Stephen Wolfram: The Fundamental Theory of the Universe | Robinson's Podcast #196

Stephen Wolfram is the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research, and the creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha, and the Wolfram Language. He received his PhD in theoretical physics from Caltech when he was twenty years old. In addition to his work at the helm of Wolfram Research, he writes and researches widely across computer science, physics, mathematics, and more. This is Stephen’s second appearance on the show. In episode 102, he and Robinson discussed artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, and the philosophy of math. In this episode, however, they turn to the Ruliad—the entangled limited of computability—and Stephen’s search for the fundamental theory of physics. Along the way, they talk about the philosophy of science, abstract and concrete objects, and quantum mechanics.

OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
03:44 How Did Stephen Wolfram Discover the Ruliad? 
34:22 The Axiomatic Revolution in Physics 
46:37 Is the Ruliad a Theory or an Object? 
1:10:01 How Big is the Space of Alien Minds? 
1:18:25 Is the Universe an Abstract Object? 
1:31:43 What Is Quantum Mechanics? 

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.

[andrewzepf]

It is evident the host has done his honework. The questions and prompts are on point and designed to give Stephen the space to explore in his response. Wolfram podcasts are always worthwhile, but this one is phenomenal if you are already familiar with his physics project. Well done.

[cheri]

"Don't let idiot's ruin your day."
Thank you, Richard and Dr. Steven Wolfram for another educational opportunity to grow in the mystery of philosophy, mathematics, and quatam mechanics diversity.
Wow!!!! Black holes and dark matter. I did learn some from Carl Sagan and David Bohm, Physicist and some others.
This was so interesting.

[ericgraham]

Wolframs idea both makes sense to me while simultaneously freaking me way out in an existential way I can’t really put into words. Seems appropriate.

[real_pattern]

could we get a robinson erhardt solo episode about your research, how you approach and integrate all the info you're exposed to through your guests, personal reflections, that kinda stuff..?

[GoatOfTheWoods]

oh YES, a Stephen Wolfram podcast. I just love the guy.

[theTIREDman]

One of my favorite casts of all time. It's great to see you improve as an interviewer!

[Anders]

I love the approach in the Wolfram Physics Project, because at the foundation is only a simple graph (network of points). Even the ruliad that Stephen mentioned can easily be constructed I think as a subgraph of an infinite complete graph, which is very easy to construct starting with just one single point with a relation to itself. The model is compatible with what I call relational monism in philosophy; that reality is an interconnected oneness of relations.

[TheMemesofDestruction]

Professor Wolfram is a cool Dude. 😎 ^.^

[CrazyAssDrumma]

I watch A LOT of wolfram podcasts, and I rate this one highly, your questions were on point

[cryoshakespeare]

The Ruliad is as inevitable as any process taken to its logical conclusion, it's just the process of of following processes done ad infinitum, rendered as a conclusive whole. But I very much appreciate how Wolfram takes this idea and merges it with a philosophical maturity around questioning the nature of the observer, and our own relationships to the parts of this infinitary structure of potential we observe. Thanks for the video!

[abdelkaioumbouaicha]

📝 Summary of Key Points:

📌 The video discusses the concept of computational irreducibility and how observers simplify and compress the complexity of the world into a manageable form for understanding.

🧐 It explores the interconnectedness of mathematics, physics, and computational processes, highlighting the relationship between quantum mechanics and the multi-way causal graph.

💡 Additional Insights and Observations:

💬 "The ruad serves as a foundational framework for our scientific endeavors, guiding our exploration of the fundamental laws of physics and the nature of reality."
📊 The video delves into the idea that within computationally irreducible systems, there are pockets of computational reducibility, allowing for predictions and understanding.
🌐 The speaker draws parallels between time dilation in physics and mathematics, emphasizing the consistency and homogeneity in both disciplines.

📣 Concluding Remarks:

The video provides a thought-provoking perspective on how observers interpret the vast computational space of the universe, emphasizing the blurred lines between theory and object in our understanding of reality. By exploring the connections between mathematics, physics, and computational processes, it sheds light on the intricate relationships that shape our perception of the world.
Generated using TalkBud

[trucid]

I love listening to Wolfram. He has a way of talking thats easy to understand and engages the listener.

[ftwallday]

Thanks for another excellent show, Robinson.

[mickeymambo]

Looking forward to this episode big time!

[SN]

Excuse me but how do you get SUCH guests with so few views? Amazing, well done.

[SB]

Glad you got Dr. Wolfram to talk about the hyperruliad!

[oua]

Really profound interview, much love Stephen, God bless.

[NightmareCourtPictures]

Personally if your not acquainted with basic physics, mathematical, computation knowledge, your not gonna understand the Ruliad or why it’s an inevitable, important object.

The answer is that it just inevitably exists. If we can run rules here and now, which we can, then we must exist in this abstract ruliad object…it’s not much more complicated to understand. Go run rule 30…then go count sheep…boom you have by construction, a universe that can run both of these rules. So whatever theory that encompasses how the universe works needs to include the existence of these two rules…and all the other rules and that leads to the ruliad object…the limit of all rules you can run.

[rnbwd]

Leonard Susskind says quantum measurement is quantum entanglement. I think there are a group of high level physicists who believe that observation = entanglement, but that theory hasn’t become mainstream yet. If measurement is entanglement, that might help explain how or why causality isn’t exactly the same when the wave particle collapses into a measurement.

[neoepicurean]

So if we start from the ruliad and accept that all possible rules of computation are in there, then when do the rules seem to run? Is that just down to the observer? But it seems the rule had to run in order to create observers. Can anyone help me out with this gap between there being being rules and the rules running?