Can you hold in your mind two different threads of experience?
In this five-minute excerpt from my conversation with Stephen Wolfram, he introduces the strange idea of a multiway mind.
Most of the time, we as observers succeed in weaving multiple different paths through the multiway graph into a single thread of experience.
In some circumstances, however, we’re unable to do this. If we’re unfortunate enough to find ourselves on the surface of a black hole – at the event horizon in physical space, at the entanglement horizon in branchial space – we might find ourselves frozen, unable to form a classical thought.
In just five minutes, Stephen not only introduces the possibility of multiple threads of experience in a single mind, he also succeeds in weaving in diverse topics from quantum computing to societal decision-making.
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Stephen Wolfram
Concepts mentioned by Stephen
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
Fields don’t exist.
I mean, a field with grass in it, that kind of field does exist.
But a field in physics?
A gravitational field? An electric field? A magnetic field? A quantum field?
No such thing.
I’m not knocking the physicists who came up with these fields.
These fictions can be convenient.
But sometimes, these fictions can blind us to the underlying reality.
And that’s what’s happening right now in physics.
Our long-time love affair with fields is blinding us to the true nature of space and everything in it.
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
The full article is here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
In the previous excerpt from my conversation with Stephen Wolfram, I asked him how I can remain a single, coherent, persistent consciousness in a branching universe.
In this excerpt, we went deeper into this question. As a conscious observer, I have a single thread of experience. So if the universe branches into many timelines, why don’t I branch into many versions of me?
Stephen’s answer touched on many profound aspects of the Wolfram model.
He started with the failure of the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics to consider the possibility that different branches of history can merge, in other words, come back together again. This failure is rooted in assumption that the universe is continuous; as soon as we start thinking of the universe as discrete, such merging seems not only possible, but inevitable.
He went on to consider the concept of causal invariance, the idea that it doesn’t matter which of countless similar paths you take through the multiway graph, you end up in the same place. In the Ruliad, he said, causal invariance is inevitable.
Then we got to the core of the concept of the observer. According to Stephen Wolfram, an observer equivalences many different states and experiences the aggregate of these states.
I did not expect Stephen’s next move, to apply the concept of aggregation not just to observers, but to the universe itself.
He made the profound proposal that in the Wolfram model of physics, in addition to the computation of the hypergraph through the application of rules, there’s a process of aggregation of possible paths through the multiway graph to weave the future.
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Stephen Wolfram
Concepts mentioned by Stephen
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
When the universe branches, we branch with it.
Those branches don’t remain forever apart. They come back together.
So we, as conscious observers, are rescued from splitting into an immense number ever-so-slightly different versions of ourselves.
When the branches of the universe – and the versions of ourselves – come back together, we don’t worry that the many paths we took to get there are ever-so-slightly different.
We equivalence all those different paths. We treat all those ever-so-slightly different branches of history as if they were more-or-less the same.
I asked Stephen Wolfram about this strangest of consequences of a branching universe.
Through all this splitting and coming-back-together, how can I remain a single, coherent, persistent consciousness?
Stephen’s answer takes us through branchial space to quantum computing, the maximum entanglement speed and the elementary length.
—
Stephen Wolfram
Concepts mentioned by Stephen
People mentioned by Stephen
—
The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
The causal graph is at the core of Wolfram Physics.
It’s crucial to the derivations of Special Relativity, General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics.
And if that’s not enough to convince you that you need to know about the causal graph, how about this:
The causal graph is a reflection of the nature of causality, the nature of objectivity, the nature of reality itself.
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Einstein’s train thought experiment
What is the multiway graph? video ⋅ podcast ⋅ article
What precisely is causal invariance? video ⋅ podcast ⋅ article
Causality ain’t what you think it is video ⋅ podcast ⋅ article
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
The full article is here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
Is everything that’s ever going to happen in the universe already determined?
Or does something else – maybe randomness, maybe free will – play a role?
Stephen Wolfram’s answer to this question is straightforward: the ruliad is fully determined.
But there’s a twist. The ruliad is determined, but how we observe the evolution of the universe depends on where we are in the ruliad.
In a fascinating introduction to the role of the observer in the Wolfram model, Stephen touches on some of the deepest philosophical questions in physics, finishing on one of the deepest: is there an objective reality?
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Stephen Wolfram
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
Hypergraphs can have any number of dimensions. They can be 2-dimensional, 3-dimensional, 4.81-dimensional or, in the limit, ∞-dimensional.
So how does the three-dimensional space we observe emerge from the hypergraph-based Wolfram model?
Why is space three-dimensional?
Stephen Wolfram’s surprising answer to this questions goes deep into space, time, computation and, crucially, our nature as observers.
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Stephen Wolfram
People mentioned by Stephen
—
The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
Stephen Wolfram reveals that his first major wow along the path towards a fundamental theory of physics was his realization that General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics are the same theory, played out in different kinds of space.
Many other dominos have fallen along the way, from the derivation of Einstein’s equations to applications of the ruliad beyond physics.
But the aspect of Wolfram Physics that Stephen Wolfram himself finds maybe the most compelling is this mirroring of the two pillars of twentieth century physics.
Perhaps General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics aren’t as incompatible as they’ve so long seemed.
In this first excerpt from my conversation with Stephen Wolfram, he tells the story of how he came to apply hypergraphs and hypergraph rewriting rules to the universe itself, and arrived at the first traces of a path towards what might be the last theory of physics.
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Stephen Wolfram
People mentioned by Stephen
—
The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
It feels like everyone has their pet Theory of Everything these days.
So why should you take my preferred Theory of Everything seriously?
Well, give me 5 minutes, and I’ll give you 5 reasons why I find Wolfram Physics more compelling than anything else that’s happened in physics in my lifetime...
...and maybe you’ll want to take it seriously too.
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
The full article is here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
Here’s a question.
Why does the universe exist?
Why is there something rather than nothing?
One of Stephen Wolfram’s boldest claims is that he has the answer.
Let me know whether you’re convinced by his argument!
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Ideas:
People:
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
The full article is here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
Do you know what causality is?
If you do, let me know, because I’m not sure.
I’ve never come across a conception of causality that makes sense to me.
After all, our universe seems to follow simple equations like Einstein’s equations, and there’s no mention of causality in these equations.
It makes me think that there’s no such thing as causality.
Unless...
Well, here’s the thing.
I’m no longer sure that our universe does follow these continuous equations.
I’m beginning to think that at the smallest scale, our universe might evolve through discrete computations.
If that turns out to be true, it allows for a limited conception of causalityafter all.
It’s causality, Jim, but not as we know it.
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References:
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
The full article is here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
Causal invariance is a crucial concept in Wolfram Physics.
It’s how we get special relativity from the Wolfram model.
It’s how we get quantum mechanics from the Wolfram model.
So what precisely is causal invariance?
This question will take us deep into the multiway graph, to an even deeper question: what is causality?
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What is the multiway graph? video ⋅ podcast ⋅ article
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
The full article is here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
I’ve heard from many of you that you’d like the whole of my conversation with Jonathan Gorard in a single podcast.
So here it is, the complete first interview.
These three hours are a brilliant exposition of Wolfram Physics from a figure whose contributions to the project are second to none.
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Jonathan Gorard
Jonathan’s seminal papers
Stephen Wolfram’s writings
A complete list of links to the research, concepts and people mentioned by Jonathan is here
Images
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
You like Stephen Wolfram, right?
I mean, if he’s to be believed, he has reinvented physics, not to mention philosophy.
How could you not like such a thinker?
Well... it turns out that there are plenty of people who don’t like Stephen Wolfram... or his physics... or his philosophy.
Here are four criticisms of Stephen Wolfram I regularly hear...
...and here’s why these criticisms, though they hint at uncomfortable truths, nonetheless miss the mark.
