Edward Witten - How Do Scientific Breakthroughs Happen?

[@CloserToTruthTV]

This interview was filmed for the television show Closer To Truth, broadcast on PBS stations. Watch the full episode, featuring Robbert Dijkgraaf, Edward Witten, Karen Uhlenbeck, and Sabine Hossenfelder: bit.ly/3lhOVOv

[@KnowL-oo5po]

why is eastern europe not this enlightened poland,romania,ukraine,hungary,bulgaria and serbia

[@friendbesto_corey]

Thank you!

[@mikevaldez7684]

Witten is absolutely brilliant, and listening to him is captivating; you know you are in the presence of sheer brilliance! Amazing, beautiful discussion! 🙋🙏

[@bluesky45299]

Consiciousness can only be experienced. For example, if you had a tooth pain. Million Scientists with their Test tube(Deduction/induction via empiricism) can tell you there is no evidence of tooth pain. You will reject their scientific method because you are having direct experience of this pain. I have direct experience of existence. All i know with certainty is my experience ("Cogito Ergo Sum"). I know with certainity that this existence can only come from pre-existing Self-Sufficient/Perfect Existence(Allah the most Exalted).

[@SpotterVideo]

Conservation of Spatial Curvature (both Matter and Energy described as "Quanta" of Spatial Curvature) Is there an alternative interpretation of "Asymptotic Freedom"? What if Quarks are actually made up of twisted tubes which become physically entangled with two other twisted tubes to produce a proton? Instead of the Strong Force being mediated by the exchange of gluons, it would be mediated by the physical entanglement of these twisted tubes. When only two twisted tubules are entangled, a meson is produced which is unstable and rapidly unwinds (decays) into something else. A proton would be analogous to three twisted rubber bands becoming entangled and the "Quarks" would be the places where the tubes are tangled together. The behavior would be the same as rubber balls (representing the Quarks) connected with twisted rubber bands being separated from each other or placed closer together producing the exact same phenomenon as "Asymptotic Freedom" in protons and neutrons. The force would become greater as the balls are separated, but the force would become less if the balls were placed closer together. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- String Theory was not a waste of time, because Geometry is the key to Math and Physics. However, can we describe Standard Model interactions using only one extra spatial dimension? What if we describe subatomic particles as spatial curvature, instead of trying to describe General Relativity as being mediated by particles? Fixing the Standard Model with more particles is like trying to mend a torn fishing net with small rubber balls, instead of a piece of twisted twine. Quantum Entangled Twisted Tubules: “We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question which divides us is whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being correct.” Neils Bohr (lecture on a theory of elementary particles given by Wolfgang Pauli in New York, c. 1957-8, in Scientific American vol. 199, no. 3, 1958) The following is meant to be a generalized framework for an extension of Kaluza-Klein Theory. Does it agree with the “Twistor Theory” of Roger Penrose, and the work of Eric Weinstein on “Geometric Unity”? During the early history of mankind, the twisting of fibers was used to produce thread, and this thread was used to produce fabrics. The twist of the thread is locked up within these fabrics. Is matter made up of twisted 3D-4D structures which store spatial curvature that we describe as “particles"? Are the twist cycles the "quanta" of Quantum Mechanics? When we draw a sine wave on a blackboard, we are representing spatial curvature. Does a photon transfer spatial curvature from one location to another? Wrap a piece of wire around a pencil and it can produce a 3D coil of wire, much like a spring. When viewed from the side it can look like a two-dimensional sine wave. You could coil the wire with either a right-hand twist, or with a left-hand twist. Could Planck's Constant be proportional to the twist cycles. A photon with a higher frequency has more energy. ( E=hf, More spatial curvature as the frequency increases = more Energy ). What if gluons are actually made up of these twisted tubes which become entangled with other tubes to produce quarks. (In the same way twisted electrical extension cords can become entangled.) Therefore, the gluons are a part of the quarks. Quarks cannot exist without gluons, and vice-versa. Mesons are made up of two entangled tubes (Quarks/Gluons), while protons and neutrons would be made up of three entangled tubes. (Quarks/Gluons) The "Color Charge" would be related to the XYZ coordinates (orientation) of entanglement. "Asymptotic Freedom", and "flux tubes" are logically based on this concept. The Dirac “belt trick” also reveals the concept of twist in the ½ spin of subatomic particles. If each twist cycle is proportional to h, we have identified the source of Quantum Mechanics as a consequence twist cycle geometry. Modern physicists say the Strong Force is mediated by a constant exchange of Mesons. The diagrams produced by some modern physicists actually represent the Strong Force like a spring connecting the two quarks. Asymptotic Freedom acts like real springs. Their drawing is actually more correct than their theory and matches perfectly to what I am saying in this model. You cannot separate the Gluons from the Quarks because they are a part of the same thing. The Quarks are the places where the Gluons are entangled with each other. Neutrinos would be made up of a twisted torus (like a twisted donut) within this model. The twist in the torus can either be Right-Hand or Left-Hand. Some twisted donuts can be larger than others, which can produce three different types of neutrinos. If a twisted tube winds up on one end and unwinds on the other end as it moves through space, this would help explain the “spin” of normal particles, and perhaps also the “Higgs Field”. However, if the end of the twisted tube joins to the other end of the twisted tube forming a twisted torus (neutrino), would this help explain “Parity Symmetry” violation in Beta Decay? Could the conversion of twist cycles to writhe cycles through the process of supercoiling help explain “neutrino oscillations”? Spatial curvature (mass) would be conserved, but the structure could change. Gravity is a result of a very small curvature imbalance within atoms. (This is why the force of gravity is so small.) Instead of attempting to explain matter as "particles", this concept attempts to explain matter more in the manner of our current understanding of the space-time curvature of gravity. If an electron has qualities of both a particle and a wave, it cannot be either one. It must be something else. Therefore, a "particle" is actually a structure which stores spatial curvature. Can an electron-positron pair (which are made up of opposite directions of twist) annihilate each other by unwinding into each other producing Gamma Ray photons? Does an electron travel through space like a threaded nut traveling down a threaded rod, with each twist cycle proportional to Planck’s Constant? Does it wind up on one end, while unwinding on the other end? Is this related to the Higgs field? Does this help explain the strange ½ spin of many subatomic particles? Does the 720 degree rotation of a 1/2 spin particle require at least one extra dimension? Alpha decay occurs when the two protons and two neutrons (which are bound together by entangled tubes), become un-entangled from the rest of the nucleons . Beta decay occurs when the tube of a down quark/gluon in a neutron becomes overtwisted and breaks producing a twisted torus (neutrino) and an up quark, and the ejected electron. The production of the torus may help explain the “Symmetry Violation” in Beta Decay, because one end of the broken tube section is connected to the other end of the tube produced, like a snake eating its tail. The phenomenon of Supercoiling involving twist and writhe cycles may reveal how overtwisted quarks can produce these new particles. The conversion of twists into writhes, and vice-versa, is an interesting process, which is also found in DNA molecules. Gamma photons are produced when a tube unwinds producing electromagnetic waves. The “Electric Charge” of electrons or positrons would be the result of one twist cycle being displayed at the 3D-4D surface interface of the particle. The physical entanglement of twisted tubes in quarks within protons and neutrons and mesons displays an overall external surface charge of an integer number. Because the neutrinos do not have open tube ends, (They are a twisted torus.) they have no overall electric charge. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Within this model a black hole could represent a quantum of gravity, because it is one cycle of spatial gravitational curvature. Therefore, instead of a graviton being a subatomic particle it could be considered to be a black hole. The overall gravitational attraction would be caused by a very tiny curvature imbalance within atoms. We know there is an unequal distribution of electrical charge within each atom because the positive charge is concentrated within the nucleus, even though the overall electrical charge of the atom is balanced by equal positive and negative charge. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> In this model Alpha equals the compactification ratio within the twistor cone, which is approximately 1/137. 1= Hypertubule diameter at 4D interface 137= Cone’s larger end diameter at 3D interface where the photons are absorbed or emitted. The 4D twisted Hypertubule gets longer or shorter as twisting or untwisting occurs. (720 degrees per twist cycle.) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> How many neutrinos are left over from the Big Bang? They have a small mass, but they could be very large in number. Could this help explain Dark Matter? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Why did Paul Dirac use the twist in a belt to help explain particle spin? Is Dirac’s belt trick related to this model? Is the “Quantum” unit based on twist cycles? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I started out imagining a subatomic Einstein-Rosen Bridge whose internal surface is twisted with either a Right-Hand twist, or a Left-Hand twist producing a twisted 3D/4D membrane. The model grew out of that simple idea. I was also trying to imagine a way to stuff the curvature of a 3 D sine wave into subatomic particles. .

[@coops6621]

You know the guys a genius when they employ Einstein to do the interview

[@Brad-bx7fq]

HaHa he does resemble Einstein

[@victorcapetillo2070]

😂😅😅

[@collapsingspace]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ChowZeb]

😂

[@humblesoul8685]

😂😂😂😂

[@ticcusagram]

Rogans new podcast with Weinstein just sent me to this genius !

[@AlienScientist]

Me too

[@digbyalluge8159]

Same here

[@planetnron4989]

It was a strategic plug

[@bantumniki9811]

Same here. Very effective referencing.

[@pglazzari1]

Damn you Rogan. Do you sponsor this guys?

[@josephblumenthal1228]

If Edward Witten can be so humble I have no excuse. yet another lesson I've learned from him.

[@TheLuminousOne]

Yeah, giant egos never looked good, anyway.

[@earthcoloredeyes5043]

Lol you named all white men, lol yes we are so lucky. I wonder how many women could have discovered the answer. If only they where allowed to have academic careers 50 years ago. How many people of color could have been smarter than Einstein the cousin lover or Hawking the Epstein friend. How many genius’s never met their potential do to them being a woman or not white.

[@tallymeban-anas]

This man is an alien among us. 😳

[@I_dont_want_an_at]

humble shmumble

[@I_dont_want_an_at]

Humility is a luxury of the highly successful. If you're not highly successful, you don't have that luxury.

[@a.lucius4459]

We’re so lucky to have people like Edward Witten, Roger Penrose, Alan Guth, and Robert Kuhn who lets us have a glimpse of their brilliance.

[@ElectronFieldPulse]

Especially Witten. He is the smartest man alive.

[@god47398]

lol

[@bobjones5869]

@@ElectronFieldPulse still hasn’t done anything for string theory

[@essaali9823]

Please don't forget Steven Weinberg

[@yunqilu9918]

@@ElectronFieldPulse Do you know Pierre René Deligne?

[@sluggo3slug]

So extremely exact and lucid in his thoughts and the way he expresses them. Different level human.

[@cmalc8]

What a strange pleasure it is to listen to someone so ferociously intelligent speaking.

[@damonappelblatt8974]

L0ve by⁶

[@patrickl6932]

This guy is on another level. You can actually see him trying to dumb it down for us..

[@williamesselman3102]

Magic

[@HawthorneHillNaturePreserve]

Oh yes, exactly what I was thinking! You made me laugh 😂

[@thelastshadeofgrey]

Haha :) probably true

[@spiralsun1]

Yes. ❤️‍🔥

[@Ben-vu1nb]

Yes, this man is the next evolution of human beings. Incredible and awe inspiring person.

[@PollyMatthew]

Something different about Witten. No other physicist I’ve heard seems to have his perspective, concise explanatory ability. He gives the impression of depth and breadth of understanding that is just amazing.

[@schrodingerscat7218]

"Some of the more detailed implications of their work were particularly obvious to me." And that's as boastful as Edward Witten ever gets. What a man. And what a great venue for this interview.

[@reimannx33]

His articulation is crisp, not mired in buzzwords, and without overreach.

[@Solarlube]

Would I be close by saying that Edward Witten wastes not one word and that his excitement in his field is expressed in every word, every gesture. I had not heard of this fellow until today 7:03:2023. I am only a grade student from 1972. And know nothing of string theory but was fascinated by this wonderful interview, thank you.

[@bmejia837]

​@@Solarlube Today is my first time of hearing about him too

[@parmenides2576]

His entire career is a scientific buzzword …

[@reimannx33]

@parmenides2576 You make for a clown that people can laugh at while farting.

[@Lobexx]

@@parmenides2576you don’t know what you’re talking about. Put some respect on his name

[@darnelljackson2160]

I just looked Witten up in Wikipedia. His father is *still* alive. He's like 102! Amazing.

[@wayfereralpha7072]

😮

[@johndepp-vz4yj]

His father was also a famous scientist of his day

[@matthuckabey007]

This man is super human. The amount of processing power in the room, with this gentleman present, is palpable.

[@jigsaw2253]

You love to imagine that

[@mrhassell]

That's not gay.. nah.. not at all.. lol

[@mirazshamshidov4257]

He's so modest,smart,and I love him.

[@Cincyboy56]

Ed’s brother was a high school classmate and friend of mine in Cincinnati. Ed had already graduated when his family came here, but visiting his brother and going to his bar mitzvah, I met Ed several times as a very young man. He was soft spoken and gentle, and I remember thinking I was talking to someone of a different species. Someone from a higher plane is how I would describe it now. I realized 20 years later that I hadn’t just met my friend’s brother, I’d met Edward Witten. Ever since then, I brag to people that I’ve talked to the smartest man in the world. And then I smile to myself when I see that they all assume I’m grossly exaggerating.

[@mrhassell]

mazzāl tav yehe lanu ulkhol yisrael. Charms up Mount Psion, mesons abound only found a lack of dimensions.

[@narek323]

That's nothing to brag about. Having talked to a smart person doesn't make you special.

[@Cincyboy56]

@@narek323 it’s called an anecdote. You should try telling one or two. Might make people think you’re not quite the bonehead you seem.

[@HawthorneHillNaturePreserve]

OK, I kinda get chills listening to Edward Witten’s incredible intellect. You can see and hear the wheels turning, I’m surprised he didn’t have smoke coming out of his ears. I am in awe of minds like these.

[@karlkarlsson9126]

Yeah, his brain is scary. You can see it in Wittens eyes, this guy is deep.

[@narek323]

@@karlkarlsson9126 Scary only for the frail minded.

[@aous5880]

Didn't he(Edward ) have a strong knowledge of mathematics before the age of 22?

[@moodobusiness]

He didn’t get out of first gear in this interview.

[@afternoondelight1240]

If you ever meet someone like this and you want to make them laugh say Does pondering if a question is really hard to solve or just impossible keep you up at night sometimes too? Smart people instantly relate and warm up to you because that is a curse when you debate giving up or pushing on uncertain if you’re wasting your time like a cat chasing a laser dot thinking he’s gonna get it.

[@markverhoeven4114]

Pushing the human mind to its furthest reaches. What a guy.

[@jjkblast4700]

. But damn, this dude majored in history Got a phd in physics And won an award in mathematics. The comment section is soon to be filled with self proclaimed Einsteins and schrodingers and with completely unrelated criticism

[@Two_But_Not_Two]

And yet, if you read the comments, virtually all of them are complimentary and deferential.

[@ivanleon6164]

hahaha so true, there is people in youtube claiming they have theory of everything, claiming there is only one force, electromagnetic. and so on. and of course people saying einstein is overrated, lol.

[@narek323]

@@feynmanschwingere_mc2270 First of all, no one was comparing Schrodinger to Einstein. Second, Schrodinger made accomplishments not only in theoretical physics, but also in biology.

[@debtanupatra3385]

Nowadays these 10 dimensional supersymmetric fancy fictions have no proof. So after every two year a new particle is discovered, better say invented to defend their quantum mechanical highly nonlinear unfalsifiable unobserved non-science !

[@Bo-tz4nw]

A beautiful mind! Time flies, science too . So, now there´s probably no room for a "new Einstein". If there is, here you have him. Mentioned among most of the physicist today.

[@Thor_Asgard_]

probably the smartes person alive. hes outstanding and very underrated in non physicist talks. Every physicist will tell you, this dude is the real deal.

[@ivantheterrible4317]

His theory can't be expiremented. Being the smartest in the world is not like him. Nothing he says can become technology. So it is useless.

[@ExMachina70]

This guy takes goal-setting to a whole different level. When he talks about "long-term proposition" I get the sense that he's referring to life-changing directions that he sets his mind and energy to.

[@timouellette4693]

Edward's intellectual candle power is off the scales. Brilliance to the full.

[@kirbyitrithemis5064]

Edward Witten I am thrilled to have learned of you. I am anxious about losing you so soon. Wish you the best in making the next discovery in this era.

[@patrickl6932]

Strap in. Try and keep up with this guy. WOW what a brain. Thankfully we have people like this.

[@williamwilliams1000]

This guy's father was a Physicist its not hard to believe he could transition from history to physics. He probably received a good physics/math education from his father.

[@leevasha5719]

For real. It’s still impressive but I’d be more impressed by someone who’s parents weren’t scientists

[@Tyrosine0910]

@@leevasha5719 Lol seriously? It doesn't matter what your parents were-to achieve what Ed has, you pretty much have to be one of the smartest guys out there.

[@mathemagics4497]

Ed once said he learned calculus by himself when he was eleven, then found mathematics boring.

[@pstew5309]

​@@Tyrosine0910 I mean it does matter to some extent. If your parents were the slave labor plucking cobalt out of the ground and you were strapped to their back, much bigger hill to climb to get to Witten level than if your parents were scientists. It's still climbing everest, but you definitely started a few base camps up than others.

[@ggvbayareaoakland5914]

​@p stew that's an extremely ignorant way to think. Are you saying blue collar people are not smart enough? 🤔 that they are so stupid they couldn't produce a genius 🙄

[@jimmybags1494]

This is without question the single most intelligent person I've ever heard. This is unbelievable. He speaks like he's reading an A+ paper from a prestigious college out loud. This is incredible, and it's....frightening. Jeepers

[@davecrupel2817]

At 8:15 the passion came out of him real quickly, and palpably, when he started talking more commitedly about string theory. ❤

[@Thissafakename]

When he raises his finger to make sure he has your attention, I anticipate something special. He smiles often too, he genuinely loves particle physics and mathematics

[@prabhakarbohara7663]

I am the first one here, Ed witten is super intelligent, more than unlike anyone before and he is my one of the most favourite physicist.

[@prabhakarbohara7663]

His insights is unlikely to get by ordinary mind

[@soubhikmukherjee6871]

@@prabhakarbohara7663 his IQ is super high.

[@BoRisMc]

He is barely a human being

[@patrickl6932]

@@BoRisMc He is the best human being.

[@Tyrosine0910]

@@soubhikmukherjee6871 It has to be at least 180,possibly higher.

[@alexjbriiones]

I am surprised by how well-spoken is Ed Witten and how clear he is in his explanation. Even I can understand what he is talking about. Eric Weinstein said the other day that he was terrified of Ed Witten because he is so much like God in the physics universe.

[@sergiobayona]

That eloquence is unusual and speaks for his tremendous intelligence.

[@ezrajalali]

My role model in my life as a physics student ❤❤❤❤

[@ronaldbeachy]

He rarely, if at all, uses filler words such as "um", "ah," "like", and "you know." He is a very efficient speaker and , of course, thinker.

[@keithrezendes6913]

One of the most amazing if not the most amazing physicists.

[@redrodlrowon]

Truely an astonishing thing to behold. It's like watching Newton or Einstein.

[@TheGeorgegenesis]

His voice is so soothing. Genius with great poise.

[@feynmanschwingere_mc2270]

A truly beautiful mind. Even the cadence with which he speaks suggests some access to the ethereal mere mortals can only dream of. Awesome interview! Should have WAY more views.

[@colors6692]

Like Elon Musk🤣

[@lilydog1000]

@@colors6692 ??? Musk is a dumbo with lots of money.

[@TheVaged]

He already has what he is going to say lined up. There is generally no pausing and only a few "um's" (probably him realizing he wants to filter something down even more.) Match that with the speed at which he talks while recalling dates and names 40 years ago, yeah, pretty wild.

[@philj9594]

@@TheVaged I mean, this is his life work. Whenever you are tasked with talking about something you dedicated your life to, it's going to be easy to have all the answers. He's probably answered some variant of all of these questions many times over at this point as well. Not to take anything away. The guy is an absolute genius. Just saying that I think it's weird how people try to read into how he speaks during an interview as the evidence of his genius rather than just... you know... his math and physics contributions lmao. People are so weird when it comes to evaluating the intelligence of others. They bark up the wrong trees.

[@dabulls1g]

I remember seeing Ed on a documentary 20 years ago, that documentary totally changed my life direction.

[@friendbesto_corey]

Do you remember the name of that documentary?

[@ronaldcorder4023]

What is it called?

[@TenzinLundrup]

Great back-stories on many of the recent achievements in physics.

[@RedSupergiant]

It's just incredible that this great man studied history and then became one of the greatest physicists. Inspiration for every human.

[@ShermerHighSchool]

Witten = A giant amongst giants.

[@franciscoramirez4179]

😳Wow! I can listen to this guy all day even know I have no idea what he's talking about! Fascinating!

[@MissUnConcerned]

I can only wish I had just a fraction of the intelligence and poise this man has. He's so calm.

[@mr.ditkovich6379]

You have more than half his intelligence already.

[@KissSlowlyLoveDeeply-pm2je]

it's just an act. anyone can learn to talk like that and seem smart.

[@philj9594]

@@KissSlowlyLoveDeeply-pm2je Yikes. Good luck on your insecurity over your own intelligence journey, big guy. You probably don't have the slightest clue about Witten's accomplishments. This guy is a titan of mathematics and physicists. Trying to understand a fraction of what he understands would lead you to crying yourself to sleep. Get real.

[@pipemaze1]

@@philj9594take it easy

[@MatticusPrime1]

Ed Witten is a genius

[@matthuckabey007]

.....

[@manaoharsam4211]

Edward Witten contribution to string theory is amazing. So much respect. I don't know much about this area but maybe one day I will.

[@mdwoods100]

I love this show, really like Ed Witten, knows his stuff and doesn't blow smoke.

[@helmutalexanderrubiowilson6835]

bro... i feel more smart just listening to him...such a clear mind not only understanding our reality also expressing his ideas to people far less smart than him

[@williamtaylor5193]

It's amazing HOW smart, truly smart people are.

[@jamesobiri1583]

Wow, just wow. Calm as peace.

[@C-man553]

Closer to Truth is consistently fascinating. Rare class and professionalism rarely seen in our contemporary world. Matt Dowd of Space Time is accessible, btw.

[@abcabc-qf8sb]

More from Ed, please.

[@winstonwolf9252]

One of my favorite teachers.

[@ElectronFieldPulse]

Witten is a genius. That man has never met an equation or concept he couldn't master. I would love to know his thought processes.

[@fineasfrog]

No doubt, yet thought as we ordinarily know it has limitations. In one area he is a genius I agree. But we would have to live with him in his household to see how that genius manifest itself when interacting with the variables of life and all that entails. If we look at Gurdjieff's and others insights into the structure of the human being, as a first approximation he suggest that the human being is connected or in touch with what we would call reality via three centers, thinking center, feeling center, and the moving-instinctive-sexual center (often call the 'gut'). For a person to have wisdom the three centers need to be equally developed and balanced. One of the best sources to approach this subject would be The Dramatic Universe in four volumes by John G Bennett or maybe a more readable book would be Deeper Man by JGB. Or as a less technical approach, just to get a different point of view that is in this direction check out Anoop Kumar's tube videos and what intelligence involves as a comprehensive wisdom.

[@ElectronFieldPulse]

@fineasfrog - Thay sounds like a very unscientific way to look at humans. In my opinion, a better description is that brains have evolved over millions of years, and they started as an amiglyda like structure. Over time, more and more of a frontal cortex developed, which put more fine control of the animal as it acted as a brake so to speak, to the more base region of the brain. So, it's like a very complex rube Goldberg machine that still works to satisfy the more basal region.

[@Di66en6ion]

​@@fineasfrog Without a doubt individuals like Edward have offsets or deficits in other areas of their lives but that's also up to them. Hyper-specialized humans can do a lot to advance knowledge even if it means sacrificing part of themselves to do so and that aught to be respected. I can't imagine what it's like for anyone to be in a relationship with him as I imagine it would be pretty limited in a lot of ways. It all really depends on how much time he consciously applies to work on other aspects of himself. I've seen/heard of extremely smart people (especially those with close to video graphic memory) becoming agoraphobic eventually.

[@davidcline471]

Its weird how Eric Weinstein calls this guy "Voldemort" and goes onto rant and rave about how much he dislikes string theory or m-theory or something having to do with Witten's work. But if you listen to both talk about physics and understand not even half of what either is saying, I'd still bet on Witten's sober and humble approach to this problem that sounds like it will take many decades to solve versus Weinstein's frustration and impatience that string theory and m-theory hasn't produced enough for him.

[@keithdow8327]

Thanks!

[@eSKAone-]

Dude this is the kind of human you should send to talk to the Aliens when they land, or if you send someone back in time to talk to Newton. You can feel him operating on a different level 💟

[@blacklight4460]

what makes you think he's a human?

[@annaclarafenyo8185]

I believe Witten's most unique and personal discovery is topological twisting, this is what leads to the Donaldson invariants and also topological string theory. I don't think anyone but Witten could have done this at that time. This interview skipped over the entire period of the late 80s and early 90s, when this breakthrough was made.

[@robertschlesinger1342]

Very interesting and worthwhile video.

[@lieferic9]

I checked Ed Witten's Wikipedia page and, believe it or not, he majored in journalism in college.

[@feynmanschwingere_mc2270]

He was History AND Journalism major.

[@lieferic9]

@@feynmanschwingere_mc2270 Fortunately for us he did not go on to law school.

[@davidemiable]

... want to also compliment the interviewer .. very well done !! Thank you

[@aaron2709]

Love these talks. The constant camera movement is distracting. Please dial it back. I think it's a matter of percentage. I'd have 2 still cameras and rely on them. One floating camera would pick up shots for no more than 25% of the final cut.

[@damianranger6910]

"It's one thing in physics to write down the equations, but then you have to solve them. And that's sometimes easier said than done."

[@YoRon427]

Asynchronous confabulation events can further confuse the understanding of 60gHz beat frequency harmonics, in sympathetic resonance with domains of alternating opposite direction calling forth a higher order contextual latency. Asynchronous confabulation events can further confuse the understanding of scalar wave interaction, combined with isotropic transfer functions to produce subharmonic symapthetic responses. The system, as a whole, is less energentic, with respect to crystaline vibrational resonance, interwoven on a molecular level with a higher order harmonic series to elicit clear connection to the Akashic Records.

[@christopherhooper5618]

Lmaoooo

[@zmo1ndone502]

This guy just speaks like a robot in a very endearing way. He is science and math incarnate

[@afty2703]

Thank goodness for brilliant people who push our world forward. When I feel despair from all the morons and Qanon ilk among us, I take solace in knowing that there are also INCREDIBLY smart people too. Thank you smart people!❤

[@lello333]

Such a beutiful mind. I feel more intelligent when i 👂 these people.

[@ivanleon6164]

thats is exactly how you feel when you hear a real genius, real genius put so much effort on making things clear and everyone understand, fake genius make you feel stupid.

[@mickshaw555]

Is this gentleman the No. 1 ranked theoretical physicist on the planet today?

[@TheGamingg33k]

Yes.

[@gerardoquirogagoode8152]

It seems to me that Edward Witten didn't answer the original question? How do breakthroughs happen ??? For Science, this Is crucial. That's been my main focus, understand Knowledge and how It can be generated. We have to approach it from a different mental frame, starting with am open mind

[@BrianCookSymbios]

To me, a non mathematician non physicist, the answer lies at 10:17-10:45. Breakthroughs happen a bit at a time. Knowledge builds on knowledge. What is discovered by some is already intuitively understood by others and therefore quickly built on leading to other larger implications and opportunities.

[@infinitytoinfinitysquaredb7836]

When the aliens arrive, Ed Witten should be our ambassador. ☺

[@1960ARC]

There are no Aliens. Space is the final frontier, but it's made in a hollywood basement. Neil A is A l i e n . If you can find it, try watching A funny thing happened on the way to the moon. As soon as you hear Theory it just means psudo science. These people full of their own pride add to the nonsense!

[@infinitytoinfinitysquaredb7836]

Can anyone translate Crazy?

[@narek323]

@@infinitytoinfinitysquaredb7836 He's not a politician.

[@infinitytoinfinitysquaredb7836]

@@narek323 So much the better. Most politicians are Morons. Lol.

[@narek323]

@@infinitytoinfinitysquaredb7836 No, what I mean is that he does not have the credentials to practice politics. It's an asinine idea to say that scientists or engineers specializing in their own fields should divert their attention away from their subjects of research, and start working on politics.

[@psychedelictacos9118]

0:45 Is it just me or does Edward Wittens cranium look way bigger than the interviewers!

[@mrgyani]

0:54 what was that? 😅

[@shivakumarv301]

Our assumptions and creativity for more complex assumption can accelerate the growth of knowledge.

[@MrMendrit]

Where is the whole video ?

[@zetacrucis681]

WItten's mind occupies a totally different plane of existence to the rest of us ordinary mortals. A true diamond in the rough.

[@LostCatRescue]

Not so rough.

[@mahler666]

I know him for many years as one of the most brilliant minds of 21th century, however, I was not aware of the sheer size of his head, look at 3:00 and compare it with Robert's head !!Jesus!!!

