Slavoj Zizek: “Buddhism Can’t Explain This”

SPONSORS:- Accelerate your efficiency. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at http://shopify.com/theories- Go to https://shortform.com/toe for a free trial and an exclusive $50 OFF on your annual subscription- I subscribe to The Economist for their science and tech coverage. As a TOE listener, get 35% off! No other podcast has this: https://economist.com/TOESlavoj Žižek doesn't answer your question — he dismantles it, rebuilds it, and hands you something stranger and more useful than what you started with. Philosopher, provocateur, and self-described pessimist, he's spent decades insisting on something most thinkers shy away from: that freedom isn't the absence of necessity — it's the moment you choose what you fundamentally are. The fall comes first. Paradise was never real to begin with. Reality is the gap, not the thing on either side of it. FOLLOW: - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 TIMESTAMPS:- 00:00:00 - Socrates and Radical Freedom- 00:05:02 - Quantum Indeterminacy vs. Freedom- 00:10:06 - Ontological Collapse Paradoxes- 00:15:07 - Adorno and Social Antinomies- 00:20:36 - Democritus: Less Than Nothing- 00:25:40 - Sartre and Existential Choice- 00:30:45 - Freudian Death Drive- 00:36:01 - Heidegger and Hysterical Awareness- 00:42:10 - Imp of Perversity- 00:48:07 - Einstein vs. Bohr- 00:53:15 - God’s Ontological Laziness- 00:58:17 - Hegel’s Retroactive Necessity- 01:03:41 - Digital Spirituality and AI- 01:09:18 - Stalin and Failed Projects- 01:14:41 - Hegel in a Wired Brain- 01:20:10 - Religious Convictions and Physics- 01:25:12 - Zen Buddhism and WarLINKS MENTIONED: - Slavoj's Books: https://amazon.com/stores/author/B000APK7P8- Philosophical Investigations into Human Freedom: https://amazon.com/dp/0791468747?tag=toe08-20- Freedom: A Disease Without Cure: https://amazon.com/dp/1350559164?tag=toe08-20- Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals: https://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/kant1785.pdf- Binding, Minds & the Platonic Realm [Lecture]: https://youtu.be/0BVM0UC28nY- Quantum Healing: https://amazon.com/dp/0553348698?tag=toe08-20- Republic of Silence: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1944/12/paris-alive-the-republic-of-silence/656012/- Discourse on the Origin of Inequality: https://amazon.com/dp/0486434141?tag=toe08-20- Beyond the Pleasure Principle: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Freud_Beyond_P_P.pdf- Philosophy of Spirit: https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/jlindex.htm- Hegelian Reading of the New Science of Consciousness: https://www.crisiscritique.org/storage/app/media/2025-08-25/slavoj-zizek.pdf- The Mirror Stage: https://english.hku.hk/staff/kjohnson/PDF/LacanMirrorStageECRITS.pdf- Being and Time: https://amazon.com/dp/0061575593?tag=toe08-20- Less Than Nothing: https://amazon.com/dp/1781681279?tag=toe08-20- The Imp of the Perverse: https://web.english.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Poe_Imp.pdf- Einstein-Bohr Debate: https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/dk/bohr.htm- Ages of the World: https://amazon.com/dp/1438474059?tag=toe08-20- Quantum History: https://amazon.com/dp/135056642X?tag=toe08-20- Phenomenology of Spirit: https://amazon.com/dp/0198245971?tag=toe08-20- Philosophy of Right: https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/pr/preface.htm- White Holes: https://amazon.com/dp/B0BTKZVJJK?tag=toe08-20- Science of Logic: https://amazon.com/dp/1542519918?tag=toe08-20- End of History and the Last Man: https://amazon.com/dp/0743284550?tag=toe08-20More links at https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Guests do not pay to appear. #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why can't local agreement scale to global truth? At the Mind at Large consciousness conference, hosted by the Center for Process Studies, I make the case using sheaf theory and physics — breaking down consciousness, free will, and the hard problem to show why sincerity beats any polished, totalizing philosophy. FOLLOW: - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00:00 - Intellectual Slogan Fatigue - 00:06:11 - The Reverse Elephant Metaphor - 00:11:12 - Local-to-Global Extension Failures - 00:16:13 - Three Senses of Irreducibility - 00:21:16 - Sheaf Theory and Obstructions - 00:26:30 - Hard Problem Formalizations - 00:31:36 - Averted Vision and Consciousness - 00:36:36 - Taxonomy of Everything - 00:41:39 - Pre-articulate Scientific Intimations - 00:46:45 - Speculative Philosophy and Humility - 00:51:47 - Ontological Significance of Vagueness LINKS MENTIONED: - Matthew Segall [TOE]: https://youtu.be/DeTm4fSXpbM - Jenann Ismael [TOE]: https://youtu.be/7kvXihDAOi0 - Aephraim Steinberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/cOZ3Kto6NIc - The Third Option [TOE]: https://youtu.be/tJsghrZQaYU - Scott Aaronson & David Chalmers [TOE]: https://youtu.be/7PlmOXQ18jk - Curt Debunks "All Possible Paths" [TOE]: https://youtu.be/XcY3ZtgYis0 - Consciousness Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/65yjqIDghEk - Stephen Wolfram [TOE]: https://youtu.be/FkYer0xP37E - Karl Friston [TOE]: https://youtu.be/uk4NZorRjCo - Michael Levin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/c8iFtaltX-s - Geoffrey Hinton [TOE]: https://youtu.be/b_DUft-BdIE - Noam Chomsky [TOE]: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ7ikzmc6zlORiRfcaQe8ZdxKxF-e2BCY - Anna Ciaunica & Michael Levin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/2aLhkm6QUgA - Mind-at-Large Project: https://ctr4process.org/mind-at-large/ - Process and Reality [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0029345707?tag=toe08-20 - The Structure of Science [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0915144719?tag=toe08-20 - Sorites Paradox: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sorites-paradox/ - The Mathematics of Self [Article]: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/the-mathematics-of-self-why-you-can - Gödel, Escher, Bach [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0465026567?tag=toe08-20 - Sheaf (Mathematics): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheaf_(mathematics) - Counterexamples in Topology [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/048668735X?tag=toe08-20 - Process Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/process-philosophy/ - Consciousness Explained [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0316180661?tag=toe08-20 - The Conscious Mind [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0195117891?tag=toe08-20 - Matter and Memory [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/1420937804?tag=toe08-20 - Boiling Frog: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog - Peano's Axioms: https://mathworld.wolfram.com/PeanosAxioms.html - Aharonov-Bohm Effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aharonov%E2%80%93Bohm_effect More links at https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Guests do not pay to appear. #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SPONSORS: - Sign up for Claude today at https://Claude.ai/theoriesofeverything and checkout Claude Pro — which includes access to all of the features mentioned in today's episode - Go to https://shortform.com/toe for a free trial and an exclusive $50 OFF on your annual subscription. - I subscribe to The Economist for their science and tech coverage. As a TOE listener, get 35% off! No other podcast has this: https://economist.com/TOE George Ellis is one of those guests who makes you rethink what you thought you understood. Co-author with Stephen Hawking of the singularity theorems, he's spent decades insisting on something most physicists won't touch: that reductionism is simply — patently — false. Physics doesn't decide outcomes. Context does. The thermostat sets the temperature. The algorithm tells the electrons what to do. The physics is the servant, not the master. FOLLOW: - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00:00 - Reductionism is Patently False - 00:07:37 - Top-Down Causation Mechanics - 00:13:46 - Modular Hierarchical Structures - 00:21:00 - Causation at Emergent Levels - 00:26:56 - Universal Biological Principles - 00:36:07 - Critiquing Penrose and CCC - 00:42:41 - The Physics of Infinity - 00:48:50 - Agency and Physical Constraints - 00:56:08 - The Open Future - 01:07:23 - Bioelectricity and Goal-Directedness - 01:12:28 - Evolving Block Universe - 01:19:32 - Multiverse as Metaphysics - 01:24:49 - Moral Realism as Data LINKS MENTIONED: - George's Papers: https://inspirehep.net/authors/1010821 - George's Books: https://amazon.com/stores/George-Francis-Rayner-Ellis/author/B00287T2PW - Arrow of Time [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/1302.7291 - Why Reductionism Does Not Work [Paper]: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-662-63187-4_6 - Recognizing Top-Down Causation [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/1212.2275 - Top-Down Causation by Information Control [Paper]: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3226993/ - Causal Closure of Physics [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.00972 - Issues in Philosophy of Cosmology [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0602280 - The Music of Life [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0199228361?tag=toe08-20 - How Can Physics Underlie the Mind? [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/3662498073?tag=toe08-20 - Large Scale Structure of Space-Time [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0521099064?tag=toe08-20 - The Selfish Gene [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0199291152?tag=toe08-20 - World Beyond Physics [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0190871334?tag=toe08-20 - Contextual Wavefunction Collapse [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/1807.08171 - A Theory of Biological Relativity [Paper]: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23386960/ - Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness [Paper]: https://consc.net/papers/facing.pdf - Denis Noble [TOE]: https://youtu.be/K-U-ZB3yHK4 - Michael Levin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/c8iFtaltX-s - Sean Carroll [TOE]: https://youtu.be/9AoRxtYZrZo - Quantum Physics, Digital Computers, and Life [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.06306 - Dynamical Emergence of Biology from Physics [Paper]: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.01966/full - The Whole Truth [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0691231354?tag=toe08-20 - Endless Forms Most Beautiful [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0393327795?tag=toe08-20 - Topology and Cosmology [Paper]: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02450512 More links at https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Guests do not pay to appear. #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SPONSORS: - Go to https://expressvpn.com/theoriesofeverythingyt to find out how you can get up to 4 extra months thanks to our sponsor, ExpressVPN - Accelerate your efficiency. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at http://shopify.com/theories - I subscribe to The Economist for their science and tech coverage. As a TOE listener, get 35% off! No other podcast has this: https://economist.com/TOE This conversation belongs in a category I wish were larger on this channel: the experimentalist who also thinks (deeply) about foundations. Professor Aephraim Steinberg, winner of Physics World’s Breakthrough of the Year in 2011, is that species! For basically 30 years, he’s been measuring aspects of physics that others wouldn’t touch: Bohmian trajectories, Heisenberg’s disturbance bound (he showed it was wrong), even where the photon is inside the double slit (which most textbooks will tell you is impossible). His lab measured negative time — and it keeps reappearing across completely different experiments, stubbornly suggesting it means something. FOLLOW: - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00:00 - Defining Negative Time - 00:06:50 - Quantum Trajectory Theory - 00:12:44 - The Holland Tunnel Analogy - 00:18:40 - Resonant Atomic Interactions - 00:26:05 - Superluminal Energy Propagation - 00:32:00 - Eight Velocities of Light - 00:38:00 - Causality and Retrocausality - 00:44:00 - Dwell Time vs. Delay - 00:50:24 - Time: Operator or Parameter? - 00:58:21 - Bell’s Theorem and Realism - 01:04:55 - Heisenberg’s Measurement Disturbance - 01:11:26 - Weak Measurement Formalism - 01:17:37 - Time Symmetry and Entropy - 01:27:07 - Bohmian Trajectories Observed - 01:35:56 - Spin-Statistics and Indistinguishability - 01:42:14 - Quantum Computational Advantage - 01:48:15 - Many Worlds vs. Complexity - 01:54:51 - Psi-Ontic vs. Psi-Epistemic - 02:01:37 - Collapsing Tunneling Particles - 02:08:48 - Larmor vs. Atto Clocks - 02:15:24 - Locality and Information LINKS MENTIONED: - Aephraim's Website: https://www.physics.utoronto.ca/~aephraim/ - Aephraim's Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PzUyb6IAAAAJ - Photon Negative Time in Atom Cloud [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2409.03680 - How Much Time Does a Photon Spend as Atomic Excitation? [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.00432 - Measuring Time Atoms Spend in Excited State [Paper]: https://journals.aps.org/prxquantum/abstract/10.1103/PRXQuantum.3.010314 - Tunneling Atom Time in Barrier [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.13523 - Single-Photon Tunneling Time [Paper]: https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.71.708 - Traversal Time for Tunneling [Paper]: https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.49.1739 - Propagation of a Gaussian Light Pulse [Paper]: https://journals.aps.org/pra/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevA.1.305 - Linear Pulse Propagation in Absorbing Medium [Paper]: https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.48.738 - Eighth Velocity of Light [Paper]: https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/ajp/article-abstract/45/6/538/1045817/Eighth-velocity-of-light - Attosecond Ionization [Paper]: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1163439 - Tunneling Optical Pulses Photonic Band Gaps [Paper]: https://attoworld.de/fileadmin/user_upload/tx_attoworld/publications/paper_PhysRevLett_Y1994_M10_D24_V73_P2308.pdf - Evidence of Negative Time [Article]: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/evidence-of-negative-time-found-in-quantum-physics-experiment/ - Light Speed Reduction [Article]: https://www.nature.com/articles/17561 - On the Theory of Light and Colors [Paper]: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/107113.pdf - Wave Propagation and Group Velocity [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/1483253937?tag=toe08-20 - EPR Paper [Paper]: https://journals.aps.org/pr/abstract/10.1103/PhysRev.47.777 - Uncertainty Principle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle - QBism [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/1003.5209 More links at https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Guests do not pay to appear. #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SPONSORS: - Go to https://shortform.com/toe for a free trial and an exclusive $50 OFF on your annual subscription - I subscribe to The Economist for their science and tech coverage. As a TOE listener, get 35% off! No other podcast has this: https://economist.com/TOE The intellectual world is designed to erode your confidence — through rejection rates, delayed feedback, unfair comparisons, and the silence of everyone you've actually helped. In this video I break down why feeling like a fraud is almost a structural inevitability in serious academic and self-directed learning, not a reflection of your actual ability. If you've ever stared at your own work and wondered what's wrong with you, this one's for you. FOLLOW: - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00 - Intellectual Negativity Bias - 03:22 - Rigor and Intellectual Giants - 05:33 - Invisible Intellectual Impact - 08:43 - Quinean Web of Metrics - 11:01 - Genius Culture Pathologies LINKS MENTIONED: - 7 Signs You're Smarter Than You Think [Substack]: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/7-signs-youre-smarter-than-you-think - Math Proof No One Could Explain [Part 1] [TOE]: https://youtu.be/RX1tZv_Nv4Y - Roger Penrose: Quantum Theory Is Wrong [TOE]: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU - Bernardo Kastrup: Escaping the Illusion [TOE]: https://youtu.be/lAB21FAXCDE - Terence Tao: https://mathstodon.xyz/@tao/113721192051328193 - Curt's Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com - Jacob Barandes: Quantum Theory as Stochastic Process [Wolfram]: https://youtu.be/JsmX3YxiUj0 - The 2,300-Year-Old Math Mistake [TOE]: https://youtu.be/GHGi_XDqKNw - David Bessis: Dual Braid Monoid [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/math/0101158 - Scott Aaronson: Greatest Unsolved Problem in Math [TOE]: https://youtu.be/1ZpGCQoL2Rk - Scott Aaronson: Truth About Quantum Computing [IAI]: https://youtu.be/KRxC6yzvoys - Beyond Consciousness: Animals, Infants, Petri Brains [TOE]: https://youtu.be/t_YMcEPfqCM - Willard Van Orman Quine [Stanford]: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/quine/ - Imposter Syndrome Workplace Prevalence: https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/imposter-syndrome-prevalence-uk-research/ - Imposter Syndrome Systematic Review [Paper]: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7174434/ - Sabrina @ How the Light Gets In [PhysicsGirl]: https://youtu.be/GrlGdoBGVBs - String Theory & M-Theory, Lecture 1 [Stanford]: https://youtu.be/25haxRuZQUk - Necessity of Complex Numbers [MIT OCW]: https://youtu.be/f079K1f2WQk - Phil Halper: Alternative Universe Theories [IAI]: https://youtu.be/3SpzC6stFhU - Debunking Veritasium: All Possible Paths Myth [TOE]: https://youtu.be/XcY3ZtgYis0 - Gödel's Incompleteness: Most Abused Theorem [TOE]: https://youtu.be/OH-ybecvuEo - Farina vs. Tour: Origin of Life Debate: https://youtu.be/KvGdllx9pJU More links at https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Guests do not pay to appear. #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For much of history, many mathematicians—following thinkers like Aristotle—viewed infinity as a never-ending process rather than a completed object. In the late 19th century, Georg Cantor revolutionized this view by treating infinite sets as mathematical objects that could be compared and studied. His work showed that not all infinities are equal, and that there are infinitely many different sizes of infinity. While his ideas are foundational in modern mathematics, some philosophical schools, such as finitism and ultrafinitism, continue to question whether infinite objects meaningfully exist. I subscribe to The Economist for their science and tech coverage. As a TOE listener, get 35% off! No other podcast has this: https://economist.com/TOE FOLLOW: - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00 - Potential vs. Actual Infinity - 03:12 - Cardinality and Aleph-Null - 06:12 - Diagonalization and Uncountability - 09:21 - ZFC and Logical Independence - 12:23 - Finitism and Ultrafinitism - 15:26 - Continuum Hypothesis Paradoxes - 16:00 - Foundational Mathematical Crisis LINKS MENTIONED: - The Most Abused Theorem in Math [TOE]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH-ybecvuEo - Dror Bar Natan [TOE]: https://youtu.be/rJz_Badd43c - Hilbert’s Problems: https://mathworld.wolfram.com/HilbertsProblems.html - The Independence of the Continuum Hypothesis [paper]: https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.50.6.1143 - Piano arithmetic: https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/Peano+arithmetic - Cantor’s Diagonal Argument: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335364685_A_Translation_of_G_Cantor's_Ueber_eine_elementare_Frage_der_Mannigfaltigkeitslehre - Hartog’s Construction: paultaylor.eu/trans/HartogsF-wellord.pdf - Cohen’s Forcing Method: https://timothychow.net/forcing.pdf - Norman Wildberger [TOE]: https://youtu.be/l7LvgvunVCM - Woodin’s lecture: https://youtu.be/nVF4N1Ix5WI In Search of Ultimate-L [paper]: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44164514 - Emily Riehl [TOE]: https://youtu.be/mTwvecBthpQ - Sir Roger Penrose [TOE]: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU - Why Write? [article]: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/why-write ASSETS USED: - Infinity display: https://youtu.be/osa4ptG5lMg - Number counter: https://youtu.be/HRL5uNGXh9U Guests do not pay to appear. #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Riehl, one of the world’s leading category theorists, shares her vision for making infinity category theory something undergrads can actually learn. In this talk, she breaks down how rethinking the foundations of math could change the way it’s taught and understood—and why it might redefine what math even is. I subscribe to The Economist for their science and tech coverage. As a TOE listener, get 35% off! No other podcast has this: https://economist.com/TOE 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 Links: •⁠ ⁠Emily’s profile: https://emilyriehl.github.io/ •⁠ ⁠Emily’s presentation: https://emilyriehl.github.io/files/undergraduates-TOE.pdf •⁠ ⁠A Type Theory For Synthetic ∞-Categories (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/1705.07442 •⁠ ⁠Could ∞-Category Theory Be Taught To Undergraduates? (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2302.07855 •⁠ ⁠RZK proof assistant: https://rzk-lang.github.io/rzk/en/latest/ •⁠ ⁠Lean Zulip chat: https://leanprover.zulipchat.com/#recentnews Timestamps: 00:00 A Dream for the Future 01:55 Exploring Infinity Categories 03:54 The Role of Category Theory 10:17 Key Concepts of Category Theory 12:01 The Curry-Howard Correspondence 15:37 Understanding Left Adjoint Functors 24:38 The Innate Lemma Explained 38:29 Proving the Isomorphism 41:50 The Importance of Abstraction 44:04 A Crash Course in Category Theory 44:17 Introduction to Infinity Category Theory 56:27 Fundamental Infinity Groupoids 1:03:34 What Are Infinity Categories? 1:09:12 The Case for Infinity Categories 1:18:12 Transitioning to Homotopy Type Theory 1:22:49 Crash Course in Homotopy Type Theory 1:30:56 Type Constructors Explained 1:34:19 Propositions as Types 1:42:50 Understanding Dependent Types 1:49:01 Identity Types and Their Importance 1:54:03 The Structure of Infinity Groupoids 1:59:33 Hierarchies of Types 2:06:19 The Univalence Axiom 2:08:36 Transitioning to Infinity Category Theory 2:10:04 Simplicial Type Theory Overview 2:14:56 Pre-Infinity Categories Defined 2:24:32 Isomorphisms in Infinity Categories 2:31:48 Computer Formalization in Mathematics 2:40:02 Conclusion and Future Directions Support TOE on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Renato Renner (ETH Zurich) proves quantum mechanics contains logical contradictions that undermine its foundations.Quantum theory may be the most successful theory in history — and Renato Renner has proved it can't consistently describe itself. This is not a philosophical objection. It's a theorem. From there it spirals into black holes, reference frames, and why some of his students refused to continue working on the subject. This one is a quiet storm, blending the foundations of physics with something uncomfortably personal: the question of what you are. TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00:00 - Quantum Theory's Internal Contradiction - 00:05:51 - Recursive Consistency Checks - 00:11:00 - Wigner’s Friend Paradox - 00:18:11 - Global vs. Local Inconsistency - 00:25:04 - The Inhabitant’s Perspective - 00:31:12 - Modeling Multi-Agent Reasoning - 00:44:25 - Three Fundamental Assumptions - 00:56:36 - Quantum Reference Frames - 01:06:14 - Black Hole Information Paradox - 01:15:06 - Operationalizing Hawking Radiation - 01:24:48 - Realizability of Thought Experiments - 01:41:16 - Emotional Physics: Many Worlds - 01:50:03 - The Limits of Probability - 02:01:06 - Operationalizing the Measurement Problem - 02:15:41 - Generalized Probabilistic Theories - 02:29:16 - Quantum-Gravity Correspondence - 02:40:10 - The Source of Disagreement - 02:56:54 - Physics as Communication LINKS MENTIONED: - Renato's Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=OEBtlWgAAAAJ - Renato's Lecture at Helgoland [Lecture]: https://youtu.be/NxIyldEZzZI - Against Probability [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.18872 - Testing Quantum Theory with Thought Experiments [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/2106.05314 - Quantum Advantage in Cryptography [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/2206.04078 - Quantum Theory Cannot Consistently Describe the Use of Itself [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/1604.07422 - Security of Quantum Key Distribution [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0512258 - Thought Experiments in a Quantum Computer [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.06236 - The Black Hole Information Puzzle [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.14653 - Quanundrum Software: https://github.com/jangnur/Quanundrum - Wigner's Friend: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wigner's_friend - Reimagining of Schrödinger's Cat [Article]: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reimagining-of-schroedingers-cat-breaks-quantum-mechanics-mdash-and-stumps-physicists1/ - Collapse Theory [Paper]: http://www.psiquadrat.de/downloads/grw86.pdf - Entropy of Hawking Radiation [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.06872 - QBism [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/1003.5209 - Respecting One's Fellow [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.03572 - Why Do Humans Reason? [Paper]: https://www.dan.sperber.fr/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/MercierSperberWhydohumansreason.pdf - Quantum Mechanical Rules for Observed Observers [Paper]: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47170-2 - Game Theory [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0262061414?tag=toe08-20 - Tim Maudlin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss - Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/gEK4-XtMwro - Sean Carroll [TOE]: https://youtu.be/9AoRxtYZrZo - David Wallace [TOE]: https://youtu.be/4MjNuJK5RzM - David Bessis [TOE]: https://youtu.be/GHGi_XDqKNw More links at https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Guests do not pay to appear. #science 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jenny Wagner examines the inverse problem: how to map dark matter without assuming what it is.What if 85% of the universe's matter isn't missing — it's just that our models were never clean enough to know? Dr. Jenny Wagner proves mathematically that every dark matter map ever made is extrapolation. The data only tells you something local. Everything else is a model assumption wearing the costume of evidence. She then connects this to Einstein's own 1917 warning — that homogeneity and isotropy were always a placeholder, never a truth — and makes the case that cosmology is not in crisis. It's finally ready for the next level of detail. TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00 - Dark Matter Model Fallacy - 05:06 - Gravitational Lensing Mechanics - 12:14 - Local vs. Global Information - 21:58 - Statistical Mechanics vs. Gravity - 31:28 - Inverse Problem Methodology - 39:58 - MOND and Modified Gravity - 51:58 - CMB Data Processing Biases - 59:56 - Bullet Cluster Re-evaluation - 01:12:41 - Functional Analysis Breakthrough - 01:24:39 - Challenging the Cosmological Principle - 01:42:44 - Minimalist Neutrino Solutions - 01:51:02 - Naked Singularity Detection - 02:04:27 - AI Limits in Cosmology - 02:11:02 - Scientific Method Evolution LINKS MENTIONED: - Jenny's Site: https://thegravitygrinch.blogspot.com/ - Jenny's Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=HBSfYZIAAAAJ - Millennium Sim.: https://wwwmpa.mpa-garching.mpg.de/galform/virgo/millennium/ - Cosmic Structures (Math): https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.00960 - MOND (Milgrom 1983): https://doi.org/10.1086/160167 - Bullet Cluster JWST: https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.21870 - Much Ado About No Offset: https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.11779 - Model-Indep. Gravitational Lenses: https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.01630 - Einstein's 1917 Cosmo. Paper: https://www.scribd.com/doc/211769217/Cosmological-Considerations-In-The-General-Theory-of-Relativity - Imre Lakatos: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/lakatos/ - Against Cosmological Principle: https://youtu.be/nASUsWQyemc - Obs. Universe & Cosmo. Principle: https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.05765 - Galaxy Cluster Scaling Anisotropy: https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.13904 - Giant Arc on the Sky: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.06875 - Hassabis AI Lecture: https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2024/12/hassabis-lecture.pdf - Concentric Circles: https://arxiv.org/abs/1011.3706 - No Low-Variance Circles: https://arxiv.org/abs/1012.1305 - Cumrun Vafa: https://youtu.be/kUHOoMX4Bqw - Daniel Dennett: https://youtu.be/bH553zzjQlI - David Kaiser: https://youtu.be/_yebLXsIdwo - Roger Penrose: https://youtu.be/iO03t21xhdk - Barry Loewer & Eddy Chen: https://youtu.be/xZnafO__IZ0 - Subir Sarkar: https://youtu.be/epkuoytFJWA - Neil Turok: https://youtu.be/ZUp9x44N3uE - Carlo Rovelli: https://youtu.be/hF4SAketEHY - JB Manchak: https://youtu.be/iGOGxaZZHwE - Jacob Barandes: https://youtu.be/wrUvtqr4wOs - Tim Maudlin: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss - Michael Levin: https://youtu.be/c8iFtaltX-s - Karl Friston: https://youtu.be/uk4NZorRjCo - Yang-Hui He: https://youtu.be/spIquD_mBFk - Erik Verlinde: https://youtu.be/ilVImMHcr_g - Eva Miranda: https://youtu.be/6XyMepn-AZo - Curt on Determinism: https://youtu.be/tJsghrZQaYU More links at https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Guests do not pay to appear. #science 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Curt Jaimungal argues writing reveals something deeper than output—what LLMs expose about human purpose.Curt Jaimungal argues that in an age where LLMs can produce beautiful prose on demand, we've discovered that output was always just a proxy for something deeper — understanding you can't outsource, especially on the questions that actually matter: death, meaning, identity, morality. Shallowness now wears the robe of eloquence. FOLLOW: - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00 - You Can't Vibe Your Way to Understanding - 02:22 - Shallowness Now Wears the Robe of Eloquence - 04:09 - Why We Never Knew Output Was a Proxy LINKS MENTIONED: - Why Write [Article]: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/why-write - 3 Rules of Writing [Article]: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/my-3-rules-of-writing - One Push Up [Article]: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/this-may-be-one-of-the-most-important - The Most Terrifying Philosopher Encounter I've Encountered [TOE]: https://youtu.be/BWYxRM__TBU - The Abused Theorem in Math [TOE]: https://youtu.be/OH-ybecvuEo Guests do not pay to appear. #science . 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices