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.

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Introduction

00:00 • 4min

Stephen Hawking's Impact and Writing Challenges

03:39 • 5min

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Finding Belonging in Academia

08:27 • 5min

Interactions with Physicists and Conflicts in the Scientific Community

13:39 • 6min

The Triumph of Observation and Experimental Physics

19:34 • 16min

Leonard Susskind's Book and Hobbies

35:06 • 24min

The Simulation Hypothesis and the Laws of Physics

59:26 • 6min

A Lighthearted Conversation and Theoretical Minimum Approach to Education

01:05:30 • 5min

Ethical Wills and Speaking Out

01:10:50 • 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!

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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)

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