{"id":228002,"date":"2025-12-29T18:10:56","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T00:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/the-physicist-who-says-weve-already-quantized-gravity"},"modified":"2025-12-29T18:10:56","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T00:10:56","slug":"the-physicist-who-says-weve-already-quantized-gravity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/the-physicist-who-says-weve-already-quantized-gravity","title":{"rendered":"The Physicist Who Says We\u2019ve Already Quantized Gravity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"display: block; margin: 0 auto; width: 100%; aspect-ratio: 4\/3; object-fit: contain;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dG_uKJx6Lpg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope;\n   picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Professor John Donoghue explains why quantum physics and gravity actually work perfectly together. He tackles quadratic gravity, effective field theory, and random dynamics, arguing that grand unification and naturalness aren\u2019t required for a theory of everything.<\/p>\n<p>As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.economist.com\/toe\">https:\/\/www.economist.com\/toe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>SUPPORT:<br \/> Support me on Substack: <a href=\"https:\/\/curtjaimungal.substack.com\/su\">https:\/\/curtjaimungal.substack.com\/su<\/a>\u2026 <\/p>\n<li>Support me on Crypto: <a href=\"https:\/\/commerce.coinbase.com\/checkou\">https:\/\/commerce.coinbase.com\/checkou<\/a>\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Support me on PayPal: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate?hosted_\">https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate?hosted_<\/a>\u2026 <\/li>\n<p> JOIN MY SUBSTACK (Personal Writings): <a href=\"https:\/\/curtjaimungal.substack.com\">https:\/\/curtjaimungal.substack.com<\/a> LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4gL14b9\">https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4gL14b9<\/a>\u2026 TIMESTAMPS: <\/p>\n<ul class=\"\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<li>00:00:00 \u2014 Limits of Quantum Mechanics <\/li>\n<li>00:06:35 \u2014 Effective Field Theory <\/li>\n<li>00:12:24 \u2014 Gravity: Geometry or Force? <\/li>\n<li>00:18:46 \u2014 QFT and Gravity Tension <\/li>\n<li>00:24:59 \u2014 Quadratic Gravity Theory <\/li>\n<li>00:34:16 \u2014 Dueling Arrows of Causality <\/li>\n<li>00:41:57 \u2014 Random Dynamics and Anti-Unification <\/li>\n<li>00:48:13 \u2014 The Naturalness Problem <\/li>\n<li>00:53:40 \u2014 Questioning Hidden Assumptions <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> LINKS MENTIONED: <\/p>\n<ul class=\"\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<li>John\u2019s lectures: <img alt=\"\" class=\"\"> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/johndonoghue469\">@johndonoghue469<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>John\u2019s papers: <a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/a\/donoghue_j_1.html\">https:\/\/arxiv.org\/a\/donoghue_j_1.html<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>The Renormalization Group and Critical Phenomena [Paper]: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nobelprize.org\/uploads\/20\">https:\/\/www.nobelprize.org\/uploads\/20<\/a>\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Anthropic Considerations in Multiple-Domain Theories [Paper]: <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.aps.org\/prl\/abstract\">https:\/\/journals.aps.org\/prl\/abstract<\/a>\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Old \u201cGhost\u201d Theory of Quantum Gravity Makes a Comeback [Article]: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quantamagazine.org\/old-gh\">https:\/\/www.quantamagazine.org\/old-gh<\/a>\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Unitarity, Stability and Loops of Unstable Ghosts [Paper]: <a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/1908.02416\">https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/1908.02416<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>An Effective Field Theory of Gravity for Extended Objects [Paper]: <a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/hep-th\/0409156\">https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/hep-th\/0409156<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>Not Quite a Black Hole [Paper]: <a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/1612.04889\">https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/1612.04889<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>On Quadratic Gravity [Paper]: <a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/2112.01974\">https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/2112.01974<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>Quadratic Gravity [Paper]: <a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/1804.09944\">https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/1804.09944<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>Renormalization of Higher Derivative Quantum Gravity [Paper]: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.weylmann.com\/stelle.pdf\">http:\/\/www.weylmann.com\/stelle.pdf<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>Quantum Theory in a Nutshell [Book]: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Quantum-Field-?tag=lifeboatfound-20\">https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Quantum-Field-?tag=lifeboatfound-20<\/a>\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Field Theory: A Modern Primer [Book]: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Field-Theory-M?tag=lifeboatfound-20\">https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Field-Theory-M?tag=lifeboatfound-20<\/a>\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Origin of Symmetries [Book]: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4qxnLzj\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/4qxnLzj<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>String Theory Iceberg [TOE]: <img alt=\"\" class=\"\"> \u2022 The Mathematics of String Theory [Graduate\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Neil Turok [TOE]: <img alt=\"\" class=\"\"> \u2022 The Most Astonishing Theory of Black Holes\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Avshalom Elitzur [TOE]: <img alt=\"\" class=\"\"> \u2022 The Universe Writes Itself Into Existence\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Sir Roger Penrose [TOE]: <img alt=\"\" class=\"\"> \u2022 Roger Penrose: The Big Bang Was Not The Be\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Ted Jacobson [TOE]: <img alt=\"\" class=\"\"> \u2022 The Physicist Who Proved Entropy = Gravity <\/li>\n<li>Leonard Susskind [TOE]: <img alt=\"\" class=\"\"> \u2022 The Crisis in String Theory is Worse Than\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Jonathan Oppenheim [TOE]: <img alt=\"\" class=\"\"> \u2022 Jonathan Oppenheim: Quantum Gravity, Feynm\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Peter Woit [TOE]: <img alt=\"\" class=\"\"> \u2022 The Forgotten Geometry: A New Path to Unif\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Joseph Conlon &amp; Peter Woit [TOE]: <img alt=\"\" class=\"\"> \u2022 String Theory\u2019s Biggest Critic Debates Str\u2026 <\/li>\n<li>Michael Levin [TOE]: <img alt=\"\" class=\"\"> \u2022 Michael Levin: Consciousness, Biology, Uni\u2026 <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> SOCIALS: <\/p>\n<ul class=\"\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<li>Twitter: <img alt=\"\" class=\"\"> \/ toewithcurt <\/li>\n<li>Discord Invite: <img alt=\"\" class=\"\"> \/ discord <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> 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.<br \/> Support me on Crypto: <a href=\"https:\/\/commerce.coinbase.com\/checkou\">https:\/\/commerce.coinbase.com\/checkou<\/a>\u2026<br \/> Support me on PayPal: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate?hosted_\">https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate?hosted_<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n<p>JOIN MY SUBSTACK (Personal Writings): <a href=\"https:\/\/curtjaimungal.substack.com\">https:\/\/curtjaimungal.substack.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4gL14b9\">https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4gL14b9<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n<p>TIMESTAMPS:<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"> <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/the-physicist-who-says-weve-already-quantized-gravity\">Continue reading \u201cThe Physicist Who Says We\u2019ve Already Quantized Gravity\u201d | &gt;<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Professor John Donoghue explains why quantum physics and gravity actually work perfectly together. He tackles quadratic gravity, effective field theory, and random dynamics, arguing that grand unification and naturalness aren\u2019t required for a theory of everything. As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":661,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,33,2229,47,1617],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-228002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biological","category-cosmology","category-mathematics","category-neuroscience","category-quantum-physics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/661"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228002\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}