Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal What 100 Years of Quantum Physics Got Wrong | Jacob Barandes Λ Manolis Kellis
5 snips
Feb 4, 2025 
Jacob Barandes, a theoretical physicist and philosopher from Harvard, and Manolis Kellis, a computational biologist from MIT, dive into the intriguing interplay between quantum physics, biology, and consciousness. They challenge traditional interpretations of reality and discuss the significance of the observer in quantum theory. The conversation touches on the evolution of quantum mechanics and its implications for consciousness. They also explore how quantum mechanics might influence biological processes, revealing a deeper connection between physics and the fabric of existence.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Quantum Physics: An Instrumentalist View
- Quantum physics, as taught, is instrumentalist, predicting measurement outcomes.
- It doesn't explain what happens between measurements; that's mere interpretation.
The Reality of Wave Functions
- Wave functions might not describe an observer-independent reality but live in configuration space.
- This challenges their physical reality, similar to gauge potentials.
Heisenberg's Hay Fever and Matrix Mechanics
- Heisenberg's hay fever drove him to Heligoland, leading to a paradigm shift in quantum theory.
- Banishing physical pictures, he developed matrix mechanics, a purely mathematical theory.