Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

• "Explain it to me like I'm five..." okie dokie

  You’ve heard the phrase: “If you can’t explain it to a 5-year-old, you don’t understand it.” But what if that idea is not only false but harmful? In this video, we dismantle one of the most repeated myths in science communication, explore why some truths resist simplification, and reveal what real understanding actually looks like. If you care about learning deeply, or teaching well, this is a must-watch. 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 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 Mentioned: •⁠ ⁠Algebraic Topology (book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521795400 •⁠ ⁠Topology and Geometry (book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0387979263 •⁠ ⁠Language isn’t just “low resolution communication” (Substack): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/language-isnt-just-low-resolution •⁠ ⁠Non-analytic smooth function: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-analytic_smooth_function •⁠ ⁠Emily Riehl on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTwvecBthpQ •⁠ ⁠Neil deGrasse Tyson on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhWWlJFwTqs •⁠ ⁠Curt debunking the “all possible paths” myth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcY3ZtgYis0 •⁠ ⁠What does it mean to explore the “ill-defined”? (Substack): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/what-does-it-mean-to-explore-the 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

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  19:04
• MIT Physicist: These Black Holes Are Older Than the Universe

  In this episode of Theories of Everything, MIT physicist and historian David Kaiser explores primordial black holes which are hypothetical entities that may have formed before stars or atoms. David discusses their potential role in explaining dark matter, their connections to cosmic inflation, and how they might reshape our understanding of the early universe. This conversation connects the realms of quantum theory, cosmology, and the history of physics. 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 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 Mentioned: •⁠ ⁠David Kaiser's published papers: https://arxiv.org/a/kaiser_d_1.html •⁠ ⁠Bell, J. S. “On the Einstein‐Podolsky‐Rosen paradox” (1964): https://cds.cern.ch/record/111654/files/vol1p195-200_001.pdf •⁠ ⁠“Ultra-High-Energy Neutrinos from Primordial Black Holes” (2025): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2503.19227 •⁠ ⁠“Cosmic Bell Test Using Random Measurement Settings from High-Redshift Quasars” (2018): https://arxiv.org/pdf/1808.05966 •⁠ ⁠“Close Encounters of the Primordial Kind” (2023): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2312.17217 •⁠ ⁠“Primordial Black Holes from Multifield Inflation with Non-minimal Couplings” (2022): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2205.04471 •⁠ ⁠“Testing Bell’s Inequality with Cosmic Photons” (2013): https://arxiv.org/pdf/1310.3288 •⁠ ⁠“Planck Constraints & Gravitational-Wave Forecasts for PBH Dark Matter Seeded by Multifield Inflation” (2023): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2303.02168 •⁠ ⁠“Light Scalar Fields Foster Production of Primordial Black Holes” (2025): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2504.13251 •⁠ ⁠“Debye Screening of Non-Abelian Plasmas in Curved Spacetimes” (2023): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2309.15385 •⁠ ⁠“Primordial Black Holes with QCD Color Charge” (2023): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2310.16877 •⁠ ⁠A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553380168 •⁠ ⁠In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat – John Gribbin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553342533 •⁠ ⁠How the Hippies Saved Physics – David Kaiser: https://www.amazon.com/dp/039334231X •⁠ ⁠Drawing Theories Apart – David Kaiser: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002Y5W2X2 Timestamps: 00:00 – What Are Primordial Black Holes? 01:41 – Could They Be Dark Matter? 05:21 – Kaiser’s Academic Journey 10:56 – Studying Physics and Its History 11:57 – Cosmic Inflation Basics 15:31 – Direct Collapse vs. Stellar Collapse 25:14 – Bell’s Theorem Explained 38:32 – Quasars and the Cosmic Bell Test 43:04 – High-Precision Astronomy 47:38 – Learning Curves & Interdisciplinary Research 48:17 – Scalar Fields and Inflation Models 55:05 – Black Hole Formation from Inflation 58:41 – Black Hole Mass as a Cosmic Clock 1:02:50 – Quark-Gluon Plasma & Color Charge 1:08:46 – Critical Collapse and Mass Spread 1:11:34 – Charged Primordial Black Holes 1:13:54 – Big Bang Nucleosynthesis Implications 1:20:14 – Detecting Black Holes Locally 1:23:51 – Tracking Planetary Wobbles 1:26:04 – Hawking Radiation & Positron Signatures 1:30:06 – Why Track Mars, Not Earth? #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  1:56:14
• Demystifying Gödel's Theorem: What It Actually Says

