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    • Streamline your hiring process with IndeedIndeed helps employers save time and connect with top candidates with over 350 million monthly visitors and a robust matching engine. Employers agree that Indeed delivers the highest quality matches compared to other job sites, and Mindscape listeners can receive a $75 sponsored job credit to increase visibility for job postings.

      When it comes to hiring, instead of actively searching for candidates, utilizing a platform like Indeed can streamline the process and provide high-quality matches. With over 350 million monthly visitors and a robust matching engine, Indeed helps employers save time and connect with top candidates. Additionally, Indeed delivers the highest quality matches compared to other job sites, as agreed by 93% of employers. For Mindscape listeners, there's an added incentive with a $75 sponsored job credit to increase visibility for job postings. Overall, Indeed is an essential tool for efficient and effective hiring. Moving on to the podcast, the host, Sean Carroll, shares his motivation for starting the podcast. As a physicist, he's always been curious about various subjects beyond his field, but his academic role limits his ability to explore them professionally. Inspired by podcast hosts who can discuss any topic with experts, he saw an opportunity to engage in thought-provoking conversations on a wide range of ideas. The podcast would serve as a platform for him to explore diverse topics with experts, without the constraints of academic research.

    • Exploring deep ideas with intelligent individualsThrough insightful conversations with experts, this podcast aims to make complex ideas accessible and foster respectful dialogue.

      The podcast will focus on deep conversations with intelligent individuals from various fields, exploring their unique perspectives on significant ideas. The host aims to delve into substantial topics, making the content accessible to everyone without the use of technical jargon. While it's unlikely to have guests like Lady Gaga, the conversations will revolve around their expertise rather than personal anecdotes or celebrity gossip. The host intends to learn from these interactions, improve his understanding of unfamiliar ideas, and engage in thoughtful disagreements. He acknowledges his own tendency to react dismissively to opposing viewpoints and aims to change this behavior, fostering a more productive and respectful dialogue for the benefit of himself and his listeners. Additionally, the host shares his belief that rationality is challenging and requires effort, as the human brain is not naturally inclined towards it.

    • The Human Brain's Limitations in Logical ThinkingOur brains take shortcuts, using heuristics and biases, leading to subjective reasoning and decision-making. Awareness of these limitations is crucial for effective communication and understanding of information.

      The human brain, while efficient in its computational processes, is not always logical or objective in its reasoning. We have evolved to solve certain problems, and while we are good at many things, logical mathematical constructions are not always among them. Our brains take shortcuts, using heuristics and rules of thumb, which can lead to cognitive biases. The choice of what we pay attention to and what facts we focus on is also subjective and influenced by our individual perspectives and experiences. The efficiency of the human brain allows us to function without melting down like a computer, but it also means we can't be fully objective in our thinking and decision-making. This has implications for how we communicate and process information, and highlights the importance of being aware of our biases and the limitations of our own perspectives.

    • The way we direct our attention shapes our understanding of complex conceptsPersonal preferences and focus influence interpretation of scientific theories and human experiences; metaphorically, artists' attention to both foreground and background enhances understanding.

      The way we direct our attention plays a significant role in how we understand and interpret complex concepts, whether in science or in human experiences. In the context of scientific theories, like the interpretations of quantum mechanics, our personal preferences and what we choose to focus on can influence which theory we favor. Some people prioritize a theory's ability to directly explain the tangible world around us, while others value its underlying formalism and mathematical elegance. Similarly, in human experiences, such as dealing with sensitive issues like sexual harassment, paying attention to different aspects and perspectives can lead to a better understanding and response. The artist's ability to give equal attention to both the foreground and background of a picture serves as a metaphor for the importance of training our attention to become more rational and informed in our complicated world.

    • Perspective and Prioritization in ControversyIt's crucial to remember the potential devastating impact of misconduct on victims, rather than focusing solely on the accused.

