Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

Professor Bas van Fraassen argues science doesn't deliver literal truth about reality, meaning unobservable physics is merely a model. He also contends the self isn't a thing and that logic permits free will, ultimately sharing how he maintains faith in God without relying on metaphysics. 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 TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00 - Reality vs. Appearance - 08:40 - Scientific Realism vs. Anti-Realism - 16:30 - The "No Miracles" Argument - 22:26 - Common Sense Realism - 27:54 - Trusting Instruments vs. Theories - 34:22 - Kierkegaard's Call to Decision - 41:50 - Determinism is a Model - 48:50 - Sartre on Free Will - 56:47 - Causation Doesn't Exist in Physics - 01:05:47 - Language of Human Action - 01:15:54 - Tarski's Limitative Theorems - 01:23:50 - "I Am Not a Thing" - 01:34:20 - Rejecting Analytic Metaphysics - 01:40:17 - Does God Exist? - 01:50:50 - Disagreement on Monty Hall - 01:56:15 - Conversion to Catholicism LINKS MENTIONED: - The Scientific Image [Book]: https://amzn.to/499SA72 - Bas's Blog: https://basvanfraassensblog.home.blog/about-me-2/ - The Empirical Stance [Book]: https://amzn.to/3MWbKEK - Bas's Published Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EBj6wCAAAAAJ&hl=en - Bas's Published Books: https://amzn.to/3L0njdw - Reality Is Not What It Seems [Book]: https://amzn.to/3YseMDe - Matthew Segall [TOE]: https://youtu.be/DeTm4fSXpbM - The "No Miracles" Argument: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-realism/#MiraArgu - Bas On Closer To Truth: https://youtu.be/nQnQ9ndlYi4 - The Most Terrifying Philosopher I've Encountered [TOE]: https://youtu.be/BWYxRM__TBU - Curt Reads Plato's Cave [TOE]: https://youtu.be/PurNlwnxwfY - Avshalom Elitzur [TOE]: https://youtu.be/pWRAaimQT1E - Formal Philosophy [Paper]: https://archive.org/details/formalphilosophy00mont/page/n5/mode/2up - Robert Sapolsky [TOE]: https://youtu.be/z0IqA1hYKY8 - Time And Chance [Book]: https://amzn.to/4qb6tru - Aaron Schurger [TOE]: https://youtu.be/yDDgDSmfS6Q - Nancy Cartwright's Published Work: https://www.profnancycartwright.com/publications/books/ - Tim Maudlin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss - Elan Barenholtz & Will Hahn [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Ca_RbPXraDE - On The Electrodynamics Of Moving Bodies [Paper]: https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/teaching/Einstein_graduate/pdfs/Einstein_STR_1905_English.pdf - The 'Twin Earth' Thought Experiment: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hilary-Putnam#ref1204773 - Yang-Hui He [TOE]: https://youtu.be/spIquD_mBFk - The Nonexistent Knight [Book]: https://amzn.to/3XWxfrs - Wolfgang Smith [TOE]: https://youtu.be/vp18_L_y_30 - Neil deGrasse Tyson Doesn't Understand What "Belief" Means [Article]: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/i-dont-use-the-word-belief-and-scientific - The Monty Hall Problem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Hall_problem - Daniel Dennett [TOE]: https://youtu.be/bH553zzjQlI - Michael Dummett: https://iep.utm.edu/michael-dummett/ - How To Define Theoretical Terms [Paper]: https://www.princeton.edu/~hhalvors/teaching/phi520_f2012/lewis-theoretical-terms.pdf - The Model-Theoretic Argument: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/realism-sem-challenge/model-theory-completeness.html - Remembering Hilary Putnam [Article]: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/remembering-hilary-putnam-harvard-philosopher-and-religious-jew - Hilary Lawson: https://www.hilarylawson.com/biography/ - Language Isn't Just Low Resolution Communication: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/language-isnt-just-low-resolution Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sir Roger Penrose and Professor Ivette Fuentes analyze the Ron Folman T-cubed experiment and whether the equivalence principle holds in quantum mechanics. They also detail gravity's role in wave function collapse, the existence of gravitons, and cyclic cosmology. SPONSORS: - Thank you Nolah for sponsoring! Click here https://nolahmattress.com/toe and use CODE: TOE to get an extra $50 off your mattress. - 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 SUPPORT: - Support me on Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe - 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 JOIN MY SUBSTACK (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00:00 - The Ron Folman Experiment - 00:08:12 - Quantum Equivalence Principle - 00:15:00 - Gravitational Wavefunction Collapse - 00:25:14 - Active vs. Passive Gravity - 00:33:40 - Bose-Einstein Condensate Tests - 00:44:30 - Do