The Possibility Movement and Avoiding Certainty in Science

Science is always willing to knock down its own walls. The scientific method is about questioning and being open to new possibilities. Scientists don't pretend to know everything and are always open to new evidence. The idea of avoiding certainty and embracing possibility is an expression of the scientific temperament. It's about weighing the evidence and provisionally believing what is supported by data. When it comes to fundamental questions like our existence, we don't have enough data to know for certain. While religious stories may be made up, we cannot definitively say there is nothing else interesting in the cosmos. Science is about exploring the vast possibility space and admitting that we don't know everything.

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David Eagleman (@davideagleman) is a neuroscientist, New York Times bestselling author, TED speaker, and Guggenheim Fellow. He is the writer and presenter of the Emmy-nominated series The Brain on PBS, as well as the podcast Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman. In Palo Alto, California, he teaches at Stanford University, runs a startup neurotech company called Neosensory, and directs the Center for Science and Law. Dr. Eagleman also runs a film and television production company, Cognito Entertainment, to bring scientific themes (fiction and nonfiction) to the screen. He is the author of eight books, including the international bestsellers Sum, Incognito, and his newest book, Livewired.

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[07:10] Mnemonists and synesthetes.

[12:13] Creating new senses.

[17:39] Practical applications in practice.

[24:36] Five years from now.

[28:26] The curious resilience and vulnerability of memory.

[32:25] Testing the accuracy of memory.

[34:50] Meeting Francis Crick.

[36:25] The dangerous lumberjack.

[39:43] Dream projects.

[41:23] Exploring consciousness.

[44:38] Dreaming and brain plasticity.

[54:13] Influences.