EPISODE · Aug 12, 2025 · 1H 33M
Gerard 't Hooft: Why the Universe Is a Deterministic Machine
from Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal · host Theories of Everything
Gerard 't Hooft (Nobel laureate) argues quantum mechanics is wrong—the universe is a deterministic machine. He explores superdeterminism, cellular automata, and the implications for black hole information and hidden variables.0:00 Why Quantum Mechanics is Fundamentally Wrong5:00 The Frustrating Blind Spots of Modern Physicists11:27 The "Hidden Variables" That Truly Explain Reality17:00 The "True" Equations of the Universe Will Have No Superposition23:00 Our Universe as a Cellular Automaton30:02 Why Real Numbers Don't Exist in Physics39:14 Can This Radical Theory Even Be Falsified?46:29 How Superdeterminism Defeats Bell's Theorem58:19 't Hooft's Radical View on Quantum Gravity1:08:24 Solving the Black Hole Information Paradox with "Clones"1:14:00 What YOU Would Experience Falling Into a Black Hole1:20:17 How 't Hooft Almost Beat a Nobel Prize DiscoverySPONSORS:- YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join- Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal- Crypto: https://nowpayments.io/donation/TOE- PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4RESOURCES:- The Economist discount: I personally subscribe to The Economist. TOE listeners get 35% off the annual subscription. No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOE- Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e- Gerard’s site: https://webspace.science.uu.nl/~hooft101/- Gerard’s papers: https://inspirehep.net/authors/1019113- Cellular Automaton Interpretation Of Quantum Mechanics [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/Cellular-Automaton-Interpretation-Mechanics-Fundamental/dp/3319823140- David Wallace [TOE]: https://youtu.be/4MjNuJK5RzM- Emily Adlam & Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/rw1ewLJUgOg- Roger Penrose [TOE]: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU- Conway’s Game Of Life: https://playgameoflife.com/- Julian Barbour [TOE]: https://youtu.be/bprxrGaf0Os- Emily Adlam [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6I2OhmVWLMs- Sabine’s video on Gerard: https://youtu.be/2kxoq5UzAEQ- Sabine Hossenfelder [TOE]: https://youtu.be/E3y-Z0pgupg- Tim Palmer [TOE]: https://youtu.be/vlklA6jsS8A- Carlo Rovelli [TOE]: https://youtu.be/hF4SAketEHY- Stephen Wolfram [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0YRlQQw0d-4- Bernardo Kastrup & Sabine Hossenfelder [TOE]: https://youtu.be/kJmBmopxc1k- Tim Maudlin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss- Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/wrUvtqr4wOs- Ted Jacobson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3mhctWlXyV8- Claudia De Rham [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Ve_Mpd6dGv8- Neil Turok [TOE]: https://youtu.be/ZUp9x44N3uE- Latham Boyle [TOE]: https://youtu.be/nyLeeEFKk04- David Kaiser [TOE]: https://youtu.be/_yebLXsIdwo- String Theory Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/X4PdPnQuwjY- Birth of Asymptotic Freedom [Paper]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0550321385902068- How To Become A Good Theoretical Physicist [Article]: https://www.goodtheorist.science/index.html- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
Gerard 't Hooft (Nobel laureate) argues quantum mechanics is wrong—the universe is a deterministic machine. He explores superdeterminism, cellular automata, and the implications for black hole information and hidden variables.0:00 Why Quantum Mechanics is Fundamentally Wrong5:00 The Frustrating Blind Spots of Modern Physicists11:27 The "Hidden Variables" That Truly Explain Reality17:00 The "True" Equations of the Universe Will Have No Superposition23:00 Our Universe as a Cellular Automaton30:02 Why Real Numbers Don't Exist in Physics39:14 Can This Radical Theory Even Be Falsified?46:29 How Superdeterminism Defeats Bell's Theorem58:19 't Hooft's Radical View on Quantum Gravity1:08:24 Solving the Black Hole Information Paradox with "Clones"1:14:00 What YOU Would Experience Falling Into a Black Hole1:20:17 How 't Hooft Almost Beat a Nobel Prize DiscoverySPONSORS:- YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join- Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal- Crypto: https://nowpayments.io/donation/TOE- PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4RESOURCES:- The Economist discount: I personally subscribe to The Economist. TOE listeners get 35% off the annual subscription. No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOE- Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e- Gerard’s site: https://webspace.science.uu.nl/~hooft101/- Gerard’s papers: https://inspirehep.net/authors/1019113- Cellular Automaton Interpretation Of Quantum Mechanics [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/Cellular-Automaton-Interpretation-Mechanics-Fundamental/dp/3319823140- David Wallace [TOE]: https://youtu.be/4MjNuJK5RzM- Emily Adlam & Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/rw1ewLJUgOg- Roger Penrose [TOE]: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU- Conway’s Game Of Life: https://playgameoflife.com/- Julian Barbour [TOE]: https://youtu.be/bprxrGaf0Os- Emily Adlam [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6I2OhmVWLMs- Sabine’s video on Gerard: https://youtu.be/2kxoq5UzAEQ- Sabine Hossenfelder [TOE]: https://youtu.be/E3y-Z0pgupg- Tim Palmer [TOE]: https://youtu.be/vlklA6jsS8A- Carlo Rovelli [TOE]: https://youtu.be/hF4SAketEHY- Stephen Wolfram [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0YRlQQw0d-4- Bernardo Kastrup & Sabine Hossenfelder [TOE]: https://youtu.be/kJmBmopxc1k- Tim Maudlin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss- Jacob Barandes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/wrUvtqr4wOs- Ted Jacobson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3mhctWlXyV8- Claudia De Rham [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Ve_Mpd6dGv8- Neil Turok [TOE]: https://youtu.be/ZUp9x44N3uE- Latham Boyle [TOE]: https://youtu.be/nyLeeEFKk04- David Kaiser [TOE]: https://youtu.be/_yebLXsIdwo- String Theory Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/X4PdPnQuwjY- Birth of Asymptotic Freedom [Paper]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0550321385902068- How To Become A Good Theoretical Physicist [Article]: https://www.goodtheorist.science/index.html- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Gerard 't Hooft: Why the Universe Is a Deterministic Machine
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