In today's episode, we are joined by Leonard Susskind, the renowned theoretical physicist often called the "Father of String Theory," who has profoundly shaped our understanding of quantum mechanics, black holes, and the nature of the universe.
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LINKS MENTIONED:
- Conformal Field Theory (book): https://amzn.to/4fooVr8
- Leonard Susskind Bio: https://physics.stanford.edu/people/leonard-susskind
- Leonard on The Origins Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhszd_wqAgQ
- Leonard Susskind’s String Theory lectures: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL202191442DB1B300
- Latham Boyle on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyLeeEFKk04
- Peter Woit on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTSeqsCgxj8&list=PLZ7ikzmc6zlN6E8KrxcYCWQIHg2tfkqvR&index=8
- Stephen Wolfram on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YRlQQw0d-4
- Stephen Wolfram at Mindfest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHPQ_oSsJgg
- Roger Penrose on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGm505TFMbU
- Cumrun Vafa on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUHOoMX4Bqw
- Neil Turok on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUp9x44N3uE
- Garrett Lisi on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7ulJmfFvd8
- TOE’s String Theory Iceberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4PdPnQuwjY
- Sean Carroll on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AoRxtYZrZo
- Sean Carroll’s podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrxfgDEc2NxY_fRExpDXr87tzRbPCaA5x
- The de Sitter: https://hal.science/hal-00109682/document
- Susskind: String theory not a complete picture of how quantum gravity works: https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=6252
- Can we unify quantum mechanics and gravity?: https://physicsworld.com/a/can-we-unify-quantum-mechanics-and-gravity/
- New theory claims to unite Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics:
https://phys.org/news/2023-12-theory-einstein-gravity-quantum-mechanics.html
- Time and Quantum Mechanics SOLVED? | Lee Smolin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOKOodQXjhc
- Fay Dowker on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgYHEPCLVas
- Edward Frenkel on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_oPMcvHbAc
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - "String Theory Has Failed"
03:36 - The De Sitter Space Crisis
05:45 - Young Physicists' Fear and the De Sitter Problem
07:21 - The Supersymmetry Problem
10:18 - Starting Over in Physics (Beyond Supersymmetry)
13:00 - A Founder's Critique of String Theory
17:00 - Susskind on Alternative Theories
20:50 - The Landscape Problem
27:50 - Inflation Theory Attacked
42:20 - Appealing to Consensus in Physics
45:40 - The Falsifiability Question
48:30 - Limits of the Planck Scale
53:55 - Understanding Quantum Mechanics
01:03:35 - Black Holes and Complexity
01:21:35 - Problems with Many-Worlds Interpretation
01:27:38 - Alternative Theories and Being Open to New Ideas
01:34:44 - "Don't Listen to Old People"
01:37:42 - Final Advice to Physicists
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