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Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

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Sean Carroll | Wondery

Ever wanted to know how music affects your brain, what quantum mechanics really is, or how black holes work? Do you wonder why you get emotional each time you see a certain movie, or how on earth video games are designed? Then you’ve come to the right place. Each week, Sean Carroll will host conversations with some of the most interesting thinkers in the world. From neuroscientists and engineers to authors and television producers, Sean and his guests talk about the biggest ideas in science, philosophy, culture and much more.

#357

301 | Tina Eliassi-Rad on Al, Networks, and Epistemic Instability

Big data is ruling, or at least deeply infiltrating, all of modern existence. Unprecedented capacity for collecting and analyzing large amounts of data have given us a new generation of artificial intelligence models, but also everything from medical procedures to recommendation systems that guide our purchases and romantic lives. I talk with computer scientist Tina Elassi-Rad about how we can sift through all this data, make sure it is deployed in ways that align with our values, and how to deal with the political and social dangers associated with systems that are not always guided by the truth. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/01/13/301-tina-eliassi-rad-on-al-networks-and-epistemic-instability/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/01/13/301-tina-eliassi-rad-on-al-networks-and-epistemic-instability/) Tina Eliassi-Rad received her Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently Joseph E. Aoun Chair of Computer Sciences and Core Faculty of the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University, External Faculty at the Santa Fe Institute, and External Faculty at the Vermont Complex Systems Center. She is a fellow of the Network Science Society, recipient of the Lagrange Prize, and was named one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics. --- [Web site] (https://eliassi.org/) --- [Northeastern web page] (https://cssh.northeastern.edu/faculty/tina-eliassi-rad/) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TXb5Ym8AAAAJ&hl=en) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tina_Eliassi-Rad) See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

13 Jan 2025

1 HR 09 MINS

1:09:21

13 Jan 2025

#356

300 | Solo: Does Time Exist?

A new year, and a new centennial -- 300 (regularly-numbered) episodes of Mindscape! Our tradition is to have a solo episode, and what better topic than the nature of time? Physicists and philosophers have so frequently suggested that time is some kind of illusion that it's become almost passé to believe that it might be fundamental. This is an issue where, despite the form of the question, physics has important things to say that most philosophers haven't yet caught up to. I will talk about ideas from quantum mechanics and quantum gravity that bear on the question of whether time is emergent or fundamental, and the implications of each possibility. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/01/06/300-solo-does-time-exist/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/01/06/300-solo-does-time-exist/) Some of the papers discussed herein: ---Carroll (2008), " [What If Time Really Exists?] (https://arxiv.org/abs/0811.3772) " ---Dyson, Kleban, and Susskind (2002), " [Disturbing Implications of a Cosmological Constant] (https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0208013) ." ---Albrecht and Sorbo (2004), " [Can the Universe Afford Inflation?] (https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0405270) " ---Boddy, Carroll, and Pollack (2014), " [De Sitter Space Without Dynamical Quantum Fluctuations] (https://arxiv.org/abs/1405.0298) ." ---Lloyd (2016), " [Decoherent Histories Approach to the Cosmological Measure Problem] (https://arxiv.org/abs/1608.05672) ." ---Page and Wootters (1983), " [Evolution Without Evolution: Dynamics Described by Stationary Observables] (https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.27.2885) ." ---Albrecht (1994), " [The Theory of Everything vs the Theory of Anything] (https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9408023) ." ---Albrecht and Iglesias (2007), " [The Clock Ambiguity and the Emergence of Physical Laws] (https://arxiv.org/abs/0708.2743) ." See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