      Our attention and focus in situations of controversy or scandal, particularly those involving allegations of misconduct, often skews towards the accused rather than the victims. This was evident in an email written by a department chair at UC Berkeley in response to the sexual harassment allegations against Geoffrey Marcy. While it's understandable for us to empathize with those in difficult situations, it's crucial to remember the potential devastating impact such behavior can have on victims. This issue of perspective and prioritization is an essential aspect of being more rational and understanding the world better. It's a theme that should be explored further in the podcast, focusing on the importance and significance of the topics discussed, rather than just their novelty or interest.

    • Exploring new ideas and perspectives through open discussionsEngaging in open-minded conversations can lead to personal growth and new discoveries for all involved

      Engaging in thoughtful and open-minded discussions with others, as well as being open to learning and potentially changing one's own perspectives, can lead to new discoveries and a more enriching experience for all involved. The journey of exploration and discovery, whether it be about favorite ideas or new concepts, can be both personally fulfilling and enjoyable for the individual, as well as for those who join along. It's important to remember that no one has all the answers and that being willing to listen, learn, and adapt is an essential part of growth. So, let's embark on this journey together, with a curious mind, an open heart, and a willingness to engage in meaningful and thought-provoking conversations.

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

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

    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. 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.

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    Blog post with transcript: 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.


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

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

    Publication week! Say hello to Quanta and Fields, the second volume of the planned three-volume series The Biggest Ideas in the Universe. 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/

    Support Mindscape on Patreon.

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    AMA | May 2024

    AMA | May 2024

    Welcome to the May 2024 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (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/

    Support Mindscape on Patreon.

    Here is the memorial to Dan Dennett at Ars Technica.

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    274 | Gizem Gumuskaya on Building Robots from Human Cells

    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, 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/

    Support Mindscape on Patreon.

    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.

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    273 | Stefanos Geroulanos on the Invention of Prehistory

    273 | Stefanos Geroulanos on the Invention of Prehistory

    Humanity itself might be the hardest thing for scientists to study fairly and accurately. Not only do we come to the subject with certain inevitable preconceptions, but it's hard to resist the temptation to find scientific justifications for the stories we'd like to tell about ourselves. In his new book, The Invention of Prehistory, Stefanos Geroulanos looks at the ways that we have used -- and continue to use -- supposedly-scientific tales of prehistoric humanity to bolster whatever cultural, social, and political purposes we have at the moment.

    Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/04/22/273-stefanos-geroulanos-on-the-invention-of-prehistory/

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    Stefanos Geroulanos received his Ph.D. in humanities from Johns Hopkins. He is currently director of the Remarque Institute and a professor of history at New York University. He is the author and editor of a number of books on European intellectual history. He serves as a Co-Executive Editor of the Journal of the History of Ideas.


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    272 | Leslie Valiant on Learning and Educability in Computers and People

    272 | Leslie Valiant on Learning and Educability in Computers and People

    Science is enabled by the fact that the natural world exhibits predictability and regularity, at least to some extent. Scientists collect data about what happens in the world, then try to suggest "laws" that capture many phenomena in simple rules. A small irony is that, while we are looking for nice compact rules, there aren't really nice compact rules about how to go about doing that. Today's guest, Leslie Valiant, has been a pioneer in understanding how computers can and do learn things about the world. And in his new book, The Importance of Being Educable, he pinpoints this ability to learn new things as the crucial feature that distinguishes us as human beings. We talk about where that capability came from and what its role is as artificial intelligence becomes ever more prevalent.

    Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/04/15/272-leslie-valiant-on-learning-and-educability-in-computers-and-people/

    Support Mindscape on Patreon.

    Leslie Valiant received his Ph.D. in computer science from Warwick University. He is currently the T. Jefferson Coolidge Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at Harvard University. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Knuth Prize, and the Turing Award, and he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences as well as a Fellow of the Royal Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is the pioneer of "Probably Approximately Correct" learning, which he wrote about in a book of the same name.

