This chapter explores the challenges of understanding scientific theories, particularly in physics, emphasizing the skepticism surrounding concepts like relativity and quantum mechanics. It discusses the historical development of energy conservation, the mathematical frameworks that underpin these theories, and how symmetries relate to conserved quantities. Additionally, the chapter considers the future of energy extraction in the universe, proposing advanced methods that could harness energy from dying stars and black holes.
Read the full transcript here.
How much energy is needed for GDP growth? Would our civilization have developed at the same rate without fossil fuels? Could we potentially do the same things we're currently doing but with significantly less energy? How different would the world look if we'd developed nuclear energy much earlier? Why can't anything go faster than light? Will the heat death of the universe really be "the end" for everything? How can difficult concepts be communicated in simple ways that nevertheless avoid being misleading or confusing? Is energy conservation an unbreakable law? How likely is it that advanced alien civilizations exist? What are S-risks? Can global civilizations be virtuous? What is panspermia? How can we make better backups of our knowledge and culture?
Anders Sandberg is a researcher at the Institute for Futures Studies in Sweden. He was formerly senior research fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at University of Oxford. His research deals with emerging technologies, the ethics of human enhancement, global and existential risks, and very long-range futures. Follow him on Twitter / X at @anderssandberg, find him via his various links here.
Staff
Music
Affiliates