Theoretical physicist Sean Carroll discusses topics ranging from general relativity and quantum mechanics to black holes and aliens. He explores the challenges of detecting Hawking radiation, the holographic principle in black holes, and the mysteries of quantum mechanics. Sean also delves into artificial general intelligence, panpsychism, and ethical considerations in science, providing insights into the beauty and tragedy of general relativity along the way.

In this episode, we examine the timeless question of “free will”: what constitutes it, what is meant by it, what ought to be meant by it, and, of course, whether we have it at all. We start with the neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky who begins to deflate the widely held intuition and assumption of “libertarian free will” by drawing out a mechanistic and determined description of the universe. We then hear from the philosopher who has long been Sam’s intellectual wrestling opponent on this subject, Daniel Dennett. Dennett and Sam spar about definitional and epistemological frameworks of what Dennett insists is “free will,” and what Sam contends could never be. The author and physicist Sean Carroll then engages Sam with more attempts to find a philosophically defensible notion of free will by leaning on the unknowable nature of the universe revealed by quantum mechanics. We then listen in on Sam’s engagement with the mathematician and author Judea Pearl who focuses on matters of causation to tease out a freedom of will. After a historical review of Princess Elizabeth’s famous exchanges with Rene Descartes, we hear from the biologist Jerry Coyne, who firmly agrees with Sam that a deterministic picture of reality leaves absolutely no room for anything like free will. We then hear from the curiously entertaining mind of comedian and producer Ricky Gervais who was thinking about free will while taking a bath when he decided to phone Sam. We conclude with Sam’s own response to concerns that an erasure of free will inevitably result in fatalism, loss of meaning, and passive defeat. Sam insists that the loss of free will actually pushes us in the opposite direction where we begin to see hatred and vengeance as incoherent and start to connect with a deeper and truer sense of genuine compassion.   About the Series Filmmaker Jay Shapiro has produced The Essential Sam Harris, a new series of audio documentaries exploring the major topics that Sam has focused on over the course of his career. Each episode weaves together original analysis, critical perspective, and novel thought experiments with some of the most compelling exchanges from the Making Sense archive. Whether you are new to a particular topic, or think you have your mind made up about it, we think you’ll find this series fascinating.

Sean Carroll is a theoretical physicist at Caltech and Santa Fe Institute specializing in quantum mechanics, arrow of time, cosmology, and gravitation. He is the author of Something Deeply Hidden and several popular books and he is the host of a great podcast called Mindscape. This is the second time Sean has been on the podcast. You can watch the first time on YouTube or listen to the first time on its episode page. This conversation is part of the Artificial Intelligence podcast. If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/ai or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on Apple Podcasts or support it on Patreon. Here’s the outline with timestamps for this episode (on some players you can click on the timestamp to jump to that point in the episode): 00:00 – Introduction 01:23 – Capacity of human mind to understand physics 10:49 – Perception vs reality 12:29 – Conservation of momentum 17:20 – Difference between math and physics 20:10 – Why is our world so compressable 22:53 – What would Newton think of quantum mechanics 25:44 – What is quantum mechanics? 27:54 – What is an atom? 30:34 – What is the wave function? 32:30 – What is quantum entanglement? 35:19 – What is Hilbert space? 37:32 – What is entropy? 39:31 – Infinity 42:43 – Many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics 1:01:13 – Quantum gravity and the emergence of spacetime 1:08:34 – Our branch of reality in many-worlds interpretation 1:10:40 – Time travel 1:12:54 – Arrow of time 1:16:18 – What is fundamental in physics 1:16:58 – Quantum computers 1:17:42 – Experimental validation of many-worlds and emergent spacetime 1:19:53 – Quantum mechanics and the human mind 1:21:51 – Mindscape podcast

Einstein's description of gravity as a curvature in space-time doesn't easily mesh with a universe made up of quantum wavefunctions. Theoretical physicist Sean Carroll (of the "Mindscape" podcast) tells Steven Strogatz about the mind-bending implications of the quest for quantum gravity.

Sean Carroll, a physics expert, delves into quantum field theory, explaining measurement, entanglement, and the world being made of fields. He discusses fundamental concepts like spin, symmetry, and the Higgs mechanism, revealing the unimaginable truth about our universe. The podcast explores dark energy, dark matter, the Higgs field, and philosophical questions about the origins of the universe.

David Krakauer and Sean Carroll discuss human history's impact on scientific inquiry, from genetic causality debates to the quest for emergent laws in complex systems. They explore the balance between simplicity and complexity in physics, interdisciplinary challenges in research, and the entropic nature of life and the universe. The podcast highlights the Santa Fe Institute's role in promoting adaptive scientific inquiry.

Sean Carroll, theoretical physicist and philosopher, discusses complexity in physics, quantum mechanics interpretations, emergence, and challenges in academia. Topics include AI, scientific publishing, democracy, and what makes a great physicist.

This podcast explores the perplexing concept of consciousness and delves into novel explanations for its existence. Featuring interviews with prominent experts, it discusses the enigma of consciousness, its essential properties, the interplay with quantum mechanics, and controversial theories surrounding its nature.

Theoretical physicist Sean Carroll discusses the relationship between science and philosophy, delving into quantum mechanics and the possibility of parallel universes. They also touch on topics of David Weiss's testimony, Trump's revenge plans, and the compatibility between science and religion. The conversation explores the concept of time travel, both in movies and in theory, while also discussing the implications of quantum mechanics and the potential existential threat of AI.

Without a sense of time, leading us from cradle to grave, our lives would make little sense. But on the most fundamental level, physicists aren't sure whether the sort of time we experience exists at all. We talk to three experts and find out if time could potentially be moving backwards as well as forwards. Featuring Sean Carroll, Homewood professor of natural philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, Emily Adlam, postdoctoral associate of the philosophy of physics at Western University and Natalia Ares, Royal Society university research fellow at the University of Oxford.This episode was presented by Miriam Frankel and produced by Hannah Fisher. Executive producers are Jo Adetunji and Gemma Ware. Social media and platform production by Alice Mason, sound design by Eloise Stevens and music by Neeta Sarl. A transcript is available here. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading: Quantum mechanics: how the future might influence the pastFour misconceptions about quantum physics Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.