The 300-Year-Old Physics Mistake No One Noticed

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 Professor John Norton has spent decades dismantling the hidden assumptions in physics from Newton’s determinism to the myth of Landauer’s Principle. In this episode, he explains why causation may not be real, how classical physics breaks down, and why even Einstein got some things wrong. If you’re ready to rethink the foundations of science, this one’s essential. Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 03:37 Norton's Dome Explained 06:30 The Misunderstanding of Determinism 09:31 Thermodynamics and Infinite Systems 14:39 Implications for Quantum Mechanics 16:20 Revisiting Causation 18:15 Critique of Causal Metaphysics 20:21 The Utility of Causal Language 24:58 Exploring Thought Experiments 33:05 Landauer's Principle Discussion 49:48 Critique of Experimental Validation 52:25 Consequences for Maxwell's Demon 1:13:34 Einstein's Critiques of Quantum Mechanics 1:28:16 The Nature of Scientific Discovery 1:42:56 Inductive Inferences in Science Links Mentioned: •⁠ ⁠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 •⁠ ⁠Jacob Barandes on TOE: https://youtu.be/7oWip00iXbo •⁠ ⁠Einstein on the Completeness of Quantum Theory (paper): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/teaching/HPS_0410/chapters/quantum_theory_completeness/index.html •⁠ ⁠Daniel Dennett on TOE: https://youtu.be/bH553zzjQlI •⁠ ⁠David Wallace on TOE: https://youtu.be/4MjNuJK5RzM •⁠ ⁠Thermodynamically Reversible Processes in Statistical Physics (paper): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/Reversible_statistical.pdf •⁠ ⁠Ivette Fuentes on TOE: https://youtu.be/cUj2TcZSlZc •⁠ ⁠Curt debunks the “all possible paths” myth: https://youtu.be/XcY3ZtgYis0 •⁠ ⁠Einstein’s ‘magnet conductor’ thought experiment (paper): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/Goodies/magnet_and_conductor/index.html •⁠ ⁠The Simplest Exorcism of Maxwell’s Demon (paper): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/Exorcism_quantum.pdf [6/18/25, 2:59:23 PM] Zach Steen (Editor): James Brown on TOE: https://youtu.be/NV7BQZy1A6o 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 #science