  Gödel’s incompleteness theorem is one of the most misunderstood ideas in science and philosophy. This video cuts through the hype, correcting major misconceptions from pop-science icons and revealing what Gödel actually proved and what he didn’t. If you think his theorem limits human knowledge, think again. The people referenced are Neil deGrasse Tyson, Veritasium, Michio Kaku, and Deepak Chopra. Correction: Veritasium says "everything" not "anything." My foolish verbal flub is corrected in the captions, and the argumentation remains the same. 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 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 Mentioned: •⁠ ⁠Scott Aaronson | How Much Math Is Knowable?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VplMHWSZf5c •⁠ ⁠The Consistency of the Axiom of Choice and of the Generalized Continuum-Hypothesis (paper): https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.24.12.556 •⁠ ⁠The Gettier Problem: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/knowledge-analysis/#GettProb •⁠ ⁠Jennifer Nagel on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWZVMZ9Tm7Q •⁠ ⁠Gödel’s First Incompleteness Theorem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Formally_Undecidable_Propositions_of_Principia_Mathematica_and_Related_Systems •⁠ ⁠Roger Penrose on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGm505TFMbU •⁠ ⁠Curt talks with Penrose for IAI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQM0OtxvZ-Y •⁠ ⁠Bertrand Russell’s Comments: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:Russell,_Whitehead_-_Principia_Mathematica,_vol._I,_1910.djvu/84 •⁠ ⁠Gregory Chaitin on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMPnrNL3zsE •⁠ ⁠Chaitin on the ‘Rise and Fall of Academia’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoEuav8G6sY •⁠ ⁠Curt and Neil Tyson Debate Physics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye9OkJih3-U •⁠ ⁠Gödel’s Completeness Theorem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del%27s_completeness_theorem •⁠ ⁠Latham Boyle on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyLeeEFKk04 •⁠ ⁠Gabriele Carcassi on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIQ7CaQX8EI •⁠ ⁠Gabriele Carcassi’s YouTube Channel (Live): https://www.youtube.com/@AssumptionsofPhysicsResearch •⁠ ⁠Robinson Arithmetic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinson_arithmetic •⁠ ⁠Algorithmic Information Theory (book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521616042 •⁠ ⁠The Paris-Harrington Theorem: https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Paris-HarringtonTheorem.html •⁠ ⁠Curt’s Substack: The Mathematics of Self: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/the-mathematics-of-self-why-you-can •⁠ ⁠The Church-Turing Thesis: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/church-turing/ •⁠ ⁠Curt’s Substack: The Most Profound Theorem in Logic You Haven't Heard Of: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/infinity-its-many-models-and-lowenheim 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

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  25:00
• The Physicist Who Proved Entropy = Gravity

  What if gravity is not fundamental but emerges from quantum entanglement? In this episode, physicist Ted Jacobson reveals how Einstein’s equations can be derived from thermodynamic principles of the quantum vacuum, reshaping our understanding of space, time, and gravity itself. 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 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 Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:11 The Journey into Physics 04:26 Spirituality and Physics 06:29 Connecting Gravity and Thermodynamics 09:22 The Concept of Rindler Horizons 13:12 The Nature of Quantum Vacuum 20:53 The Duality of Quantum Fields 32:59 Understanding the Equation of State 35:05 Exploring Local Rindler Horizons 47:15 Holographic Duality and Space-Time Emergence 58:19 The Metric and Quantum Fields 59:58 Extensions and Comparisons in Gravity 1:26:26 The Nature of Black Hole Physics 1:31:04 Comparing Theories Links Mentioned:: •⁠ ⁠Ted’s published papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=QyHAXo8AAAAJ&hl=en •⁠ ⁠Claudia de Rham on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve_Mpd6dGv8 •⁠ ⁠Neil Turok on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNZCa1pVE20 •⁠ ⁠Bisognano–Wichmann theorem: https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/Bisognano-Wichmann+theorem •⁠ ⁠Scott Aaronson and Jacob Barandes on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rbC3XZr9-c •⁠ ⁠Stephen Wolfram on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YRlQQw0d-4 •⁠ ⁠Ruth Kastner on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BsHh3_vCMQ •⁠ ⁠Jacob Barandes on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaS1usLeXQM •⁠ ⁠Leonard Susskind on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p_Hlm6aCok •⁠ ⁠Ted’s talk on black holes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYt2Rm_dXf4 •⁠ ⁠Ted Jacobson: Diffeomorphism invariance and the black hole information paradox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6kdHge-NNY •⁠ ⁠Bose–Einstein condensate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bose–Einstein_condensate •⁠ ⁠Holographic Thought Experiments (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/0808.2845 •⁠ ⁠Peter Woit and Joseph Conlon on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAaXk_WoQqQ •⁠ ⁠Chiara Marletto on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uey_mUy1vN0 •⁠ ⁠Entanglement Equilibrium and the Einstein Equation (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/1505.04753 •⁠ ⁠Ivette Fuentes on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUj2TcZSlZc •⁠ ⁠Unitarity and Holography in Gravitational Physics (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/0808.2842 •⁠ ⁠The dominant model of the universe is cracking (Economist article): https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/06/19/the-dominant-model-of-the-universe-is-creaking •⁠ ⁠Suvrat Raju’s published papers: https://www.suvratraju.net/publications •⁠ ⁠Mark Van Raamsdonk’s published papers: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=k8LsA4YAAAAJ&hl=en •⁠ ⁠Ryu–Takayanagi conjecture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryu–Takayanagi_conjecture 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