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    AMA | April 2024

    AMA | April 2024

    Welcome to the April 2024 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (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/2024/04/08/ama-april-2024/

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    271 | Claudia de Rham on Modifying General Relativity

    271 | Claudia de Rham on Modifying General Relativity

    Einstein's theory of general relativity has been our best understanding of gravity for over a century, withstanding a variety of experimental challenges of ever-increasing precision. But we have to be open to the possibility that general relativity -- even at the classical level, aside from any questions of quantum gravity -- isn't the right theory of gravity. Such speculation is motivated by cosmology, where we have a good model of the universe but one with a number of loose ends. Claudia de Rham has been a leader in exploring how gravity could be modified in cosmologically interesting ways, and we discuss the current state of the art as well as future prospects.

    Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/04/01/271-claudia-de-rham-on-modifying-general-relativity/

    Support Mindscape on Patreon.

    Claudia de Rham received her Ph.D. in physics from the University of Cambridge. She is currently a professor of physics and deputy department head at Imperial College, London. She is a Simons Foundation Investigator, winner of the Blavatnik Award, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her new book is The Beauty of Falling: A Life in Pursuit of Gravity.


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    270 | Solo: The Coming Transition in How Humanity Lives

    270 | Solo: The Coming Transition in How Humanity Lives

    Technology is changing the world, in good and bad ways. Artificial intelligence, internet connectivity, biological engineering, and climate change are dramatically altering the parameters of human life. What can we say about how this will extend into the future? Will the pace of change level off, or smoothly continue, or hit a singularity in a finite time? In this informal solo episode, I think through what I believe will be some of the major forces shaping how human life will change over the decades to come, exploring the very real possibility that we will experience a dramatic phase transition into a new kind of equilibrium.

    Blog post with transcript and links to additional resources: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/03/25/270-solo-the-coming-transition-in-how-humanity-lives/

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    269 | Sahar Heydari Fard on Complexity, Justice, and Social Dynamics

    269 | Sahar Heydari Fard on Complexity, Justice, and Social Dynamics

    When it comes to social change, two questions immediately present themselves: What kind of change do we want to see happen? And, how do we bring it about? These questions are distinct but related; there's not much point in spending all of our time wanting change that won't possibly happen, or working for change that wouldn't actually be good. Addressing such issues lies at the intersection of philosophy, political science, and social dynamics. Sahar Heydari Fard looks at all of these issues through the lens of complex systems theory, to better understand how the world works and how it might be improved.

    Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/03/18/269-sahar-heydari-fard-on-complexity-justice-and-social-dynamics/

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    Sahar Heydari Fard received a Masters in applied economics and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Cincinnati. She is currently an assistant professor in philosophy at the Ohio State University. Her research lies at the intersection of social and behavioral sciences, social and political philosophy, and ethics, using tools from complex systems theory.


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    Related Episodes

    Holiday Message 2018

    Holiday Message 2018
    There won't be any regular episodes of Mindscape this week or next, as we take a holiday break. Regular service will resume on Monday January 7, 2019. In the meantime, here is a special Holiday Message. Most likely it will be of interest to very few people -- there's no real substantive content, just me talking about the State of the Podcast and some other things I've been doing. Thanks to everyone for listening, here's looking toward great things in 2019! Support Mindscape on Patreon or Paypal. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    AMA | April 2022

    AMA | April 2022

    Welcome to the April 2022 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). I take the large number of questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable size — 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!

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    AMA | July 2022

    AMA | July 2022

    Welcome to the July 2022 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). I take the large number of questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable size — 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.

    Big news this week! Mindscape is working with Bold.org to sponsor a college scholarship for students interested in studying the fundamental nature of reality. Listeners can find more details and donate here. Our immediate goal is to raise $10,000, and I will match the first $5,000, so this shouldn’t be too hard for us here. Hopefully we can raise much more! And hopefully this will help encourage someone who might not otherwise have been able to study this kind of topic.

    Support Mindscape on Patreon.

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    AMA | June 2022

    AMA | June 2022

    Welcome to the June 2022 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! We are inaugurating a slightly different publication schedule, in which these monthly AMA will take the place of one of the regular Monday episodes, rather than being in addition to all of them. A slight tweak that will hopefully make my obligations a little more manageable.

    These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). I take the large number of questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable size — 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!


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    AMA | May 2022

    AMA | May 2022

    Welcome to the May 2022 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). I take the large number of questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable size — 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.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.