Tim Maudlin is Professor of Philosophy at NYU and Founder and Director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. Jacob Barandes is Senior Preceptor in Physics at Harvard University, where he works widely across the philosophy of physics, with focuses on the foundations of quantum mechanics, the philosophy of spacetime, and the metaphysics of laws. In this episode, Robinson, Tim, and Jacob discuss Jacob’s novel approach to quantum mechanics, which he calls the “Indivisible Approach”. More particularly, they discuss the problems at the core of quantum mechanics, the ontology of the theory, causality and quantum phenomena, probability, and more. If you’re interested in the foundations of physics, then please check out the JBI, which is devoted to providing a home for research and education in this important area. Any donations are immensely helpful at this early stage in the institute’s life.
Tim’s Website: www.tim-maudlin.site
The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org
Jacob’s Website: https://www.jacobbarandes.com
The Stochastic-Quantum Correspondence: https://philosophyofphysics.lse.ac.uk/articles/10.31389/pop.186
Historical Debates over the Physical Reality of the Wave Function: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.09397
Pilot-Wave Theories as Hidden Markov Models: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.10569
OUTLINE
00:21 The Problems at the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics
13:00 More on the Problems
26:09 Is the Wave Function a Real Thing?
32:48 Causation, Correlation, and Quantum Mechanics
42:03 Terminological Issues
44:34 Causal Models and the Markov Condition
01:00:57 Can Time Exist Without Change?
01:15:00 On Time and Change
01:30:38 Newtonian Mechanics and the Markov Condition
1:45:00 More on Newtonian Mechanics
2:00:00 More on the Markov Condition
02:17:49 Tim’s Response
02:28:18 Philosophy and Physics
02:32:38 More on Probability
02:42:13 Probability and the Double Slit Experiment
02:59:42 Why Tim Remains Puzzled
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.
