The Many Worlds Theory of Quantum Mechanics | David Wallace
Philosopher of physics David Wallace breaks down the Everett (Many-Worlds) interpretation of quantum mechanics in today's episode. We discuss the big misconceptions in physics and explore probability, emergence, and personal identity across multiple worlds. Wallace also touches on the Born Rule, the direction of time, and why consciousness may not be as mysterious as it seems. This is a mind-bending tour through the foundations of reality. Enjoy. Thank you.
Huel: Try Huel with 15% OFF + Free Gift for New Customers today using my code theoriesofeverything at https://huel.com/theoriesofeverything . Fuel your best performance with Huel today!
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
David Wallace links:
• 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
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
Timestamps:
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
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal
Exploring theoretical physics, consciousness, Ai, and God in a technically rigorous manner. If you'd like to support this endeavor, then please visit the Patreon ( https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal ). Thank you for your charitable and kindhearted support. My name's Curt Jaimungal, a Torontonian with a degree in mathematical physics from the University of Toronto and I analyze various Theories of Everything from this analytic perspective, though more and more opening up to alternative approaches. The separating factor of TOE from other podcasts is its focus on depth even at the risk of limiting the audience due to how much detail we delve into subjects. Paralleling the intensity found in academic discourse, we're increasingly embracing a spectrum of unconventional ideas to conduct research during this podcast, rather than merely conveying existing information. Contact toe [at] indiefilmTO [dot] com for business inquiries / sponsorship.
- No. of episodes: 307
- Latest episode: 2025-06-03
- Society & Culture Philosophy Science Physics
Where can you listen?
