Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

Leonard Susskind: What REALLY Happens Inside a Black Hole? (#364)

Nov 5, 2023

Get ready for a thrilling interview with Leonard Susskind, the American physicist and professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University. Dive into the black hole information paradox, the string theory landscape, and the multiverse. Discover Susskind's perspective on imposter syndrome, the first image of a black hole, and why there are so many theories of everything. And don't miss the audience questions, discussions on mathematician envy, and what Susskind would put in his ethical will.

01:23:14

Creator website

Episode guests

Leonard Susskind

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Curiosity is essential for driving scientific breakthroughs.

Stephen Hawking's complex personality and physical challenges affected communication with him.

String theory provides a consistent mathematical framework to unify gravity and quantum mechanics.

Deep dives

Importance of Curiosity and Following One's Nose

Curiosity is emphasized as a driving force in science, with the advice to follow one's curiosity wherever it may lead. This approach is credited as being important for the great theoretical physicists, who have made significant contributions in their fields.

Introduction

4min

Stephen Hawking's Impact and Writing Challenges

5min

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Finding Belonging in Academia

5min

Interactions with Physicists and Conflicts in the Scientific Community

6min

The Triumph of Observation and Experimental Physics

16min

Leonard Susskind's Book and Hobbies

24min

The Simulation Hypothesis and the Laws of Physics

6min

A Lighthearted Conversation and Theoretical Minimum Approach to Education

5min

Ethical Wills and Speaking Out

9min

What's really going on in a black hole? Why are there so many theories of everything? And did Leonard Susskind, the father of string theory, ever feel like an impostor?

Find out in this thrilling interview with none other than Susskind himself. Susskind is an American physicist and a professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University. He is also the founding director of the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics. In 1995, Susskind was the first to give a precise string-theoretic interpretation of the holographic principle and the first to introduce the idea of the string theory landscape in 2003.

In this interview, we discuss Susskind's popular science book, The Black Hole War, which covers the black hole information paradox and the related scientific dispute between Stephen Hawking and Susskind himself. We also talk about other developments in modern physics and more!

Tune in!

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)
The difference between writing for broad and small audiences (05:56)
Impostor syndrome (08:58)
The first image of a black hole (19:33)
The horizon of a black hole and the existence of a singularity (22:05)
Mathematician envy (36:51)
Why are there so many theories of everything? (44:07)
Three things that would push him to believe in the Multiverse (48:25)
Audience questions (57:06)
Who would Lenny have for coffee? (1:05:33)
What would he put in his ethical will? (1:10:51)
Outro (1:17:34)

—

Additional resources:

🥗 Thanks, HelloFresh! Go to HelloFresh.com/50impossible and use code 50impossible for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months.

📝 With a MasterClass annual membership, you can take one-on-one classes from the world’s best for $10 a month with your annual membership, get unlimited access to every class — and even better, right now, as an Into The Impossible listener, you can get 15% off when you go to MASTERCLASS.com/impossible.

🧑‍💻 Visit LinkedIn.com/IMPOSSIBLE to post your job for free!

📚 The Black Hole War by Leonard Susskind: https://a.co/d/a9WGKAc

➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1

📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list

✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/blog.php

🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

—

Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices