Scott Aaronson and Jacob Barandes: Quantum Mechanics Without Waves

Jacob Barandes (Harvard) and Scott Aaronson debate a wave-function-free reformulation of quantum mechanics. They explore whether the new “indivisible” approach reshapes our understanding of reality or simply repackages existing puzzles.

- 00:00 - Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
- 05:40 - The Power of Quantum Computing
- 36:17 - The Many Worlds Debate
- 1:09:05 - Evaluating Jacob's Theory
- 1:13:49 - Criteria for Theoretical Frameworks
- 1:17:15 - Bohmian Mechanics and Stochastic Dynamics
- 1:18:51 - Generalizing Quantum Theory
- 1:22:32 - The Role of Unobservables
- 1:31:08 - The Problem of Trajectories
- 1:39:39 - Exploring Alternative Theories
- 1:50:29 - The Stone Soup Analogy
- 1:56:20 - The Limits of Quantum Mechanics
- 2:01:57 - The Nature of Laws in Physics
- 2:14:57 - The Many Worlds Interpretation
- 2:22:40 - The Search for New Connections

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RESOURCES:

- Quantum theory, the Church-Turing principle and the universal quantum computer (article): https://www.cs.princeton.edu/courses/archive/fall04/cos576/papers/deutsch85.pdf
- The Emergent Multiverse (book): https://amzn.to/3QJleSu
- Jacob Barandes on TOE (Part 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oWip00iXbo&t=1s&ab_channel=CurtJaimungal
- Scott Aaronson on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZpGCQoL2Rk
- Quantum Theory From Five Reasonable Axioms (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/quant-ph/0101012
- Quantum stochastic processes and quantum non-Markovian phenomena (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2012.01894
- Jacob's Wigner's Friend flowchart: https://shared.jacobbarandes.com/images/wigners-friend-flow-chart-2025
- Is Quantum Mechanics An Island In Theory Space? (paper): https://www.scottaaronson.com/papers/island.pdf
- Aspects of Objectivity in Quantum Mechanics (paper): https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/223/1/Objectivity.pdf
- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (book): https://amzn.to/4bqVeoD
- The Ghost in the Quantum Turing Machine (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/1306.0159
- quantum mechanics and reality (article): https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/article/23/9/30/427387/Quantum-mechanics-and-realityCould-the-solution-to
- Stone Soup (book): https://amzn.to/4kgPamN
- TOE's String Theory Iceberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4PdPnQuwjY
- TOE's Mindfest playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ7ikzmc6zlOPw7Hqkc6-MXEMBy0fnZcb
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Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science.

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