Get 50% off Claude Pro, including access to Claude Code, at http://claude.ai/theoriesofeverything Every episode days early, ad-free, plus my essays: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe In this episode, I speak with Stephen Wolfram—creator of Mathematica and Wolfram Language—about a “new kind of science” that treats the universe as computation. We explore computational irreducibility, discrete space, multi-way systems, and how the observer shapes the laws we perceive—from the second law of thermodynamics to quantum mechanics. Wolfram reframes Feynman diagrams as causal structures, connects evolution and modern AI through coarse fitness and assembled “lumps” of computation, and sketches a nascent theory of biology as bulk orchestration. We also discuss what makes science good: new tools, ruthless visualization, respect for history, and a field he calls “ruliology”—the study of simple rules, where anyone can still make real contributions. This is basically a documentary akin to The Life and Times of Stephen Wolfram. I hope you enjoy it. Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Augmentation Lab at MIT Links: - X: https://x.com/auglab - Site: https://augmentationlab.org - ekkolapto: https://www.youtube.com/@UCiIfMNEuY8SglhEOgtyTnDA Links mentioned: - Wolfram Research: https://www.wolfram.com/ - A New Kind of Science [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/1579550088?tag=toe08-20 - Stephen Wolfram’s Previous Appearance [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0YRlQQw0d-4 - Rule 30: https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Rule30.html - “I Have a Theory Too” [Article]: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2025/08/i-have-a-theory-too-the-challenge-and-opportunity-of-avocational-science/ - Quantum-Chromodynamic Estimates [Paper]: https://content.wolfram.com/sw-publications/2020/07/quantum-chromodynamic-heavy-particle-production.pdf - Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem [TOE]: https://youtu.be/OH-ybecvuEo - Yang-Hui He [TOE]: https://youtu.be/spIquD_mBFk - Multiway Systems: https://mathworld.wolfram.com/MultiwaySystem.html - David Wallace [TOE]: https://youtu.be/4MjNuJK5RzM - Michael Levin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/c8iFtaltX-s - Elan Barenholtz [TOE]: https://youtu.be/A36OumnSrWY - Ted Jacobson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3mhctWlXyV8 - Sean Carroll [TOE]: https://youtu.be/9AoRxtYZrZo - David Kaiser [TOE]: https://youtu.be/_yebLXsIdwo SUPPORT: - Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join - Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal - Crypto: https://nowpayments.io/donation/TOE - Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 SOCIALS: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs Guests do not pay to appear. Theories of Everything receives revenue solely from viewer donations, platform ads, and clearly labelled sponsors; no guest or associated entity has ever given compensation, directly or through intermediaries. #science