Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

Gerard 't Hooft: Why the Universe Is a Deterministic Machine

Aug 12, 2025 · 1 hr 33 min
0:00-1:33:35

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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 Wrong
5:00 The Frustrating Blind Spots of Modern Physicists
11:27 The "Hidden Variables" That Truly Explain Reality
17:00 The "True" Equations of the Universe Will Have No Superposition
23:00 Our Universe as a Cellular Automaton
30:02 Why Real Numbers Don't Exist in Physics
39:14 Can This Radical Theory Even Be Falsified?
46:29 How Superdeterminism Defeats Bell's Theorem
58:19 't Hooft's Radical View on Quantum Gravity
1:08:24 Solving the Black Hole Information Paradox with "Clones"
1:14:00 What YOU Would Experience Falling Into a Black Hole
1:20:17 How 't Hooft Almost Beat a Nobel Prize Discovery

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- 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
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- Tim Palmer [TOE]: https://youtu.be/vlklA6jsS8A
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- Stephen Wolfram [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0YRlQQw0d-4
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- Tim Maudlin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss
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- 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
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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.

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