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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.

#333

283 | Daron Acemoglu on Technology, Inequality, and Power

Change is scary. But sometimes it can all work out for the best. There's no guarantee of that, however, even when the change in question involves the introduction of a powerful new technology. Today's guest, Daron Acemoglu, is a political economist who has long thought about the relationship between economics and political institutions. In his most recent book (with Simon Johnson), [Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity] (https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/daron-acemoglu/power-and-progress/9781541702530/?lens=publicaffairs) , he looks at how technological innovations affect the economic lives of ordinary people. We talk about how such effects are often for the worse, at least to start out, until better institutions are able to eventually spread the benefits more broadly. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/07/22/283-daron-acemoglu-on-technology-inequality-and-power/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/07/22/283-daron-acemoglu-on-technology-inequality-and-power/) Daron Acemoglu received a Ph.D. in economics from the London School of Economics. He is currently Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Econometric Society. Among his awards are the John Bates Clark Medal and the Nemmers Prize in Economics. In 2015, he was named the most cited economist of the past 10 years. --- [Web page] (https://economics.mit.edu/people/faculty/daron-acemoglu) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=l9Or8EMAAAAJ&hl=en) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daron_Acemoglu) --- [Amazon author page] (https://www.amazon.com/stores/Daron-Acemoglu/author/B001H6IPC6?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=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

22 Jul 2024

1 HR 17 MINS

1:17:43

22 Jul 2024

#332

282 | Joel David Hamkins on Puzzles of Reality and Infinity

The philosophy of mathematics would be so much easier if it weren't for infinity. The concept seems natural, but taking it seriously opens the door to counterintuitive results. As mathematician and philosopher Joel David Hamkins says in this conversation, when we say that the natural numbers are "0, 1, 2, 3, and so on," that "and so on" is hopelessly vague. We talk about different ways to think about the puzzles of infinity, how they might be resolved, and implications for mathematical realism. Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/07/15/282-joel-david-hamkins-on-puzzles-of-reality-and-infinity/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/07/15/282-joel-david-hamkins-on-puzzles-of-reality-and-infinity/) Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Joel David Hamkins received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently the John Cardinal O'Hara Professor of Logic at the University of Notre Dame. He is a pioneer of the idea of the [set theory multiverse] (https://arxiv.org/abs/1108.4223) . He is the top-rated user by reputation score on [MathOverflow] (https://meta.mathoverflow.net/a/1902) . He is currently working on [The Book of Infinity] (https://www.infinitelymore.xyz/s/the-book-of-infinity) , to be published by MIT Press. --- [Web site] (https://jdh.hamkins.org/) --- [Notre Dame web page] (https://philosophy.nd.edu/people/faculty/joel-david-hamkins/) --- [Substack] (https://www.infinitelymore.xyz/) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=MHLQDYQAAAAJ&hl=en) --- [PhilPeople profile] (https://philpeople.org/profiles/joel-david-hamkins) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_David_Hamkins) 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

15 Jul 2024

1 HR 18 MINS

1:18:23

15 Jul 2024

#331

Ask Me Anything | July 2024

Welcome to the July 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 questions and transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/07/08/ama-july-2024/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/07/08/ama-july-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

08 Jul 2024

3 HR 21 MINS

3:21:50

08 Jul 2024

#330

281 | Samir Okasha on the Philosophy of Agency and Evolution

Just like with physics, in biology it is perfectly possible to do most respectable work without thinking much about philosophy, but there are unmistakably foundational questions where philosophy becomes crucial. When do we say that a collection of matter (or bits) is alive? When does it become an agent, capable of making decisions? What are the origins of morality and altruistic behavior? We talk with one of the world's leading experts, Samir Okasha, about the biggest issues in modern philosophy of biology. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/07/01/281-samir-okasha-on-the-philosophy-of-agency-and-evolution/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/07/01/281-samir-okasha-on-the-philosophy-of-agency-and-evolution/) Samir Okasha received his D.Phil. in Philosophy from the University of Oxford. He is currently Professor of the Philosophy of Science at the University of Bristol. He is a winner of the Lakatos Award for his book [Evolution and the Levels of Selection] (https://academic.oup.com/book/3059) , and is a Fellow of the British Academy. --- [University of Bristol web page] (https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/samir-okasha) --- [PhilPeople profile] (https://philpeople.org/profiles/samir-okasha) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=DgX1tEUAAAAJ&hl=en) --- [Amazon author page] (https://www.amazon.com/stores/Samir-Okasha/author/B001IXTTP0) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samir_Okasha) 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

