EPISODE · Mar 29, 2026 · 12 MIN
Constructor Theory, Module 1: The Prevailing Conception and the Big Bang
from Conjecture Institute · host conjectureinstitute
While Newtonian mechanics, quantum mechanics, and general relativity consist of radically different conceptual frameworks and mathematical infrastructure, they are all expressible in what David Deutsch and Chiara Marletto call the prevailing or traditional conception. If you know the current positions and velocities of the planets, Newton’s laws let you calculate where they will be next year, or where they were last year. If you know the wave function of an electron and the rule governing how it changes, quantum mechanics lets you compute its entire future and its entire past. If you know the positions and velocities of two black holes at the current moment, Einstein’s equations in general relativity fix their entire evolution in spacetime — forward or backward. Read: https://conjectureinstitute.org/courses/constructor-theory/Constructor%20Theory%20Module%201.pdf Visit Conjecture Institute: https://www.conjectureinstitute.org/ Donate to Conjecture Institute: https://www.every.org/conjecture-institute-inc#/donate/card Follow Conjecture Institute on X: https://x.com/ConjectureInst
What this episode covers
While Newtonian mechanics, quantum mechanics, and general relativity consist of radically different conceptual frameworks and mathematical infrastructure, they are all expressible in what David Deutsch and Chiara Marletto call the prevailing or traditional conception. If you know the current positions and velocities of the planets, Newton’s laws let you calculate where they will be next year, or where they were last year. If you know the wave function of an electron and the rule governing how it changes, quantum mechanics lets you compute its entire future and its entire past. If you know the positions and velocities of two black holes at the current moment, Einstein’s equations in general relativity fix their entire evolution in spacetime — forward or backward. Read: https://conjectureinstitute.org/courses/constructor-theory/Constructor%20Theory%20Module%201.pdf Visit Conjecture Institute: https://www.conjectureinstitute.org/ Donate to Conjecture Institute: https://www.every.org/conjecture-institute-inc#/donate/card Follow Conjecture Institute on X: https://x.com/ConjectureInst
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Constructor Theory, Module 1: The Prevailing Conception and the Big Bang
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