06 Jan 2025

2 HR 11 MINS

2:11:35

06 Jan 2025

#355

Holiday Message | Hits and Misses

It's the end of the year, and time for our annual holiday break here at Mindscape. But as usual, we wrap up with a Holiday Message. This year, inspired by Joni Mitchell's "Hits" and "Misses" albums, I go through my scientific papers and talk about some of my favorites -- some of which were hits, in terms of making an impact on subsequent research, and some of which were misses by that standard. But I love them all! It's an excuse to talk about process -- how papers come to be, from the initial informal idea to sitting down and doing the work. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/12/23/holiday-message-hits-and-misses/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/12/23/holiday-message-hits-and-misses/) Here are links to the papers I discuss in the episode. ---S.M. Carroll, G.B. Field and R. Jackiw, 1990, "Limits on A Lorentz and Parity-Violating Modification of Electrodynamics,''Phys. Rev. D41, 1231. [ [pdf file] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/wp-content/uploads/90cfj.pdf) ; [inSPIRE] (http://inspirehep.net/record/26310) ] ---S.M. Carroll, E. Farhi and A.H. Guth, 1992, "An Obstacle to Building a Time Machine,''Phys. Rev. Lett.68, 263; Erratum:68, 3368. [ [pdf file] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/wp-content/uploads/91cfg.pdf) ; [inSPIRE] (http://inspirehep.net/record/317776) ] ---S.M. Carroll, E. Farhi, A.H. Guth and K.D. Olum, 1994, "Energy-Momentum Restrictions on the Creation of Gott Time Machines,''Phys. Rev. D50, 6190; gr-qc/9404065. [ [arXiv] (http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9404065) ; [pdf] (http://arxiv.org/pdf/gr-qc/9404065) ; [inSPIRE] (http://inspirehep.net/record/373183) ] ---S.M. Carroll, 1998, "Quintessence and the Rest of the World,''Phys. Rev. Lett.81, 3067; astro-ph/9806099. [ [arXiv] (http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9806099) ; [pdf] (http://arxiv.org/pdf/astro-ph/9806099) ; [inSPIRE] (http://inspirehep.net/record/472059) ] ---S.M. Carroll, V. Duvvuri, M. Trodden, and M.S. Turner, 2003, "Is Cosmic Speed-Up Due to New Gravitational Physics?'' astro-ph/0306438. [ [arXiv] (http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0306438) ; [pdf] (http://arxiv.org/pdf/astro-ph/0306438) ; [inSPIRE] (http://inspirehep.net/record/621682) ] ---S.M. Carroll and J. Chen, 2004, "Spontaneous Inflation and the Origin of the Arrow of Time'', hep-th/0410270. [ [arXiv] (http://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0410270) , [inSPIRE] (http://inspirehep.net/record/663125) ] ---L. Ackerman, M.R. Buckley, S.M. Carroll, and M. Kamionkowski, 2008, "Dark Matter and Dark Radiation," arxiv:0807.5126. [ [arXiv] (http://arxiv.org/abs/0810.5126) ; [pdf] (http://arxiv.org/pdf/0810.5126) ; [inSPIRE] (http://inspirehep.net/record/800924) ] ---S.M. Carroll, M.C. Johnson, and L. Randall, 2009, "Dynamical Compactification," arxiv:0904.3115. [ [arXiv] (http://arxiv.org/abs/0904.3115) ; [pdf] (http://arxiv.org/pdf/0904.3115) ; [inSPIRE] (http://inspirehep.net/record/818380) ] ---C. Cao, S.M. Carroll, and S. Michalakis, 2016, "Space from Hilbert Space: Recovering Geometry from Bulk Entanglement," arxiv:1606.08444. [ [arXiv] (http://arxiv.org/abs/1606.08444) , [inSPIRE] (http://inspirehep.net/record/1472804) ] ---C. Cao and S.M. Carroll, 2018, "Bulk Entanglement Gravity without a Boundary: Towards Finding Einstein's Equation in Hilbert Space," arxiv:1712.02803. [ [arXiv] (http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1712.02803) , [inSPIRE] (http://inspirehep.net/record/1642223?ln=en) ] ---N. Bao, S.M. Carroll, A. Chatwin-Davies, J. Pollack, and G. Remmen, 2017, “Branches of the Black Hole Wave Function Need Not Contain Firewalls," arxiv:1712.04955. [ [arXiv] (http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1712.04955) , [inSPIRE] (http://inspirehep.net/record/1643261?ln=en) ] See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

23 Dec 2024

2 HR 01 MINS

2:01:23

23 Dec 2024

#354

299 | Michael Wong on Information, Function, and the Origin of Life

Living organisms seem exquisitely organized and complex, with features clearly adapted to serving certain functions needed to survive and procreate. Natural selection provides a compelling explanation for why that is so. But is there a bigger picture, a more general framework that explains the origin and evolution of functions and complexity in a world governed by uncaring laws of physics? I talk with planetary scientist and astrobiologist Michael Wong about how we can define what "functions" are and the role they play in the evolution of the universe. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/12/16/299-michael-wong-on-information-function-and-the-origin-of-life/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/12/16/299-michael-wong-on-information-function-and-the-origin-of-life/) Michael Wong received his Ph.D. in planetary science from Caltech. He is currently a Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carnegie Institution for Scienceʼs Earth & Planets Laboratory. He is in the process of co-authoring two books:A Missing Law: Evolution, Information, andthe Inevitability of Cosmic Complexitywith Robert M. Hazen, and a revised edition ofAstrobiology: A Multidisciplinary Approachwith Jonathan Lunine. --- [Web site] (https://miquai.myportfolio.com/) --- [Carnegie web page] (https://carnegiescience.edu/bio/dr-michael-l-wong) --- [Strange New Worlds podcast] (https://soundcloud.com/strange-new-worlds) ---Wong et al. (2023), " [On the Roles of Function and Selection in Evolving Systems] (https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2310223120) ." ---Wong and Prabhu (2023), " [Cells as the First Data Scientists] (https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2022.0810) ." See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

