307R_The Science of Can and Can’t – A physicist’s journey through the land of counterfactuals

Check out the episode:

You can find the transcript through this link.


Are you interested in what is possible based on physics?


Summary of the book titled The Science of Can and Can’t – A physicist’s journey through the land of counterfactuals from 2021, by Chiara Marletto, published by Penguin.

This is a great preparation to our next interview with Chiara Marletto in episode 308 talking about the connection of physics and the future of cities, as part of the Podcasthon 2025 global event.

Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see what possibilities are present according to physics. This book introduces constructor theory, a shift in physics from describing what does happen to what can or can’t happen.

Find the book through this link.

Book description: A luminous guide to how the radical new science of counterfactuals can reveal the full scope of our universe. There is a vast class of properties, which science has so far neglected, that relate not only to what is true – the actual – but to what could be true: the counterfactual. This is the science of can and can’t. A pioneer in the field, Chiara Marletto explores the extraordinary promise that this revolutionary approach holds for confronting existing technological challenges, from delivering next-generation processors to designing AI. But by contemplating the possible as well as the actual, Marletto goes deeper still, showing how counterfactuals can break down barriers to knowledge and form a more complete, abundant and rewarding picture of the universe itself.

Connecting episodes you might be interested in:


What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on twitter @WTF4Cities or here in the comment section!

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I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in.


Episode generated with ⁠⁠Descript⁠⁠ assistance (⁠⁠affiliate link⁠⁠).

Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

4 responses to “307R_The Science of Can and Can’t – A physicist’s journey through the land of counterfactuals”

  1. […] Thus, we explored the intersection of physics and urban evolution through two compelling episodes. Episode 307 delves into Chiara Marletto’s The Science of Can and Can’t, introducing constructor theory as a […]

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  2. […] new approach to quantum theory and physics is presented in episode 307 on the What is The Future for Cities? Podcast where the hosts summarise the book titled The Science […]

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