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PODCAST

The Last Theory

The Last Theory is an easy-to-follow exploration of what might be the last theory of physics. In 2020, Stephen Wolfram launched the Wolfram Physics Project to find the elusive fundamental theory that explains everything. On The Last Theory podcast, I investigate the implications of Wolfram"s ideas and dig into the details of how his universe works. Join me for fresh insights into Wolfram Physics every other week.

science physics

All Episodes

1:03

The knowledge hypergraph

The Last Theory ·

2024/01/11

The Open Web Mind is a protocol for shared human intelligence, based on the knowledge hypergraph.Take a look at this quick introduction for subscribers to The Last Theory, then jump to the 2-minute trailer on the new channel.And if you haven’t done so already, make sure to subscribe to the new Open Web Mind channel, podcast and newsletter.If you’re interested in Wolfram Physics, I think you’ll find Open Web Mind fascinating!—The Last Theory is hosted by Mark Jeffery founder of Open Web

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5:56

Are electrons too big to simulate? with Jonathan Gorard

The Last Theory ·

2023/12/17

How big are electrons compared to the hypergraph?Is one electron formed of 10 nodes, or 10100 nodes?And if it’s 10100 nodes, might it prove impossible to simulate an electron on any computer we can possibly imagine?When I asked Jonathan Gorard this question, he took us on a tour of the scales of the universe, from the Planck scale to the Hubble scale.He revealed how the Wolfram Physics Project’s early estimate of the scale of the hypergraph was based on a tower of rickety assumptions.And he

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15:56

How to measure the curvature of space

The Last Theory ·

2023/12/07

What if you’re inside a universe, and you want to measure the curvature of space?It’s important because getting a measure of the curvature of the hypergraph takes us one step further in Jonathan Gorard’s derivation of General Relativity from Wolfram Physics.Einstein’s equations relate the curvature of space to the presence of matter. So if we’re going to prove that Einstein’s equations follow from the Wolfram model, we’re going to need that measure of the curvature of the hypergraph.Once

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8:01

A toy model of particles with Jonathan Gorard

The Last Theory ·

2023/11/16

In this excerpt from my conversation with Jonathan Gorard, he proposes that particles in Wolfram Physics might be persistent topological obstructions in the hypergraph.He starts with a toy model in which elementary particles are non-planar tangles moving and interacting in an otherwise planar hypergraph.But he doesn’t stop there.He explains that there’s an infinite variety of hypergraphs that give rise to such persistent topological obstructions.These localized tangles behave in ways that

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11:38

How to tell if space is curved

The Last Theory ·

2023/11/02

What if you’re inside a universe, and you want to know whether space is curved?The reason I’m asking is that according to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, our universe is curved, by the presence of matter.If Wolfram Physics is to be a true model of our universe, then the space represented by the hypergraph must also be curved by the presence of matter.Which means that determining whether space is curved is crucial to Jonathan Gorard’s derivation of Einstein’s equations from the

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6:16

How special is general relativity? with Jonathan Gorard

The Last Theory ·

2023/10/19

I asked Jonathan Gorard what it felt like when he realized that general relativity can be derived from the hypergraph.His answer took us in an unexpected direction.If the Wolfram model is to be an accurate model of our universe, then it must give us the Einstein equations.But what if any old model with any old rules can give us the Einstein equations?What if general relativity isn’t so special?This is one of the shorter excerpts from my conversation with Jonathan, but it’s a fascinating

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13:08

Why scientific theories need not make predictions

The Last Theory ·

2023/10/07

In my exploration of Wolfram Physics, I’ve come across one objection more than any other.Over and over again, people have told me that the Wolfram model must be rejected because it makes no predictions.I could respond by saying that Wolfram Physics does make predictions. It predicts Einstein’s equations. It predicts Schrödinger’s equation.But it’s true that it doesn’t make any predictions that differ from those of general relativity and quantum mechanics. At least, not yet.So here’s my more

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13:38

How to derive general relativity from Wolfram Physics...

The Last Theory ·

2023/09/21

Here’s a masterclass from Jonathan Gorard.One of the most compelling results to come out of the Wolfram Physics is Jonathan’s derivation of the Einstein equations from the hypergraph.Whenever I hear anyone criticize the Wolfram model for bearing no relation to reality, I tell them this: Jonathan Gorard has proved that general relativity can be derived from the hypergraph.In this excerpt from our conversation, Jonathan describes how making just three reasonable assumptions – causal

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15:34

How to derive quantum mechanics from Wolfram Physics...