01 Jul 2024

1 HR 11 MINS

1:11:46

01 Jul 2024

#329

280 | François Chollet on Deep Learning and the Meaning of Intelligence

Which is more intelligent, [ChatGPT or a 3-year old] (https://x.com/fchollet/status/1804637653880733761) ? Of course this depends on what we mean by "intelligence." A modern LLM is certainly able to answer all sorts of questions that require knowledge far past the capacity of a 3-year old, and even to perform synthetic tasks that seem remarkable to many human grown-ups. But is that really intelligence? François Chollet argues that it is not, and that LLMs are not ever going to be truly "intelligent" in the usual sense -- although other approaches to AI might get there. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/06/24/280-francois-chollet-on-deep-learning-and-the-meaning-of-intelligence/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/06/24/280-francois-chollet-on-deep-learning-and-the-meaning-of-intelligence/) François Chollet received his Diplôme d'Ingénieur from École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées, Paris. He is currently a Senior Staff Engineer at Google. He has been awarded the Global Swiss AI award for breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. He is the author of [Deep Learning with Python] (https://www.manning.com/books/deep-learning-with-python-second-edition) , and developer of the [Keras] (https://keras.io/) software library for neural networks. He is the creator of the [ARC (Abstraction and Reasoning Corpus) Challenge.] (https://arcprize.org/blog/launch) --- [Web site] (https://fchollet.com/) --- [Github] (https://github.com/fchollet) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VfYhf2wAAAAJ&hl=en) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Chollet) --- ["On the Measure of Intelligence"] (https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.01547) 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

24 Jun 2024

1 HR 41 MINS

1:41:49

24 Jun 2024

#328

279 | Ellen Langer on Mindfulness and the Body

For those of us who are not dualists, the mind arises from our physical bodies -- mostly the brain, but the rest of the body has a role to play. And yet it remains tempting to treat the mind as a thing in itself, disconnected from how the body is doing. Ellen Langer is a psychologist who is one of the foremost researchers on the idea of mindfulness -- the cognitive skill of paying to one's thoughts, as well as to one's external environment. Her most recent book is [The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/705365/the-mindful-body-by-ellen-j-langer/) . We talk about how our state of mind can effect the functions of our body, sometimes in surprising ways. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/06/17/279-ellen-langer-on-mindfulness-and-the-body/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/06/17/279-ellen-langer-on-mindfulness-and-the-body/) Ellen Langer received her Ph.D. in Social and Clinical Psychology from Yale University. She is currently a professor of psychology at Harvard University. She is also an artist with multiple gallery exhibitions. Among her awards are a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Liberty Science Center Genius Award. --- [Web site] (https://www.ellenlanger.me/) --- [Harvard web page] (https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/ellen-langer) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C21&q=ellen+langer&btnG=) --- [Amazon book page] (https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ellen-J.-Langer/author/B000APFZIW) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Langer) 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

17 Jun 2024

1 HR 11 MINS

1:11:51

17 Jun 2024

#327

278 | Kieran Healy on the Technology of Ranking People

We claim to love all of our children, friends, and students equally. But perhaps deep down you assign a ranking to them, from favorite to not-so-favorite. Ranking and quantifying people is an irresistible human tendency, and modern technology has made it ubiquitous. In this episode I talk with sociologist Kieran Healy, who has co-authored (with [Marion Fourcade] (http://www.marionfourcade.org/) ) the new book [The Ordinal Society] (https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674971141) , about how our lives are measured and processed by the technological ecosystem around us. We discuss how this has changed how relate to ourselves and the wider world. Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/06/10/278-kieran-healy-on-the-technology-of-ranking-people/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/06/10/278-kieran-healy-on-the-technology-of-ranking-people/) Kieran Healy received his Ph.D. in sociology from Princeton University. He is currently a professor of sociology at Duke University, and a member of the Kenan Institute for Ethics. As an undergraduate at University College Cork he won the Irish Times National Debating competition. He has a longstanding interest in [data visualization] (https://kieranhealy.org/publications/dataviz/) . --- [Web site] (https://kieranhealy.org/) --- [Duke web page] (https://sociology.duke.edu/kieran-healy) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YWEuPuIAAAAJ&hl=en) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kieran_Healy) 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

10 Jun 2024

1 HR 15 MINS

1:15:56

10 Jun 2024

#326

AMA | June 2024

Welcome to the June 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 show notes, questions, and transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/06/03/ama-jun-2024/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/06/03/ama-jun-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

03 Jun 2024

3 HR 58 MINS

3:58:45

03 Jun 2024

#325

277 | Cumrun Vafa on the Universe According to String Theory

String theory, the current leading candidate for a theory of quantum gravity as well as other particles and forces, doesn't connect directly to the world we see. It's possible that there is a large [landscape] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_theory_landscape) of possible states of theory, with the hope that one of them represents our universe. The existence of a landscape implies the existence of a corresponding [swampland] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swampland_(physics)) -- universes that arenotcompatible with string theory. I talk with Cumrun Vafa, a respected physicist and originator of the swampland program, about how we might use constraints on what kinds of physics are compatible with string theory to make predictions about cosmology and other experimental regimes. In the conversation we refer to a famous diagram representing different ten-dimensional string theories, as well as 11-dimensional M-theory, as different limits of an [underlying fundamental theory] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-theory) . Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/05/27/277-cumrun-vafa-on-the-universe-according-to-string-theory/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/05/27/277-cumrun-vafa-on-the-universe-according-to-string-theory/) Cumrun Vafa received his Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University. He is currently [Hollis Professor of Mathematicks] (https://www.colonialsociety.org/node/3073) and Natural Philosophy, and Chair of the Physics Department, at Harvard University. He has done fundamental work on the dynamics of superstrings, the entropy of black holes, F-theory, and other topics. Among his awards are the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, the Dirac Medal, and the Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of the book [Puzzles to Unravel the Universe] (https://www.amazon.com/Puzzles-Unravel-Universe-Cumrun-Vafa-ebook/dp/B08D75KNDP/) . --- [Web site] (https://www.cumrunvafa.org/) --- [Harvard web page] (https://www.physics.harvard.edu/people/facpages/vafa) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LJQ0k-AAAAAJ&hl=en) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumrun_Vafa) 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

27 May 2024

1 HR 22 MINS

1:22:25

27 May 2024

#324

276 | Gavin Schmidt on Measuring, Predicting, and Protecting Our Climate

The Earth's climate keeps changing, largely due to the effects of human activity, and we haven't been doing enough to slow things down. Indeed, over the past year, global temperatures have been higher than ever, and higher than most climate models have predicted. Many of you have probably seen plots like [this] (https://berkeleyearth.org/march-2024-temperature-update/) . Today's guest, Gavin Schmidt, has been a leader in measuring the variations in Earth's climate, modeling its likely future trajectory, and working to get the word out. We talk about the current state of the art, and what to expect for the future. Support Mindscape onP [atreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/05/20/276-gavin-schmidt-on-measuring-predicting-and-protecting-our-climate/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/05/20/276-gavin-schmidt-on-measuring-predicting-and-protecting-our-climate/) Gavin Schmidt received his Ph.D. in applied mathematics from University College London. He is currently Director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and an affiliate of the Center for Climate Systems Research at Columbia University. His research involves both measuring and modeling climate variability. Among his awards are the inaugural Climate Communications Prize of the American Geophysical Union. He is a cofounder of the [RealClimate blog] (https://www.realclimate.org/) . --- [NASA web page] (https://www.giss.nasa.gov/staff/gschmidt/) --- [Columbia web page] (https://people.climate.columbia.edu/users/profile/gavin-schmidt) --- [Google Scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TKPXa3UAAAAJ&hl=en) --- [Wikipedia] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_Schmidt) 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

20 May 2024

1 HR 19 MINS

1:19:48

20 May 2024

#323

275 | Solo: Quantum Fields, Particles, Forces, and Symmetries

Publication week! Say hello to [Quanta and Fields] (https://www.amazon.com/Quanta-Fields-Biggest-Ideas-Universe/dp/0593186605/) , the second volume of the planned three-volume series [The Biggest Ideas in the Universe] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/biggestideas/) . This volume covers quantum physics generally, but focuses especially on the wonders of quantum field theory. To celebrate, this solo podcast talks about some of the big ideas that make QFT so compelling: how quantized fields produce particles, how gauge symmetries lead to forces of nature, and how those forces can manifest in different phases, including Higgs and confinement. Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/05/13/275-solo-quantum-fields-particles-forces-and-symmetries/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/05/13/275-solo-quantum-fields-particles-forces-and-symmetries/) 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

13 May 2024

2 HR 12 MINS

2:12:27

13 May 2024

#322

AMA | May 2024

Welcome to the May 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 questions and transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/05/06/ama-may-2024/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/05/06/ama-may-2024/) Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Here is the [memorial to Dan Dennett at Ars Technica] (https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/04/philosopher-daniel-dennett-dead-at-82/) . 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 May 2024

3 HR 35 MINS

3:35:08

06 May 2024

#321

274 | Gizem Gumuskaya on Building Robots from Human Cells

Modern biology is advancing by leaps and bounds, not only in understanding how organisms work, but in learning how to modify them in interesting ways. One exciting frontier is the study of tiny "robots" created from living molecules and cells, rather than metal and plastic. Gizem Gumuskaya, who works with previous guest [Michael Levin] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2021/02/01/132-michael-levin-on-growth-form-information-and-the-self/) , has created anthrobots, a new kind of structure made from living human cells. We talk about how that works, what they can do, and what future developments might bring. Blog post with transcript: [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/04/29/274-gizem-gumuskaya-on-building-robots-from-human-cells/] (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/04/29/274-gizem-gumuskaya-on-building-robots-from-human-cells/) Support Mindscape on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll) . Gimez Gumuskaya received her Ph.D. from Tufts University and the Harvard Wyss Institute for Biologically-Inspired Engineering. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Tufts University. She previously received a dual master's degree in Architecture and Synthetic Biology from MIT. --- [Web site] (https://www.gizemgumuskaya.com/home) --- [Google scholar publications] (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=9_717CsAAAAJ&hl=en) --- [Anthrobots web site] (https://www.anthrobots.info/) 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

29 Apr 2024

1 HR 10 MINS

1:10:09

29 Apr 2024

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