Scott Aaronson and Jacob Barandes: Quantum Mechanics Without Waves

Jacob Barandes (Harvard) and Scott Aaronson debate a wave-function-free reformulation of quantum mechanics. They explore whether the new “indivisible” approach reshapes our understanding of reality or simply repackages existing puzzles.0:00 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics5:40 The Power of Quantum Computing36:17 The Many Worlds Debate1:09:05 Evaluating Jacob's Theory1:13:49 Criteria for Theoretical Frameworks1:17:15 Bohmian Mechanics and Stochastic Dynamics1:18:51 Generalizing Quantum Theory1:22:32 The Role of Unobservables1:31:08 The Problem of Trajectories1:39:39 Exploring Alternative Theories1:50:29 The Stone Soup Analogy1:56:20 The Limits of Quantum Mechanics2:01:57 The Nature of Laws in Physics2:14:57 The Many Worlds Interpretation2:22:40 The Search for New ConnectionsSPONSORS:- I personally subscribe to The Economist. TOE listeners get 35% off the annual subscription. No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOEEvery episode days early, ad-free, plus my essays: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribeRESOURCES:- Quantum theory, the Church-Turing principle and the universal quantum computer (article): https://www.cs.princeton.edu/courses/archive/fall04/cos576/papers/deutsch85.pdf- The Emergent Multiverse (book): https://amzn.to/3QJleSu- Jacob Barandes on TOE (Part 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oWip00iXbo&t=1s&ab_channel=CurtJaimungal- Scott Aaronson on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZpGCQoL2Rk- Quantum Theory From Five Reasonable Axioms (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/quant-ph/0101012- Quantum stochastic processes and quantum non-Markovian phenomena (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2012.01894- Jacob's Wigner's Friend flowchart: https://shared.jacobbarandes.com/images/wigners-friend-flow-chart-2025- Is Quantum Mechanics An Island In Theory Space? (paper): https://www.scottaaronson.com/papers/island.pdf- Aspects of Objectivity in Quantum Mechanics (paper): https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/223/1/Objectivity.pdf- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (book): https://amzn.to/4bqVeoD- The Ghost in the Quantum Turing Machine (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/1306.0159- quantum mechanics and reality (article): https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/article/23/9/30/427387/Quantum-mechanics-and-realityCould-the-solution-to- Stone Soup (book): https://amzn.to/4kgPamN- TOE's String Theory Iceberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4PdPnQuwjY- TOE's Mindfest playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ7ikzmc6zlOPw7Hqkc6-MXEMBy0fnZcb- Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com- Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/SpotifyTOE- Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join- Support TOE on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal- Crypto: https://nowpayments.io/donation/TOE- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices