What We've Gotten Wrong About Quantum Physics

Join philosopher Tim Maudlin and physicist Brian Greene in this thought-provoking 1 hour and 44 minute talk from the World Science Festival that challenges conventional understanding of quantum physics. Explore unresolved foundational questions in quantum mechanics, including Bell's Theorem and why it's been misunderstood by many physicists. Delve into the strange history of quantum thinking, the problems with the Copenhagen interpretation, Einstein's actual concerns with quantum mechanics, and the often-ignored work of David Bohm. The discussion covers critical topics like entanglement, non-locality, the compatibility of quantum theory with relativity, the Many Worlds interpretation, and whether quantum theory can truly predict reality or merely describe it. This program is part of the Big Ideas series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation.

Syllabus

0:00:00 - Introduction
0:00:37 - Welcome to
0:00:10 - Meet Tim Maudlin
0:00:46 - Why Most Physicists Still Miss Bell’s Theorem
0:03:27 - The Strange History of Quantum Thinking
0:09:16 - Interpretation Isn’t Just Semantics
0:11:47 - Is the Copenhagen approach even a theory?
0:16:33 - The Screen Problem and the Myth of Measurement
0:23:33 - When Does a Measurement Happen?
0:28:45 - Einstein’s Real Problem with Quantum Mechanics
0:35:10 - Entanglement and the EPR Breakthrough
0:42:19 - The David Bohm Saga: A Theory That Worked but Was Ignored
0:52:07 - Can We Keep Quantum Predictions Without Non-locality?
0:56:49 - If Bell’s Theorem Is So Simple, Why Was It Ignored?
0:59:53 - Can Relativity Tolerate a Preferred Foliation
1:09:10 - Is Many Worlds the Price of Taking Quantum Theory Seriously?
1:15:56 - What Did Everett Really Mean by Many Worlds?
1:18:01 - Can Quantum Theory Predict Reality, or Just Describe It?
1:35:17 - Would Aliens Discover the Same Physics?
1:43:23 - Credits