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Peter Woit is a senior lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at Columbia University, where he researches quantum field theory and quantum gravity. Peter is one of the most well-known critics of string theory, and in this episode he and Robinson discuss his work and research in the area, which is encapsulated in his book Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law (Basic Books, 2007), as well as his website by the same name. More particularly, they talk about the standard model of particle physics, the problem of quantum gravity, the main figures in string theory, the arguments for and against this approach to physics, its many alleged failures, and the future of research in the area.

Not Even Wrong (Book): https://a.co/d/iVnPEi1

Not Even Wrong (Website): https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

02:29 Peter’s Training in Physics

06:21 What Is the Standard Model of Physics? 

10:42 What Is Symmetry? 

21:37 Experiment and the Standard Model of Particle Physics 

26:15 What’s Wrong with the Standard Model of Particle Physics? 

29:36 What Are Grand Unified Theories in Physics?

34:47 What Is Supersymmetry? 

40:15 On Ed Witten and the Genius Mind Behind M-Theory

49:08 What Is String Theory? 

1:04:56 What Is M-Theory?

1:07:59 On AdS/CFT 

1:16:03 On Holography and Quantum Gravity

1:20:27 String Theory and the Sokal Hoax

1:24:09 Peter’s Love of Physics

1:32:13 On the String-Theoretic Landscape and the Multiverse 

1:41:51 What’s the Path Forward for Physics?

1:47:52 Is String Theory the Only Game in Time?

1:53:17 How Did String Theory Become Dominant?

1:56:45 String Theory: Not Even Wrong?

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, historians, economists, and everyone in-between.