Peter Woit: A New Path to Unification (The Forgotten Geometry)

Peter Woit, senior lecturer at Columbia and author of *Not Even Wrong*, critiques the failures of grand unified and string theories and argues that they have stalled the search for a unified physical law. He introduces a new four‑dimensional geometric approach based on spinors and Wick rotation as a possible path forward.- 00:00 - Introduction- 01:31 - Overview of Unification in Physics and the Standard Model- 05:11 - Historical Development of the Standard Model and its Success- 07:00 - Introduction to General Relativity and its Challenges- 09:32 - Unanswered Questions in the Standard Model (SU1, SU2, SU3)- 13:12 - Technical Issues in Quantum Field Theory and General Relativity- 17:24 - The Rise of Grand Unified Theories (GUTs)- 21:07 - Challenges and Failures of GUTs (Proton Decay)- 25:43 - Abandonment of GUTs and Introduction of Supersymmetry- 26:45 - Basics of Supersymmetry and Its Predictions- 31:28 - Failure of Supersymmetry (No Evidence for Superpartners)- 32:08 - Supergravity, Kaluza-Klein Theories, and Extra Dimensions- 35:52 - String Theory and the Unification Paradigm in the 1980s- 39:00 - Experimental Failures and the Lack of Evidence for String Theory- 41:00 - Ongoing Pursuit of Failed Theories and Resistance to New Ideas- 47:09 - The Shift in Attitudes Towards Unification Efforts in Physics- 48:13 - Introduction to Peter Woit's New Ideas on Unification- 52:32 - The Role of Four-Dimensional Geometry and Spinors in Unification- 58:11 - Wick Rotation and Differences Between Euclidean and Minkowski Space-Time- 1:03:05 - Technical Challenges in Wick Rotation and Quantum Field Theory- 1:09:01 - Unique Aspects of Spinors in Euclidean vs. Minkowski Space-Time- 1:14:38 - The Dirac Operator and its Role in Space-Time Symmetry- 1:18:02 - Relation to Supersymmetry and the Right-Handed Nature of Space-Time- 1:22:04 - Connection to Gravity and Loop Quantum Gravity (Ashtakar Variables)- 1:23:04 - Outro / Support TOESPONSORS:- Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!)- Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE- PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE- TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerchRESOURCES:- Peter Woit’s first appearance on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z3JYb_g2Qs- Peter Woit’s book on Quantum Theory and Representations: https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Theory-Groups-Representations-Introduction/dp/3319646109- Peter Woit’s Papers - https://inspirehep.net/literature?sort=mostrecent&size=25&page=1&q=a%20P.Woit.1- Peter Woit’s Blog - https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/- Peter Woit’s book “Not Even Wrong”: https://amzn.to/3X8c1pS- Become a YouTube Member Here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join- Join TOEmail at https://www.curtjaimungal.org- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoriesofeverythingpod- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theoriesofeverything_- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802- Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e- Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices