The Joy of Why
How Is Science Even Possible?
Jun 20, 2024
Nigel Goldenfeld, a physicist renowned for his insights on the universe's complexities, joins co-host Steven Strogatz. They dive into why science succeeds in unraveling nature's enigmas, despite its apparent complexity. The pair discuss the importance of asking the right questions and the surprising phenomenon of emergence, where new properties arise in different scales. They also explore the intersection of mathematics and various scientific fields, from physics to biology, and reflect on how simple theoretical frameworks often yield profound insights.
35:57
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Quick takeaways
- The simplicity of physical laws enables significant advancements in understanding the natural world, though many complexities remain unexplained.
- Emergence allows scientists to explore phenomena at different scales, highlighting the challenges of applying straightforward models to complex fields like biology and economics.
Deep dives
Nature's Comprehensibility
The podcast delves into the philosophical inquiry raised by Albert Einstein regarding the comprehensibility of the natural world. Physicist Nigel Goldenfeld discusses how the simplicity of physical laws allows humans to discover and apply these laws, which leads to significant advancements across various scientific fields, including biology and economics. This prompts a contemplation of whether the world is truly understandable and what this means for explaining complex phenomena. Goldenfeld emphasizes that while there are notable successes in physics, many unexplained areas linger, casting doubt on the assumption that everything can be understood scientifically.
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