John Norton: The 300-Year-Old Physics Mistake No One Noticed

Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

Curt Jaimungal

Physics, Philosophy, Society & Culture, Science

4.6 • 606 Ratings

🗓️ 27 June 2025

⏱️ 109 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Professor John Norton dismantles long‑standing assumptions in physics, from Newtonian determinism to the myth of Landauer’s principle. He argues that causation may be illusory, explores the breakdown of classical physics.0:00 Introduction3:37 Norton's Dome Explained6:30 The Misunderstanding of Determinism9:31 Thermodynamics and Infinite Systems14:39 Implications for Quantum Mechanics16:20 Revisiting Causation18:15 Critique of Causal Metaphysics20:21 The Utility of Causal Language24:58 Exploring Thought Experiments33:05 Landauer's Principle Discussion49:48 Critique of Experimental Validation52:25 Consequences for Maxwell's Demon1:13:34 Einstein's Critiques of Quantum Mechanics1:28:16 The Nature of Scientific Discovery1:42:56 Inductive Inferences in ScienceSPONSORS:- I personally subscribe to The Economist. TOE listeners get 35% off the annual subscription. No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOERESOURCES:- Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com- Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e- A Primer on Determinism (book): https://amzn.to/45Jn3b4- John Norton’s papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UDteMFoAAAAJ- Causation as Folk Science (paper): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/003004.pdf- Lipschitz continuity (wiki): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipschitz_continuity- The Dome: An Unexpectedly Simple Failure of Determinism (paper): https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/2943/1/Norton.pdf- Norton’s Dome (wiki): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton%27s_dome- Approximation and Idealization (paper): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/Ideal_Approx_final.pdf- On the Quantum Theory of Radiation (paper): https://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/scientists/einstein/1917_Radiation.pdf- Making Things Happen (book): https://ccc.inaoep.mx/~esucar/Clases-mgc/Making-Things-Happen-A-Theory-of-Causal-Explanation.pdf- Causation in Physics (wiki): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-physics/- Laboratory of the Mind (paper): https://www.academia.edu/2644953/REVIEW_James_R_Brown_Laboratory_of_the_Mind- Roger Penrose on TOE: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU- Ted Jacobson on TOE: https://youtu.be/3mhctWlXyV8- The Thermodynamics of Computation (paper): https://sites.cc.gatech.edu/computing/nano/documents/Bennett%20-%20The%20Thermodynamics%20Of%20Computation.pdf- What's Actually Possible? (article): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/the-unexamined-in-principle- On a Decrease of Entropy in a Thermodynamic System (paper): https://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/862.22/notes/computation/Szilard-1929.pdf- Landauer's principle and thermodynamics (article): https://www.nature.com/articles/nature10872- The Logical Inconsistency of Old Quantum Theory of Black Body Radiation (paper): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/Inconsistency_OQT.pdf- 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- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	That had produced so much fuss was somehow shocking.
0:03.0	This literature has been teetering on the edge of nonsense for 100 years.
0:09.5	Professor John Norton of the University of Pittsburgh has spent decades systematically dismantling
0:14.9	sacred assumptions of physics.
0:17.2	Norton's dome, for instance, demonstrates fundamental indeterminism in Newtonian physics itself.
0:22.6	Now, you may be thinking of quantum uncertainty, but I'm talking about classical physics, which is breaking down in terms of unique predictivity.
0:31.4	Beyond determinism, Norton critiques notions of causation itself. Physicists routinely invoke causal language, but what if causation
0:38.8	isn't fundamental? Even further, Norton's critique extends to thermodynamics. Landauer's principle,
0:44.8	for instance, has guided decades of research into computing limits, and some even use it as the
0:50.0	physical basis of Wheeler's it from bit. Norton demonstrates this principle misunderstands
0:54.9	thermodynamics and entropy, both of which we talk about in extensive detail. We then cap it off
1:00.6	with Einstein's contributions to old quantum theory and Einstein's disagreements with the new quantum
1:06.6	theory. A special thank you to the economist for sponsoring this video. I thought that the economist
1:12.3	was just something CEOs read to stay up to date on world trends, and that's true. However,
1:17.8	that's not only true. What I've found more than useful is their coverage of math, of physics,
1:23.5	of philosophy, of AI, especially how something is perceived by countries and how it impacts
1:28.8	markets. Among weekly global affairs magazines, the economist is praised for its non-partisan
1:34.2	reporting and being fact-driven. This is something that's extremely important to me. It's something
1:39.1	that I appreciate. I personally love their coverage of other topics that aren't just news-based as well.
1:44.9	For instance, the Economist had an interview with some of the people behind DeepSeek,
1:48.7	the weak Deep Seek launched.
1:50.7	No one else had that.
	...

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