'Spacetime is Einstein's castle in the air' | Eric Weinstein on metaphysics and science

Eric Weinstein on how science should proceed - with spacetime as our map, not as the territory.

Do you agree with his perspective?

Not so long ago philosophers and scientists were deeply critical of overall metaphysical accounts of the world, arguing that they were empty nonsense and should be consigned to the dustbin. 'Metaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe on instinct', concluded the author Somerset Maugham. But metaphysics is back. Idealism, possible worlds, panpsychism all have their adherents. 'We are living in a simulation', Matrix followers, like Elon Musk, intone. But is this a fundamental error that we once had recognised and have now forgotten, that trades evidence and reality for fiction and fantasy?

Should we recognise all overall metaphysical accounts as speculative nonsense? Since there can be no empirical evidence for any of them, is contemporary science the only way to determine the nature of things? Or might metaphysics be not only necessary but unavoidable?

#spacetime #metaphysics #science

Eric Weinstein is the host of the premiere podcast The Portal. A doctor of mathematical physics, Eric has proposed that the scientific consensus in physics is broken and radical change in the community is needed. Becky Parker is a renowned physicist who won the first RAS Patrick Moore Medal for outstanding work as a teacher of astronomy. She has received an Honorary Fellowship at the Institute of Physics. Hilary Lawson is a philosopher and an outspoken critic of philosophical realism. He is best known for his theory of Closure, which puts forward a non-realist metaphysics. He is the founder and editorial director of the IAI.

00:00 Introduction
00:12 Spacetime is Einstein's castle in the air
02:25 Being irresponsible

[Trollbot]

Wow. ‘You can’t Neil DeGrasse Tyson your way into the future.’ The Shade….😂😂😂😂😂

[kadourimdou]

Bizarre how people call him a crank and angry. Pointing out how current ideas that have become dogma, with no experimental evidence and results that don’t match reality, is being angry or crank like? Strange.

[PlanetJimmer]

I can't say I fully understand all the tech stuff he points out, not much really, but, I definitely understand the overall message and absolutely love it.

[NondescriptMammal]

To be clear, Einstein himself objected to the geometrization of spacetime. It's a mathematical convenience, a coordinate system, not a physical entity.

[SciD]

Space-time is a mathematical construct, and has no material properties. Space-time is a metric; in physics, a metric is a numerical value derived from measurements, a number, a quantity, to be used in math equations to make accurate predictions. Space-time is a number, a quantity used in the field equations of general relativity, not a material which can bend, curve or warp. Those are figures of speech that refer to the illustrations mapping the gravitational field and its effect on how objects move in that field. No one thinks that the curved lines of isobars drawn on a weather map, or the longitudes and latitudes drawn on a globe map represent anything that is physically real, but when it comes to the space-time metric, the concept has been so thoroughly reified in our imaginations that it almost feels like an attack on our reality narrative to be reminded that it’s only a metric. We even have that absurd phrase, the “fabric of space-time” only because those illustrations are drawn with grid lines that resemble an open weave fabric.

[arex]

"you can't Neil degrass Tyson your way to the future"
Fucking hell XDDDD

[chrismcmullen]

Eric Weinstein is a high order intellect and he cant ever be outside of the conversation but maybe he needs to think about the difference between showing off and being clear

[tajzikria]

He is right space time is a data structure. Planks Scale is 10 -33 centimeters which is really not that impressive. After that number there is no operational meaning.

[bYtealiEnSzen]

Everything is a castle in the air. No one is privy to the absolute version of reality.

[nameless-ydko]

'Space/dimension' is the same illusion as 'time', from another perspective. Same thing; spacetime.

[CPHSDC]

Metaphysics is always necessary because while Science answers questions, it never answers the questions asked. The questions remain. Metaphysics is open to criticism because the answers Metaphysics supplies are based on the old questions which are superceded by new Science. Metaphysics has value not when it attempts to explain what we know based on what we know, but when it takes what we know and reframes the questions about where we go next.

[shadowlift]

How do people take this charlatan seriously...

[willa]

Have not heard rhetoric this entertaining in a while! :)

[PsychedelicAnxiety]

it’s hard to understand, and I guess there is some missing parts of the discussion. Why shouldn’t we believe in Einstein’s spacetime? Or is it that we shouldn’t take physics too literally in general

[daniesbananies]

I think I would call his “common sense reality” as “rational reality”. In my meditations, I’ve experienced the“unconventional” states of reality that defies the laws of physics as we know it, yet I still find myself using what I would consider “common” sense to make meaning of my experience (hence learn from it)… what he is saying is bringing me to think that maybe I should go deeper? I’m interested to hear about anyone’s experience of going so deep they can’t even perceive(?) their “common” sense.

[gmxmatei]

The Universe doesn't know mathematics.

[advaitrahasya]

0:43

Indeed, the explanation of the simple mechanism behind the good old double-slit explains the success of the mathematical models (as understanding the territory can help one recognize key features on the map) as well as making the mechanism of gravity obvious.

I'm suspecting that it's not only Pavel Exner that has escaped the bad trinity of metaphysical/paradigmatic assumptions inherited from Aristotle.

It is a simple enough story. Why complicate it so 😂

[Abmotsad]

He's in favor of "woo". Ok. That's fine. Me too.

But are you going to build a 5 billion dollar machine to test "woo"?

What's the point of chasing theories that are "in principle" not testable?

[cheyennealvis]

No problem! Here’s a summary of the video titled “Spacetime is Einstein’s castle in the air” by Eric Weinstein:

In this video, Eric Weinstein delves into the metaphysical aspects of science, particularly focusing on the concept of spacetime. He discusses how Einstein’s theories have revolutionized our understanding of the universe, describing spacetime as a “castle in the air” that serves as a conceptual framework rather than a physical entity. Weinstein explores the philosophical implications of these ideas and how they influence modern scientific thought.

He also touches on the importance of metaphysics in scientific inquiry, arguing that it provides a necessary foundation for understanding the deeper questions about reality and existence. The video is a thought-provoking discussion that bridges the gap between physics and philosophy, encouraging viewers to think critically about the nature of the universe.

If you have any specific questions about the video or need more details, feel free to ask!

[OBGynKenobi]

He always comes across as someone who's angry because HIS ideas didn't take off.