May 29, 2025

The Many Worlds Theory of Quantum Mechanics | David Wallace

2 hours 19 minutes

Philosopher of physics David Wallace breaks down the Everett (Many-Worlds) interpretation of quantum mechanics in today's episode. We discuss the big misconceptions in physics and explore probability, emergence, and personal identity across multiple worlds. Wallace also touches on the Born Rule, the direction of time, and why consciousness may not be as mysterious as it seems. This is a mind-bending tour through the foundations of reality. Enjoy. Thank you.

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David Wallace links:

•⁠ ⁠The Emergent Multiverse (book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0198707541

•⁠ ⁠David Wallace’s published papers: https://philpeople.org/profiles/david-wallace/publications

•⁠ ⁠Stating Structural Realism (paper): https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/20048/1/semantic.pdf

•⁠ ⁠David’s reading resources: https://sites.pitt.edu/~dmw121/resources.html

•⁠ ⁠The Quantization of Gravity (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/gr-qc/0004005

•⁠ ⁠Ted Jacobson discusses entropy on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mhctWlXyV8

•⁠ ⁠Curt debunks the “all possible paths” myth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcY3ZtgYis0

•⁠ ⁠Julian Barbour discusses time on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-bImnQ9cmw

•⁠ ⁠TOE’s String Theory Iceberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4PdPnQuwjY

•⁠ ⁠Bryce DeWitt’s published papers: https://journals.aps.org/search/results?clauses=%5B%7B%22operator%22%3A%22AND%22%2C%22field%22%3A%22author%22%2C%22value%22%3A%22Bryce+S+DeWitt%22%7D%5D

•⁠ ⁠Carlo Rovelli discusses loop quantum gravity on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF4SAketEHY

•⁠ ⁠Avshalom Elitzur discusses spacetime on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWRAaimQT1E

•⁠ ⁠Sean Carroll discusses the physics community on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AoRxtYZrZo

•⁠ ⁠Ruth Kastner discusses retrocausality on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BsHh3_vCMQ

•⁠ ⁠Simon Saunders’s talk on Many Worlds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gM-sgmCUik

•⁠ ⁠Jacob Barandes discusses quantum mechanics on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oWip00iXbo

•⁠ ⁠Jacob Barandes discusses philosophy in physics on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaS1usLeXQM

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Timestamps:

00:00 Misconceptions About Physics

01:27 Simplicity in Physics

4:48 Understanding Quantum Mechanics

7:27 Mysteries of Large-Scale Physics

9:53 The Nature of Time

13:19 Boundary Conditions in Physics

15:04 Models of Physics

16:56 Canonical vs Covariant Quantization

21:10 Theories of Gravity

28:22 Everettian Quantum Mechanics

30:11 Misconceptions in Many Worlds Theory

47:52 Decision Theory in Quantum Mechanics

57:58 The Deutsch-Wallace Theorem

1:14:47 The Nature of Fundamental Physics

1:18:40 Personal Identity in Many Worlds

1:27:14 Exploring Emergence

1:33:19 Thoughts on Consciousness

1:35:09 Disagreements with David Deutsch

1:39:18 Understanding Real Patterns

1:54:02 The Relevance-Limiting Thesis

2:00:54 Advice for Young Researchers

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