16 Dec 2024

1 HR 13 MINS

1:13:00

16 Dec 2024

#353

298 | Jeff Lichtman on the Wiring Diagram of the Brain

The number of neurons in the human brain is comparable to the number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Unlike the stars, however, in the case of neurons the real action is in how they are directly connected to each other: receiving signals over synapses via their dendrites, and when appropriately triggered, sending signals down the axon to other neurons (glossing over some complications). So a major step in understanding the brain is to map its wiring diagram, or [connectome] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectome) : the complete map of those connections. For a human brain that's an intimidatingly complex challenge, but important advances have been made on tinier brains. We talk with Jeff Lichtman, a leader in brain mapping, to gauge the current state of progress and what it implies. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/12/09/298-jeff-lichtman-on-the-wiring-diagram-of-the-brain/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/12/09/298-jeff-lichtman-on-the-wiring-diagram-of-the-brain/) Jeff Lichtman received an MD/PhD from Washington University in St. Louis. He is currently the Jeremy R. Knowles Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Santiago Ramón y Cajal Professor of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. He is co-inventor of the [Brainbow] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainbow) system for imaging neurons. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. --- [Web page] (https://lichtmanlab.fas.harvard.edu/people/jeff-lichtman) --- [Lab web site] (https://lichtmanlab.fas.harvard.edu/) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=nwbMyO0AAAAJ&hl=en) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_W._Lichtman) See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

09 Dec 2024

1 HR 09 MINS

1:09:09

09 Dec 2024

#352

AMA | December 2024

Welcome to the December 2024 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by [Patreon supporters] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number -- based primarily on whether I have anything interesting to say about them, not whether the questions themselves are good -- and sometimes group them together if they are about a similar topic. Enjoy! Blog post with AMA questions and transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/12/02/ama-december-2024/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/12/02/ama-december-2024/) Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

02 Dec 2024

3 HR 55 MINS

3:55:31

02 Dec 2024

#351

297 | Emily Wilson on Homer, Poetry, and Translation

Not too long ago, Brad Pitt and Eric Bana starred in a (loose) [adaptation] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_(film)) of Homer's epic poemThe Iliad; next month, Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche will [headline a film] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Return_(2024_film)) based onThe Odyssey. Given that the originals were written (or at least written down) in the 8th century BCE, that is some impressive staying power. But they were also written in a very different time than ours, with different cultural context and narrative expectations. We talk about the issues of translation in general, and these Greek classics in particular, with Emily Wilson, whose recent translations of [The Iliad] (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-iliad-homer/17147944?ean=9781324001805) and [The Odyssey] (https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Homer/dp/0393089053) have garnered worldwide acclaim. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/11/25/297-emily-wilson-on-homer-poetry-and-translation/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/11/25/297-emily-wilson-on-homer-poetry-and-translation/) Emily Wilson received her Ph.D. in classical and comparative literature from Yale. She is currently Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Among her awards are the Charles Berheimer Prize from the American Comparative Literature Association, a Rome Prize fellowship from the American Academy in Rome, and Guggenheim and MacArthur fellowships. --- [Web site] (https://www.emilyrcwilson.com/) --- [UPenn web page] (https://www.classics.upenn.edu/people/emily-wilson) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Wilson_(classicist)) --- [Amazon.com author page] (https://www.amazon.com/stores/Emily-R.-Wilson/author/B001H6S1IE) --- [YouTube] (https://www.youtube.com/@emilyrcwilson1796) --- [Substack] (https://substack.com/@emilyrcwilson) --- [BlueSky] (https://bsky.app/profile/emilyrcwilson.bsky.social) See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

25 Nov 2024

1 HR 15 MINS

1:15:12

25 Nov 2024

#350

296 | Brandon Ogbunu on Fitness Seascapes and the Course of Evolution

Biological evolution via natural selection is a simple idea that becomes enormously complicated in its realization. Populations of organisms are driven toward increased "fitness," a measure of how successfully we reproduce our genetic information. But fitness is a subtle concept, changing with time and environment and interactions with other organisms around us. We talk with biologist Brandon Ogbunu about the best mathematical and conceptual tools for thinking about the messy complexities of evolution, and how modern technology is changing our way of thinking about it. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/11/18/296-brandon-ogbunu-on-fitness-seascapes-and-the-course-of-evolution/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/11/18/296-brandon-ogbunu-on-fitness-seascapes-and-the-course-of-evolution/) Brandon Ogbunu received his Ph.D. in Genetics and Microbiology from Yale University. He is currently Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale, and External Faculty at the Santa Fe Institute. He has been awarded a Fullbright Fellowship and was the Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professor at MIT. He has contributed to a number of publications, including [Wired] (https://www.wired.com/author/c-brandon-ogbunu/) , [Undark] (https://undark.org/undark-author/c-brandon-ogbunu/) , and [Quanta] (https://www.quantamagazine.org/authors/c-brandon-ogbunu/) . --- [Lab web site] (https://ogbunulab.yale.edu/) --- [Yale web page] (https://eeb.yale.edu/people/faculty/c-brandon-ogbunu) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rHUzZs0AAAAJ&hl=en) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Ogbunu) --- [Public talk: What is Lyfe? Towards a Biology of Context & Complexity] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rRNbiYg7fs&ab_channel=SantaFeInstitute) See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

18 Nov 2024

1 HR 15 MINS

1:15:42

18 Nov 2024

#349

295 | Solo: Emergence and Layers of Reality

[Emergence] (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/properties-emergent/) is a centrally important concept in science and philosophy. Indeed, the existence of higher-level emergent properties helps render the world intelligible to us -- we can sensibly understand the macroscopic world around us without a complete microscopic picture. But there are various different ways in which emergence might happen, and a tendency for definitions of emergence to rely on vague or subjective criteria. Recently Achyuth Parola and I wrote a paper trying to clear up some of these issues: [What Emergence Can Possibly Mean] (https://philarchive.org/rec/CARWEC-6) . In this solo podcast I discuss the way we suggest to think about emergence, with examples from physics and elsewhere. Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/11/11/295-solo-emergence-and-layers-of-reality/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/11/11/295-solo-emergence-and-layers-of-reality/) Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

11 Nov 2024

1 HR 34 MINS

1:34:59

11 Nov 2024

#348

AMA | November 2024

Welcome to the November 2024 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by [Patreon supporters] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number -- based primarily on whether I have anything interesting to say about them, not whether the questions themselves are good -- and sometimes group them together if they are about a similar topic. Enjoy! Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with AMA questions and transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/11/04/ama-november-2024/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/11/04/ama-november-2024/) See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

04 Nov 2024

3 HR 50 MINS

3:50:29

04 Nov 2024

#347

294 | Addy Pross on Dynamics, Stability, and Life

Erwin Schrödinger said that the important characteristic of life is that it "goes on doing something... for a much longer period than we would expect an inanimate piece of matter to keep going under similar circumstances." Living organisms are in constant motion inside; so where does this stability and persistence come from? Addy Pross points to a novel kind of chemical phenomenon -- "dynamic kinetic stability" (DKS), a feature that enables a chemical "fountain" to persist in the presence of an energy source. This suggests an interesting perspective on the question of life's origin, and perhaps on the origin of consciousness. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/10/28/294-addy-pross-on-dynamics-stability-and-life/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/10/28/294-addy-pross-on-dynamics-stability-and-life/) Addy Pross received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Sydney. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Ben-Gurion University. He has held visiting positions inthe University of Lund, Stanford University, Rutgers University, University of California at Irvine, University of Padova, the Australian National University Canberra, and the University of Sydney. He is the author of [What Is Life? How Chemistry Becomes Biology] (https://global.oup.com/academic/product/what-is-life-9780198784791?cc=us&lang=en&) . --- [Web page] (https://tzin.bgu.ac.il/~pross/) --- [Amazon author page] (https://www.amazon.com/stores/Addy-Pross/author/B001HPOVA2) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=iERuab8AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate) See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

28 Oct 2024

1 HR 11 MINS

1:11:33

28 Oct 2024

#346

293 | Doyne Farmer on Chaos, Crashes, and Economic Complexity

A large economy is one of the best examples we have of complex dynamics. There are multiple components arranged in complicated overlapping hierarchies, out-of-equilibrium dynamics, nonlinear coupling and feedback between different levels, and ubiquitous unpredictable and chaotic behavior. Nevertheless, many economic models are based on relatively simple equilibrium principles. Doyne Farmer is among a group who think that economists need to start taking the tools of complexity theory seriously, as he argues in his recent book [Making Sense of Chaos:] (https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/284357/making-sense-of-chaos-by-farmer-j-doyne/9780241201978) A Better Economics for a Better World. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/10/21/293-doyne-farmer-on-chaos-crashes-and-economic-complexity/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/10/21/293-doyne-farmer-on-chaos-crashes-and-economic-complexity/) J. Doyne Farmer received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is currently Director of the Complexity Economics program and Baillie Gifford Professor of Complex Systems Science at the University of Oxford, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, and Chief Scientist at [Macrocosm] (https://www.macrocosm.group/) . He was the founder of the Complex Systems Group in the Theoretical Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and co-founder of The Prediction Company. --- [Web site] (https://www.doynefarmer.com/) --- [Oxford web page] (https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/people/doyne-farmer) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Rk7g1U0AAAAJ&hl=en) --- [Amazon author page] (https://www.amazon.com/stores/J.-Doyne-Farmer/author/B0CZTTWQ7K?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Doyne_Farmer) See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

21 Oct 2024

1 HR 11 MINS

1:11:17

21 Oct 2024

#345

292 | Jonathan Birch on Animal Sentience

It's not immoral to kick a rock; it is immoral to kick a baby. At what point do we start saying that it is wrong to cause pain to something? This question has less to do with "consciousness" and more to do with "sentience" -- the ability to perceive feelings and sensations. Philosopher Jonathan Birch has embarked on a careful study of the meaning of sentience and how it can be identified in different kinds of organisms, as he discusses in his new open-access book [The Edge of Sentience] (https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-edge-of-sentience-9780192870421?cc=us&lang=en&) . This is an example of a question at the boundary of philosophy and biology with potentially important implications for real-world policies. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/10/14/292-jonathan-birch-on-animal-sentience/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/10/14/292-jonathan-birch-on-animal-sentience/) Jonathan Birch received his Ph.D. in the philosophy of science from the University of Cambridge. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Philosophy Logic and Scientific Method at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He is one of the authors of the [New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness] (https://sites.google.com/nyu.edu/nydeclaration/declaration) , and has advised the British government on matters of animal cruelty and sentience. --- [Web site] (https://personal.lse.ac.uk/birchj1/) --- [LSE web page] (https://www.lse.ac.uk/cpnss/people/jonathan-birch) --- [Google scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uUFuYvYAAAAJ&hl=en) --- [PhilPeople profile] (https://philpeople.org/profiles/jonathan-birch) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Birch_(philosopher)) See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

14 Oct 2024

1 HR 10 MINS

1:10:42

14 Oct 2024

#344

AMA | October 2024

Welcome to the October 2024 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by [Patreon supporters] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number -- based primarily on whether I have anything interesting to say about them, not whether the questions themselves are good -- and sometimes group them together if they are about a similar topic. Enjoy! Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with questions and transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/10/07/ama-october-2024/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/10/07/ama-october-2024/) See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

07 Oct 2024

4 HR 29 MINS

4:29:35

07 Oct 2024

#343

291 | Venki Ramakrishnan on the Biology of Death and Aging

Aging and death happen to the best of us, but there are increasing efforts to do something about it. That effort requires that we have some reasonable understanding of why aging happens, and what processes are involved. You will be unsurprised to learn that it's complicated. Venki Ramakrishnan, who won the Nobel Prize for his work on the ribosome, investigates what we know about aging in his book [Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality] (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/why-we-die-venki-ramakrishnan?variant=41074404098082) . We talk about aging and death, and manage to get some thoughts in about ribosomes. Venki and many other great communicators will be speaking at [New Scientist Live] (https://newscientist.com/pr) , which takes place at ExCeL London between 12 - 14 October 2024, and is also streamed live as well as on-demand. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/09/30/291-venki-ramakrishnan-on-the-biology-of-death-and-aging/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/09/30/291-venki-ramakrishnan-on-the-biology-of-death-and-aging/) Venkatraman (Venki) Ramakrishnan received his Ph.D. in physics from Ohio University. He is currently Group Leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, England, and is a Fellow of Trinity College. He previously served as President of the Royal Society of London. He shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work uncovering the structure of the ribosome. --- [Lab web page] (https://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/groups/ribo/) --- [Nobel citation] (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2009/ramakrishnan/facts/) --- [Google scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=oTI5BjIAAAAJ&hl=en) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venki_Ramakrishnan) --- [Amazon author page] (https://www.amazon.com/stores/Venki-Ramakrishnan/author/B07G3FJ93V) See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

