Beauty At Work How Beauty Leads Science Astray with Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder
Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder is a physicist, science communicator, author, musician, and YouTuber. She has published more than 80 research papers on topics ranging from quantum gravity to particle physics, cosmology, astrophysics, statistical mechanics, and quantum foundations. She is the author of Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray, and most recently, of Existential Physics: A Scientist’s Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions. She is also the Creative Director of the popular YouTube channel “Science without the gobbledygook”.
In this episode, we talk about:
1. What drew Sabine to pursue mathematics and physics
2. How mathematics can describe the nature of the universe
3. The criteria of beauty (simplicity, elegance, and naturalness) and how they help shape physics
4. Why “Naturalness” is a problem in physics
5. The problems with the reliance on beauty in physics
6. What physics tells us about existential questions such as life after death and free will
7. On how her research has affected her life
8. Science communication, public support, and the inclusion of non-experts in scientific discourse
9. How we can cultivate the beauty of understanding
10. On her sense of meaning and her mission, and how they shape her work.
Resources mentioned:
Sabine's website:
https://sabinehossenfelder.com
YouTube Channel, Science without the gobbledygook: https://www.youtube.com/c/sabinehossenfelder
Dr, Hossenfelder’s book Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray:
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Math-Beauty-Physics-Astray/dp/0465094252
Dr. Hossenfelder's book Existential Physics
https://www.amazon.com/Existential-Physics-Scientists-Biggest-Questions/dp/1984879456/
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