Big Think Sean Carroll: Physics will challenge your ideas of free will
Nov 1, 2025
In this engaging discussion, theoretical physicist Sean Carroll, known for his work at Johns Hopkins and his Mindscape podcast, delves into the nature of reality. He explores the concept of determinism, suggesting that the universe operates like a clockwork machine, where past, present, and future are all encoded in particle positions. Carroll reveals how classical mechanics, through models like Laplace's demon, challenges our notions of free will, prompting intriguing debates on human choice amidst the rigid rules of physics.
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Determinism In Classical Mechanics
- Classical mechanics implies complete predictability if you know every particle's positions and velocities.
- That deterministic structure challenges common intuitions about choice and future uncertainty.
The Spherical Cow Simplification
- Sean Carroll tells the 'spherical cow' joke to show physicists simplify reality for tractable models.
- Simplified models often fail in messy domains but succeed remarkably in physics.
Newtonian Shift And Reversible Motion
- Newton's laws replace Aristotelian teleology with equations that predict motion from forces.
- In idealized frictionless systems energy conservation yields perfectly reversible dynamics.