Gravitons Exist? - 00:56:02 - Evidence Before the Big Bang - 01:04:11 - Testing Collapse Models LINKS MENTIONED: - Ivette’s Website: https://ivettefuentes.weebly.com/ - Ivette’s Published Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=W7-xksIAAAAJ&hl=en - Roger’s Published Papers: https://inspirehep.net/authors/993859 - Human Test: How Predictability, Creativity, And The Quantum Mind Will Redefine Life In The Age Of AI [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/-/he/Human-Test-Predictability-Creativity-Redefine/dp/149308920X - The Equivalence Principle: https://www.britannica.com/science/equivalence-principle - Nikita Nekrasov [TOE]: https://youtu.be/PH0CzN5qspI - Exploring The Unification Of Quantum Theory And General Relativity With A Bose-Einstein Condensate [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1812.04630 - Jacob Barandes & Manolis Kellis [TOE]: https://youtu.be/MTD8xkbiGis - Observation Of The Quantum Equivalence Principle For Matter-Waves [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2502.14535 - Claudia de Rham [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Ve_Mpd6dGv8 - Markus Aspelmeyer’s Published Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=DH7xfEgAAAAJ&hl=en - Hendrik Ulbricht Published Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6d15M50AAAAJ&hl=en - Ron Folman’s Lecture: https://youtu.be/uVN7zapPtvw - Ivette’s Solo Interview [TOE]: https://youtu.be/YWbjI-QsH2E - Roger’s Solo Interview [TOE]: https://youtu.be/iO03t21xhdk - Cumrun Vafa [TOE]: https://youtu.be/kUHOoMX4Bqw - Ted Jacobson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3mhctWlXyV8 - Jonathan Oppenheim [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6Z_p3viqW1g - Alexia Lopez’s Published Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PaPfR4sAAAAJ&hl=en - Neil Turok [TOE]: https://youtu.be/ZUp9x44N3uE - Alexia Lopez’s Lecture: https://youtu.be/-zkGk6EPMC8 - A Big Ring On The Sky [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2402.07591 - The DP Model: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Diosi-Penrose-DP-model-of-gravity-related-wave-function-collapse-a-According-to_fig1_344161033 - Underground Test Of Gravity-Related Wave Function Collapse [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2111.13490 - Curt’s Talk With Roger On IAI: https://youtu.be/VQM0OtxvZ-Y - Ron Folman’s T Cube Experiment: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1908.03879 - Carlo Rovelli [TOE]: https://youtu.be/hF4SAketEHY - Fay Dowker [TOE]: https://youtu.be/PgYHEPCLVas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Curt Jaimungal dives into Kierkegaard’s three stages of life—aesthetic, ethical, and religious — showing how each promises freedom yet traps us in its own way. Through the lens of modern anxiety and constant choice, he explores why the “leap of faith” isn’t blind irrationality but a way of living with authenticity when reason hits its limits. Sponsors: - 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 Timestamps: - 00:00 - Kierkegaard and Faith - 03:16 - The Three Stages - 05:10 - Anti-Helegianism - 10:52 - Self-Examination and "Knowing Thyself" Links mentioned: - The Most Terrifying Philosopher I’ve Encountered: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/the-most-terrifying-philosopher-ive - Soren Kierkegaard: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kierkegaard/ - Either/Or [Book]: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.504967/page/n125/mode/2up - Michael Sugrue On Kierkegaard: https://youtu.be/SMJc9UMzFSE - Hegelianism: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hegelianism - Max Tegmark [TOE]: https://youtu.be/-gekVfUAS7c - Sir Roger Penrose [TOE]: https://youtu.be/iO03t21xhdk - Curt’s Presentation: https://youtu.be/3_lBPMc6JRY 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 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professor Ivette Fuentes makes impossible physics testable, with verified predictions on the Casimir effect and quantum vacuum. Now she's building a "third way" to quantum gravity, a surprisingly simple model that changes both quantum mechanics and relativity instead of forcing one to dominate the other. SPONSORS: - 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 SUPPORT: - Support me on Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe - 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 JOIN MY SUBSTACK (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00 - A Third Way to Quantum Gravity - 07:35 - Vacuum-Induced Berry Phase - 12:30 - Dynamical Casimir Effect - 19:02 - Stagnation in Physics? - 29:25 - A Third Way to Unification - 38:20 - What is Physics? - 43:43 - What is Entanglement? - 56:11 - Observer-Dependent Entanglement - 1:03:20 - Advice for Students LINKS MENTIONED: - Ivette’s First Appearance [TOE]: https://youtu.be/cUj2TcZSlZc - Ivette’s Published Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=W7-xksIAAAAJ&hl=en - Ivette’s Website: https://ivettefuentes.weebly.com/ - Berry Phase: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/mathematics/berry-phase - Maria Violaris [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Iya6tYN37ow - Casimir Effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_effect - Towards Universal Quantum Computation Through Relativistic Motion [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1311.5619 - SQUID: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQUID - Observation Of The Dynamical Casimir Effect In A Superconducting Circuit [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1105.4714 - Generating Multimode Entangled Microwaves With A Superconducting Parametric Cavity [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1709.00083 - Sir Roger Penrose [TOE]: https://youtu.be/iO03t21xhdk - String Theory Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/X4PdPnQuwjY - Felix Finster [TOE]: https://youtu.be/fXzO_KAqrh0 - Jonathan Oppenheim [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6Z_p3viqW1g - Ted Jacobson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3mhctWlXyV8 - Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/wrUvtqr4wOs - Tim Maudlin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss - Bertlemann’s Socks And The Nature Of Reality [Paper]: https://cds.cern.ch/record/142461/files/198009299.pdf - Perimeter Institute: https://perimeterinstitute.ca/ - Alice Falls Into A Black Hole [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/quant-ph/0410172 - Observer Dependent Entanglement [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1210.2223 - Frederic Schuller [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Bnh-UNrxYZg - Vacuum Induced Spin-1/2 Berry Phase [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/quant-ph/0202128 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do physical laws have their specific form? Host Curt Jaimungal shows this question is a philosophical knot, because any "explanation" must itself stand on a law. Sponsors: - 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 Timestamps: - 00:00 - Why Physical Laws? - 05:04 - The Justification Problem - 12:14 - The Limits of Explanation Links mentioned: - Wigner’s Classification: https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/Wigner+classification - Noether’s Theorem: https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/Noether%27s+theorem - This Is What Energy Actually Is [TOE]: https://youtu.be/hQk9GLZ0Fms - Do Symmetries “Explain” Conservation Laws? [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2010.10909 - Max Tegmark [TOE]: https://youtu.be/-gekVfUAS7c - Lee Smolin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/uOKOodQXjhc - Amanda Gefter [TOE]: https://youtu.be/yABPvDJ6Zgs - John Norton [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Tghl6aS5A3M - Laws of Physics [Eddy Keming Chen]: https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.03484 - What’s Actually Possible: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/the-unexamined-in-principle - Eddy Chen & Barry Loewer [TOE]: https://youtu.be/xZnafO__IZ0 - The Package Deal Accounts of Laws and Properties [Paper]: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11229-020-02765-2 - David Deutsch [TOE]: https://youtu.be/vKeWv-cdWkM - Elan Barenholtz & Will Hahn [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Ca_RbPXraDE - Münchhausen Trilemma [Wikipedia]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCnchhausen_trilemma - Jennifer Nagel [TOE]: https://youtu.be/CWZVMZ9Tm7Q - Law Without Law [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1712.01826 - Schrodinger Equation: https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/Schr%C3%B6dinger+equation - Born Rule: https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/Born+rule - Enaction of Qbists [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2411.04230 - Constructor Theory [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1210.7439 - The Package Deal Account of Laws and Properties [Paper]: https://sites.rutgers.edu/barry-loewer/wp-content/uploads/sites/195/2020/05/Loewer-2020-The-Package-Deal-Account.pdf - Jonathan Pageau [TOE]: https://youtu.be/X3co_AA6yec - The Most Abused Theorem in Math (Godel’s Incompleteness) [TOE]: https://youtu.be/OH-ybecvuEo 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 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices