Donald Hoffman vs. Yakir Aharanov on Evolution and Reality EISM 2023-01-05 | Donald D. Hoffman is Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of California, Irvine, and author of "The Case Against Reality: How Evolution Hid the Truth from our Eyes" and "Visual Intelligence: How We Create What We See" and coauthor of "Observer Mechanics: A Formal Theory Of Perception." His 2015 TED Talk, "Do we see reality as it is?" argues that our perceptions have evolved to hide reality from us, and has been viewed more than 7 million times. He earned his BA from the University of California, Los Angeles in Quantitative Psychology, and his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Computational Psychology. He received the Troland Research Prize of the US National Academy of Sciences and the Early Career Award of the American Psychological Association. His research interests include Vision, Cognitive Science, Consciousness, and Evolutionary Models of Perception. He has received awards from the American Psychological Association, the National Academy of Sciences, the Chopra Foundation, and from the students of UC Irvine. Hoffman has also been awarded grants from the National Science Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Foundation, the Faggin Foundation, the Office of Naval Research and the Department of Defence.Hoffman Twitter: @donalddhoffmanHoffman book: The Case Against Reality: tinyurl.com/4w3znjvfHoffman paper: Fact, Fitness, and Fiction: tinyurl.com/4pmvdtazHoffman paper: Objects of Consciousness: tinyurl.com/mvxdee7fHoffman paper: Time and Consciousness: tinyurl.com/wk73atfvHoffman and Jaimungal on TOEs: youtu.be/CmieNQH7Q4wArahanov lecture: youtu.be/yd3cPSxxpXMCohen lecture: youtu.be/9DUm4_lVfxwTimestamp:00:00 -- Introductory sequence00:28 -- Post-interview remarks and introduction by Razo03:38 -- Conversation starts / Hoffman's popularity04:12 -- Hoffman's book and it's pushback from science and religion06:50 -- Putting human disagreement into perspective07:55 -- Are nuclear weapons an illusion?11:40 -- Hoffman's conception of reality as a network of conscious agents18:30 -- Connecting the math of conscious agents to physics + ethics + society22:05 -- Hoffman's work with Karl Friston and Chris Fields23:30 -- The technological implications of Hoffman's ideas24:20 -- Connecting conscious agents to decorated permutations (physics)27:00 -- Hoffman's opinion of Nima Arkhani Hamed's work31:00 -- Conscious agents, graph theory, and Karl Friston32:35 -- Hoffman's conception of how fitness beats truth34:10 -- Hoffman's paper: Fact, Fitness, and Fiction35:45 -- Curt Jaimungal's objection to "Fitness Beats Truth"38:40 -- Eliahu Cohen, Yakir Aharanov, and the Two-State vector formalism40:03 -- Conscious agents and the measurement problem46:04 -- Responding to Hoffman's challenge regarding payoff functions48:21 -- The benefits of backward causality51:38 -- Hoffman responds to the objection of backward causality52:11 -- Maldacena and Arkani Hamed on the cosmological polytope53:40 -- Hoffman's current research efforts / trace chains56:20 -- "Fusions of consciousness" paper58:25 -- Religion, science, and salvation
European City Squared Project - Barcelona Kick-off Meeting EISM 2025-01-22 | In January 2025, the European City2 project launched in Barcelona, Spain. Sponsored by the European Commission and led by an international team of leading quantum physicists, agent-based modelers, computational social scientists, AI/LLM experts, complexity scientists, and political theorists, the consortium set out on the one the most ambitious and potentially significant projects in the history of the sciences: to empirically connect the latest breakthroughs in our understanding of physics and nature to the way we make collective decisions and to our understanding of democracy. www.eurocity2.eu
Fernando Cervantes: A New History of Spanish Discovery and Conquest EISM 2024-06-16 | Dr. Fernando Cervantes is a historian of early modern Europe at the University of Bristol in the UK. He specializes in the intellectual and religious history of early modern Spain and Spanish America. Between 2005 and 2008 he was principal investigator of a major Leverhulme Research Project entitled The Celestial and the Fallen: Angels and Demons in the Hispanic World. With Dr Andrew Redden of Liverpool University, he is currently completing work on a co-authored monograph. A co-edited collection of essays entitled Angels, Demons and the New World was published by Cambridge University Press in 2013. His most recent book, Conquistadores: A New History, was published by Allen Lane/Penguin in 2020 and by Viking in 2021. Longer term projects include a study of the literary imagination of early modern Europe that seeks to place the works of Montaigne, Cervantes and Shakespeare in the wider context of early modern humanism and the epistemological crisis of the early seventeenth century. Dr Cervantes was the John Coffin Memorial Lecturer in the History of Ideas at the University of London in 2005 and has held fellowships at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, UCLA, and the Liguria Study Centre for the Arts and the Humanities, Bogliasco, Italy. In the Spring quarter of 2009 he held the Tipton Distinguished Visiting Chair at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was also Series Editor for Pickering and Chatto's (now Routledge) "Religious Cultures in the Early Modern World" until 2018.Cervantes' "Conquistadores" book: tinyurl.com/mwcvrzfy. About EISM: www.eism.eu/aboutSupport: www.eism.eu/supportTimestamps:00:00 -- Introductory EISM sequence00:27 -- Introduction to Cervantes' background03:25 -- Cervantes gives an overview of the book05:35 -- Cervantes on the importance of context06:20 -- Cervantes on the 3 major sections of the book15:24 -- The root cause of indigenous marginalization16:40 -- Why talk about the positive side of colonization?20:28 -- The first critics of the conquisadores24:30 -- The propoganda of William of Orange vs. Phillip II25:55 -- The legacy of low self-esteem among the Spanish32:33 -- The roots of the Catalán Independence movement37:40 -- The multiple intellectual traditions of Europe39:40 -- AMLO demands an apology from the king of Spain42:24 -- Conclusion: the shortcomings of capitalism43:20 -- The human existential crisis and the downside of empiricism50:15 -- The biggest mistake of the Englightenment - Marxism52:50 -- What does Cervantes propose as a solution?58:18 -- The physics of attraction and repulsion as angels and demons
Huw Price on Retrocausal Physics, AI, and Human Survival EISM 2024-05-02 | Huw Price is Emeritus Bertrand Russell Professor of Philosophy and an Emeritus Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and was recently a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Bonn. In Cambridge he was Bertrand Russell Professor of Philosophy (2011—20), Academic Director of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (2016—21), and co-founder, with Martin Rees and Jaan Tallinn, of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. Before moving to Cambridge in 2011 he was ARC Federation Fellow and Challis Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sydney, where he was founding Director of the Centre for Time. Books and Articles:Time's Arrow and Archimedes' Point: tinyurl.com/bdd8fnuf Expressivism, Pragmatism, and Representationalism: tinyurl.com/yh329z7y Why Entanglement?: arxiv.org/pdf/2212.06986 Huw Price website: https://prce.hu/ To support EISM: www.eism.eu/support Timestamps: 00:00 -- Introductory sequence 00:27 -- Introduction and Background Information 03:02 -- Start and Outline of Interview Goals 04:55 -- Price & the study of existential risk 10:32 -- Are existential risk and Price's academic work separate? 12:30 -- The connection between decisions and time, part 1 15:20 -- The connection between decisions, time, and cause 19:33 -- Price explains his work on retrocausality 26:21 -- How retrocausality resolve's Bell's Inequalities 29:41 -- Other physicist sympathizers with retrocausality 34:06 -- Zig-Zag Causation, Costa de Beauregard, and Entanglement 36:52 -- 1950's retrocausality versus empirical evidence today 39:00 -- Response to the main objection to retrocausality 42:02 -- Lev Vaidman's use of retrocausality for many worlds 43:11 -- How to judge /evaluate otherwise equivalent theories 47:00 -- Why breaking disciplinary barriers is justifiable 51:47 -- What Price is working on now
Connor Leahy on a Promising Breakthrough in AI Alignment EISM 2024-03-02 | Connor Leahy is one of the world's leading figures in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), known for his contributions to the understanding and development of large language models (LLMs) and his advocacy for ethical AI practices. As a co-founder of Conjecture, an organization focused on AI safety and research, Leahy emphasizes the importance of creating AI systems that are aligned with human values and can be trusted to act in humanity's best interests. His work often explores the challenges of AI alignment, the risks associated with advanced AI technologies, and the need for collaborative efforts in the AI community to ensure the safe and beneficial development of AI. Leahy is recognized for his insights into the complexities of AI ethics, the potential existential risks posed by uncontrolled AI, and the importance of rigorous research and dialogue in mitigating these risks.Time stamp:00:00 -- Introductory sequence00:28 -- Introduction to the talk by Razo02:51 -- Start of Interview04:20 -- Leahy gives an overview of his work in AI alignment10:05 -- Leahy talks about people who don't feel an AI threat15:20 -- Leahy elaborates on intelligence and goals19:55 -- Leahy on his approach to quantum physics21:50 -- Razo on what should be the favored interpretation in science26:04 -- Leahy on how to approach differences of opinion38:12 -- Is Leahy optimistic about humanity's prospects?43:50 -- Three potential scenarios for the future of humanity48:10 -- Leahy on voting, mechanism design, and quadratic voting. 55:40 -- Leahy on what to do about human disagreement1:01:26 -- How does Leahy reconcile his pessimism and his optimism?1:04:35 -- Leahy on large language models and agent-based simulation1:07:55 -- The two-state vector approach to science1:09:15 -- Leahy on the importance of talking to politicians1:13:55 -- Changing the assumption of 1-person 1-vote democracy1:15:17 -- Leahy talk about the promising breakthroughs of Conjecture1:21:55 -- Leahy on controlling AI but not fixing humanity1:24:35 -- Where and how to follow Leahy
Tim Maudlin and Avshalom Elitzur on the Nature and Flow of Time EISM 2024-01-23 | Dr. Tim Maudlin is an internationally-renowned physicist and philosopher of science at New York University. He is known for the clarity of his thought, above all in the foundations of physics. Maudlin has undergraduate degrees in physics and philosophy from Yale University and a PhD from the Univ. of Pittsburgh. His books, released by the world’s most respected publishing houses, include "Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity", "Truth and Paradox", "The Metaphysics Within Physics", and two volumes of "Philosophy of Physics". In addition, his "New Foundations for Physical Geometry" has received wide acclaim as a novel mathematical approach to a better understanding of space-time. Dr. Maudlin is a member of the International Academy of the Philosophy of the Sciences and the Foundational Questions Institute (FQXi). He has been a Guggenheim Fellow, taught at Rutgers for many years and has been a visiting lecturer at Harvard. He is also founder and director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundation of Physics. Please contribute to Maudlin's fight for the foundations of physics by visiting the following:John Bell Institute Go Fund Me page: tinyurl.com/f8nnpmsnInterview web page: https://eism.eu/tim-maudlin/ Maudlin's personal website: http://www.tim-maudlin.site.Maudlin's NYU page: tinyurl.com/y2beyfhw Maudlin's books: tinyurl.com/5n7t69vp Maudlin corrects the Nobel Prize Committe: youtu.be/OduDEz77h9UMaudlin on a clear theory of the world: youtu.be/LAOWekfRmd4Dr. Avshalom Cyrus Elitzur (Hebrew: אבשלום כורש אליצור; born 30 May 1957) is an Israeli physicist, philosopher and professor at Chapman University. He is also the founder of the Israeli Institute for Advanced Physics. He obtained his PhD under Yakir Aharanov. Elitzur became a household name among physicists for his collaboration with Lev Vaidman in formulating the “bomb-testing problem” in quantum mechanics, which has been validaded by two Nobel-prize-winning physicists. Elitzur’s work has sparked extensive discussions about the foundations of quantum mechanics and its interpretations, including the Copenhagen interpretation, many-worlds interpretation, and objective collapse models. His contributions have had a profound impact on both physics and philosophy, influencing debates about measurement, the role of observers, and the ontology of quantum states. Elitzur has also engaged in discussions about consciousness, the arrow of time, and other foundational topics, including a recent breakthrough in bio-thermodynamics and the “ski-lift” pathway.Elitzur's Google Scholar page: tinyurl.com/5n7a8hd6Elitzur's Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avshalom_ElitzurIAI Article: iai.tv/articles/a-radical-new-physics-of-time-avshalom-elitzur-auid-2557Elitzur on Biology, Thermodynamics and Information: youtu.be/HDLtv1gkb0EElitzur on IFM (The Bomb Testing Experiment): youtu.be/G5PLbJQbqS8Timeline:0:00:28 - Introduction0:04:35 - Maudlin opening statement on time0:16:33 - Elitzur begins his first presentation on classical time0:50:33 - Maudlin responds to Elitzur's first presentation1:00:43 - Maudlin invokes Hugh Price and expounds on the block universe1:12:25 - Elitzur explains his early work with Yakir Aharanov and the two-state approach1:16:26 - Elitzur starts his second presentation on the quantum aspects of time1:38:19 - Maudlin and Elitzuer discuss Elitzur's latest quantum results related to time1:52:08 - Razo elaborates on the pragmatic approach to interpretation in physics2:02:40 - Razo on the importance of Maudlin's efforts to study the foundations of physics.2:03:45 - Elitzur and Maudlin agree to return for a follow-up discussion.
Avshalom Elitzur on Biology, Thermodynamics, and Information: A Tutorial EISM 2023-12-18 | Dr. Avshalom Cyrus Elitzur (Hebrew: אבשלום כורש אליצור; born 30 May 1957) is an Israeli physicist, philosopher and professor at Chapman University. He is also the founder of the Israeli Institute for Advanced Physics. He obtained his PhD under Yakir Aharanov. Elitzur became a household name among physicists for his collaboration with Lev Vaidman in formulating the “bomb-testing problem” in quantum mechanics, which has been validaded by two Nobel-prize-winning physicists. Elitzur’s work has sparked extensive discussions about the foundations of quantum mechanics and its interpretations, including the Copenhagen interpretation, many-worlds interpretation, and objective collapse models. His contributions have had a profound impact on both physics and philosophy, influencing debates about measurement, the role of observers, and the ontology of quantum states. Elitzur has also engaged in discussions about consciousness, the arrow of time, and other foundational topics, including a recent breakthrough in bio-thermodynamics and the “ski-lift” pathway.Elitzur's Google Scholar page: tinyurl.com/5n7a8hd6Elitzur's Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avshalom_ElitzurIAI Article: iai.tv/articles/a-radical-new-physics-of-time-avshalom-elitzur-auid-2557Powerpoint presentation: Pending
Kevin Mitchell on the Absurdity of Denying Free Will EISM 2023-12-14 | Kevin Mitchell, a distinguished graduate of Trinity College Dublin, is an Associate Professor in Genetics and Neuroscience. With a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, he has made significant contributions to understanding the genetic program shaping the brain's wiring.Mitchell's research focuses on genes influencing neuronal connectivity and their implications for psychiatric and neurological diseases. His groundbreaking work extends to his 2023 book, "Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will," exploring, among many other important things, the role of free will in overcoming existential threats like climate change and nuclear weapons.As a leading scholar in neurodevelopmental disorders, Mitchell's 2018 book, "Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are," solidifies his position in integrating behavioral genetics, developmental neurobiology, neuroscience, and psychology. Active on Twitter (@WiringtheBrain) and through his blog, he engages the public to promote understanding of genetics and neuroscience.Kevin Mitchell's multifaceted contributions extend beyond academia, making him a thought leader on the complexities of the human mind.Professor Mitchell's website: kjmitchell.com Blog: http://www.wiringthebrain.comTime Stamp:00:00 -- Introductory sequence01:17 -- Why "Free Agents" is timely and unique04:19 -- The connection of Free Agents to collective decisions08:10 -- Mitchell's attempts to re-legitimize purpose14:05 -- The physics and math of biology and democracy19:10 -- Mitchell's thoughts about interpretation21:14 -- BF Skinner and the decline of behaviorism27:44 -- The fatalism and nihilism of denying free will28:25 -- The pragmatism of living organisms32:05 -- The human capacity to think across time horizons35:20 -- Aharanov's two-state approach and free will39:00 -- Constraints as causes and top-down causality44:08 -- Earl Miller and cytoelectric coupling45:50 -- The role of attraction and repulsion in Mitchell's work53:40 -- Electromagnetism and the inverse square law54:30 -- The mathematics of informational causation56:25 -- Is the principal of least action relevant to Mitchell's work?59:10 -- Least action and Karl Friston's free energy62:02 -- What's next for Kevin Mitchell and the book?
Lawrence Krauss on Being Jewish and the Edge of Knowledge EISM 2023-11-05 | Lawrence Krauss is an internationally known theoretical physicist and bestselling author, as well as being an acclaimed lecturer. He has also appeared regularly on radio and television, as well as in several feature films. He was born in New York City and moved shortly thereafter to Toronto, Canada, where he grew up. He received undergraduate degrees in both Mathematics and Physics at Carleton University. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1982), then joined the Harvard Society of Fellows (1982-85). He joined the faculty of the departments of Physics and Astronomy at Yale University as assistant professor in 1985, and associate professor in 1988. From 1993-2008 he was Ambrose Swasey Professor of Physics, Professor of Astronomy at Case Western Reserve University. From 1993-2005 he also served as Chair of the Physics Department there. During this period he built up the department, which was ranked among the top 20 Physics Graduate Research Programs in the country in a 2005 national ranking. Among the major new initiatives he spearheaded were the creation of one of the leading particle astrophysics experimental and theoretical programs in the US, the Center for Education and Research in Cosmology and Astrophysics, and the creation of a groundbreaking Masters Program in Physics Entrepreneurship. Among his numerous important scientific contributions was the proposal, in 1995, that most of the energy of the Universe resided in empty space. This prediction was verified in 1999 by two teams of astronomers, and the discovery was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2011. For a more complete biography and listing of his accomplishments, visit lawrencemkrauss.com/biography. The Edge of Knowledge (book): tinyurl.com/4uu7nky5 The Origins Podcast: originsproject.org About EISM: www.eism.eu/about Time Stamp: 00:00 -- Introductory sequence00:28 -- Preliminary comments and highlights04:46 -- Introduction of Krauss and Interview set-up07:20 -- General thoughts and data about audio book11:02 -- Jakob Bronowski Quote from book's Epiloogue13:36 -- Taking sides on the Israeli-Palestine war19:10 -- How connected does Krauss feel to his Jewish heritage?22:16 -- Krauss on visiting Israel and the secular science going on there24:13 -- What if Gaza had nuclear weapons? (Iran)26:11 -- Basing public policy on empirical evidence & open dialogue28:18 -- How religion poisons everything & Jews accomplishments34:02 -- Krauss as a representative of scientific progress35:22 -- Why does Krauss exclude the threat of human extinction?41:53 -- Is the origin of life or the preservation of life more important?46:38 -- EISM research connecting physics to voting theory49:50 -- Krauss on his motivation for "The Edge of Knowledge"52:50 -- Why more books are written about consciousness54:13 -- The illusion of time and free will57:21 -- The error of trying to understand quantum mechanics classically1:04:15 -- Which interpretation of quantum mechanics is right?1:06:30 -- Krauss' hope to inspire young people with his book
Tim Maudlin: What Makes a Good and Clear Theory of the World? EISM 2023-10-22 | Dr. Tim Maudlin is an internationally-renowned physicist and philosopher of science at New York University. He is known for the clarity of his thought, above all in the foundations of physics. Maudlin has undergraduate degrees in physics and philosophy from Yale University and a PhD from the Univ. of Pittsburgh. His books, released by the world’s most respected publishing houses, include "Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity", "Truth and Paradox", "The Metaphysics Within Physics", and two volumes of "Philosophy of Physics". In addition, his "New Foundations for Physical Geometry" has received wide acclaim as a novel mathematical approach to a better understanding of space-time. Dr. Maudlin is a member of the International Academy of the Philosophy of the Sciences and the Foundational Questions Institute (FQXi). He has been a Guggenheim Fellow, taught at Rutgers for many years and has been a visiting lecturer at Harvard. He is also founder and director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundation of Physics. Relevant links:Please contribute to Maudlin's fight for the foundations of physics by visiting the following:John Bell Institute Go Fund Me page: tinyurl.com/f8nnpmsnInterview web page: https://eism.eu/tim-maudlin/ Maudlin's personal website: http://www.tim-maudlin.site.Maudlin's NYU page: tinyurl.com/y2beyfhw Maudlin's books: tinyurl.com/5n7t69vp The Aharanov-Bohm Effect: tinyurl.com/2ercss3sMaudlin corrects the Nobel Prize Committe: youtu.be/OduDEz77h9UTime Stamp:00:28 -- Preliminary comments - why listen to this video?02:49 -- Introduction of Maudlin04:28 -- Tim Maudlin & Bernardo Kastrup Confrontation13:16 -- Why the Maudlin-Kastrup confrontation matters14:00 -- Maudlin on "ground zero" in quantum theory20:51 -- Maudlin's objection to the word "interpretation" in physics33:04 -- Maudlin on Michelson-Morley,Einstein, & special relativity41:56 -- Back to what theory-building and postulates matter43:56 -- How do we evaluate / assess various physical theories?47:24 -- How much credence should I give to a theory?50:35 -- The historcal rejection of "foundational questions" in academia53:45 -- Yakir Aharanov as an exception to the rule56:23 -- How the above led to the foundation of the John Bell Institute57:55 -- Is the tide turning in favor of foundational questions in physics?1:01:05 -- Physics as the foundation of clarity and every discipline1:03:50 -- Maudlin doubts the utility of foundational questions1:07:40 -- Is Maudlin a consequentialist in physical theories?1:10:20 -- The peril of basing values and ethics on physics1:12:05 -- Maudlin's platonist mathemetics, ethics, and physics1:13:15 -- Physics, voting theory, and Arrow's Impossibility Theorem1:14:55 -- Maudlin explains the John Bell Institute project1:21:30 -- Maudlin on the requirements of a good physical theory1:25:29 -- Maudlin's opinion on "emergent" spacetime1:27:30 -- What advantages does discrete spacetime provide?1:34:00 -- Clarification on foliation in a discrete spacetime1:40:00 -- How would relativity emerge from discrete spacetime?1:47:20 -- Maudlin on the Aharnov-Bohm effect & discrete spacetime
Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss on Science, Religion, & War in Gaza EISM 2023-10-18 | From Wikipedia: Yisroel Dovid Weiss (Yiddish: ישראל דוד ווייס; born 1956) is an American Haredi Jew, activist, and spokesman for a minority branch of small group Neturei Karta, a Haredi anti-Zionist group. Residing in Monsey, New York, he believes that Jews should peacefully oppose the existence of the Israeli state: "It would be forbidden for us to have a State, even if it would be in a land that is desolate and uninhabited." Neturei Karta's views are rejected by the majority of Orthodox Jews worldwide.Weiss was criticized in 2006 for his participation in the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust, widely considered to be an event promoting Holocaust denial internationally. His fellow speakers included David Duke, the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, and numerous convicted Holocaust deniers and antisemites from Europe. He was placed under cherem (censure) by Yonah Metzger, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. In addition, the anti-Zionist Satmar Hasidic dynasty also urged its members to shun him and others who participated in the conference. Weiss claimed to be speaking as "the voice of the people who died in the Holocaust"Neturei Karta International website: www.nkusa.orgPlease standby for additional resources and information.
