The God Crutch: Do The Laws of Physics Exist?
Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal
Intro
This chapter explores the philosophical debate on the existence and significance of physical laws through a dialogue between two speakers. It challenges listeners to reflect on the implications of these laws for concepts like free will and our understanding of existence.
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 Are the laws of physics governing forces or elegant summaries? In this deep and often humorous debate, Barry Loewer of Rutgers and Eddy Chen of UC San Diego clash over the very nature of physical reality. Are the laws of nature real, mind independent constraints that shape what’s possible or are they human made descriptions of observed patterns? Together they explore metaphysics, causation, probability, and whether the universe is truly ruled by anything at all. A must watch for anyone questioning the foundations of science itself. Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Timestamps: 00:00 The Nature of Physical Reality 42:28 The Circularity of Scientific Understanding 1:05:44 Reality Explored 1:08:28 Describing Human Experience 1:10:10 The Role of Science 1:10:58 Understanding Motion and Laws 1:12:19 The Nature of Laws 1:14:55 Possible Worlds in Philosophy 1:18:05 Configuration Space Debate 1:21:10 Quantum Mechanics and Reality 1:22:50 Metaphysical Necessity 1:27:13 The Nature of Free Will 1:30:14 Bridging Philosophy and Science 1:32:05 Constraints and Freedom 1:34:57 Philosophical Disputes 1:39:08 The Journey of Learning 2:05:16 Teaching and Learning Dynamics 2:07:23 Closing Reflections Links Mentioned: • Barry’s published papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=n_RTOwO00oEC&hl=en • Eddy’s published papers: https://arxiv.org/a/chen_e_1.html • Neil Turok on TOE: https://youtu.be/ZUp9x44N3uE • Greg Chaitin on TOE: https://youtu.be/zMPnrNL3zsE • Leonard Susskind on TOE: https://youtu.be/2p_Hlm6aCok • Emily Adlam on TOE: https://youtu.be/6I2OhmVWLMs • Laws of Nature and Chances (book): https://www.amazon.com/Laws-Nature-Chances-Breathes-Equations/dp/0198907699 • Laws of Physics (book): https://www.amazon.com/Laws-Physics-Elements-Philosophy/dp/100901272X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1CHA72RYFUOI8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OjkhTXRzZw_SWTMFZp8dUtREsTxacKuwg03AsLUUp6qLCuygS74CtEgujWl7wMvVEt-ErFEz-CfFLiiXTmuUCwKq0TW4WLFIA3DIhDNVaV4.gRuqaZldjUa8Kv_j1ew-CfZGQqtdt00X55fyMZ9NGD4&dib_tag=se&keywords=eddy+chen&qid=1749667626&s=books&sprefix=eddy+chen%2Cstripbooks%2C128&sr=1-1 • On the Plurality of Worlds (book): https://www.amazon.com/Plurality-Worlds-David-K-Lewis/dp/0631224262 • Tim Maudlin on TOE: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss • Tim Maudlin and Tim Palmer on TOE: https://youtu.be/883R3JlZHXE • How Physics Makes Us Free (book): https://www.amazon.com/How-Physics-Makes-Us-Free/dp/0190269448 • From Time Asymmetry to Quantum Entanglement (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2006.05029 • Jacob Barandes on TOE: https://youtu.be/7oWip00iXbo • Realism with a Human Face (book): https://www.amazon.com/Realism-Human-Face-Hilary-Putnam/dp/0674749456 • Causation and Laws of Nature in Early Modern Philosophy (book): https://www.amazon.com/Causation-Nature-Early-Modern-Philosophy/dp/0199664684/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0 • The Maniac (book): https://www.amazon.com/MANIAC-Benjamin-Labatut/dp/0593654471 • When We Cease to Understand the World (book): https://www.amazon.com/When-We-Cease-Understand-World/dp/1681375664 • Eddy’s paper on time and nature: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2109.09226 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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