KAIROS | Bernard Carr on Black Holes as Portals to Other Universes, and a New Physics of Time

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Oct 17, 2025

In this enlightening conversation, Professor Bernard J. Carr, a cosmologist with a rich history of collaboration with Stephen Hawking, delves into the profound mysteries of time and black holes. He explores the concept of Kairos, the qualitative experience of time, contrasting it with Kronos, linear time. Carr shares his bold theories on consciousness as a fundamental aspect of reality and the fascinating idea of black holes as potential portals to other universes. The discussion weaves together science, philosophy, and speculative ideas about higher dimensions.

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INSIGHT

Relativity And The Entropic Arrow

Relativity merged space and time into a single fabric, so moving observers measure different times.
The thermodynamic arrow (entropy increase) likely underpins other time asymmetries because the Big Bang started in a low-entropy state.

INSIGHT

Gravity Shapes Time And Cosmic Time Emerges

General relativity curves space-time so gravity alters both space and time measurements.
Cosmology defines a preferred cosmic time because the expanding universe gives co-moving clocks a shared time.

INSIGHT

Light Cones Define Causality

Light's finite, invariant speed underpins special relativity and defines causal structure via light cones.
Light cones separate past, future, and elsewhere and form the basis of relativity's causal limits.

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In this episode of Cosmic Codex, I have the immense privilege of sitting down with Professor Bernard Carr, one of the world’s most esteemed cosmologists, a longtime collaborator of Stephen Hawking, and a dear friend. Together, we embark on a sweeping exploration of the nature of time, the mysteries of black holes, the role of consciousness in the cosmos, and the tantalizing possibility of higher dimensions.

Our conversation doesn’t shy away from the big questions: Is consciousness fundamental to reality? Can physics ever truly account for subjective experience? What does it mean to talk about “Kairos”—meaningful, qualitative time—versus “Kronos,” the linear ticking of the cosmic clock? Bernard shares his own bold ideas about the need for new dimensions of time to accommodate mind and meaning, and we reflect on the intersection of science, philosophy, and the spiritual quest.

Chapters:
00:00 – Black Holes as Portals: Introduction
00:30 – Welcoming Professor Bernard Carr
02:34 – Bernard’s Journey: Hawking, Cambridge, and Beyond
04:15 – What Is Time? Newton, Einstein, and the Arrows of Time
07:45 – Entropy, Order, and the Meaning of Life
10:00 – How Astronomy Shapes Our Sense of Time
13:00 – Gravity, Relativity, and the Curvature of Space-Time
17:00 – Black Holes: From Theory to Observation
20:44 – The Event Horizon and the Flow of Time
23:35 – Light, Photons, and Timelessness
25:12 – Falling Into a Black Hole: Time Dilation and Paradoxes
29:00 – Black Holes, Wormholes, and the Possibility of Other Universes
32:30 – Closed Timelike Curves and Time Travel
35:00 – Quantum Entanglement, Nonlocality, and Retrocausality
38:45 – Consciousness, Mind, and the Limits of Physics
41:00 – Kairos vs. Kronos: Two Kinds of Time
44:00 – Higher Dimensions: String Theory, M-Theory, and Beyond
48:00 – The Final Theory: Mind, Matter, and the Universal Tapestry
51:00 – Reflections, Takeaways, and Closing Thoughts

Further Resources:

For a visual explanation of light cones (which Bernard references in our discussion), I highly recommend this resource:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_cone
For more on Bernard Carr’s work, visit his faculty page:
https://www.qmul.ac.uk/maths/profiles/carrb.html
If you’d like to explore the concept of Kairos and Kronos, this article is a great starting point:
https://www.templeton.org/news/kairos-and-kronos
For diagrams and further reading on black holes, event horizons, and time dilation, see:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Black_holes_and_time_dilation

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