Avshalom Elitzur: The Genius Behind the Bomb Testing Experiment EISM 2023-09-10 | Dr. Avshalom Cyrus Elitzur (Hebrew: אבשלום כורש אליצור; born 30 May 1957) is an Israeli physicist, philosopher and professor at Chapman University. He is also the founder of the Israeli Institute for Advanced Physics. He obtained his PhD under Yakir Aharanov. Elitzur became a household name among physicists for his collaboration with Lev Vaidman in formulating the “bomb-testing problem” in quantum mechanics, which has been validaded by two Nobel-prize-winning physicists. Elitzur’s work has sparked extensive discussions about the foundations of quantum mechanics and its interpretations, including the Copenhagen interpretation, many-worlds interpretation, and objective collapse models. His contributions have had a profound impact on both physics and philosophy, influencing debates about measurement, the role of observers, and the ontology of quantum states. Elitzur has also engaged in discussions about consciousness, the arrow of time, and other foundational topics, including a recent breakthrough in bio-thermodynamics and the “ski-lift” pathway.Elitzur's Google Scholar page: tinyurl.com/5n7a8hd6Elitzur's Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avshalom_ElitzurIAI Article: iai.tv/articles/a-radical-new-physics-of-time-avshalom-elitzur-auid-2557Powerpoint presentation: PendingTime stamp: (details pending)Elituzur's lecture: 00:00Discussion : 1:03:15
Earl K. Miller on Brain Waves and Top-Down Neuroscience EISM 2023-06-09 | Earl Keith Miller is a cognitive neuroscientist whose research focuses on neural mechanisms of cognitive, or executive, control. Earl K. Miller is the Picower Professor of Neuroscience with the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Earl Miller's dissertation on neurophysiological investigations of the inferior temporal cortex in the macaque was supervised by Charles G. Gross at Princeton University. From 1990–1995 he was a postdoctoral research fellow in the laboratory of neuropsychology at the National Institute of Mental Health under supervision of Robert Desimone. In 1995, Earl Miller joined the faculty of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT as Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and quickly advanced the academic ranks. He received tenure in 1999 (two years ahead of schedule) and became a full Professor in 2002. He was appointed to the Picower chair at MIT in 2003. He was Associate Director of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT from 2001 to 2009, and was Director of Graduate Studies in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. He has delivered numerous lectures worldwide, serves as editor, and on the editorial boards of, major journals in neuroscience, and on international advisory boards. He has served on the scientific advisory boards of NeuroFocus, Thync, Motimatic, and Neurable. Professor Miller is the co-founder and Chief Scientist of SplitSage.Links:The Miller Lab at MIT: https://ekmillerlab.mit.edu/earl-miller/ Prof. Miller’s Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_K._MillerPaper on Cytoelectric Coupling: psyarxiv.com/jtng9Yakir Aharanov: nationalmedals.org/laureate/yakir-aharonov Maldacena on Black Hole Final State: arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0310281 Michael Levin on bioelectricity: youtu.be/XheAMrS8Q1c Penrose and Hameroff paper: tinyurl.com/28ebdwxaTimestamp:00:00 -- Introductory sequence00:28 -- Post-interview remarks and introduction by Razo03:54 -- Interview begins04:30 -- Miller's journey from Cleveland to MIT05:59 -- Mille's transition to Princeton for grad school07:10 -- The Miller Lab at MIT07:50 -- What has been the key to Miller's success?09:30 -- Work with Charlie Gross 11:42 -- From strict reductionism to emergence15:28 -- Miller on the concept of causality in the brain17:31 -- Miller on bottom-up versus top-down causation20:05 -- Miller on goal-directedness in neuroscience21:48 -- How does time impact Miller's research?24:25 -- Cytoelectric coupling and its impact on microphysics29:10 -- Miller takes up the question of time again31:28 -- What are the advantages of top-down causes?32:30 -- Does Miller's work have any implications for IQ?35:03 -- Biologist Michael Levin's work on bioeletricity38:04 -- The implications of Miller's work for social systems39:03 -- Thoughts, ideas, and the prefrontal cortex43:35 -- Where does Miller's work fit into neuroscience as a whole?47:00 -- Miller's take on reductionism47:50 -- Stuart Hameroff and Roger Penrose / Electrical fields49:47 -- Brain oscillations have causal influence in two directions51:15 -- Miller's recommendations to the young53:10 -- Are most scientists open-minded?54:39 -- What are some of Miller's current challenges?55:48 -- The pros and cons of running a lab at MIT58:04 -- How much time does Miller spend on grant writing?59:25 -- Miller on the dangers of AI 1:02:04 -- Miller's passion for music and playing bass guitar
Scott Aaronson on Quantum Computing, OpenAI, and Human Safety EISM 2023-04-15 | Scott Aaronson is the David J. Bruton Jr. Centennial Professor of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin and director of its Quantum Information Center. Previously, he was on the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He studied at Cornell and University of California, Berkeley, and did postdocs at the Institute for Advanced Study as well as the University of Waterloo. His first book, Quantum Computing Since Democritus, was published in 2013 by Cambridge University Press. Aaronson has written about quantum computing for Scientific American and the New York Times, and writes a popular blog. He’s received the National Science Foundation’s Alan T. Waterman Award, the United States PECASE Award, and MIT’s Junior Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching.Aaronson’s research focuses on the capabilities and limits of quantum computers and more generally on computational complexity and its relationship to physics. Within the context of the It from Qubit Collaboration, Aaronson is extremely interested in the interplay between computational complexity and quantum gravity. This has involved studying the computer-science aspects of the Harlow-Hayden argument, which attempts to apply complexity theory to the notorious “firewall paradox” in black hole information, as well as working with Leonard Susskind to understand the growth of quantum circuit complexity in systems arising from the AdS/CFT correspondence.Relevant links:Aaronson's academic page: tinyurl.com/mt8jawypThe Cartestian Cafe Podcast: tinyurl.com/mufp65pnAaronson on shadow tomography: arxiv.org/abs/1711.01053Aaronson on post-selection: tinyurl.com/3xz65x9tFreedman et al paper: arxiv.org/abs/2209.08144Eliahu Cohen on final boundaries: youtu.be/JDY9jAF_tq8 Weyl on social choice: glenweyl.com/radicalxchangeRelevant Conference: tinyurl.com/5yd7da53European grant call: tinyurl.com/2p8cnhedTimestamp:00:28 -- Post-interview remarks and introduction by Razo06:08 -- Interview begins07:19 -- How Aaronson feels about his teaching mission07:37 -- Aaronson describes his blog and its original purpose08:58 -- Aaronson's "reactive" approach to correcting errors 13:08 -- The reality of quantum versus classical computing performance13:50 -- The classes of problems where quantum computers are better17:41 -- Combinatorial optimization as the holy grail of quantum speedup18:53 -- The relatively modest "quadratic" speed up of Grover's algorithm 21:31 -- Can quantum computers solve the P versus NP problem?22:37 -- The story that Aaronson has been clarifying for 20 years23:58 -- Is Aaronson optimistic or pessimistic about quantum computing?26:48 -- Measurement of a quantum system as a destructive and limiting process28:27 -- The hardest part of quantum algorithm research - beating classical29:52 -- The problem of quantum algorithms being "dequantized"30:15 -- Aaronson's student, 18-year-old Ewin Tang, makes important breakthrough31:57 -- The hope of some for quantum help in optimization / simulated annealing36:19 -- Razo on recent efforts to connect quantum theory to social science38:48 -- Aaronson on past attempts to connect quantum theory and social science41:00 -- Aaronson objects to using analogies that don't provide causal explanations42:45 -- The universality of mathematical ideas and applied linear algebra46:44 -- Razo responds to the Aaronson's objection about analogies49:26 -- Aaronson rejects math analogies that complicate things needlessly50:55 -- Razo clarifies that the proposed analogies actually solve real problems51:25 -- Aaronson explains that quantum ideas have led to past breakthroughs52:35 -- What is Aaronson working on now? (How OpenAI approached him)54:04 -- IP = PSPACE as an interesting analogy for AI safety55:22 -- How do we get a human verifier to check an AI prover?56:15 -- Aaronson talks about not being able to move past PSPACE as an analogy57:09 -- Aaronson's work on statistical watermarking to fight misuse of ChatGPT59:00 -- How to protect humans from an AI that is much smarter than humans?59:59 -- Razo on how a human in the loop leads to voting theory
Christopher Ferrie and His Serious Take on Quantum Bullsh*t EISM 2023-02-12 | Dr. Chris Ferrie is a happy husband and the father of four children. His day job is academic research where he follows his curiosity through the word of quantum physics. His passion for communicating science has led from the most esoteric topics of mathematical physics to, more recently, writing children's books. He has also written more than one serious scientific work for adults.During the day you will find Ferries as an associate professor at the University of Technology Sydney and Centre for Quantum Software and Information. His research interests include quantum estimation and control, and, in particular, the use of machine learning to solve statistical problems in quantum information science. He obtained a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the Institute for Quantum Computing and University of Waterloo (Canada) in 2012.Ferrie's personal website: csferrie.comUTS website: https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Christopher.FerrieQuantum Bullsh*t book: tinyurl.com/45yudbfcMichael Freedman talks to EISM: youtu.be/BAOiQ258a9AKarl Friston talks to EISM: youtu.be/lhd2OFGLO3wSupport EISM: https://eism.eu/supportTime Stamp:00:00 -- EISM logo and website sequence00:28 -- Introduction and key takeaways by Razo02:01 -- The two kinds of quantum nonsense02:46 -- When science and nature allow different interpretations03:16 -- BS is often in the eye of the beholder03:41 -- The question to measure both types of quantum BS 05:20 -- Conversation begins05:53 -- Was Ferrie funny as a kid?06:32 -- Have Ferrie's kids inherited his sense of humor?07:23 -- How Ferrie's approach to writing came about08:45 -- Ferrie talks about his approximately 60 books09:36 -- Ferries says the best way to learn is to teach10:59 -- Ferrie comments on how he covers science and philosophy13:09 -- Ferrie's more serious activity as an academic14:41 -- Ferrie's distinction between quantum bullshit and horseshit in media17:08 -- Which quantum approach is the most promising?19:02 -- How quantum concepts are misused to bamboozle the public21:32 -- What has been the response to Ferrie's "exposé" of quantum BS?22:33 -- Ferrie comments on the nonsensical theories he gets from the public24:00 -- The link between popular quantum BS and academic interpretations24:28 -- The many worlds interpretation of quantum theory26:31 -- Ferrie on how quantum BS gets pushed by the academic community29:02 -- Ferrie on quasi-retired physicists getting together at conferences 29:57 -- BS physics polls by, for example, Max Tegmark31:08 -- The Dirac / Von Neumann interpretation of quantum physics33:23 -- Ferrie explains the many-worlds interpretation34:15 -- Ferrie explains quantum baysesian interpretation36:09 -- Razo asks, what is the purpose of studying physics?37:11 -- Feyman's approach to interpretation and story telling in physics38:16 -- Razo on what humans universally agree we DON'T want to happen41:29 -- Ferries separates physics from politics and psychology43:50 -- Razo on why human survival should be a guide to evaluate stories45:10 -- Ferrie explains how education is the most promising approach45:48 -- The equivalence of different pictures or stories of nature46:32 -- Ferrie prefers to teach that there is no right approach or story49:50 -- Ferrie on the uncrossable gulf between physics and human goals50:27 -- Razo on human disagreement, physics, and politics (voting theory)53:02 -- Ferrie on the limits of making analogies a la Deepak Chopra53:56 -- Ferrie on the quantum BS of Michael Freedman54:36 -- Ferrie on the limits of the "physicalist" approach to the world56:29 -- Razo on the centrality of disagreements and political theory57:45 -- Razo asks Ferrie about his quantum take on free will1:00:40 -- Ferrie on how humans "volitionally" project into the future1:02:03 -- Razo on Aharanov's two-time approach to free will and time1:03:29 -- Where to follow Ferrie and next steps for Ferrie's book
