Time travel: an intriguing concept where science meets fiction! The discussion dives into how classic films like 'Back to the Future' and 'Avengers: Endgame' portray this mind-bending idea. Psychological effects of time perception under lockdown are also examined. Theories from relativity and quantum mechanics shed light on the scientific aspects, while philosophical implications question personal identity across time. It’s a thought-provoking journey through time’s intricacies, spiced up with colorful animations. Get ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about time!
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Endgame Influence
Sean Carroll influenced Avengers: Endgame's time travel portrayal.
He advised against Back to the Future's logic, resulting in a memorable line.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Data, Not Theory
Approach screenplays as data, not theories, when advising.
Find explanations for events rather than dismissing them as impossible.
insights INSIGHT
Time Travel's Recent Rise
Time travel as a genre is relatively recent, gaining popularity in the mid-19th century.
This rise predates Einstein's relativity, suggesting a cultural shift in time perception.
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In '—All You Zombies—', Robert A. Heinlein crafts a complex narrative involving time travel, identity, and paradox. The story follows a character who undergoes a transformation from female to male and becomes embroiled in a time loop where they are both their own mother and father. This tale is a classic example of a deterministic timeline, raising questions about free will and causality.
Time! It doesn’t stop, psychological effects of being under lockdown notwithstanding. How we experience time depends on our situation, but time itself just marches forward. Unless, of course, it’s possible to travel to the past, as countless science-fiction scenarios have depicted. But does that really make sense? Couldn’t we then change the past, even so dramatically that our own existence would never have happened? In this solo podcast I talk about both the physics and fiction of time travel. I point out that it might be allowed by the laws of physics, and explain how that would work, but that we really don’t know. And I try to make sense of some of the less-sensible depictions of cinematic time travel. Coming up with a logical theory that could account for Back to the Future isn’t easy, but podcasting isn’t for the squeamish.
But wait, there’s more! I was contacted by Janna Levin, who we fondly remember from Episode 27. Janna moonlights as Chair and Director of Sciences at Pioneer Works, an institution dedicated to bringing together creative people in art and science. Like the rest of us, they’ve been looking for ways to offer more online content in these pandemic times, so we thought about ways to collaborate. Here’s what they came up with: artist Azikiwe Mohammed has created an animated video backdrop to this podcast episode. The visuals are trippy, colorful, and inspired by (without trying to directly illustrate) what I talk about in the episode. You can check out a brief write-up at the Pioneer Works site, or view the video directly below.
Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas 