The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss

In mid October the Origins Project Foundation ran two public events in California. The second event was held at the Air and Space Museum in San Diego. I had asked my colleague Brian Keating, who teaches at UCSD and is a Trustee of that museum, whether he might be interested in doing a public dialogue together that we could later both broadcast on our respective podcasts. He and I have each appeared before on each other’s podcasts, and I knew that we could have the kind of comfortable, informative, and fun conversation that might appeal to a live audience, which would make for a different kind of podcast. I am happy to present here the video record of that live-audience podcast, and the Q&A with the audience that was recorded right after it. Brian and I discussed many things, from forefront cosmology, to the nature of teaching and doing research, as viewed by an experimentalist and a theorist respectively, as well as broader questions associated with science in society today. The questions afterwards were equally interesting. I hope you enjoy both as you listen to or watch the podcast. As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers. Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version is available free on the Critical Mass site and on all podcast sites, and the video version will also be available on the Origins Project Youtube channel as well. Get full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe

Greg Lukianoff, First Amendment lawyer, discusses the conflation of free speech and harassment in academia and beyond. They explore the origins and impact of cancel culture, the suppression of free speech in academic environments, cancel culture in knowledge-producing industries, the excessive number of administrators in universities, and the tactics used in cancel culture. They also discuss the role of politics in education, parents' perception of Harvard, and alternatives to college education.

Scott Aaronson, a mathematical intellect and theoretical computer scientist, discusses the fascinating topics of quantum computing, computational complexity, and AI safety in this podcast. From the basics of quantum computing to the challenges of implementing quantum mechanics, Scott provides insights into the potential applications and limitations of this emerging field. The conversation also delves into the importance of AI safety and the ethical concerns surrounding powerful AI systems. With his unique perspective, Scott shares thought-provoking ideas about the future of technology and human civilization.

Renowned evolutionary biologist and author, Richard Dawkins, joins Lawrence Krauss for an engaging dialogue on various subjects, including challenging physics concepts, scientific truth, suppression of dissent, avoiding bias in research, the impact of 'The Selfish Gene' and 'The God Delusion', a humorous anecdote about the debate between steady state and Big Bang theory, and the illusion of time.

Physicist Carlo Rovelli discusses loop quantum gravity and the paradoxes of black holes. He proposes the idea that black holes could turn into white holes near their singularities. The conversation also explores the guest's upbringing, their transition from politics to physics, and the challenges of quantum gravity. They reflect on the importance of analogies in science and touch on the mistakes made by the West and limitations of freedom of speech.

Lawrence Krauss interviews Robert Sapolsky, a creative force with wide-ranging knowledge from primatology to neuroscience. They discuss the illusion of free will, the neurobiology behind it, the influence of culture on behavior, and the evolutionary origins of human monogamy. They also explore topics such as neuroplasticity, the impact of privilege and upbringing, and the importance of open minds and learning. Sapolsky effectively dismantles claims of uncaused behavior and emphasizes the societal implications of understanding the illusion of free will.

Lawrence Kraus interviews remarkable scholar Peter Singer on animal liberation, speciesism, effective altruism, and climate change. They discuss the impact of factory farming and fishing practices on animals, the concept of equal consideration of interests, and the conditions of egg-laying hens. The conversation also explores consciousness in animals, the challenges of feeding cats a vegetarian diet, and the treatment of animals in factory farming. Additionally, they touch on the importance of taking action against climate change and the limitations of sympathy in promoting ethical behavior.

I confess that Hakeem Oluseyi had not really risen on my radar screen until the last year or two. I was aware of the National Society of Black Physicists, having sometimes gotten notices about is meetings, but, being generally unsupportive of current efforts to compartmentalize scientists by their identity, I hadn’t really paid much notice to it. Then, in one of those ironies that periodically makes one feel better about the vicissitudes of fortune, I learned more about him only after people had attempted to cancel him. When I read about Hakeem’s brave and impressive campaign to uncover the truth about James Webb after a small but unduly loud group of physicists, whose actions seem to be centered about their mutually celebrated victimhood, argued that the James Webb Space Telescope should be renamed, my interest in him, along with my respect for him, rose considerably. Prompted by this newfound interest, I read a book he had co-authored, entitled, A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars, and I was fascinated by the remarkable transformation of a hillbilly turned drug dealer into an academic. Here was someone who could have reveled in begin a victim by lashing out in hate, but instead was inspired to improve himself and those around him. I decided I wanted to delve deeper into the man, his life, his science, and his recent unfortunate experiences while holding firm to the search for truth in a podcast. It was a fun, and fascinating few hours. Hakeem and I both like to joke as well as tell stories, and we are both serious about the effort to understand nature, and to share our enthusiasm about that effort. I hope the combination of our mutual enjoyment about life and science, along with learning about his own story will inspire, entertain and inform. I certainly enjoyed our discussion and I hope you will as well.As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers. Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version is available free on the Critical Mass site and on all podcast sites, and the video version will also be available on the Origins Project Youtube channel as well.And a reminder that The Origins Project Foundation is programming some live upcoming events, including a live podcast with Richard Dawkins in Birmingham Sept 25th, and two live events in Southern California museums. Oct 15th, at the Bowers Museum, I will be giving a presentation on my new book, and Oct 17th Brian Keating and I will be recording a joint podcast at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. Go to originsproject.org for more info and the opportunity to purchase tickets. Get full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe

As promised at the beginning of this month, here is the first of two “Best of” selections from the Origins Podcast. I apologize that this hasn’t come out sooner, but the lazy days of August caught up with all of our production team. In any case, here, on the last day of August (in all US timezones), enjoy this collection of great clips from many of our exciting guests over the first two years of the podcast. These were all recorded before the pandemic and so we were able to travel to talk with my guests at their location, or bring them to our origins studio. As a result, they were all shot with 3 cameras, so the video record is better than one gets on zoom. This video version is available now to paid subscribers, and this audio version is available to all subscribers. A Youtube version will be released later this week. I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed putting this compilation together. For those of you who are Origins veterans, we will give you a chance to relive the highlights from podcasts with some of the most remarkable scientists, artists, and writers on the planet. For those of you who are newer subscribers this will give you a chance to see some tidbits from some fascinating conversations with fascinating individuals, and perhaps encourage you to explore our backlist for the full discussions. We will return with new content in September, and will release the second “Best Of” compilation sometime later in the fall. Once again, thanks for your support of Critical Mass, which remains an essential part of allowing The Origins Project Foundation to continue its programming.Enjoy! Get full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe

Bart Ehrman, biblical scholar, explores revelations about Revelation and discusses his intellectual adventure from fundamentalist youth to skeptical historian. They touch on the contradictions between scriptures and science, the cultural importance of the Bible, and the church's impact on culture and science. The conversation also covers the historical context of Jesus, dating the Gospels, and the misinterpretations of the Book of Revelation.