30 Sep 2024

1 HR 20 MINS

1:20:36

30 Sep 2024

#342

290 | Hahrie Han on Making Multicultural Democracy Work

It's a wonder democracy works at all -- a collection of people with potentially different interests have to agree to abide by majority vote even when it goes against their desires. But as we know, it doesn't always work, and racial and ethnic tensions are one of its biggest challenges. Hahrie Han studies the ground-up workings of democracy, how people can come together to successfully enact change. In her new book [Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in an American Church] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/669326/undivided-by-hahrie-han/) , she investigates an example where democracy apparently has worked remarkably well, and asks what lessons we can draw from it. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/09/23/290-hahrie-han-on-making-multicultural-democracy-work/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/09/23/290-hahrie-han-on-making-multicultural-democracy-work/) Hahrie Han recieved her Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University. She is currently the Director of the [SNF Agora Institute] (https://snfagora.jhu.edu/) , the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Professor of Political Science, and Faculty Director of the [P3 Research Lab] (https://www.p3researchlab.org/) at Johns Hopkins University. She was named the Social Innovation Thought Leader of the Year by the World Economic Forum, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and gave the 2024 Tanner Lectures on Human Values at Harvard University, among other awards. --- [Web site] (https://www.hahriehan.com/) --- [Johns Hopkins web page] (https://politicalscience.jhu.edu/directory/hahrie-han/) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zzFtUvAAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao) --- [Amazon author page] (https://www.amazon.com/stores/Hahrie-Han/author/B00L3OIK40) See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

23 Sep 2024

1 HR 15 MINS

1:15:33

23 Sep 2024

#341

289 | Cari Cesarotti on the Next Generation of Particle Experiments

As an experimental facility, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva has been extraordinarily successful, discovering the Higgs boson and measuring multiple features of particle-physics interactions at unprecedented energies. But to theorists, the results have been somewhat frustrating, as we were hoping to find brand-new phenomena beyond the Standard Model. There is nothing to do but to keep looking, recognizing that we have to choose our methods judiciously. I talk with theoretical physicist Cari Cesarotti about what experimental results the modern particle physicist most looks forward to, and how we might eventually get there, especially through the prospect of a [muon collider.] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muon_collider) Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/09/16/289-cari-cesarotti-on-the-next-generation-of-particle-experiments/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/09/16/289-cari-cesarotti-on-the-next-generation-of-particle-experiments/) Cari Cesarotti received her Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at MIT. Her research is on particle phenomenology theory, with an eye toward experimental searches. Among her awards are the Sakurai Dissertation Award in Theoretical Physics from the American Physical Society and the Young Scientist Award at the 14th International Conference on the Identification of Dark Matter. --- [Web site] (http://caricesarotti.com/index.html) --- [MIT web page] (https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/cari-cesarotti/) --- [Publications at inSpire] (https://inspirehep.net/authors/1793525?ui-citation-summary=true) See Privacy Policy at [https://art19.com/privacy] (https://art19.com/privacy) and California Privacy Notice at [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info] (https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info) . ... Read more

16 Sep 2024

1 HR 21 MINS

1:21:40

16 Sep 2024

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301 | Tina Eliassi-Rad on Al, Networks, and Epistemic Instability

#356

300 | Solo: Does Time Exist?

#355

Holiday Message | Hits and Misses

#354

299 | Michael Wong on Information, Function, and the Origin of Life

#353

298 | Jeff Lichtman on the Wiring Diagram of the Brain

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AMA | December 2024

#351

297 | Emily Wilson on Homer, Poetry, and Translation

#350

296 | Brandon Ogbunu on Fitness Seascapes and the Course of Evolution

#349

295 | Solo: Emergence and Layers of Reality

#348

AMA | November 2024

#347

294 | Addy Pross on Dynamics, Stability, and Life

#346

293 | Doyne Farmer on Chaos, Crashes, and Economic Complexity

#345

292 | Jonathan Birch on Animal Sentience

#344

AMA | October 2024

#343

291 | Venki Ramakrishnan on the Biology of Death and Aging

#342

290 | Hahrie Han on Making Multicultural Democracy Work

#341

289 | Cari Cesarotti on the Next Generation of Particle Experiments