Bernardo Kastrup, Idealism, and the Quantum Cheshire Cat EISM 2023-01-15 | Bernardo Kastrup is the executive director of Essentia Foundation. His work has been leading the modern renaissance of metaphysical idealism, the notion that reality is essentially mental. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy (ontology, philosophy of mind) and another Ph.D. in computer engineering (reconfigurable computing, artificial intelligence). As a scientist, Bernardo has worked for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Philips Research Laboratories (where the 'Casimir Effect' of Quantum Field Theory was discovered). Formulated in detail in many academic papers and books, his ideas have been featured on 'Scientific American,' the 'Institute of Art and Ideas,' the 'Blog of the American Philosophical Association' and 'Big Think,' among others.Yakir Aharanov is an internationally renowned theoretical physicist recognized for having discovered more than 30 fundamental physics effects (many concerning quantum phases). The topological nature of quantum phases makes them robust and useful tools for many fields of physics. For example, the impact of the Aharonov-Bohm effect has been significant as indicated by the number of times the AB effect is cited in journal titles/abstracts, summing to more than 4,000 (and growing exponentially). The principal Government Quantum Information roadmap states: "At least two important precursors to this [quantum computing] paradigm shift had critical influence," citing Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen/Bohm-Aharonov/Bell effect and the Aharonov-Bohm effect. When Thomson-Reuters conducted a worldwide poll of scientists, Professor Aharonov was voted most likely to win a Nobel Prize in Physics in coming years.Kastrup book, The Idea of the World: tinyurl.com/38ahfk3a Quantum Cheshire Cat Experiment: arxiv.org/abs/1202.0631 Cheshire Cat Experiment as standard quantum mechanics: arxiv.org/abs/1409.0808 EISM interview Karl Friston: youtu.be/lhd2OFGLO3w EISM interview Michael Freedman: youtu.be/BAOiQ258a9A The Definitive Management Book: tinyurl.com/bdh5t9zrThe Definitive Management Book (free): tinyurl.com/42e3ywbv TEDx Talk on Voluntary Taxation: youtu.be/QYGO5tepBLY Support EISM: https://eism.eu/support Timestamp:00:00 -- EISM logo and website sequence00:10 -- Introduction by Razo01:35 -- Preliminary point 1: the number one goal of humanity03:03 -- Preliminary point 2: the role of interpretation in science03:50 -- Richard Feynman clip about interpretation in physics07:15 -- The pros of Kastrup's "The Idea of the World"10:35 -- The flaw of Kastrup's "The Idea of the World"11:23 -- Aharanov's Cheshire Cat experiment12:32 -- The Cheshire cat as standard quantum mechanics14:35 -- Friston and Freedman on the physics of social science14:58 -- EISM's work on the physical foundations of management15:38 -- Closing invitation to dialogue
Michael Freedman on the Quantum Foundations of Political Theory EISM 2022-12-27 | Dr. Michael Freedman is an American mathematician and founding director of Microsoft's Station Q, where he became an instrumental figure behind the company's topological approach to quantum computing. In 1986, Freedman was awarded the prestigious Fields Medal for his solution of the Poincaré conjecture in four dimensions.Freedman received a Ph.D. from Princeton University. Following appointments at the University of California, Berkeley (1973–75), and the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey (1975–76), Freedman became a professor at the University of California, San Diego, in 1976. In 1998 he became the first Fields Medal winner to leave the academic world when he accepted a position with the Theory Group at Microsoft Research, a division of Microsoft Corporation.Freedman has received numerous awards and honors including Sloan and Guggenheim Fellowships, a MacArthur Fellowship, and the National Medal of Science. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the American Mathematical Society. In addition to winning a Fields Medal at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in 1986 in Berkeley, he was an Invited Speaker at the ICM in 1983 in Warsaw and at the ICM in 1998 in Berlin.He currently works at both Microsoft Station Q and at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he is involved in the development of a topological quantum computer. Relevant Links:Full Freedman biography: tinyurl.com/yc38j54p Economist article on Quadratic Voting: tinyurl.com/mu4jexfwFreedman interview: tinyurl.com/5yv3d2hy"The Enigma of Reason" book: tinyurl.com/yeykjc36Referenced papers:Quantum Mechanics and Pluraility: arxiv.org/abs/2209.08144Quadratic Funding: arxiv.org/abs/1809.06421Quadratic Voting: tinyurl.com/228yf78eBit Threads and Holographic Entanglement: arxiv.org/abs/1604.00354Timeline:00:00 -- Introductory sequence00:28 -- Post-interview remarks and introduction by Razo01:33 -- Freedman connection to Weyl and Fabinger02:06 -- The advantage of basing politics and ethics on physics03:52 -- Freedman's paper on the Universe from a Single Particle04:35 -- Welcome to Freedman and Introduction to the talk07:00 -- Freedman on Einstein's concern about human extinction09:45 -- Freedman on quadratic voting as a tax on extremism11:08 -- Freedman on social science and "Rock, Paper, Scissors"13:32 -- Are economics and physics on different levels of abstraction?15:04 -- "The Enigma of Reason" by Mercier and Sperber17:05 -- Ecology, condensed matter physics, equilibrium and social theory19:40 -- Freedman gives an overview of his career and thinking21:15 -- Ed Witten and the Jones Representation23:38 -- Freedman explains how he learned about quadratic voting25:10 -- Economics, choice, the categorical imperative, and Godel's theorem27:50 -- Freedman explains the formalism of quadratic finance 30:45 -- Weighted contributions and Kant's categorical imperative31:41 -- Freedman explains the "wormhole" between physics and economics33:20 -- the Ford-Fulkerson algorithm and "reverse" quantum engineering34:15 -- Leonard Susskind on entanglement as a micro wormhole 35:10 -- Freedman's paper on hyperbolic geometry and "Bit threads"36:00 -- The challenge of translating phase in physics to economics 38:10 -- Freedman model inserting artificial phases into an economic model41:05 -- Open questions and challenges to quadric wormhole concept42:50 -- Does quadratic voting and quadratic funding promote self-interest?44:25 -- Is quadratic voting unjust to some and advantageous to others? 46:34 -- Quadratic voting as a "nested" system of hierarchies47:40 -- Can Quadratic voting add anything to physics?48:09 -- Freedman's favorite interpretation of quantum mechanics49:33 -- Which interpretation of physics is better for humans?52:50 -- The limits of knowledge and the "screening of the ultra-violet"54:43 -- Freedman's thoughts about EISM's mission
Karl Friston on Shared Intelligence and Human Flourishing EISM 2022-12-10 | Karl J. Friston is a British neuroscientist and theoretician at University College London. He is also the Chief Scientist at Verses (NEO:VERS) (OTCQX:VRSSF). Friston is one of the most highly cited scientists of all time and in 2016 was ranked No. 1 by Semantic Scholar in the list of top 10 most influential neuroscientists. Friston is an authority on brain imaging and theoretical neuroscience, especially the use of physics-inspired statistical methods to model neuroimaging data and other random dynamical systems. He is a key architect of the free energy principle and active inference. In imaging neuroscience he is best known for statistical parametric mapping and dynamic causal modelling. In October 2022, he was named Chief Scientist of VERSES Inc, a California-based cognitive computing company focusing on artificial intelligence designed using the principles of active inference.In 1996, Friston received the first Young Investigators Award in Human Brain Mapping, and was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (1999) in recognition of contributions to the bio-medical sciences. In 2000 he was President of the international Organization for Human Brain Mapping. In 2003 he was awarded the Minerva Golden Brain Award and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2006 and received a Collège de France Medal in 2008. His nomination for the Royal Society reads: "Karl Friston pioneered and developed the single most powerful technique for analysing the results of brain imaging studies and unravelling the patterns of cortical activity and the relationship of different cortical areas to one another. Currently over 90% of papers published in brain imaging use his method (SPM or Statistical Parametric Mapping) and this approach is now finding more diverse applications, for example, in the analysis of EEG and MEG data. His method has revolutionised studies of the human brain and given us profound insights into its operations. None has had as major an influence as Friston on the development of human brain studies in the past twenty-five years."Friston became of Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in 2012, received the Weldon Memorial Prize and Medal in 2013 for contributions to mathematical biology and was elected as a member of EMBO in 2014 and the Academia Europaea in 2015. He was the 2016 recipient of the Charles Branch Award for unparalleled breakthroughs in Brain Research and the Glass Brain Award from the Organization for Human Brain Mapping. He holds Honorary Doctorates from the universities of York, Zurich, Liège and Radboud University.Friston's academic web page: fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karlFriston et al paper on Shared Intelligence and AGI: arxiv.org/abs/2212.01354EISM Friston interviews: https://eism.eu/karl-friston and https://eism.eu/karl-friston-2Other EISM guests: tinyurl.com/5yvsy5cuFreedman, Weyl, and Fabinger on quantum social choice theory: arxiv.org/abs/2209.08144To support EISM's mission, please visit https://eism.eu/support. Time Stamp (see the pinned comment in the comment section)
Judith Curry: Relax, there is no climate emergency! EISM 2022-11-29 | Judith Curry graduated cum laude from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in geography. She then earned a Ph.D. in geophysical sciences from the University of Chicago. Her research interests include hurricanes, remote sensing, atmospheric modeling, polar climates, air-sea interactions, climate models, and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for atmospheric research. She was a member of the National Research Council's Climate Research Committee and has published over a hundred scientific papers and co-edited several major works in climate science. Curry served on the NASA Advisory Council Earth Science Subcommittee whose mission was to provide advice and recommendations to NASA on issues of program priorities and policy. She was also a member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Working Group from 2004 to 2009, a member of the National Academies Space Studies Board from 2004 to 2007, and a member of the National Academies Climate Research Group from 2003 to 2006.Dr. Curry retired from her university position in 2017, partly because of what she described as "anti-skeptic bias", which she attributed to the political nature of climate science, and that’s part of what she talks to Luis Razo about today – the very tricky relationship between science and politics. Curry's academic page: https://curry.eas.gatech.edu/Curry's web page: judithcurry.com For ways to support EISM, please visit www.eism.eu/support. Time Stamp:00:00 -- Introductory Invitation to support EISM00:28 -- Post-interview remarks by Razo01:50 -- The importance of agreement / political disagreements04:16 -- Start of interview04:49 -- Dr. Curry's professional background07:15 -- The goal of human flourishing08:45 -- Not allowing Africa to develop fossil fuels is unjust10:35 -- What's more important: the environment or people?11:45 -- CO2 in the atmosphere the weakest part of the argument12:40 -- Sea level has been rising since the mid-19th century13:50 -- The worst climate in the U.S tool place in 1930's14:30 -- Is economist Jeffrey Sachs wrong about climate and sustainability?16:50 -- What are the forces driving the modern climate debate?22:35 -- Curry's position on RCP 4.524:00 -- Is Curry in the minority among climate scientists?26:15 -- What are some alternative approaches accoring to Curry?27:24 -- Curry's position on wind and solar energy28:22 -- The U.S. is advancing with small nuclear climate technology29:30 -- The importance of electricity for the future31:40 -- How receptive are Currry's critics to debate?33:00 -- Curry's current activity and consulting34:20 -- Curry's upcoming book: "Climate, Uncertainty, and Risk"36:40 -- The importance of collective decisions and public policy
Amy Wax on Elon Musk, Western Civilization, and Free Speech EISM 2022-11-20 | Amy Wax, the Robert Mundheim Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, talks to Luis Razo of EISM. Wax's work addresses issues in social welfare law and policy as well as the relationship of the family, the workplace, and labor markets.By bringing to bear her training in biomedical sciences and appellate practice as well as her interest in economic analysis, Wax has developed a uniquely insightful approach to problems in her areas of expertise.Wax has published widely in law journals, addressing liberal theory and welfare work requirements as well as the economics of federal disability laws. Current works in progress include articles on same-sex marriage, disparate impact theory and group demographics, rational choice and family structure, and the law and neuroscience of deprivation. Her most recent book is Race, Wrongs, and Remedies: Group Justice in the 21st Century (Hoover Institution Press/Rowman & Littlefield, 2009).Wax has received the A. Leo Levin Award for Excellence in an Introductory Course and the Harvey Levin Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence. As an Assistant to the Solicitor General in the Office of the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Wax argued 15 cases before the United States Supreme Court.Prof. Wax's webpage at Penn: https://www.law.upenn.edu/faculty/awax/ The Amy Wax defense fund: https://amywaxdefense.org.The Enlightenment Equality Fallacy: youtu.be/wxKGpJTnxuE.About EISM: www.eism.eu/about Time Stamp:00:09 -- Post-Interview comments and Amy Wax Background01:38 -- The Enlightenment Equality Fallacy03:11 -- Welcome to Prof. Wax and opening comments03:35 -- Update on Prof. Wax's administrative status at Penn06:32 -- Some charges against Wax regarding minorities07:00 -- Foundation for charges against Wax08:28 -- New developments at Penn to transform law09:35 -- What if there is an adverse decision against Wax?11:00 -- Wax's legal representation / cancer 13:02 -- Wax's message to supporters /significance of the case14:30 -- The capture of universities by the far left15:54 -- Wax's position on diversity and educational performance18:10 -- What does woke ideology imply about the West?23:40 -- The pillar of the woke ideology25:42 -- The Enlightenment Equality Fallacy / British Tradition26:10 -- Are current social pathologies rooted in Anglo Protestantism?28:43 -- Hitler as the root cause of Western demise30:15 -- Razo on the mistake of seeing Europe as monolithic30:49 -- Is Europe Judeo-Christian or Judeo-Catholic?32:50 -- The importance of low corruption / Britain versus Africa35:05 -- Wax regarding the Twitter-Musk phenomenon40:39 -- Wax's opinion on the quality of Twitter42:40 -- Do Twitter changes have implications for Wax and/or the US?45:20 -- How to follow and support Wax and her case at Penn
Brian Greene on Gravity, Entropy, and Humanity EISM 2022-11-18 | Fair Use Disclaimer: Our purpose is share the laudable ideas, conversations, and work of others. Original video available at youtu.be/YXfMN3mZa0Y. Music courtesty of:Legendary Epic Heroic | Heroic by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by chosic.com/free-music/allCreative Commons CC BY 3.0creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Jordan Peterson on the Voluntary Shouldering of Responsibility EISM 2022-11-18 | Fair Use Disclaimer: Our purpose is share the laudable ideas, conversations, and work of others. Original video available at: youtube.com/c/JordanPetersonVideosMusic courtesty of:Legendary Epic Heroic | Heroic by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by chosic.com/free-music/allCreative Commons CC BY 3.0creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Richard Feynman on the Role of Interpretation in Physics EISM 2022-11-16 | In 1963 Richard Feynman was invited to give the 1964 Messenger Lectures at Cornell University, an annual tradition since 1924, when Hiram Messenger gifted Cornell with "a fund to provide a course of lectures on the Evolution of Civilization for the special purpose of raising the moral standard of our political, business, and social life", to be "delivered by the ablest non-resident lecturer or lecturers obtainable".Feynman had been a physics professor at Cornell from 1945 to 1950, during which time he did the work for which he was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1965. While at Cornell Feynman became well-known in the physics community for his innovations in quantum electrodynamics and idosyncratic style. He was at Caltech in 1963, when he was invited to become the 41st Messenger Lecturer1, by which time he had become known to a much wider audience through his recently published book, Volume I of The Feynman Lectures on Physics.2According to the Cornell Faculty Website, "A Messenger Lecturer typically gives three lectures/presentations over the course of a one-week visit. At least one of these must be a lecture that is suitable for a general audience."3 Feynman, however, chose to give a series of six lectures, all for a general audience, which he titled The Character of Physical Law.4 He had plenty of material to draw from his recently completed introductory physics course, the basis of The Feynman Lectures on Physics. For this reason one finds many similarities, parallels, and even identical parts in the lectures of The Character of Physical Law and several of the lectures in The Feynman Lectures on Physics.Feynman's Messenger Lectures were videotaped by the BBC, who in 1965 published a hardbound book of edited lecture transcripts under the title, The Character of Physical Law. In 1967 the paperback rights were licensed to MIT Press who continues to print the book today.5 The videotapes were transferred to film, and in the late 1960s through the '70s copies of the films were in wide distribution at colleges and universities.6 Sadly, however, these wonderful films of Feynman lecturing at the peak of his prowess went out of distribution and became generally unavailable in the 1980s.In 2009, when Microsoft Research introduced their Silverlight framework for media-rich web applications, Bill Gates licensed rights to stream the BBC's films of Feynman’s Messenger Lectures online. Hoping to encourage others to make educational content available for free, he used them in the first Silverlight demo, “Project Tuva.”7 The publication of Feynman’s Messenger Lectures for free online viewing, with special features such as searchable synchronized scrolling transcripts, links to related online material, and commentary, was an instant hit with Feynman fans, students and physicists. The Silverlight framework, however, was not widely adopted, and in 2016 Project Tuva was retired. The videos were still available for viewing on the Microsoft Research Website (though without the special features) until 2021, when their BBC license expired. The license has since been generously renewed by Bill Gates so that the videos can continue to be shown online to users of The Feynman Lectures Website.Music courtesty of:Legendary Epic Heroic | Heroic by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by chosic.com/free-music/allCreative Commons CC BY 3.0creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Jeffrey Sachs Criticizes the United States / Praises Europe EISM 2022-11-16 | Jeffrey D. Sachs is University Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, where he directed the Earth Institute from 2002 until 2016. He is President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Chair of the Lancet COVID19 Commission, Co-Chair of the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition, Commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development, academician of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican, and Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Honorary Distinguished Professor at Sunway University. He has been Special Advisor to three United Nations Secretaries-General, and currently serves as an SDG Advocate under Secretary General António Guterres. He spent over twenty years as a professor at Harvard University, where he received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. Sachs has received 41 honorary doctorates, and his recent awards include the 2022 Tang Prize in Sustainable Development, the Legion of Honor by decree of the President of the Republic of France, and the Order of the Cross from the President of Estonia. His most recent book is The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions (2020). View his full CV at tinyurl.com/2p8ntes8. If you would like to support our discussions, please visit https://www.eism.eu/support. Relevant Links:Sachs' website + books: jeffsachs.orgSach's mailing list: tinyurl.com/2zvmve5bEurope's Green Deal: tinyurl.com/y9ed8s4m Time stamp:00:00 -- Intro sequence / request for support00:27 -- Post-Interview comments and intro by Razo04:18 -- Preliminary comments by Razo about management05:47 -- How does Sachs respond to critics of his work?09:00 -- Sachs on the proxy war between the US and Russia12:00 -- The Cuban missile crisis13:30 -- Sachs: US ideology (not economics) is driving the war14:15 -- U.S. genocide of indigenous Americans15:00 -- U.S. war against Spain and overseas expansion15:35 -- American state elite after WWII / USSR, Iraq, Syria, Libya17:20 -- The psychological need to expand NATO18:15 -- The military industrial complex not really a factor18:50 -- U.S. confrontation with China over Taiwan20:10 -- Sachs on electing leaders, social choice theory, and virtue22:40 -- How British thinking affects modern economics and politics23:40 -- Kenneth Arrow's Impossibility theorem24:00 -- Aristotle's Politics, Ethics, and Catholic Social Teaching27:02 -- Sachs about Europe's approach to sustainable development29:20 -- Sachs' recommendation for EU citizens30:40 -- How and where to follow Sachs onlineOpening music sequence courtesty of:Legendary Epic Heroic | Heroic by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by chosic.com/free-music/allCreative Commons CC BY 3.0creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Finally Understanding Quantum Mechanics - Yakir Aharanov EISM 2022-11-15 | Yakir Aharonov is an internationally renowned theoretical physicist recognized for having discovered more than 30 fundamental physics effects (many concerning quantum phases). The topological nature of quantum phases (which are independent of the space-time paths of the encircling particles) makes them robust and useful tools for many fields of physics. For example, the impact of the Aharonov-Bohm effect has been significant as indicated by the number of times the AB effect is cited in journal titles/abstracts, summing to more than 4,000 (and growing exponentially). The principal Government Quantum Information roadmap states: "At least two important precursors to this [quantum computing] paradigm shift had critical influence," citing Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen/Bohm-Aharonov/Bell effect and the Aharonov-Bohm effect. When Thomson-Reuters conducted a worldwide poll of scientists, Professor Aharonov was voted most likely to win a Nobel Prize in Physics in coming years. View Aharanov's CV at: https://www.chapman.edu/research/institutes-and-centers/quantum-studies/_files/curriculum-vitas/aharonov-cv.pdfFor Aharanov's 5-part lecture series at the Perimeter Institute before some of the world's top physicists, visiti youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3q56P1In-lkBuhSSbe7GsBzF5LsssEx_Music thanks to:Legendary Epic Heroic | Heroic by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by chosic.com/free-music/allCreative Commons CC BY 3.0creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Joscha Bach on the Significance of Michael Levin EISM 2022-11-12 | Dr. Joscha Bach is an AI researcher who works on cognitive architectures, mental representation, emotion, social modeling, and multi-agent systems. He earned his Ph.D. in cognitive science from the University of Osnabrück, Germany, and has built computational models of motivated decision making, perception, categorization, and concept-formation. In this clip, Bach talks about the wider social, political, and intellectual significance of the work of biologist Michael Levin. Original video: youtu.be/kgMFnfB5E_A
Goals: An Incredibly Useful Framework to Understand Nature EISM 2022-11-12 | Dr. Michael Levin is a Distinguished Professor in the Biology department at Tufts, where he holds the Vannevar Bush endowed Chair and serves as director of the Allen Discovery Center and the Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology. He holds a dual B.S. degrees, in CS and in Biology, and a PhD from Harvard University. This clip has been taken from the following discussion: youtu.be/RBbu6axShQA.
