David Wolpert: Why Science Has Absolute Limits It Cannot Cross

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Previously titled “David Wolpert on Free Will, The Limits of Science, No Free Lunch theorem, and Mathematical Universe” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 3, 2026

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Recorded28 Jan 2022

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YouTube link: https://youtu.be/qj_YUxg-qtY Sponsors: https://brilliant.org/TOE for 20% off. For Algo's podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9IfRw1QaTglRoX0sN11AQQ and website https://www.algo.com/. Merch (until end of Oct 2021): https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal Crypto: 3CSm4FH6975J8wvKp8x8BSefH6QCVuk736 PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802 Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything LINKS MENTIONED: -Sabine Hossenfelder's video on Superdeterminism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytyjgIyegDI TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:05:41 Explaining the No Free Lunch theorem 00:08:42 Mathematical proof isn't iron clad (an extremely controversial statement!) 00:18:38 Bayesian reasoning isn't iron clad either 00:24:23 What do the No Free Lunch theorems mean? 00:32:15 "The Problem" (TP) and regret about one's past / Nihilism in NFL 00:40:01 There's no "meaning" in the temporary nature of life 00:44:07 No Free Lunch helps appreciation of Zen Buddhism 00:45:50 Artist or Mathematician? (art helps math, and vice versa) 00:48:54 NFL and Zen (continuation) 00:51:38 For intellectuals, atheism is easier than not being an atheist 00:57:30 On Sabine Hossenfelder's excellent video about Superdeterminism 00:59:23 What free will is, and what it is NOT 01:02:23 Excoriations on Dan Dennett's and Stephen Wolfram's idea of "free will" 01:12:46 Does science make metaphysical claims or is it instrumental? 01:21:12 Map vs Territory doesn't apply to the Mathematical Universe 01:35:05 What if physics supervenes on free will? 01:39:36 Explaining The Mathematical Universe 01:43:09 Preview of Part 2 with David Wolpert 01:46:06 The philosophy of mathematics and the foundations of reality are important 01:47:45 Why science shouldn't work / cross validation (thumbnail reference) * * * Just wrapped (April 2021) a documentary called Better Left Unsaid http://betterleftunsaidfilm.com on the topic of "when does the left go too far?" Visit that site if you'd like to watch it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.