Ruth Kastner: Can the Future Cause the Past in Quantum Theory?

Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

Curt Jaimungal

Physics, Philosophy, Society & Culture, Science

4.6 • 606 Ratings

🗓️ 7 February 2025

⏱️ 132 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ruth Kastner and Curt Jaimungal explore the transactional interpretation of quantum mechanics, tackling the measurement problem, retrocausality, and the quest to reconcile quantum theory with gravity. Kastner argues for a paradigm shift that embraces complexity and nuance in understanding quantum phenomena.- 00:00 - Introduction- 01:40 - Measurement Problem- 09:17 - Measurement Interaction- 11:27 - Feynman Diagrams- 16:25 - Observers vs Measurers- 20:58 - Nature of Measurement- 22:19 - Probabilistic Outcomes- 28:52 - Emission and Absorption- 34:40 - Entities and Reality- 38:03 - Emergence of Space-Time- 41:14 - Theories and Anomalies- 42:56 - Independent Scholarship- 46:23 - Conventional Approach- 48:33 - Transactional Axioms- 50:34 - Kramer's Perspective- 1:07:22 - Retrocausality and Block World- 1:07:43 - Science Fiction and Time Travel- 1:14:04 - Emergence of Space-Time Events- 1:27:23 - Weak and Strong Forces- 1:36:10 - Physics to Philosophy- 1:39:53 - Free Will- 1:45:36 - Consciousness and Physicalism- 1:54:51 - Challenges to Materialism- 2:05:47 - Advice for Future Generations- 2:07:41 - Conclusion and AcknowledgmentsSPONSORS:- I personally subscribe to The Economist. TOE listeners get 35% off the annual subscription. No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOE- Curt Jaimungal Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com- Spotify video: https://tinyurl.com/SpotifyTOE- YouTube Membership: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join- Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt- Discord: 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 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	It's an anomaly. Measurement outcomes failed to be predicted by the conventional theory.
0:06.0	I met with physicist-turned philosopher Ruth Kastner, who developed a formulation that claims to solve not just the measurement problem,
0:14.0	but also retrocausality, non-locality, and the unification of quantum theory with gravity.
0:19.0	Her transactional formulation, which builds on Kramer's work,
0:22.9	asserts that spacetime itself is not fundamental,
0:25.7	but emerges from what she calls the quantum substratum,
0:29.0	not a realm of probability, but a realm of possibility.
0:33.0	Questions we explore are,
0:34.4	what's the role of retrocausality in quantum mechanics,
0:38.7	also known as time travel?
0:44.3	Does consciousness play a role at all? What about free will? And can you make gravity consonant with quantum theory without so-called quantum gravity?
0:49.0	Ruth, I'd like you to paint a clear picture of what the motivation is behind the transactional
0:54.9	interpretation, especially its so-called retro causality. And the way that I'd like you to do this
1:00.1	is to pick some standard account in quantum mechanics or quantum field theory, discuss why
1:05.0	this standard account seems to make sense to most physicists, then explain why it doesn't actually
1:10.2	make sense, and then explain why
1:12.5	that transactional interpretation fixes or resolves these problems?
1:18.0	Sure.
1:20.0	Okay.
1:21.1	So, well, what got me interested in the transactional interpretation is basically my dissatisfaction with the conventional theory's inability to describe what counts as a measurement.
1:35.4	So,
1:35.7	and this is, of course, the measurement problem of the conventional theory.
	...

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