Tim Maudlin Corrects the 2022 Nobel Physics Committee About Bells Inequality EISM 2022-10-16 | Dr. Tim Maudlin is an internationally-renowned philosopher of science currently associated with New York University. He is known for the clarity of his thought and the poignancy (sic) of his critiques, above all in the foundations of physics, which is the subject of today’s discussion. Maudlin has undergraduate degrees in physics and philosophy from Yale University and a PhD from the Univ. of Pittsburgh. His books, released by the world’s most respected publishing houses, include "Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity", "Truth and Paradox", "The Metaphysics Within Physics", and two volumes of "Philosophy of Physics". In addition, his "New Foundations for Physical Geometry" has received wide acclaim as a novel mathematical approach to a better understanding of space-time. Dr. Maudlin is a member of the International Academy of the Philosophy of the Sciences and the Foundational Questions Institute (FQXi). He has been a Guggenheim Fellow, taught at Rutgers for many years and has been a visiting lecturer at Harvard. He is also founder and director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundation of Physics. Relevant links:Interview web page: https://eism.eu/tim-maudlin/ Dr. Maudlin's personal website: http://www.tim-maudlin.site.Dr. Maudlin's NYU page: tinyurl.com/y2beyfhw Dr. Maudlin's books: tinyurl.com/5n7t69vp Weyl, Freedman & Fabinger article: tinyurl.com/ycnu9myjWeyl, Freedman & Fabinger paper: arxiv.org/abs/2209.08144Bell's Inequality Paper: tinyurl.com/2p869sw4 Einstein, Podolsky, Rosen paper: tinyurl.com/yckhnst7 Robert Wald on electromagnetism as potentials: tinyurl.com/j3fxvjt6Time stamp:00:09 -- Interview Set-up02:40 -- Dr. Maudlin's background04:10 -- Goals of Discussion05:10 -- Weyl, Freedman, and Faber paper06:38 -- Historical context of the '22 Nobel Physics prize08:25 -- Einstein's unhappiness with quantum mechanics10:40 -- Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen12:30 -- The appearance of John Bell / David Bohm's Pilot Wave theory15:10 -- Isaac Newton and Non-locality21:48 -- Bell's Inequality and non-locality23:12 -- Nobel Prize to Clauser, Aspe, and Zeilinger24:10 -- Maudlin corrects a misconception among the Nobel Prize committee27:28 -- Why is non-locality significant?31:42 -- Why is quantum theory hard to put together with relativity?33:35 -- Attempts to reconcile quantum physics with relavity35:30 -- Maudlin expounds on the Aharanov-Bohm effect39:33 -- Maudlin on Coulomb gauge40:05 -- Aharanov-Bohm, potentials, and non-locality43:41 -- Robert Wald on understanding electromagnetism as potentials44:45 -- Maudlin's objections to Aharanov's two-state vector formalism49:52 -- Razo responds to Maudlin's objections50:55 -- Aristotle's notion of final causes52:30 -- Maudlin responds to Aristotle's notion of final causes58:32 -- Which interpretation helps keep humans alive?1:01:09 -- A possible wormhole between quantum theory and social theory1:02:03 -- Maudlin on the importance of avoiding catastophe1:03:12 -- Razo on social choice theory1:04:55 -- Maudlin's upcoming trip to Israel / Many Worlds
Dr. Alan Goldhamer on the scientific foundations of fasting. EISM 2022-10-07 | Dr. Alan Goldhamer is the founder of TrueNorth Health Center, a state-of-the-art facility that provides medical and chiropractic services, psychotherapy and counseling, as well as massage and body work. He is also director of the Center's groundbreaking residential health education program.Articulate, inspiring and energetic, Dr. Goldhamer is one of the most pioneering and dedicated visionaries in health today. An outspoken professional who doesn't shy away from a spirited debate, he is deeply committed to helping people stuck in self-destructive cycles reclaim their ability to change their lives.Dr. Goldhamer has supervised the fasts of thousands of patients. Under his guidance, the Center has become one of the premier training facilities for doctors wishing to gain certification in the supervision of therapeutic fasting.Dr. Goldhamer was the principal investigator in two landmark studies. The first: "Medically Supervised Water-Only Fasting in the Treatment of Hypertension" appeared in the June 2001 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. Its publication marked a turning point in the evolution of evidence supporting the benefits of water-only fasting. The second study: "Medically Supervised Water-Only Fasting in the Treatment of Borderline Hypertension," appeared in the October 2002 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.Currently, Dr. Goldhamer is directing a team that is developing a prospective study, incorporating random assignment and long-term follow-up on the cost and clinical outcomes in the treatment of diabetes and high blood pressure with fasting and a health-promoting diet. After completing his chiropractic education at Western States Chiropractic College in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Goldhamer traveled to Australia, where he became licensed as an osteopathic physician. He is the author of The Health Promoting Cookbook and co-author of The Pleasure Trap: Mastering The Hidden Force That Undermines Health and Happiness.More information about True North here: healthpromoting.com
Eliahu Cohen on Quantum Engineering with the Two-State Vector Formalism EISM 2022-09-19 | Dr. Eliahu Cohen is a pioneering theoretical physicist and quantum engineer. He is currently a senior lecturer at the Alexander Kofkin Faculty of Engineering at Bar Ilan University in Israel. He is also a member of the “Institute for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials” and the “Center for Quantum Entanglement Science & Technology” at the same university. In addition, he is the head of the new Quantum Engineering BSc Program, where he teaches Quantum Computation, Applied Quantum Mechanics, and Applied Thermodynamics.In today’s discussion, Prof. Cohen talks to Luis Razo Bravo, the executive director of EISM, as part of EISM’s “Leadership Series” of talks. Among the discussion topics are Prof. Cohen’s theoretical and practical interests in various quantum technologies and Dr. Cohen’s many years of collaboration with the eminent theoretical physicist, Yakir Aharanov. Cohen and Razo also discuss how Aharanov’s “two-state vector” framework continues to inspire Cohen’s research, and about some of the controversies related to the idea that a backward-evolving wave function can be a useful approach to thinking about the deepest puzzles at the foundations of physics. Interview webpage: https://eism.eu/eliahu-cohen Prof. Cohen's website: https://www.eng.biu.ac.il/cohenel4. Prof. Cohen lecture: youtu.be/JDY9jAF_tq8. Time Stamp:00:07 -- Introduction02:49 -- Cohen explains his work and interests06:10 -- Cohen explains how he got started in physics07:35 -- How Cohen became interested in "two-state" Aharanovian physics10:05 -- Cohen summarizes the two-state approach to physics12:00 -- Aharanov comes up with weak measurements and weak values12:55 -- How to think of forward and backward evolving time18:12 -- The role of interpretation in physics and in Cohen's work20:10 -- The empirical advantage of the two-state approach to physics21:18 -- The phenomenon of super oscilations23:38 -- Aharanov and Vaidman's conflicting views about two-state physics30:57 -- Cohen talks about a lecture on a final distiny state of the universe36:12 -- On the role of philosophy in the two-state vector approach39:25 -- Cohen on the practical implications and future of his work41:20 -- Cohen on the centrality of uncertainty43:45 -- Cohen on the conceptualization of a final boundary condition45:15 -- Can we think of these concepts as "science"? 50:03 -- Quantum error correction and the holographic principle (AdS/CFT)52:25 -- How to study or follow Cohen's work
Karl Friston, Markov Blankets, and String Theory EISM 2022-08-07 | Karl Friston is a theoretical neuroscientist and authority on brain imaging. He invented statistical parametric mapping (SPM), voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and dynamic causal modelling (DCM). These contributions were motivated by schizophrenia research and theoretical studies of value-learning – formulated as the dysconnection hypothesis of schizophrenia. Mathematical contributions include variational Laplacian procedures and generalized filtering for hierarchical Bayesian model inversion. Friston currently works on models of functional integration in the human brain and the principles that underlie neuronal interactions. His main contribution to theoretical neurobiology is a free-energy principle for action and perception (active inference). Friston received the first Young Investigators Award in Human Brain Mapping (1996) and was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (1999). In 2000 he was President of the international Organization of Human Brain Mapping. In 2003 he was awarded the Minerva Golden Brain Award and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2006. In 2008 he received a Medal, Collège de France. He became of Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in 2012, received the Weldon Memorial prize and Medal in 2013 for contributions to mathematical biology and was elected as a member of EMBO (excellence in the life sciences) in 2014 and the Academia Europaea in (2015). He was the 2016 recipient of the Charles Branch Award for unparalleled breakthroughs in Brain Research and the Glass Brain Award – a lifetime achievement award in the field of human brain mapping. He holds Honorary Doctorates from the universities of York, Zurich, Liège and Radboud University.-- Survey of relevant research: github.com/BerenMillidge/FEP_Active_Inference_Papers-- Friston's academic papers: fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl Time Stamp:00:19 -- Introduction03:06 -- Discussion set-up07:14 -- Friston on the unity of the sciences08:29 -- The free energy principle and Markov blankets13:57 -- Is there a Markov blanket around a human?16:55 -- String theory and Markov blankets22:07 -- Scale Invariance, attraction, and repulsion31:20 -- Baysian mechanics vs. classical and statistical mechanics35:30 -- The Principle of Least Action and Free Energy38:54 -- Maldacena's Principle of Maximal Life39:50 -- the adS/cft correspondence and the human brain42:50 -- Relation of things to things and biotic self-organization45:55 -- Markov blankets, political theory, and Glen Weyl51:09 -- The importance of active learning in AI54:49 -- Modern crises as the destruction of Markov blankets
Michael Levin on Multi-Scale Intelligence and Teleophobia EISM 2022-05-31 | Dr. Michael Levin is a Distinguished Professor in the Biology department at Tufts, where he holds the Vannevar Bush endowed Chair and serves as director of the Allen Discovery Center and the Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology. He holds a dual B.S. degrees, in CS and in Biology, and a PhD from Harvard University. In this conversation, Levin talks to us about the usefulness of his conception of intelligence and the irrational "teleophobia" that dominates the discipline of biology today. Levin's work on limb regeneration is a clarion call for all scientists to rethink the nature of time, cause, and agency.Levin's website with access to all relevant resources: www.DrMichaelLevin.org.Levin's TED interview: youtu.be/XheAMrS8Q1cTimeline:00:00 -- Pre-Interview / String theory / Teleophobia04:23 -- Introduction to Levin08:06 -- Levin's conception of intelligence10:40 -- How pronouncements about IQ measure IQ12:07 -- Levin's definition of intelligence13:00 -- Multi-scale competency and agency15:00 -- Goals and fear of goals in biology (Teleophobia)18:45 -- Levin characterizes the current climate in biology21:00 -- Levin's work is not philosophical23:12 -- The principle of least action in biology25:10 -- Reformulating physics from a biological perspective26:40 -- How intelligence scales up from physics32:07 -- Agents and plotting the size of goals35:30 -- Aharanov's Two-Time Interpretation of physics36:40 -- Organic stress and the quest for "optimal" set points39:50 -- Existential risks for humanity41:26 -- Levin's thoughts about artificial intelligence47:08 -- The implications of Levin's work for freedom and society51:12 -- Freedom and human polarization53:20 -- Biolectricity, math, and Coulomb's law54:39 -- Levin on competitive cooperation in biology57:47 -- Levin's current activity and companies
Josep Colomer on Global Democracy and Voting Theory EISM 2022-05-16 | Josep Colomer is a distinguished professor of political science at Georgetown University in Washington DC, and an international authority on government, democratisation, political institutions, electoral systems and international affairs. In this conversation, Colomer talks about his most recent book, "Democracy and Globalization:, Anger, Fear, and Hope" (available at shorturl.at/vGNSW). He also talks about empircally-based research approach and about Ramón Llull as the earliest precursor of voting theory, among other topics. Timestamp:
Paul Davies on Whats Eating the Universe and Europe EISM 2022-03-26 | .Video timestamp available after the following introduction: What's Eating the Universe? Available at tinyurl.com/5n6m357c. Paul Davies is a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist, and best-selling science author. He has published about 30 books and hundreds of research papers and review articles across a range of scientific fields. His research interests have focused mainly on quantum gravity, early universe cosmology, the theory of quantum black holes, and the nature of time. He has also made important contributions to the field of astrobiology, and was an early advocate of the theory that life on Earth may have originated on Mars. For several years he has also been running a major cancer research project and developed a new theory of cancer based on tracing its deep evolutionary origins. Among his many awards are the 1995 Templeton Prize, the Faraday Prize from The Royal Society, the Kelvin Medal and Prize from the Institute of Physics, the Robinson Cosmology Prize, and the Bicentenary Medal of Chile. He was made a member of the Order of Australia in the 2007 Queen's birthday honors list and the asteroid 6870 Pauldavies is named after him. In this exchange, we focus primarily in his most recent book, "What's Eating the Universe? And Other Cosmic Questions". Awards and HonorsDSc honoris causa, University of Newcastle upon Tyne (2019)Regents' Professor at Arizona State University (2012)Robinson Cosmology Prize (2011)Fellowship of University College London (2011)Bicentenary Medal of Chile (2011)Klumpke-Roberts Prize, Astronomical Society of the Pacific (2011)DSc honoris causa, Chapman University, California (2009)Member of the Order of Australia (2007)DSc honoris causa, Macquarie University, Sydney (2006)Trotter Prize, Texas A & M University (2004)Wilbur Award for religious-themed media, USA (2004)Most Beautiful Export Award, Australia (2003)J.K. Russell Fellowship, CTNS, Berkeley (2003)American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award (2003)Michael Faraday Award, The Royal Society (2002)Nomination, Australian of the Year (2002)Kelvin Medal and Prize, Institute of Physics, UK (2001)Asteroid 1992 OG renamed, "(6870) Pauldavies" (1999)The Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion (1995)Templeton - CTNS Book Prize (1995)Advance Australia Award for outstanding contributions to science (1993)Eureka Prize for the Promotion of Science (Australia) (1992)Eureka Book Prize (Australia) (1991)Glaxo Science Writers Fellowship (UK) (1983)Timestamp:00:08 -- Introduction / About Paul Davies02:03 -- Razo explains the goal of the exchange04:08 -- Davies situates his most recent book historically06:09 -- Davies on two conflicting views of nature08:27 -- Are we on the cusp of unleashing post-human AI?10:16 -- A mistake now could be catastrophic / World War III11:18 -- Is it better to hope or plan?11:40 -- Davies surprised by humanity's organizational success13:00 -- Davies on our inability to organize globally14:27 -- Is there a parallel between Europe and Davies' recent book?15:00 -- Davies on the Cosmic Microwave Background and his book17:05 -- Quantum Effects and Cosmology18:20 -- Anomalies in the CMB and What's Eating the Universe20:10 -- Cause, Effect, and the CMB20:40 -- Davies on causality at the quantum level23:08 -- Richard Feynman and the role of interpretation in physics25:30 -- Science is about describing the world with models26:34 -- Will we arrive to a Theory of Everything?28:07 -- The scientific value of changing conceptual frameworks29:54 -- The role of interpretation and breakthroughs in science31:40 -- Davies on complementarity in quantum mechanics34:48 -- Aharanov and the two-time interpretation of quantum mechanics40:10 -- Why two-time interpretation is valuable41:36 -- Time symmetry and what's eating the universe42:20 -- Time symmetry and the far future of AI45:00 -- The ethical challenge of designed intelligence46:00 -- Can we embed human values in AI?48:10 -- The future of God-like AI and its relation to humans49:36 -- Davies on the role of symmetry in physics51:30 -- Forward and back time symmetry54:00 -- Where to buy Davies' most recent book
Adrian Bejan on Time, Beauty, and Ukrainian Freedom EISM 2022-03-21 | ..Timestamp available after the following introduction:Prof. Adrian Bejan, the J.A. Jones Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Duke University, talks to Luis Razo about Bejan's most recent book. “Time and Beauty: Why Time Flies and Beauty Never Dies”, and about the war in Ukraine.Bejan has been ranked among the top 0.01% of the most cited and impactful scientists and is the author of 31 books as well as almost 700 peer-referred articles. His h-index is 101 with 79,000 citations on Google Scholar and he has received 18 honorary doctorates from universities in 11 countries.He received the Benjamin Franklin Medal in 2018 and the Humboldt Research Award in 2019.Time and beauty are two of our most visceral perceptions. Yet, their nature is seldom questioned. In this ground-breaking new work, Adrian Bejan — a true 'original' among physicists — explains, in a scholarly yet colorful style, the scientific basis for the perception of time and beauty.Organized into three main ideas, the book begins first with the perception of time. The author expounds on why we feel that time flies faster as we get older. Perceived time, also called "mind time," is different from clock time. In this context, time is another word for "perceived change". Next, readers will discover that beauty is appealing because beautifully-shaped images are scanned faster by two eyes. To observe our immediate surroundings and to understand them faster is highly advantageous to survival; hence, there is an underlying evolutionary advantage to our discernment for ideal ratios, shapes, and beauty at large. Finally, time and beauty are jointly understood to explain why the global pandemic has decelerated our mind time. This understanding arms us with techniques to slow down our mind time (which accelerates with age), and to create the conditions for living longer and more creatively.Scientists may have contemplated aspects of time and beauty separately. In contrast, the author submits an original and rewarding approach to understanding them together. In the process, key questions to our cognition are answered. Why does the mind "try" to make sense of a new mental image? Why is there a natural tendency to organize a new input and mentally position it among past perceptions? Through physics, the book offers a general answer: to empower the individual with speed and clarity of thought, understanding, decision-making and movement. The same answer holds for the other disparate perceptions illustrated in this book, from time and beauty to ideas, message, shape, perspective, art, science, illusions, and dreams.Timestamp:00:18 - Introduction02:45 - Bejan's most recent book, Time and Beauty, against the backdrop of his previous 30 books. 06:30 - Bejan on how everything in nature obeys the laws of physics08:32 - Systems, boundaries, drawings, evolution, and an integral approach to science.13:10 - Why are celestial bodies not all the same size?15:40 - Hierarchy in nature and the constructal law. 16:40 - How does the constructal law compare to the ideas of Darwin and Einstein?18:30 - Bejan's approach to writing and academic collaboration.20:00 - How Bejan's work is more "unitive" than a classical physics approach.21:45 - The role of outsiders in the discovery of thermodynamics25:55 - Bejan's reference to a unifying Theory of Everything and a lack of prediction.32:35 - Bejan describes his most recent book, Time and Beauty, and animal design.37:20 - Why times speeds up as we age.39:30 - How beauty and scanning are related through shape.47:20 - The flow of energy and power through banking and monetary systems.58:45 - The implications of Bejan's work for the situation in Ukraine1:06:07 - Why energy (physics) is not the same as flow (drawings).1:07:07 - The Theory of Everything as evolutionary design. 1:07:48 - Details about the launch and availability of the Time and Beauty book
Francis Fukuyama and John Mearsheimer Debate Ukraine EISM 2022-03-12 | Luis Razo Bravo comments on a 2014 debate between Francis Fukuyama, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and John Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Chicago. Link to a condensed version of the debate: youtu.be/wgNsga-aiwI Link to the full original debate: youtu.be/lzqkXhdo0qcFor a more recent take by Mearsheimer on the outbreak of war in Ukraine, see: youtu.be/T6mw9U62ZJULink to the channel's inaugural physics lecture: youtu.be/NzHNvVvz3oIThe physical foundations of morality: youtu.be/KOC-fAe4xFkFirst conversation with Prof. Adrian Bejan: youtu.be/dfzOnFMczEw
Brian Miller on the Origin of Life and the Problem of Death EISM 2021-10-11 | Dr. Brian Miller of the Discovery Institute talks to Luis Razo Bravo, founder and director of the European Institute of Science in Management, about the origin of life problem. Dr. Miller is the Research Coordinator for the Center for Science and Culture at the Discovery Institute. He has a B.S. in physics and minor in engineering from MIT and a Ph.D. in complex systems physics from Duke University. His research interests include the origin of life, protein rarity, and the fine-tuning of the laws of nature. He also assisted in founding an innovation incubator that developed into TheStartup.com
Adrian Bejan on the Constructal Law & the Physics of Freedom EISM 2021-09-13 | Adrian Bejan is the J.A. Jones Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics at Duke. Among his many accolades, Professor Bejan was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Medal in 2018 and the Humboldt Research Award in 2019. He is ranked among the top 0.01% of the most cited and impactful scientists in the world and top 10 in Engineering, with an H-index of 101. He is the author of 30 books and has more than 79,000 citations on Google Scholar. We talked about one of the central tenets of this channel, the fundamental role that physics plays in evolution, and about his discovery of something he refers to as the Constructal Law. Time Stamp coming soon.
Robert J. Spitzer on Backward Causality and the Problem of Evil EISM 2021-08-30 | Fr. Robert J. Spitzer talks to Luis Razo Bravo about the impact of the future on the present, the role of interpretation in physics and the problem of evil, with a special focus on the implications of Yakir Aharanov's two-time interpretation of quantum mechanics.Learn more about Fr. Robert J. Spitzer and his activity as www.magiscenter.com.Fr. Spitzer's book, "New Proof for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy" can be found at tinyurl.com/kuxuayyw. Time Stamp: 00:00 -- Opening Spitzer Quote00:18 -- Channel Sequence00:56 -- Introduction & Background to Conversation05:20 -- A "steelman" argument in favor of atheism06:58 -- Is theism and atheism more emotional than rational?08:16 -- Spitzer on Rudolf Otto and Mircea Eliade12:06 -- The role of interpretation in physics13:38 -- Spitzer on the various interpretations of quantum mechanics21:45 -- Razo on Yakir Aharanov's Two-Time Interpretation of QM23:34 -- Spitzer on Aharanov's Two-Time Interpretation of QM25:30 -- Henri Bergson on time in Duration and Simultaneity29:15 -- Razo on future causality and the question of Evil30:37 -- Spitzer on Teilhard de Chardin's Omega Point32:20 -- Spitzer on good and evil in Crispr gene-editing33:51 -- Razo on the Omega point and the Our Father34:35 -- Spitzer on the dialectic of good and evil40:15 -- Spitzer's current activity and work
Harvard Chicanos #1: On Larry Elder and Minority Republicans EISM 2021-08-24 | In this first episode of my series of conversations with nationally syndicated columnist, Ruben Navarrette, we talk about Larry Elder and minority conservatives. Before talking about Elder, we open with a position statement and get a little sidetracked on affirmative action. Time Stamp:00:38 -- Introduction01:50 -- Discussion starts02:35 -- Navarrette's background07:17 -- How Navarrette identifies (position statement)16:00 -- How Razo identifies (position statement)26:13 -- Affirmative Action32:55 -- Race and IQ48:30 -- Larry Elder and Navarrette as colleagues1:01:07 -- Navarrette on Elder's Message1:02:55 -- Razo on Larry Elder's message1:08:40 -- Navarrette and Razo on the conservative message1:10:37 -- Where to find Navarrette
Hugh Ross on Beyond the Cosmos and the Two Hardest Questions for a Christian Scientist EISM 2021-04-18 | Astronomer Hugh Ross is founder and president of Reasons to Believe, an organization dedicated to integrating scientific fact and biblical faith. His books include Weathering Climate Change, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, and Navigating Genesis. Ross obtained his Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Toronto and his B.Sc. degree in physics from the University of British Columbia. He established his own ministry in 1986, called Reasons to Believe, which can be found at www.reasons.org. Time Stamp:00:17 -- Introduction to the discussion01:15 -- Two Hardest Questions02:47 -- Conversation Begins03:30 -- Ross's upbringing in an atheist home07:30 -- Ross devours astronomy books as a child 09:25 -- The key discovery for Ross11:10 -- Razo on the role of emotion14:33 -- How does Ross reconcile Biblical incongruities?17:55 -- How Ross thinks about the Trinity21:05 -- Ross on the incongruities in physics21:39 -- Razo contextualizes Ross's work on extra dimensions27:40 -- The role of interpretation in physics29:00 -- Ross's Christian interpretation of physics31:30 -- Leonard Susskind's advice to atheists34:22 -- The evidence for fine-tuning design36:30 -- The two most difficult questions37:28 -- Ross on why the Christian God (because free markets)41:55 -- Ross on the mind-control of many religions43:20 -- Ross on the role of suffering45:45 -- Ross on the existence of strong free will47:50 -- The prospects of extra dimensions49:50 -- How to get a free chapter of "Beyond the Cosmos"51:10 -- The scientific progress of Christianity53:15 -- Razo on the work of Yakir Aharanov
Physics and the Human Quest for Clarity EISM 2021-03-25 | Welcome to EISM's Youtube Channel, A Theory of Everything, hosted by Luis Razo.We are in constant dialogue with leading thinkers in virtually every branch of human activity, but feel a special connection to those who are committed to the long-term flourishing of individuals and humanity as a whole.
Richard Haier on IQ and the Science of Neuro-Poverty EISM 2021-03-19 | Richard J. Haier is an American psychologist best known for his work on the neural basis of human intelligence psychometrics, general intelligence, and sex and intelligence.Haier is currently a Professor Emeritus in the Pediatric Neurology Division of the School of Medicine at University of California, Irvine. He has a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. He is also the editor-in-chief of the journal Intelligence since 2016.In 1994, he was one of 52 signatories on "Mainstream Science on Intelligence," an editorial written by the American psychologist Linda Gottfredson and published in the Wall Street Journal, which summarized findings from intelligence research, especially as they related to issues raised in The Bell Curve.His work on the parieto-frontal integration theory (P-FIT) with Rex Jung examines the neuroanatomy of intelligence based on neuro-imaging research.Timeline: 00:17 -- Introduction to the Discussion and Haier02:30 -- The most recent developments in the science of IQ08:18 -- The controversial aspects of IQ differences16:34 -- Group differences in intelligence19:15 -- Crispr Gen-editing technology20:10 -- Will gene-editing bring humans closer together?26:01 -- Why science will lead to more polarization (Razo)27:30 -- Universal Basic Income and The Bell Curve28:43 -- Haier explains neuro-poverty29:40 -- 53 million Americans with IQs less than 8530:30 -- Nothing inherently praiseworthy about IQ34:00 -- Where to find Haier's work36:01 -- Haier's book compared to the Bell Curve36:31 -- Haier's receptivity to respond to comments
Hugh Ross talks to the Devils Advocate EISM 2021-02-13 | Dr. Hugh Ross is an astrophysicist and Christian apologist. In our exchange, we talk about the difficulty of reconciling the abuse of small children with the existence of an all-good, all-powerful, and loving God. We also talk about Ross’s claim that science “proves” God’s existence and ask, if that is the case, what science tells us about God’s religious affiliation. Predictably, Dr. Ross’s responses will not be very satisfactory to either mainstream scientists or a non-Christian theists. In fact, his language sounds really soupy. Still, it was a nice exchange and Ross has agreed to come back to delve more deeply into his conception of physics. If you listen, I’d love to hear what you think. Timestamp:00:00 -- Channel Introduction00:47 -- Introduction to guest's background02:51 -- Welcome to Guest03:19 -- Opening Statement05:23 -- The two types of evil and main question05:51 -- Ross responds to the question of evil09:11 -- How to reconcile child abuse and evil11:21 -- The more evil, the more pain we experience12:44 -- Salvation, physics, and fine-tuning15:16 -- Razo play's Devil's Advocate16:29 -- Razo asks Ross to clarify why children are abused18:59 -- Ross describes a new type of physics and free will22:11 -- Razo asks for clarification on why children are abused26:11 -- Razo again asks for reconciliation of evil and God27:20 -- Ross explains why God doesn't stop evil33:41 -- Mainstream physicists do not agree with Ross' language36:21 -- The benefits of suffering and working hard38:59 -- If science proves God, what kind of God is he?39:49 -- Ross on the fine-tuning of the universe40:16 -- Razo insists on knowing God's religious affiliation40:41 -- Fine-tuning demonstrates that God is a redeeming person43:15 -- How would Ross' explanations sound to a Muslim?45:36 -- Science only makes sense if God is a triune being 47:49 -- Where to find Dr. Ross and his work
Amy Wax on Pursuing Diversity in the Workplace EISM 2020-12-08 | Luis Razo talks to Amy Wax, the Robert Mundheim Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Wax's work addresses issues in social welfare law and policy as well as the relationship of the family, the workplace, and labor markets.By bringing to bear her training in biomedical sciences and appellate practice as well as her interest in economic analysis, Wax has developed a uniquely insightful approach to problems in her areas of expertise.Wax has published widely in law journals, addressing liberal theory and welfare work requirements as well as the economics of federal disability laws. Current works in progress include articles on same-sex marriage, disparate impact theory and group demographics, rational choice and family structure, and the law and neuroscience of deprivation. Her most recent book is Race, Wrongs, and Remedies: Group Justice in the 21st Century (Hoover Institution Press/Rowman & Littlefield, 2009).Wax has received the A. Leo Levin Award for Excellence in an Introductory Course and the Harvey Levin Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence. As an Assistant to the Solicitor General in the Office of the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Wax argued 15 cases before the United States Supreme Court.Prof. Wax's webpage at Penn: https://www.law.upenn.edu/faculty/awax/ The Amy Wax defense fund: https://amywaxdefense.org.About EISM: www.eism.eu/aboutArticle: https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/faculty_scholarship/2232/ Time Stamp:00:00 Opening quote - The losers prey on the winners00:12 Introduction to Professor Wax02:01 Start of the discussion02:31 New article "Pursuing Diversity from Education to Employment"06:49 Asians and affirmative action10:19 The state of challenges to diversity training12:26 The election of Biden and affirmative action at work15:36 Changes on American campuses19:59 Students have never heard of Patrick Moynihan21:59 Bureaucratic elite making more than $200K/year25:34 Causes: Left Ideology in University and Racial Differences30:34 Herrnstein, The Bell Curve, and Social Polarization34:34 The need for a society with many forms of excellence36:24 The roots of communism in the Enlightenment38:19 Adam Smith and the Labor Theory of Value22:14 American Founders recognized human inequality44:34 Why does equality inevitably lead to communism?47:19 The consequences of British ideas51:34 In a free society, the losers prey on the winners53:34 Charles Murray has given up on the original American vision55:29 The impact of immigration on social cohesion56:44 Expressing preferences has been prohibited
Ethan Siegel on Improving the Human Lot and Theories of Everything EISM 2020-11-22 | Ethan R. Siegel is an American theoretical astrophysicist and science writer, who studies Big Bang theory. In the past he has been a professor at Lewis & Clark College and a blogger at Starts With a Bang, on ScienceBlogs and also on Forbes.com since 2016. In this conversation with Luis Razo Bravo, Dr. Siegal talks about science and improving the human lot, as well as about his background in the classics and his thoughts about the growing number of theories of everything. Time Stamp: 00:00 - Opening quote and introductory sequence02:28 - Welcome to channel03:02 - Siegel's visit to Barcelona03:47 - Siegel on Human Extinction08:18 - Interplanetary and intergalactic exploration10:28 - Siegel on an early crisis in his career and education15:09 - Siegel on Jewish stories versus classical stories18:48 - Siegel on Joseph and Jacob in the Bible21:03 - Siegel on examples of kindness in the classics22:54 - The difference between Jewish and classical stories26:38 - Siegel on writing his first book, Beyond the Galaxy31:08 - Siegel's book is still 100% correct31:41 - Gravitational waves and exoplanets33:53 - Siegel's second book, Treknology, and the betterment of humanity37:03 - Reconciling Quantum Mechanics with General Relativity40:54 - Siegel on the growing number of Theories of Everything43:13 - Siegel on Eric Weinstein and the "Gated Institutional Narrative"49:08 - Siegel on Roger Penrose's Nobel Prize and his more recent work51:47 - Siegel on why physicists don't study problems in society55:28 - Siegel's writing process and communication skills development60:08 - Siegel's current activity and upcoming book
The Physical Foundations of Morality and Human Flourishing EISM 2020-11-01 | In this video, we use Lagrangian mechanics and the concept of symmetry to explain the physical foundations of morality and human flourishing. To listen to our inaugural lecture, see youtu.be/NzHNvVvz3oIFor a written version of the argument, see amazon.com/dp/B07QVN99P4For a condensed version of the physics involved, see amazon.com/dp/B07VVKBLFXFor a condensed version of the politics involved, see amazon.com/dp/B07XYHXGQGIf you would like to receive any of the books above in PDF format, please contact me.
Alan Dershowitz on the Case for Liberalism in an Age of Extremism EISM 2020-10-28 | Alan Dershowitz, professor emeritus at Harvard, talks to Luis Razo Bravo about the case for liberalism in an age of extremism. Time Stamp: 00:00 - Opening clip00:53 - Introduction to Dershowitz03:37 - Welcome and statement of purpose by Razo04:25 - Dershowitz on his Jewish upbringing06:14 - Dershowitz on Jewish and American values07:45 - Razo asks Dershowitz on the Case for Liberalism08:00 - Dershowitz summarizes his case for the center09:42 - Dershowitz on the cause of the increasing polarization10:50 - Razo on the causes of the polarization11:50 - Dershowitz on the Founding Fathers not wanting democracy12:50 - Dershowitz on the lack of equality in the Torah13:50 - Dershowitz on freedom of speech15:35 - Dershowitz on one-person-one-vote17:40 - Razo asks how to avoid polarization19:00 - Who could have predicted the polarization? 19:20 - Richard Herrnstein predicts the polarization20:52 - Dershowitz responds to the work of Herrnstein22:15 - Dershowitz on being falsely charged24:04 - Dershowitz on defending people as a principle26:19 - Dershowitz on the disproportionate success of Jews28:35 - What Dershowitz is working on now
Fratelli Tutti: Is the Pope a Communist? EISM 2020-10-13 | For the past several years I’ve been part of a group that meets at the Vatican to discuss social and economic issues. One of the highlights of this activity has been our annual audience with the Pope (going back to Benedict XVI and now Francis) in the beautiful Clementine Hall. During this time, I’ve gotten to know Catholic Social Teaching very well, so I’m always struck when people refer to Pope Francis as a communist. The publication of his recent encyclical, "Fratelli Tutti", gives me the perfect opportunity to clear things up. -- For the brief book regarding our proposal, see shorturl.at/duzBN.-- For a TEDx presentation of the idea, see youtu.be/KlqiG2CsFRI-- To understand the physical foundations of the proposal, see youtu.be/NzHNvVvz3oI.
Aleksandr Dugin on Donald Trump and the Fourth Political Theory EISM 2020-10-03 | Aleksandr Dugin speaks to Luis Razo Bravo about the problems he has with Western liberals and about his proposal for a "Fourth Political Theory". Time Stamp: 00:00 -- Opening Quote by Dugin01:09 -- Introduction to Dugin and the exchange03:53 -- How Dugin feels about the threat of human extinction07:10 -- Are we in a position to avoid human extinction? Liberals vs. conservatives. 11:43 -- The mistake of modernity from Dugin's perspective18:43 -- The mistake of modernity from Razo's perspective23:04 -- Dugin on Platonic ideas and the mistaken vision of Locke25:17 -- Dugin on the Council of Trent, the Spanish scholastics, and Protestant rebellion26:55 -- Dugin on Protestant Calvinism and the profit motive27:45 -- Razo on the tension between Catholic south and Protestant north28:38 -- The tension between Duginian Russia and Trumpian USA31:28 -- Dugan on Biden and the progressives33:15 -- Dugin on Trump as the new hope of revival in the US36:20 -- Razo asks Dugin about his recommended sabotage of US culture39:18 -- Dugin on Trump and the realization that half of US hates the other half42:35 -- Razo asks about Dugin's "Fourth Political Theory"45:56 -- Razo asks Dugin about the rising call for socialism in the US48:25 -- Razo highlights Dugin's vision of unity between left and right anti-liberal causes51:09 -- Razo asks Dugin for more specificity about this proposal (Heidegger's "Dasein")55:05 -- Razo asks Dugin about leadership and Dugin says ideas are a priority58:18 -- How to make philosophers kings and kings philosophers59:59 -- Parting words from Dugin
