Is there a multiverse, and if so, how should we think of ourselves within it? In many modern cosmological models, the universe includes more than one realm, with possibly different laws of physics, and these realms may or may not include intelligent observers. There is a longstanding puzzle about how, in such a scenario, we should calculate what we, as presumably intelligent observers ourselves, should expect to see. Today's guest, Thomas Hertog, is a physicist and longstanding collaborator of Stephen Hawking. They worked together (often with James Hartle) to address these questions, and the work is still ongoing.Support Mindscape on Patreon.Thomas Hertog received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Cambridge. He is currently a professor of theoretical physics at KU Leuven. His new book is On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking's Final Theory.KU Leuven web pageWikipediaGoogle Scholar publicationsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thomas Hertog, a prominent cosmologist and collaborator of Stephen Hawking, shares insights from his book 'On the Origin of Time'. He delves into the philosophical and scientific aspects of time, exploring its origin and the bold idea of how laws of physics emerged. Hertog reflects on Hawking's unique contributions to science and provides intriguing thoughts on whether time could ever flow in reverse. The conversation navigates through concepts like the multiverse and quantum gravity, ultimately challenging our understanding of existence.