Dirac's 90-Year-Old "Mistake" Unifies All of Physics

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 this episode, I speak with Professor Felix Finster, a radical thinker reimagining the foundations of physics. We explore his theory of causal fermion systems, where reality emerges from quantum correlations—without assuming spacetime or geometry. From the Dirac sea to quantum gravity, this conversation challenges familiar concepts and offers a glimpse into where the next physics revolution might begin. Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 03:12 The Origins of Causal Fermion Systems 06:55 Engaging with Alternative Theories in Physics 15:22 The Standard View of Causation 18:21 Classical, Quantum, and Pre-Quantum 23:06 How Spacetime Emerges from Disconnected Points 29:49 Recovering Lorentz Signature Without Assumptions 31:48 Recovering the Born Rule from First Principles 39:39 The Measurement Problem 46:20 Bounds on CSL Parameters 49:45 The Dynamics of Spacetime 57:47 Collaboration with Yao and Reflections on the Theory 1:03:13 A Quantum Gravity Theory Without Supersymmetry 1:05:28 The Dirac Sea 1:11:40 Addressing Infinite Energy in Semi-Classical Gravity 1:13:09 Octonions in the Vacuum Structure 1:17:32 Chirality and the Action Principle 1:20:33 Baryogenesis and Why Matter Exists 1:35:10 Rethinking the Strong CP and Hierarchy Problems 1:38:43 Recognition, Collaboration, and Growing Attention 1:54:00 Mathematical Criteria vs. Experimental Tests 2:01:02 Advice for Young Researchers Links Mentioned: - Felix's Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=F7ppNroAAAAJ - Felix's Bio: https://www.uni-regensburg.de/mathematik/mathematik-1/startseite/index.html - Causal Fermion Systems [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2405.19254 - Linear Dynamics of Wave Functions [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2101.08673 - The Principle of the Fermionic Projector [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/Principle-Fermionic-Projector-Advanced-Mathematics/dp/0821839748 - Baryogensis for Causal Fermion Systems [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2111.05556 - Holographic Mixing [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.18045 - Standard Model Physics from an Algebra? [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1611.09182 - Barry Loewer & Eddy Chen [TOE]: https://youtu.be/xZnafO__IZ0 - Fay Dowker [TOE]: https://youtu.be/PgYHEPCLVas - String Theory Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/X4PdPnQuwjY - David Kaiser [TOE]: https://youtu.be/_yebLXsIdwo - Ruth Kastner [TOE]: https://youtu.be/-BsHh3_vCMQ - Amanda Gefter [TOE]: https://youtu.be/yABPvDJ6Zgs - Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/7oWip00iXbo - Eva Miranda [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6XyMepn-AZo - Emily Adlam [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6I2OhmVWLMs - Scott Aaronson & Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/5rbC3XZr9-c SUPPORT: - Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join - Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal - Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 SOCIALS: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs Guests do not pay to appear. Theories of Everything receives revenue solely from viewer donations, platform ads, and clearly labelled sponsors; no guest or associated entity has ever given compensation, directly or through intermediaries. #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices