David Wallace: The Many Worlds Theory of Quantum Mechanics
Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal
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Philosopher of physics David Wallace unpacks the Everett (Many‑Worlds) interpretation, tackling common misconceptions, probability, emergence and personal identity across multiple worlds. He also examines the Born rule, the direction of time and the role of consciousness in physics.
- 00:00 - Misconceptions About Physics
- 01:27 - Simplicity in Physics
- 4:48 - Understanding Quantum Mechanics
- 7:27 - Mysteries of Large-Scale Physics
- 9:53 - The Nature of Time
- 13:19 - Boundary Conditions in Physics
- 15:04 - Models of Physics
- 16:56 - Canonical vs Covariant Quantization
- 21:10 - Theories of Gravity
- 28:22 - Everettian Quantum Mechanics
- 30:11 - Misconceptions in Many Worlds Theory
- 47:52 - Decision Theory in Quantum Mechanics
- 57:58 - The Deutsch-Wallace Theorem
- 1:14:47 - The Nature of Fundamental Physics
- 1:18:40 - Personal Identity in Many Worlds
- 1:27:14 - Exploring Emergence
- 1:33:19 - Thoughts on Consciousness
- 1:35:09 - Disagreements with David Deutsch
- 1:39:18 - Understanding Real Patterns
- 1:54:02 - The Relevance-Limiting Thesis
- 2:00:54 - Advice for Young Researchers
SPONSORS:
- Huel: 15% OFF + Free Gift with code theoriesofeverything - https://huel.com/theoriesofeverything
- The Economist: 20% off for TOE listeners - https://www.economist.com/toe
RESOURCES:
- The Emergent Multiverse (book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0198707541
- David Wallace’s published papers: https://philpeople.org/profiles/david-wallace/publications
- Stating Structural Realism (paper): https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/20048/1/semantic.pdf
- David’s reading resources: https://sites.pitt.edu/~dmw121/resources.html
- The Quantization of Gravity (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/gr-qc/0004005
- Ted Jacobson discusses entropy on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mhctWlXyV8
- Curt debunks the "all possible paths" myth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcY3ZtgYis0
- Julian Barbour discusses time on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-bImnQ9cmw
- TOE’s String Theory Iceberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4PdPnQuwjY
- Bryce DeWitt’s published papers: https://journals.aps.org/search/results?clauses=%5B%7B%22operator%22%3A%22AND%22%2C%22field%22%3A%22author%22%2C%22value%22%3A%22Bryce+S+DeWitt%22%7D%5D
- Carlo Rovelli discusses loop quantum gravity on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF4SAketEHY
- Avshalom Elitzur discusses spacetime on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWRAaimQT1E
- Sean Carroll discusses the physics community on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AoRxtYZrZo
- Ruth Kastner discusses retrocausality on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BsHh3_vCMQ
- Simon Saunders's talk on Many Worlds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gM-sgmCUik
- Jacob Barandes discusses quantum mechanics on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oWip00iXbo
- Jacob Barandes discusses philosophy in physics on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaS1usLeXQM
- Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
- Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
- 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
- 00:00 - Misconceptions About Physics
- 01:27 - Simplicity in Physics
- 4:48 - Understanding Quantum Mechanics
- 7:27 - Mysteries of Large-Scale Physics
- 9:53 - The Nature of Time
- 13:19 - Boundary Conditions in Physics
- 15:04 - Models of Physics
- 16:56 - Canonical vs Covariant Quantization
- 21:10 - Theories of Gravity
- 28:22 - Everettian Quantum Mechanics
- 30:11 - Misconceptions in Many Worlds Theory
- 47:52 - Decision Theory in Quantum Mechanics
- 57:58 - The Deutsch-Wallace Theorem
- 1:14:47 - The Nature of Fundamental Physics
- 1:18:40 - Personal Identity in Many Worlds
- 1:27:14 - Exploring Emergence
- 1:33:19 - Thoughts on Consciousness
- 1:35:09 - Disagreements with David Deutsch
- 1:39:18 - Understanding Real Patterns
- 1:54:02 - The Relevance-Limiting Thesis
- 2:00:54 - Advice for Young Researchers
SPONSORS:
- Huel: 15% OFF + Free Gift with code theoriesofeverything - https://huel.com/theoriesofeverything
- The Economist: 20% off for TOE listeners - https://www.economist.com/toe
RESOURCES:
- The Emergent Multiverse (book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0198707541
- David Wallace’s published papers: https://philpeople.org/profiles/david-wallace/publications
- Stating Structural Realism (paper): https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/20048/1/semantic.pdf
- David’s reading resources: https://sites.pitt.edu/~dmw121/resources.html
- The Quantization of Gravity (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/gr-qc/0004005
- Ted Jacobson discusses entropy on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mhctWlXyV8
- Curt debunks the "all possible paths" myth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcY3ZtgYis0
- Julian Barbour discusses time on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-bImnQ9cmw
- TOE’s String Theory Iceberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4PdPnQuwjY
- Bryce DeWitt’s published papers: https://journals.aps.org/search/results?clauses=%5B%7B%22operator%22%3A%22AND%22%2C%22field%22%3A%22author%22%2C%22value%22%3A%22Bryce+S+DeWitt%22%7D%5D
- Carlo Rovelli discusses loop quantum gravity on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF4SAketEHY
- Avshalom Elitzur discusses spacetime on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWRAaimQT1E
- Sean Carroll discusses the physics community on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AoRxtYZrZo
- Ruth Kastner discusses retrocausality on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BsHh3_vCMQ
- Simon Saunders's talk on Many Worlds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gM-sgmCUik
- Jacob Barandes discusses quantum mechanics on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oWip00iXbo
- Jacob Barandes discusses philosophy in physics on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaS1usLeXQM
- Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
- Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
- 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
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