Lex Fridman Podcast

#234 – Stephen Wolfram: Complexity and the Fabric of Reality

Oct 27, 2021

Stephen Wolfram, a distinguished computer scientist and founder of Wolfram Research, discusses the deep connections between complexity in nature and computation. He dives into the intriguing Ruliad concept, a framework to understand the universe, while also addressing the unpredictable behaviors in systems like Rule 30 and the randomness of pi. Wolfram explores the philosophical implications of consciousness and perception, asserting how our understanding of reality is shaped by computational principles and challenges conventional notions of existence.

03:45:26

Creator website

Episode guests

Stephen Wolfram

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The Concept of an Immortal Soul in Computationalism

02:49

The Fundamental Difference Between Space and Time

01:32

Nature's Secret to Creating Complexity

00:20

Understanding Time Dilation and Relativity in Physics

02:24

Intro

4min

Navigating Nootropics, Hiring Challenges, and Investment Strategies

4min

Unraveling Complexity: Nature and Computation

8min

Exploring the Complexity of Rule 30 and the Nature of Pi

2min

Randomness and Complexity: Unraveling Existence

15min

Unraveling Spacetime: Consciousness and Quantum Mysteries

22min

Exploring Consciousness and Perception

13min

Storytelling and Consciousness in Computation

16min

The Interplay of Time, Motion, and Quantum Mechanics

22min

10.

Exploring the Ruliad: The Fabric of Existence

12min

11.

Consciousness and the Ruliad

22min

12.

Exploring the Ruliad and the Nature of Existence

3min

13.

The Limits of Mathematical Understanding

20min

14.

Exploring Multi-Computation in Science

22min

15.

Exploring Blockchain and Economics through Computation

16min

16.

The Future of Smart Contracts and NFTs in Blockchain Technology

5min

17.

Unraveling Complexity and Truth in Computation

19min

18.

The Promise of Basic Science and Near-Term Applications

2min

Stephen Wolfram is a computer scientist, mathematician, and theoretical physicist. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
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EPISODE LINKS:
Stephen’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephen_wolfram
Stephen’s Blog: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com
Wolfram Physics Project: https://www.wolframphysics.org
A New Kind of Science (book): https://amzn.to/30XoEun
Fundamental Theory of Physics (book): https://amzn.to/30XbAoT

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OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(07:50) – What is complexity
(20:51) – Randomness in the universe
(25:12) – The Wolfram Physics Project
(37:14) – Space and time are discrete
(49:19) – Quantum mechanics and hypergraphs
(58:33) – What is intelligence
(1:09:16) – Computational equivalence
(1:17:36) – What it is like to be a cellular automata
(1:32:00) – Making prediction vs explanations
(1:45:20) – Why does the universe exist
(1:51:01) – The universe and rulial space
(1:59:44) – Does an atom have consciousness
(2:10:10) – Why does our universe exist
(2:18:41) – What is outside the ruliad
(2:29:15) – Automated proof systems
(2:45:10) – Multicomputation for biology
(3:03:41) – Cardano NFT collaboration with Wolfram Alpha
(3:10:41) – Global theory of economics

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