The Last Theory ·

2023/09/07

Here’s the first of two crucial excerpts from my conversation with Jonathan Gorard.The core idea of Wolfram Physics is that we can model the universe as a hypergraph. If we want this idea to be taken seriously, we’re going to have to derive physics from the hypergraph.The twin pillars of physics, as we know it, are quantum mechanics and general relativity.In this episode, Jonathan explains how quantum mechanics can be derived from the Wolfram model, indeed, how quantum mechanics

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14:37

Peer review is suffocating science

The Last Theory ·

2023/08/24

You know peer review, right?It’s the way academics check each other’s research papers.It ensures that only the good ones are published and prevents the bad ones from getting through.Right?Wrong.Peer review does precisely the opposite of what you think it does.It prevents the good papers from being published, and ensures that only the bad ones get through.Peer review is suffocating science.If we want to reverse the stagnation of science over the last 50 years, then we’ve got to get rid of

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10:30

Is the universe a tautology? with Jonathan Gorard

The Last Theory ·

2023/08/10

“Sorry, this is now getting very metaphysical,” says Jonathan Gorard part way through this excerpt from our conversation.We start by talking about applying more than one rule to the hypergraph to create rulial multiway systems.This takes us part way towards applying every possible rule, in other words, towards the ruliad.We move on to the idea of measuring the complexity of a structure in terms of the minimum amount of information needed to express it.Jonathan applies this idea to the

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17:32

What is a particle in Wolfram’s universe?

The Last Theory ·

2023/07/27

It’s pretty easy to see how three-dimensional space might arise from Wolfram Physics.The hypergraph kinda looks like space, and, for some rules, it kinda looks like it’s three-dimensional.But our universe isn’t just empty three-dimensional space.It’s mostly empty space, but there are also particles moving through that space: photons, neutrinos, electrons, quarks.Sometimes, these particles interact, annihilating each other and producing new particles.If Wolfram Physics is to be a successful

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7:24

One rule to rule them all? with Jonathan Gorard

The Last Theory ·

2023/07/13

In the early days of the Wolfram Physics Project, Stephen Wolfram seemed to be seeking a single rule that, when applied to the hypergraph, could generate our universe.More recently, however, Wolfram has promoted the idea of the ruliad, the application of every possible rule to the hypergraph.So I asked Jonathan Gorard, who was instrumental in the founding of the Wolfram Physics Project, whether all rules might be applied to generate our universe, or whether he was searching for one rule to

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15:36

John von Neumann and the art of being there

The Last Theory ·

2023/06/30

John von Neumann might be the most important figure in Wolfram Physics prehistory.Whenever any of the most important prerequisites to Wolfram Physics were happening – quantum mechanics, Gödel’s theorem, Turing machines, electronic computers, cellular automata – John von Neumann always seemed to be there.How did John von Neumann always come to be in the right place at the right time to contribute to some of the most significant developments in physics, mathematics and computation history?For

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8:24

How to find interesting and plausible rules with...

The Last Theory ·

2023/06/15

The Wolfram model allows an infinite number of rules.Some of these rules generate interesting universes that are complex and connected, some of these rules generate plausible universes that look a little like our own, and others... go nowhere.In this excerpt from my conversation with Jonathan Gorard, I ask him how to find rules of Wolfram Physics that are both interesting and plausible.—Jonathan GorardJonathan Gorard at The Wolfram Physics ProjectJonathan Gorard at Cardiff

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12:13

Why has there been no progress in physics since 1973?

The Last Theory ·

2023/06/01

The twentieth century was a truly exciting time in physics.From 1905 to 1973, we made extraordinary progress probing the mysteries of the universe: special relativity, general relativity, quantum mechanics, the structure of the atom, the structure of the nucleus, enumerating the elementary particles.Then, in 1973, this extraordinary progress... stopped.I mean, where are the fundamental discoveries in the last 50 years equal to general relativity or quantum mechanics?Why has there been no

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5:13

How to find causally invariant rules with Jonathan...

The Last Theory ·

2023/05/18

Causal invariance is a crucial characteristic for any rule of Wolfram Physics.According to Wolfram MathWorld, if a rule is causally invariant, then “no matter which evolution is chosen for a system, the history is the same, in the sense that the same events occur and they have the same causal relationships.”Causal invariance is one of the assumptions Jonathan Gorard needs to make to derive the equations of General Relativity from the hypergraph. That’s how crucial it is! Given that not

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10:50

How to knit the universe

The Last Theory ·

2023/05/04

Now that I’ve introduced you to the different kinds of edges that might make up a hypergraph – unary, binary and ternary edges, as well as loops and self-loops – we can have some fun.Some of rules in the Wolfram model give rise to fascinating universes.Today, I’m going to show you a few rules that seem to fabricate space itself in much the same way as knitting needles might fabricate a blanket.And if you think that knitting is a far-fetched analogy, just wait until you see my animations!–I

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8:30

Animating the hypergraph with Dugan Hammock

The Last Theory ·

2023/04/22

Dugan Hammock creates beautiful animations of three-dimensional cross-sections through four-dimensional spaces.But his animations aren’t mere mathematical abstractions. He has also applied his geometrical skills to animating the hypergraph of Wolfram Physics, in such a way that it doesn’t jump from frame to frame.In this second part of my recent conversation with Dugan, we talk about his extending spring-electrical embedding into an additional time dimension......and we show some of the

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13:29

Causal invariance versus confluence with Jonathan Gorard

The Last Theory ·

2023/04/08

Causal invariance is one of the most important concepts in the Wolfram model... and one of the most difficult to capture.So I really wanted to hear Jonathan Gorard’s take on it.In this excerpt from our conversation, Jonathan addresses the differences between causal invariance and confluence.Causal invariance means that regardless of the order in which a rule is applied to the hypergraph, the same events occur, with the same causal relationships between them.Confluence, on the other hand, is

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