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The String Theory Debate (Peter Woit & Joseph Conlon) - podcast episode cover

The String Theory Debate (Peter Woit & Joseph Conlon)

Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

Dec 28, 2024•3 hr 37 min•Transcript available on Metacast

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Episode description

As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe In today’s episode of Theories of Everything, Curt Jaimungal is joined by renowned physicists Peter Woit and Joseph Conlon to delve into the complexities of String Theory. Together, they explore its potential as a unified framework for understanding the fundamental forces of the universe, discussing both its strengths and the criticisms it faces. Peter Woit is a renowned mathematical physicist and outspoken critic of string theory, and Joseph Conlon is a distinguished theoretical physicist and strong proponent of string theory. NOTE: The video of Brian Greene in the introduction was intended to serve as a visual representation related to string theory as a general subject. It wasn’t meant to imply his support or opposition to string theory without understanding the details of it. I love Brian Greene. I even spoke to him here for the podcast. https://youtu.be/O2EtTE9Czzo. - Curt New Substack! Follow my personal writings and EARLY ACCESS episodes here: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 03:10 What Wrong with the Standard Model? 10:27 The Axion and Experimental Hope 15:01 Critiques of String Theory 17:25 Evaluating String Theory's Validity 20:44 The Sociological Landscape of Physics 25:20 Holography and Its Implications 29:03 The Complexities of ADS-CFT 32:59 Witten's Influence and Controversies 36:32 The Balance of Arrogance and Humility 40:37 Structural Issues in Theoretical Physics 44:20 The Diminishing Returns of Mathematical Physics 48:55 Young Researchers and Career Concerns 52:42 The Disconnect from Experimental Data 56:24 The Evolution of Theoretical Physics 59:48 Challenges Facing the Field Today 01:02:28 Future Directions 01:35:36 The State of Fundamental Physics 01:47:07 Exploring Time Dimensions 02:07:40 AI Recap 02:20:50 Outro Links: •⁠ ⁠Why String Theory? (Joseph’s book): https://amzn.to/4gSJr42 •⁠ ⁠Origins: The Cosmos in Verse (Joseph’s book): https://amzn.to/3Dz887b •⁠ ⁠Not Even Wrong (Peter’s book): https://amzn.to/49T1mFn •⁠ ⁠Quantum Theory (Peter’s book): https://amzn.to/408Jp2h •⁠ ⁠Peter Woit’s blog: https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/ •⁠ ⁠Edward Witten’s recent paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.15549 •⁠ ⁠Strings Conference (2024): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSDiHgXimR9pHoFPhCDPfDOhreEg8vSp •⁠ ⁠Istanbul Stringy Meeting (2024): https://istringy.org/ism24/ •⁠ ⁠Physics Today: Edward Witten’s 2015 post: https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/article/68/11/38/414984/What-every-physicist-should-know-about-string •⁠ ⁠Peter Woit’s previous appearance on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTSeqsCgxj8 •⁠ ⁠Moduli Redefinitions and Moduli Stabilisation (Conlon’s paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/1003.0388 •⁠ ⁠Scott Aaronson on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZpGCQoL2Rk •⁠ ⁠Brian Greene on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2EtTE9Czzo •⁠ ⁠TOE’s String Theory Iceberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4PdPnQuwjY&t=1749s TOE'S TOP LINKS: - Enjoy TOE on Spotify! https://tinyurl.com/SpotifyTOE - Become a YouTube Member Here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join - Support TOE on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!) - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything #science #physics #stringtheory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The String Theory Debate (Peter Woit & Joseph Conlon) | Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal podcast - Listen or read transcript on Metacast