Theory of Everything

"Therefore, no physically complete and consistent theory of everything can be derived from computation alone. Rather, it requires a non-algorithmic understanding, which is more fundamental than the computational laws of quantum gravity and therefore more fundamental than spacetime itself."

"The fundamental laws of physics cannot be contained within space and time, because they generate them. It has long been hoped, however, that a truly fundamental theory of everything could eventually describe all physical phenomena through computations grounded in these laws. Yet we have demonstrated that this is not possible. A complete and consistent description of reality requires something deeper -- a form of understanding known as non-algorithmic understanding."

“Even if we imagine that humanity will ultimately discover a ‘theory of everything’ covering all individual particles and forces, that theory’s explanatory value for the universe as a whole is likely to be marginal,” Dr. Pontzen wrote.

Both sides agree that humans won’t ever find a theory of everything everything.

Still, “the unification of the four fundamental forces, if verified experimentally one day, will be admirable and a great feat—but it will be far from the TOE, the truth of the universe,” says Demetris Nicolaides, a theoretical physicist at Bloomfield College and author of the book In Search of a Theory of Everything: The Philosophy behind Physics.