36 | David Albert on Quantum Measurement and the Problems with Many-Worlds

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

Sean Carroll | Wondery

Society & Culture, Physics, Philosophy, Science, Ideas, Society

4.8 • 4.4K Ratings

🗓️ 4 March 2019

⏱️ 103 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Quantum mechanics is our best theory of how reality works at a fundamental level, yet physicists still can’t agree on what the theory actually says. At the heart of the puzzle is the “measurement problem”: what actually happens when we observe a quantum system, and why do we apparently need separate rules when it happens? David Albert is one of the leading figures in the foundations of quantum mechanics today, and we discuss the measurement problem and why it’s so puzzling. Then we dive into the Many-Worlds version of quantum mechanics, which is my favorite (as I explain in my forthcoming book Something Deeply Hidden). It is not David’s favorite, so he presents the case as to why you should be skeptical of Many-Worlds. (The philosophically respectable case, that is, not a vague unease at all those other universes.) Support Mindscape on Patreon or Paypal. David Albert received his Ph.D. in physics from Rockefeller University. He is currently the Frederick E. Woodbridge Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. His research involves a number of topics within the foundations of physics, including the arrow of time (coining the phrase “Past Hypothesis” for the low-entropy state of the early universe) and quantum mechanics. He is the author of a number of books, including Time and Chance, Quantum Mechanics and Experience, and After Physics. Columbia web page Publications at PhilPapers Wikipedia page Videos at Closer to Truth BigThink interview See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello everyone and welcome to the Mindscape podcast.
0:05.3	I'm your host, Tron Carroll, and those of you who've been following my stuff over the
0:09.5	years know that I'm very interested in quantum mechanics, the foundations of quantum mechanics,
0:14.8	what it all means, and in particular, I'm a proponent and advocate for the many worlds
0:19.7	interpretation of quantum mechanics.
0:21.2	I think it's probably the right one, but you know, there are smart people who disagree.
0:25.7	So therefore, on today's episode, we're going to feature a smart person who disagrees.
0:30.1	David Albert is a philosopher of physics at Columbia University who got his PhD in physics
0:35.1	from Rockefeller, and he is one of the leading figures in the world on the foundations of quantum
0:40.0	mechanics.
0:41.0	He is not a fan of many worlds of what we call ever-ready in quantum theory, and so we're
0:46.0	going to dig into what makes him such a skeptic.
0:49.0	Sadly, we didn't get quite enough time to talk about what issues, what approaches to quantum
0:54.2	mechanics he is in favor of, but that's okay.
0:57.3	Maybe we'll come back for a new podcast some other time.
1:00.1	We're going to explain what quantum mechanics is, what the measurement problem is, what
1:04.1	the many worlds theory says, and the particular puzzles he sees that he does not feel optimistic
1:09.8	that many worlds is going to be able to answer.
1:13.1	This is a very useful podcast to listen to if you're kind of interested in this area,
1:17.5	but aren't an expert, both because we sort of clear up what are the silly objections
1:22.9	to many worlds and focus on what we agree are the important puzzles, the important challenges
1:28.5	to many worlds.
	...

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