The Universe is not a Computer

Most physics models take it for granted that the universe accepts past "inputs" and uses them to compute future "outputs", much like a computer program. But this intuitive assumption might not be correct, particularly because it causes serious problems when trying to explain quantum physics.

This talk will outline various strands of evidence that the best physics models might instead require both past and future inputs to compute what happens in the middle. Such "retrocausal" models have been proposed to explain quantum phenomena, and they would imply that the universe does not compute itself in the sequential order that we experience, but rather solves itself "all at once".

Speaker: Ken Wharton

Ken Wharton is a professor in the department of Physics and Astronomy at San Jose State University. His field of research is in Quantum Foundations, specifically focused on attempts to make better sense of quantum theory as the effective result of a deeper, realistic explanation. Over the past two decades he has published many technical papers on topics including quantum entanglement, retrocausal hidden variables, and globally-constrained causal models.

In addition he has written an award-winning popular essay with the title—you guessed it—The Universe is Not a Computer.