[@tehdii]

Please use better microphones when you will interview Mr. Witten. He has a distinct way of speaking.

[@guitarika8477]

Is there a clip with this complete interview?

[@Tarek_ebn_Afaaf]

Is Born - Infeld Electrodynamics non-linear?

[@doodelay]

He and so many giants are making a huge investment in string theory's viability, has to be rather terrifying despite the optimism they show when speaking.

[@DavidPumpernickel]

Absolutely. Even if it doesn't end up describing our universe, string theory will have been such an important stepping stone, what with AdS/CFT correspondence and so on. There's so much hate towards people developing the mathematics who haven't taken the time to understand it themselves (not that I have either, yet), but it doesn't *have* to represent our reality to be an important mathematical theory if nothing else.

[@narek323]

Wait, before you criticize string theory or the people working in it, where the hell is YOUR degree? Do you even have the qualifications to give yourself the right to pass criticism about ideas you don't even understand?

[@spiralsun1]

And M-theory. I like that one too

[@davidregi7571]

@@narek323 appeal to authority is pointless. String theory came like an elephant went back like a mouse.

[@narek323]

@@davidregi7571 Where did I appeal to authority? I did no such thing. I question your credentials though, which is a valid way of vetting people and their uneducated remarks based on their knowledge and expertise, which you seem to lack.

[@gene4094]

I found from my career in chemistry is whenever an anomaly is discovered, there are good possibilities for creating new practical applications.

[@ivanalhamed6843]

I dont undestand a thing but i feel the greatness

[@uttaranghosal5129]

I am Big fan of ed witten 😊😊😊😊😊🙂🙂🙂

[@BrianWhisenant-lx1tf]

Minor he says self being beyond gonna be loved from everyone due to your self worth

[@williamlarson2759]

What amazes me, his voice is exactly the same as decades ago!

[@ivankaramasov]

Incredibly brilliant man. Probably on the same level as von Neumann.

[@bruceli9094]

And Bill Nye.

[@narek323]

@@bruceli9094 No, bill nye is not even a physicist.

[@ivankaramasov]

@@bruceli9094 No, Bill Nye is a good teacher, but he is nowhere near as brilliant as Witten. It is like comparing the fastest sprinter in your neighbourhood to the olympic gold winner on 100 m.

[@kreek22]

Witten is deeper, von Neumann broader--I mean in terms of accomplishments.

[@SoundsSilver]

These kinds of comparisons are meaningless

[@TimBitts649]

Very pleasant chap.

[@stevensims3342]

I think the reason string theory is so difficult to explain is due to some misconceptions where math might lead to one answer but essentially just provides a direction to look towards. So you might calculate that parallel universes exist, but we can't bring it all together without considering the whole picture. To put it quite simply we exist in a quantum reality. In a game engine, everything must be programmed. In a simulation, everything must be set up. In our quantum reality you do not have to program anything. Essentially all parallel universes do have the possibility to exist. We exist in a state of reality but everything you see, touch and interact with has a potential to push us into what is an ever-folding universe able to move into any possible parallel universe though this is a massively unfathomable event that occurs more than every second and it is down to the quantum level of our world. It is a reality that has any potential to move into another parallel universe, but it must adhere to the laws of physics in order to get there and to give some measurement occurring more often than every millisecond. When making calculations with advanced mathematics I feel it might lead you to believe in parallel universes as something separate, but it is happening in our reality at every moment.

[@davecrupel2817]

I wish my speechcraft was even a *fraction* as good as this man's is. ❤

[@bluelotus542]

More and more material knowledge makes man more and more bewildered about the nature of truth. This is good, for the day will come when he'll get off the high horse.

[@spiralsun1]

Let us not make dismissive commentary about such things. Also, it’s not necessarily advisable to get your horse high. Even if it is a talking horse like Mr Ed. The 4 horsemen of the apocalypse were actually limits of each other but they were high on dang drugs and couldn’t see it. And a magic horse is a unicorn. I like where he talks about how it was magic how the obstacles to string theory went away. Meshes well with the information symbol model Of reality I worked out over the last 30 years.

[@98danielray]

ok schizo

[@ceefrea]

14:20 does string theory explain the multiverse?

[@ZoOnTheYT]

I'd never heard of Edward Witten before Lex's interview with Eric Weinstein. And then snippets of other physicists interviews clinched that this guy was a genius to geniuses. And then I watched this interview and read his Wikipedia page. Before that I expected some monster who's every word was incomprehensible. At least in this interview he seems quite the opposite. Eric especially talks in buzzwords and metaphor to the point where it is frustratingly elusive. But Witten is quite articulate and coherent as well as quiet and humble. Should we be surprised though, as his initial studies were in history and English literature. He's a natural storyteller. That evolution also doesn't match my perception of exceptional physicists and mathematicians. Usually, it's the story of the child prodigy, who clearly has an aptitude and a passion for the subject; blowing everyone away, while attending University before puberty. But Witten seems to have started with other interests, and only grasped onto theoretical physics in his twenties. What do you make of someone with a relatively normal development, and in adulthood reaches and surpasses the knowledge and quantity of work of these prodigies. Not enough in one academically dense field, but in two, related though they are. It's a mystery and quite fascinating.

[@calvinfletcher1489]

I'm not taking away from Witten's genius. If you were following the science research community prior to the JRE podcast, you would confirm that Eric did accurately call him the "Boogeyman" of physics. He does have the accolades, sheer mathematical prowess and disarming ability to explain it in a common tongue. However, when the physics overlords like Witten and Kaku base their intellectual reputations and careers on certain theories, models and grand explanations, this affects both the following generations of scientists and how research dollars are allocated, the result is research getting locked into string theory, supersymmetry, twister theory (with Penrose) and the like. Eric also alludes to this slightly, then pivots to introduce his own models built on differential geometry (his favorite buzz word). It's great that we aspire towards these great scientists, but physics feels less free today.

[@boogieman6529]

When did weinstein talk about witten in lex fridman podcast can you give the link

[@calvinfletcher1489]

@@boogieman6529 he references Witten in the interview where he outlines his theories of differential geometry, but the Boogeyman reference if from Weinstein's first interview on JRE, if I remember

[@boogieman6529]

@@calvinfletcher1489 can you atleast which round of lexfridman one

[@shivakumarv301]

With seeing patternin outside world and the growth of knowledge from within we can figute out the process and phenomenon with maths, statistics, probability, computer science and big data.

[@user-wr4yl7tx3w]

was the title question ever addressed in the video?

[@leonoradompor8706]

Yes Science for Life and not Science to Destroy Life ***

[@inoderlulzer5163]

A very historic event. Two giants finally meet. Einstein and Witten united.

[@winstonong9593]

Towards the end I thought I kept hearing him say he was trying to get rid of string theorists or reduce the number of string theorists, but then I realised he meant theories not theorists 😅

[@ac-uk6hs]

Me too. Guys amazing. Sometimes it breaks my heart to think how many of these amazing Minds were destroyed in the Holocaust. Humanity lost so much and was set back so many centuries

[@MrSidney9]

Ed Witten: The smartest living human.

[@WanderingWolf365]

Listening to a physicist explain the Universe is like listening to a chemist explain the Mona Lisa. - WW

[@travisfitzwater8093]

See that floor. It approximately represents the base level of consciousness and, at that level, they "appear," or rather they are perceived/felt -so to speak- as gradients of the grayscale and they sort of increase and decrease from lighter to darker shades of grey and in that level the locus of the perceiving consciousness is essentially one of these "squares" and as you try to turn the angle of focus or rotate it the squares sort of morph or "collapse" into smaller numbers. It's like looking at a three dimensional panoramic photo on a cell phone as you swipe your finger the image rotates about the viewer and different parts of the image or the field of digitally compiled "images" comes in and out of focus in the central "aperture" of view. You are essentially rotating the view but not by rotating the locus of the perceiver but by virtue of the field rotating about the viewer. I have no idea how any of the details or specifics of this phenomenon may have applicablility to any theories about the substrate of consciousness or of reality but I can tell you that it is an accurate representation and I can tell you how to experience it for yourself if you don't have an aversion to totally and completely forgetting who you are what you are what a human is what the earth is the fact that you are at a place and time on the earth. Moreover, you forget what places and times are. As you return from this base level you will first see a jumbled and ethereal collection of different realities and futures and paths that one might traverse moving into and through all of the potentialalities can but all of it will make little sense for awhile then you will begin to realize that you are a "thing" but with no concept of being somewhere in time or space. Eventually you will begin to Wonder what you are and it will occur to you that you are a human next you will wonder what is a human by the way I am serious about all of this this is not poetic license next you will recall almost in a way that feels like an epiphany or really in a way that fills every bit like an epiphany that humans live on the planet Earth next you will wonder what does that mean what is the planet Earth and what does a human live there for or do there next you will recall but the Earth is a place where humans live after that you will recall where you are on the Earth and quickly who you are will return to you as the setting becomes clearer into focus this whole trip so to speak or endeavor takes somewhere in the order of 45 minutes and you would want to do it with a sitter or with supervision somebody who is mature trustworthy knowledgeable capable to safely observe your journey from the outside meaning from physical space like across the room or in the chair next to you or something you will want to be laying on a couch for this entire thing you do not want to start this process standing up because you will be laying down in the first 10 seconds of the experience and that can occur either the easy way or the hard way i.e. with bruised knees. Oh, and incidentally the ticket to this journey has been within the realm of human ability since the 1970s. I relate all of this because I strongly feel that at a minimum it might somehow serve as fodder for thinkers who focus on this sort of thing and something tells me that any such thinker will know who he or she is and no further elucidation is necessary in this regard it's sort of one of those if you don't know you might never know or rather if you have to ask you might never know I won't say you will never know but let's just say it is complicated about as complicated as anything can be.

[@alex79suited]

I would debate ED Witten anywhere anytime. Strings belong on musical instruments. Although I do love the math exercises. Peace ✌️ 😎. Great video boys.