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Stephen Wolfram:
Stephen Wolfram’s claims:
Some of the things Stephen Wolfram created:
Other people involved in the Wolfram Physics Project:
Other people mentioned in this episode:
Brilliant people of the past:
Other episodes of The Last Theory mentioned:
Reference:
Images:
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
The full article is here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
In this final excerpt from our conversation in October 2022, Jonathan Gorard explains how ideas from Wolfram Physics can be applied in fields beyond physics, including biology, chemistry and mathematics.
He describes the concept of compositionality, and digs deeper into why the hypergraph is able to model so much of our universe.
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Jonathan Gorard
Concepts mentioned by Jonathan:
People mentioned by Jonathan:
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
You know who Stephen Wolfram is, right?
Whether you love him or, you know, don’t love him, there’s no denying that Stephen Wolfram has founded a host of fascinating projects... most of them named Wolfram-something-or-other.
What are all these Wolfram-branded projects?
Who is Stephen Wolfram?
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Some of the things Stephen Wolfram created:
not to mention:
More about Stephen Wolfram:
Stephen Wolfram’s education:
Some of Stephen Wolfram’s special subjects:
Some of Stephen Wolfram’s books:
Other people involved in the Wolfram Physics Project:
Reference:
Image:
Some of my own projects:
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
The full article is here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
I asked Jonathan Gorard the question I’m asked the most: can the Wolfram model make testable predictions about reality, predictions that differ from those of general relativity and quantum mechanics, predictions that might prove that Wolfram Physics is right?
Jonathan showed how the Wolfram model might shed light on some of the most mysterious phenomena of our universe, from black hole inspirals to quantum entanglement.
He focused on four areas where the class of theories encompassed by the Wolfram model might predict observable phenomena:
1. Cosmological consequences of global dimension change
2. Astrophysical consequences of local dimension change
3. Discretization effects during extreme astrophysical events
4. Quantum mechanical effects such as maximum entanglement speed
These dozen minutes of my conversation with Jonathan were dense with insights into Wolfram Physics, a true pleasure to revisit!
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Jonathan Gorard
Concepts mentioned by Jonathan
People mentioned by Jonathan:
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
The Open Web Mind is a protocol for shared human intelligence, based on the knowledge hypergraph.
Take a look at this quick introduction for subscribers to The Last Theory, then jump to the 2-minute trailer on the new channel.
And if you haven’t done so already, make sure to subscribe to the new Open Web Mind channel, podcast and newsletter.
If you’re interested in Wolfram Physics, I think you’ll find Open Web Mind fascinating!
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery founder of Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
How big are electrons compared to the hypergraph?
Is one electron formed of 10 nodes, or 10100 nodes?
And if it’s 10100 nodes, might it prove impossible to simulate an electron on any computer we can possibly imagine?
When I asked Jonathan Gorard this question, he took us on a tour of the scales of the universe, from the Planck scale to the Hubble scale.
He revealed how the Wolfram Physics Project’s early estimate of the scale of the hypergraph was based on a tower of rickety assumptions.
And he explained how the Wolfram model might connect with particle physics regardless of the disparities of scale.
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Jonathan Gorard
Concepts mentioned by Jonathan
—
The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of the Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
What if you’re inside a universe, and you want to measure the curvature of space?
It’s important because getting a measure of the curvature of the hypergraph takes us one step further in Jonathan Gorard’s derivation of General Relativity from Wolfram Physics.
Einstein’s equations relate the curvature of space to the presence of matter. So if we’re going to prove that Einstein’s equations follow from the Wolfram model, we’re going to need that measure of the curvature of the hypergraph.
Once again, a two-dimensional crab comes to the rescue, given us a way to measure the curvature of a universe from inside that universe.
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See Stephen Wolfram’s announcement, under Curvature in Space & Einstein’s Equations, also included as the introduction to his book A project to find the Fundamental Theory of Physics, page 20, for more on measuring the curvature of space
Concepts:
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The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery, founder of the Open Web Mind
I release The Last Theory as a video too! Watch here.
The full article is here.
Kootenay Village Ventures Inc.
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