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  1:52:46
• When Physics Gets Rid of Time and Quantum Theory | Julian Barbour

  What if quantum mechanics is not fundamental? What if time itself is an illusion? In this new episode, physicist Julian Barbour returns to share his most radical ideas yet. He proposes that the universe is built purely from ratios, that time is not fundamental, and that quantum mechanics might be replaced entirely without the need for wave functions or Planck’s constant. This may be the simplest vision of reality ever proposed. 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 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 Videos Mentioned: Julian’s previous appearance on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bprxrGaf0Os Neil Turok on TOE (Big Bang): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUp9x44N3uE Neil Turok on TOE (Black Holes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNZCa1pVE20 Debunking “All Possible Paths”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcY3ZtgYis0 John Vervaeke on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVj1KYGyesI Jacob Barandes & Scott Aaronson on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rbC3XZr9-c The Dark History of Anti-Gravity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBA3RUxkZdc Peter Woit on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTSeqsCgxj8 Books Mentioned: The Monadology – G.W. Leibniz: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1546527664 The Janus Point – Julian Barbour: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0465095461 Reflections on the Motive Power of Heat – Carnot: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1514873974 Lucretius: On the Nature of Things: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0393341364 Heisenberg and the Interpretation of QM: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1107403510 Quantum Mechanics for Cosmologists: https://books.google.ca/books?id=qou0iiLPjyoC&pg=PA99 Faraday, Maxwell, and the EM Field: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1616149426 The Feeling of Life Itself – Christof Koch: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08BTCX4BM Articles Mentioned: Time’s Arrow and Simultaneity (Barbour): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2211.14179 On the Moving Force of Heat (Clausius): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/teaching/2559_Therm_Stat_Mech/docs/Clausius%20Moving%20Force%20heat%201851.pdf On the Motions and Collisions of Elastic Spheres (Maxwell): http://www.alternativaverde.it/stel/documenti/Maxwell/1860/Maxwell%20%281860%29%20-%20Illustrations%20of%20the%20dynamical%20theory%20of%20gases.pdf Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell–Boltzmann_distribution Identification of a Gravitational Arrow of Time: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1409.0917 The Nature of Time: https://arxiv.org/pdf/0903.3489 The Solution to the Problem of Time in Shape Dynamics: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1302.6264 CPT-Symmetric Universe: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1803.08928 Mach’s Principle and Dynamical Theories (JSTOR): https://www.jstor.org/stable/2397395 Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:35 Consciousness and the Nature of Reality 3:23 The Nature of Time and Change 7:01 The Role of Variety in Existence 9:23 Understanding Entropy and Temperature 36:10 Revisiting the Second Law of Thermodynamics 41:33 The Illusion of Entropy in the Universe 46:11 Rethinking the Past Hypothesis 55:03 Complexity, Order, and Newton's Influence 1:02:33 Evidence Beyond Quantum Mechanics 1:16:04 Age and Structure of the Universe 1:18:53 Open Universe and Ratios 1:20:15 Fundamental Particles and Ratios 1:24:20 Emergence of Structure in Age 1:27:11 Shapes and Their Explanations 1:32:54 Life and Variety in the Universe 1:44:27 Consciousness and Perception of Structure 1:57:22 Geometry, Experience, and Forces 2:09:27 The Role of Consciousness in Shape Dynamics 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

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  2:22:29

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