Peter Woit: Unification, Twistors, and the Death of String Theory

Peter Woit: Unification, Twistors, and the Death of String Theory

Prof. Peter Woit critiques the decline of string theory and outlines his gravi-weak unification approach using Euclidean twistors in Euclidean spacetime. He also examines the role of mathematicians, machine learning, and philosophical issues in the search for quantum gravity.- 00:00:00 - Introduction- 00:00:00 - String theory's fundamental issues | Mathematicians' challenges- 00:02:20 - Spacetime and twistor theory insights- 00:20:00 - Bundles & diffeomorphism groups- 00:38:34 - Spinors as a spacetime point- 00:46:57 - Dominance of string theory & Ed Witten's influence- 00:54:17 - Quest for quantum gravity- 01:03:22 - String theory's lack of predictive power- 01:09:33 - Machine learning meets theoretical physics- 01:18:56 - Personal attacks vs. intellectual debate- 01:24:49 - Mathematicians vs. Physicists | Academic silos- 01:37:15 - Developing a contrarian view & the origin of 'Not Even Wrong'- 01:40:54 - Langlands & representation theory- 01:48:51 - Spacetime is NOT doomed- 01:58:47 - Sean Carroll's crisis in physics (odd responses to criticism)- 02:13:21 - Differentiable structures by dimension- 02:26:10 - Gravi-weak unification & chirality- 02:32:57 - Chern-Simons theory- 02:42:20 - Gravity as torsion or curvature- 02:50:07 - Category theory in physics- 02:56:43 - Defining a fulfilling lifeSPONSORS:- Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!)- Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE- PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802- Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e- Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything- TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerchRESOURCES:- YouTube link: https://youtu.be/9z3JYb_g2Qs- Not Even Wrong (Peter Woit's Blog): https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress- Not Even Wrong (Peter Woit's Book): https://amzn.to/40NFeaK- Spacetime is Right-Handed (Peter Woit's Article): https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/righthanded.pdf | https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress- Podcast w/ Edward Frankel: https://youtu.be/n_oPMcvHbAc- The Elegant Universe (Brian Greene): https://amzn.to/3sNmk7x- The Trouble With Physics (Lee Smolin): https://amzn.to/47lCCUj- Podcast w/ Sabina Hossenfelder on TOE: https://youtu.be/walaNM7KiYA- Podcast w/ Stephon Alexander Part 1: https://youtu.be/VETxb96a3qk- Podcast w/ Stephon Alexander Λ Sal Pais: https://youtu.be/PE4C7OI7Frg- Podcast w/ Eric Weinstein: https://youtu.be/KElq_MLO1kw- Podcast w/ Stephen Wolfram Part 1: https://youtu.be/1sXrRc3Bhrs- Podcast w/ Stephen Wolfram Part 2: https://youtu.be/xHPQ_oSsJgg- Podcast w/ Jonathan Oppenheim: https://youtu.be/NKOd8imBa2s Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science. FOLLOW: Substack | Spotify | YouTube | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episoder(340)

David Bessis: What Mathematics Really Is and How to Learn It

David Bessis: What Mathematics Really Is and How to Learn It

What is mathematics, really? Mathematician David Bessis joins me to argue that math isn't about numbers in a Platonic realm or a meaningless game of symbols—it's a cognitive technology for rewiring yo...

23 Feb 2h 18min

Erik Verlinde: Gravity Is Not Fundamental, It Is Entropic

Erik Verlinde: Gravity Is Not Fundamental, It Is Entropic

What if gravity is just entropy in disguise? Professor Erik Verlinde joins me to argue that gravity isn't a fundamental force—it's thermodynamic, emerging from quantum information the way gas pressure...

16 Feb 1h 58min

Vitaly Vanchurin: The Universe Is a Neural Network That Learns

Vitaly Vanchurin: The Universe Is a Neural Network That Learns

What if physics is just the universe learning? Most Theories of Everything episodes are mind‑bending for their math, physics, philosophy, or consciousness implications. This one hits all four simultan...

9 Feb 1h 58min

Rob Spekkens: Why the Quantum Wave Function Is Not Real

Rob Spekkens: Why the Quantum Wave Function Is Not Real

From Ancient Egypt to Leibniz... Brand‑new interview out with Robert Spekkens of the Perimeter Institute, one of the sharpest minds working on quantum foundations. In 2004, he constructed a classical ...

2 Feb 2h 47min

Subir Sarkar: Why Dark Energy Is a Local Illusion

Subir Sarkar: Why Dark Energy Is a Local Illusion

Hot off the press, Professor Subir Sarkar makes the case that dark energy doesn’t exist (and he’s not being provocative for its own sake). He’s the former head of Oxford’s particle theory group, serve...

26 Jan 2h 3min

Stuart Kauffman: There Is No Theory of Everything

Stuart Kauffman: There Is No Theory of Everything

This is an interview with Stuart Kauffman, one of the founders of complexity theory. He invented random Boolean networks at only 23 years old and helped establish the Santa Fe Institute. Now 86, he ma...

20 Jan 1h 28min

Timothy Williamson: Modal Logic and the Nature of Knowledge

Timothy Williamson: Modal Logic and the Nature of Knowledge

Timothy Williamson (Oxford) challenges modal logic, epistemic possibility, and the nature of philosophical knowledge.As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and al...

13 Jan 1h 57min

I’m Giving Away $5,000 to Explain Hard Physics (and AI)

I’m Giving Away $5,000 to Explain Hard Physics (and AI)

Host Curt Jaimungal launches #CORE1, a competition seeking high-level video explainers for physics, AI, and philosophy. If you're a researcher or student, you'll have a chance to win part of the $5,00...

18 Des 202510min

Populært innen Vitenskap

fastlegen
tingenes-tilstand
rekommandert
jss
rss-rekommandert
sinnsyn
forskningno
liberal-halvtime
rss-nysgjerrige-norge
villmarksliv
dekodet-2
rss-paradigmepodden
rss-inn-til-kjernen-med-sunniva-rose
fjellsportpodden
hva-er-greia-med
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
tidlose-historier
abels-tarn
vett-og-vitenskap-med-gaute-einevoll
diagnose