In this Big Think interview, physicist Sabine Hossenfelder discusses a variety of topics, including the search for a theory of everything, information preservation in the laws of nature, the mysteries of entropy, and the measurement process in quantum mechanics. She further provides an overview of the four fundamental forces of nature and the challenge of uniting them into one coherent whole.

Hossenfelder also addresses John Horgan's book The End of Science, which posits that humanity is nearing the end of major scientific discoveries. Contrary to Horgan's perspective, Hossenfelder believes that we are nowhere close to a theory of everything or the end of scientific discovery. She highlights the lack of a successful theory for quantum gravity and the unresolved issues in the measurement process in quantum mechanics as evidence that there is much more to discover.

Hossenfelder also suggests that finding answers to these questions could lead to significant technological advances, emphasizing the ongoing potential for progress in both theoretical understanding and practical applications.

0:00 Meet Sabine Hossenfelder

0:20 Why did you pursue a career in physics?

2:07 Are spiritual ideas compatible with modern physics?

3:28 Is my dead grandmother still alive?

4:38 What is Einstein’s concept of “Now”?

9:52 What is the block universe?

11:41 How do the laws of nature preserve information?

13:21 What are the two cases where information could get destroyed? (Hawking radiation & wave function collapse)

21:02 Why doesn’t anyone get younger?

25:11 Is there any way to slow down the increase of entropy?

29:19 Is the human soul just a delusion?

36:07 Are we close to solving a theory of everything?

42:09 When will we solve the measurement problem?

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About Sabine Hossenfelder:

Sabine Hossenfelder is a physicist, author, and creator of "Science Without the Gobbledygook". She currently works at the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy in Germany.

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