spacetime Emerges from Disconnected Points
29:49 Recovering Lorentz Signature Without Assumptions
31:48 Recovering the Born Rule from First Principles
39:39 The Measurement Problem
46:20 Bounds on CSL Parameters
49:45 The Dynamics of Spacetime
57:47 Collaboration with Yao and Reflections on the Theory
1:03:13 A Quantum Gravity Theory Without Supersymmetry
1:05:28 The Dirac Sea
1:11:40 Addressing Infinite Energy in Semi-Classical Gravity
1:13:09 Octonions in the Vacuum Structure
1:17:32 Chirality and the Action Principle
1:20:33 Baryogenesis and Why Matter Exists
1:35:10 Rethinking the Strong CP and Hierarchy Problems
1:38:43 Recognition, Collaboration, and Growing Attention
1:54:00 Mathematical Criteria vs. Experimental Tests
2:01:02 Advice for Young Researchers
Links Mentioned:
- Felix's Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=F7ppNroAAAAJ
- Felix's Bio: https://www.uni-regensburg.de/mathematik/mathematik-1/startseite/index.html
- Causal Fermion Systems [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2405.19254
- Linear Dynamics of Wave Functions [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2101.08673
- The Principle of the Fermionic Projector [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/Principle-Fermionic-Projector-Advanced-Mathematics/dp/0821839748
- Baryogensis for Causal Fermion Systems [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2111.05556
- Holographic Mixing [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.18045
- Standard Model Physics from an Algebra? [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1611.09182
- Barry Loewer & Eddy Chen [TOE]: https://youtu.be/xZnafO__IZ0
- Fay Dowker [TOE]: https://youtu.be/PgYHEPCLVas
- String Theory Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/X4PdPnQuwjY
- David Kaiser [TOE]: https://youtu.be/_yebLXsIdwo
- Ruth Kastner [TOE]: https://youtu.be/-BsHh3_vCMQ
- Amanda Gefter [TOE]: https://youtu.be/yABPvDJ6Zgs
- Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/7oWip00iXbo
- Eva Miranda [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6XyMepn-AZo
- Emily Adlam [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6I2OhmVWLMs
- Scott Aaronson & Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/5rbC3XZr9-c
SUPPORT:
- Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join
- Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
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- Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4
SOCIALS:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt
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Guests do not pay to appear. Theories of Everything receives revenue solely from viewer donations, platform ads, and clearly labelled sponsors; no guest or associated entity has ever given compensation, directly or through intermediaries.
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Jul 29
2 hr 9 min

As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe
What if your thoughts aren’t your own? Professors Elan Barenholtz and William Hahn propose that language is not a tool we use but a self-generating organism that uses us. In this mind-bending live discussion at the University of Toronto, they argue that language installs itself in our minds like software, runs autonomously, and shapes behavior at a deeper level than we realize. Drawing on LLMs, autoregression, and cognitive science, they suggest your brain may function like a predictive engine and that “memory,” “self,” and even “God” may just be tokens in an informational system.
Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
05:28 The Nature of Autoregression
10:14 Memory and Cognition Redefined
11:28 The Role of Language Models
14:23 Exploring Consciousness and Software
26:22 The Evolution of Language
38:08 Language: A Cultural Artifact
54:19 The Power and Danger of Language
1:02:52 Embracing Uncertainty in Knowledge
1:04:59 Courage to Believe in Ideas
1:09:30 Support and Engagement with Content
Links Mentioned:
• Elan’s Substack: https://elanbarenholtz.substack.com/
• Elan’s Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2grAjZsAAAAJ&hl=en
• William’s Blog: https://hahn.ai/blog/index.html
• Ekkolapto’s Site: https://www.ekkolapto.org/
• Andrés Emilsson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/BBP8WZpYp0Y
• Elan Barenholtz [TOE]: https://youtu.be/A36OumnSrWY
• Anna Ciaunica & Michael Levin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/2aLhkm6QUgA
• William Hahn [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3fkg0uTA3qU
• Michael Levin’s Presentation [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Exdz2HKP7u0
• Stephen Wolfram [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0YRlQQw0d-4
• Geoffrey Hinton [TOE]: https://youtu.be/b_DUft-BdIE
• Ai Panel [TOE]: https://youtu.be/abzXzPBW4_s
• Joscha Bach & Ben Goertzel [TOE]: https://youtu.be/xw7omaQ8SgA
• Noam Chomsky [TOE]: https://youtu.be/DQuiso493ro
• Michael Levin Solo [TOE]: https://youtu.be/c8iFtaltX-s
• Consciousness Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/65yjqIDghEk
• Joscha Bach [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3MNBxfrmfmI
• Scott Aaronson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/gGsh0_-q7LI
• Iain McGilchrist [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Q9sBKCd2HD0
• The Master and His Emissary [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/Master-His-Emissary-Divided-Western/dp/0300188374
• Michael Levin & Karl Friston [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0yOV9Pzk2zw
• Shape Rotators vs Wordcels [Article]: https://sasamilic.medium.com/some-thoughts-on-the-shape-rotator-vs-worcel-meme-f320261a21cd
SUPPORT:
- Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):
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- Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
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SOCIALS:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt
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Guests do not pay to appear. Theories of Everything receives revenue solely from viewer donations, platform ads, and clearly labelled sponsors; no guest or associated entity has ever given compensation, directly or through intermediaries.
#science
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Jul 22
1 hr 13 min

As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe
In this episode, I speak with Professor Nikita Nekrasov, one of the most original minds in theoretical physics. We dive into why quantum field theory still isn’t fully understood, despite its experimental success and why a complete axiomatic foundation might not even be possible. Nikita walks us through his solution to the Cyberg-Witten puzzle, the birth of the Nekrasov partition function, and how exotic structures in four dimensions could underlie the chemistry of life. This conversation blends deep math, quantum weirdness, and personal stories from the front lines of discovery. If you’ve ever wondered what it really means to understand reality, this one’s for you.
Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:13 Understanding Quantum Field Theory
04:38 The Journey to Gauge Origami
06:53 The Story of the Microsoft Partition Function
19:12 Connecting Quantum Mechanics and Field Theory
36:43 The Nature of Instantons
45:05 Exotic R4 and Its Implications
49:01 Dealing with Non-Compactness
52:25 The Emergence of Non-Commutative Geometry
1:04:29 Lessons from Mentors
1:20:11 Language as a Dynamic System
1:22:35 The Concept of Gauge Origami
1:30:48 Insights from Collaboration with Peers
1:37:15 Aspirations for Future Work
1:38:15 Advice for Aspiring Researchers
Links Mentioned:
• Nikita’s Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bKV59LwAAAAJ&hl=en
• Nikita’s Lecture: https://scgp.stonybrook.edu/archives/44062
• Two Dimensional Gauge Theories [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/9204083
• Richard Borcherds [TOE]: https://youtu.be/U3pQWkE2KqM
• Edward Frenkel [TOE]: https://youtu.be/n_oPMcvHbAc
• Edward Frenkel’s Presentation [TOE]: https://youtu.be/RX1tZv_Nv4Y
• Edward Frenkel’s Presentation [Part 2]: https://youtu.be/0AC-Ol1z5vI
• String Theory Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/X4PdPnQuwjY
• Roger Penrose [TOE]: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU
• Cumrun Vafa [TOE]: https://youtu.be/kUHOoMX4Bqw
• Garrett Lisi [TOE]: https://youtu.be/z7ulJmfFvd8
• Chiara Marletto [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Uey_mUy1vN0
• Debunking “All Possible Paths” [TOE]: https://youtu.be/XcY3ZtgYis0
• Peter Woit [TOE]: https://youtu.be/TTSeqsCgxj8
• Leonard Susskind [TOE]: https://youtu.be/2p_Hlm6aCok
• Seiberg-Witten Prepotential from Instanton Counting [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/0206161
• Eva Miranda [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6XyMepn-AZo
• Leptons and Quarks [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/LEPTONS-QUARKS-SPECIAL-COMMEMORATING-DISCOVERY/dp/9814603007
• Brian Greene [TOE]: https://youtu.be/O2EtTE9Czzo
• David Wallace [TOE]: https://youtu.be/4MjNuJK5RzM
• Jenann Ismael [TOE]: https://youtu.be/7kvXihDAOi0
• Claudia de Rham [TOE]: https://youtu.be/hNPMKy6RxCE
• Yang-Mills [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2504.19097
SUPPORT:
- Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):
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- Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
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SOCIALS:
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#science
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Jul 14
1 hr 48 min

As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe
Physicist and philosopher Jenann Ismael joins to unveil a radical idea: free will isn’t an illusion, it’s a physical reality grounded in thermodynamics and relativity. In this conversation, Jenann explains why no system, not even a perfect computer, can predict its own future, and how this inherent unpredictability opens the door to real agency. We explore the paradox of identity, the limits of determinism, the role of memory in selfhood, and why your choices truly come from you. This is the clearest, most rigorous defense of free will in the age of physics.
Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:42 Free Will
29:16 The Limits of Predictability
41:45 Defining Free Will
59:42 Life and Cognition in the Universe
1:05:30 The Choices We Make
1:08:01 Dark Nights of the Soul
1:09:35 Philosophical Responses to Free Will
1:11:03 Personal Reflections on Life
1:11:54 The Weight of Loss
1:13:40 Patterns of Persistence
1:17:17 Understanding the Self
1:18:41 The Continuity of Existence
1:20:17 The Nature of Mortality
1:22:27 Time and Its Mysteries
1:51:42 The Nature of Existence
2:04:23 The Paradox of Newcomb's Dilemma
2:08:38 Lessons Learned from Suffering
Links Mentioned:
• How Physics Makes Us Free [Book]: https://amzn.to/44CcHr8
• Why Physics Should Care About The Mind [Paper]: https://www.jenanni.com/wp-content/uploads/Why-physics-should-care-about-the-mind-and-how-to-think-about-it-without-worrying-about-the-mind-body-problem.pdf
• Diana Pasulka [TOE]: https://youtu.be/E5MuTHUbMUs
• Leonard Susskind [TOE]: https://youtu.be/2p_Hlm6aCok
• Sean Carroll [TOE]: https://youtu.be/9AoRxtYZrZo
• Matt Segall [TOE]: https://youtu.be/DeTm4fSXpbM
• Tim Maudlin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss
• David Lewis’s Metaphysics: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/lewis-metaphysics/#Bib
• Robert Sapolsky [TOE]: https://youtu.be/z0IqA1hYKY8
• David Lewis’s Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B000APAW62
• Stephen Wolfram [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0YRlQQw0d-4
• Roy Baumeister [TOE]: https://youtu.be/aXoK-C2c2AQ
• Free Will Ontoprism [TOE]: https://youtu.be/SSbUCEleJhg
• Michael Levin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/c8iFtaltX-s
• Dark Night Of The Soul: https://basilica.ca/documents/2016/10/St.%20John%20of%20the%20Cross-Dark%20night%20of%20the%20soul.pdf
• George Musser [TOE]: https://youtu.be/KVy3NeXpMaI
• Tim Maudlin & Tim Palmer [TOE]: https://youtu.be/883R3JlZHXE
SUPPORT:
- Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join
- Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
- Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9
- Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4
SOCIALS:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt
- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs
#science
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Jul 10
2 hr 18 min

As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe
Mathematician Eva Miranda returns with a groundbreaking new result: a real physical system (fluid motion) has been proven to be Turing-complete. This means some fluid paths are logically undecidable. In this mind-bending episode, she walks us through the implications for chaos theory, the Navier-Stokes equations, and uncomputability in nature, confirming long-held suspicions of thinkers like Roger Penrose and Terence Tao. Featuring rubber ducks, Alan Turing, and the limits of knowledge itself.
Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:10 Expect the Unexpected
02:52 Stories of Uncertainty
04:45 The Impact of Alan Turing
06:35 The Halting Problem Explained
09:29 Limits of Mathematical Knowledge
12:40 From Certainty to Uncertainty
16:19 The Rubber Duck Phenomenon
19:29 Unpredictability vs. Undecidability
20:18 Classical Chaos and the Butterfly Effect
27:12 Asteroids and Chaos Theory
34:32 The Navier-Stokes Riddle
41:18 The Cantor Set and Computation
46:18 Bridging Discrete and Continuous
49:21 Turing Completeness in Fluid Dynamics
1:02:39 The Quest for Navier-Stokes Solutions
1:06:53 The Role of Viscosity
1:12:09 Hybrid Computers and Fluid Dynamics
1:26:57 Unpredictability in Deterministic Systems
1:31:44 The Future of Computational Models
Links Mentioned:
• Eva’s First Appearance [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6XyMepn-AZo
• Moby Duck [Book]: https://amzn.to/4ldoYsZ
• Roger Penrose [TOE]: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU
• The Emperor’s New Mind [Book]: https://amzn.to/44jHpGK
• Edward Frenkel [TOE]: https://youtu.be/RX1tZv_Nv4Y
• Richard Borcherds [TOE]: https://youtu.be/U3pQWkE2KqM
• Clay Mathematics Institute: https://www.claymath.org/
• Eva’s Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=werIoRQAAAAJ&hl=en
• Topological Kleene Field Theories [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2503.16100
• Ted Jacobson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3mhctWlXyV8
• Stephen Wolfram [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0YRlQQw0d-4
SUPPORT:
- Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join
- Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
- Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9
- Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4
SOCIALS:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt
- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs
#science
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Jul 7
1 hr 52 min

Special offer! Get 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe
Harvard physicist Jacob Barandes returns with a groundbreaking insight that could reshape quantum theory. By questioning a single hidden assumption, Jacob bridges the gap between classical probability and quantum mechanics. This ‘mathematical accident’ challenges the foundations of Bell’s Theorem, dissolves the measurement problem, and opens a path to a realist interpretation of quantum physics. This episode is a rigorous journey through stochastic processes, non-locality, and the future of theoretical physics.
Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
1:01:46 Teaching Black Holes to Graduate Students
1:04:59 Coordinate Systems in Space-Time
1:06:58 Teaching Black Hole Coordinates
1:10:11 Insights from Nima
1:13:41 Nima's Course on Quantum Mechanics
1:16:22 Quantum Foundations and Cosmology
1:18:48 Transitioning to Quantum Gravity
1:23:10 Philosophy's Role in Physics
1:26:10 Leaving String Theory
1:33:39 Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics
1:37:02 Challenges of String Theory
1:42:49 Quantum Field Theory Insights
1:50:30 Foundations of Quantum Field Theory
1:53:47 Particle Existence Between Measurements
1:59:44 Speculations on Quantum Gravity
2:01:41 Legacy and Contributions
Links Mentioned:
• Press release of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics: https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2022/10/press-physicsprize2022-2.pdf
• Eddy Chen & Barry Loewer on TOE: https://youtu.be/xZnafO__IZ0
• Jacob Barandes on TOE (part 1): https://youtu.be/7oWip00iXbo
• Tim Maudlin on TOE: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss
• What Is Real? (book): https://www.amazon.com/What-Real-Unfinished-Meaning-Quantum/dp/0465096050
• David Wallace on TOE: https://youtu.be/4MjNuJK5RzM
• The Copenhagen Interpretation: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-copenhagen/
• Bohmian Mechanics: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-bohm/
• Everettian Quantum Mechanics: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-everett/
• Jacob Barandes on TOE (part 2): https://youtu.be/YaS1usLeXQM
• Jacob Barandes on TOE (part 3): https://youtu.be/wrUvtqr4wOs
• The sky is blue (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2205.00568
• The Emergent Universe (book): https://www.amazon.com/Emergent-Multiverse-Quantum-according-Interpretation/dp/0198707541
• Complex Coordinates and Quantum Mechanics (paper): https://journals.aps.org/rmp/abstract/10.1103/RevModPhys.38.36
• Kurt Vonnegut’s lecture: https://youtu.be/4_RUgnC1lm8
• Max Born’s memoir: https://archive.org/details/myliferecollecti0000born/page/n5/mode/2up
• Hugh Everett’s unpublished dissertation: https://ia801909.us.archive.org/20/items/TheTheoryOfTheUniversalWaveFunction/The%20Theory%20of%20the%20Universal%20Wave%20Function.pdf
• La nouvelle cuisine (paper): https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/speakable-and-unspeakable-in-quantum-mechanics/la-nouvelle-cuisine/6FFC85D84585D9C41AA4A1185BF5290E
• The Great Rift in Physics (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2503.20067
• Quantum stochastic processes (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2012.01894
• Bell’s Theorem: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/bell-theorem/
• Neil Turok on TOE: https://youtu.be/zNZCa1pVE20
***For full resources please visit https://curtjaimungal.org
SUPPORT:
- Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join
- Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
- Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9
- Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4
SOCIALS:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt
- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs
#science
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Jul 1
2 hr 12 min

As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe
Professor John Norton has spent decades dismantling the hidden assumptions in physics from Newton’s determinism to the myth of Landauer’s Principle. In this episode, he explains why causation may not be real, how classical physics breaks down, and why even Einstein got some things wrong. If you’re ready to rethink the foundations of science, this one’s essential.
Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
03:37 Norton's Dome Explained
06:30 The Misunderstanding of Determinism
09:31 Thermodynamics and Infinite Systems
14:39 Implications for Quantum Mechanics
16:20 Revisiting Causation
18:15 Critique of Causal Metaphysics
20:21 The Utility of Causal Language
24:58 Exploring Thought Experiments
33:05 Landauer's Principle Discussion
49:48 Critique of Experimental Validation
52:25 Consequences for Maxwell's Demon
1:13:34 Einstein's Critiques of Quantum Mechanics
1:28:16 The Nature of Scientific Discovery
1:42:56 Inductive Inferences in Science
Links Mentioned:
• A Primer on Determinism (book): https://amzn.to/45Jn3b4
• John Norton’s papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UDteMFoAAAAJ
• Causation as Folk Science (paper): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/003004.pdf
• Lipschitz continuity (wiki): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipschitz_continuity
• The Dome: An Unexpectedly Simple Failure of Determinism (paper): https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/2943/1/Norton.pdf
• Norton’s Dome (wiki): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton%27s_dome
• Approximation and Idealization (paper): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/Ideal_Approx_final.pdf
• On the Quantum Theory of Radiation (paper): https://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/scientists/einstein/1917_Radiation.pdf
• Making Things Happen (book): https://ccc.inaoep.mx/~esucar/Clases-mgc/Making-Things-Happen-A-Theory-of-Causal-Explanation.pdf
• Causation in Physics (wiki): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-physics/
• Laboratory of the Mind (paper): https://www.academia.edu/2644953/REVIEW_James_R_Brown_Laboratory_of_the_Mind
• Roger Penrose on TOE: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU
• Ted Jacobson on TOE: https://youtu.be/3mhctWlXyV8
• The Thermodynamics of Computation (paper): https://sites.cc.gatech.edu/computing/nano/documents/Bennett%20-%20The%20Thermodynamics%20Of%20Computation.pdf
• What’s Actually Possible? (article): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/the-unexamined-in-principle
• On a Decrease of Entropy in a Thermodynamic System (paper): https://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/862.22/notes/computation/Szilard-1929.pdf
• Landauer’s principle and thermodynamics (article): https://www.nature.com/articles/nature10872
• The Logical Inconsistency of Old Quantum Theory of Black Body Radiation (paper): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/Inconsistency_OQT.pdf
SUPPORT:
- Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join
- Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
- Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9
- Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4
SOCIALS:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt
- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs
#science
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Jun 27
1 hr 55 min
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