The Cosmos and Us | Crash Course Pods: The Universe #9

The Stability of the Universe

• The conversation begins by discussing the stability of the universe on different time scales.
• The speaker notes that the universe is relatively stable on a galactic scale for billions of years, but less so on a solar system scale and even less so on a human scale.

Human Lifespan and Celestial Phenomena

• The speaker mentions that the human lifespan is only 250,000 years and that reaching a point where the sun becomes a problem would be a significant achievement.
• The conversation then shifts to the historical connection between human events and celestial phenomena, specifically referencing the Black Death and eclipses.

Seeking Explanations

• The speaker suggests that people have historically sought explanations for events like the Black Death in celestial occurrences, reflecting a desire for external causes.
• The speaker contrasts this with the scientific approach, which emphasizes evidence-based reasoning, testable hypotheses, and rigorous methodology.

Astrology and Astronomy

• The speaker discusses the relationship between astrology and astronomy, noting that early astronomers often studied the stars in the context of astrology, seeking to find meaning in celestial events and connect them to human behavior.
• The speaker argues that while early astronomers may have used astrology to understand the world, it doesn't necessarily mean that astrology itself has any deep meaning.

The Drive to Find Meaning

• The speaker suggests that humans have a natural tendency to seek patterns and connections, and this drive to find meaning is reflected in the history of science.
• The speaker points out that many early scientific endeavors, such as alchemy, were driven by a desire to understand the world and how humans fit into it, rather than purely scientific inquiry.

Science and Meaning-Making

• The speaker highlights the tension between creating meaning and deriving meaning, suggesting that science is both a process of discovering truth and a way of making sense of the world.
• The speaker emphasizes that the work of science often involves creating mathematical models that accurately represent observations, essentially creating a "mathematical cartoon" of the universe.

The Scientific Process

• The scientific process involves refining mathematical models to better represent observed data.
• When new data is collected, scientists assess whether the existing model accurately predicts the new data.

Limitations of Scientific Models

• If the model fails to predict the new data, it must be adjusted to accommodate the broader context.
• The goal of science is to create useful models that can predict the results of future experiments, expanding our understanding of the universe.

The Utility of Science

• However, it is impossible to know if these models accurately reflect reality, as we are limited by the data we can collect.
• This limitation is analogous to video game graphics, where the representation of reality improves over time, but never fully captures the real world.

Comparing Models

• Scientists cannot compare their models to an external reality, as they are within the universe they are studying.
• The process of comparing different models against data helps scientists determine which model is more likely to be accurate.

The Purpose of Science

• While some argue that science should be useful, others believe that the pursuit of understanding is sufficient.
• The term "useful" can have different meanings for physicists and the general public.

Theoretical Physics and Real-World Applications

• Physicists consider a model useful if it allows them to make predictions about future experiments, expanding their understanding.
• While some scientific discoveries may not have immediate applications, many eventually find real-world uses.

The Value of Fundamental Research

• Theoretical physics often raises questions about the purpose of science and its relationship to the real world.
• Theoretical cosmologists face challenges in explaining the real-world implications of their work, as their research often focuses on fundamental understanding rather than immediate applications.

The Long-Term Benefits of Research

• The speaker highlights the historical pattern of theoretical physics advancements leading to new technologies, citing examples like GPS and positron emission tomography (PET scans).
• The speaker emphasizes that fundamental research, while not always driven by immediate technological goals, has a significant return on investment in the long term.

Personal Motivation for Science

• The speaker expresses a personal motivation for pursuing theoretical cosmology, stating that it allows them to understand and express their thoughts and ideas in a meaningful way.

Collaboration in Science

• The speaker highlights the collaborative nature of physics, emphasizing the importance of working together to solve problems and understand the universe.
• The speaker describes the collaborative nature of scientific research at the Perimeter Institute, where scientists constantly engage in discussions, write equations on blackboards, and share ideas.

The Interconnectedness of Knowledge

• The speaker emphasizes that this collaboration extends beyond the present, connecting them to past scientists like Einstein and Mayan astronomers.
• The speaker draws a parallel to the collaborative nature of artistic creation, citing their own collaboration with writers like Shakespeare and Toni Morrison.

The Beauty of Human Understanding

• The speaker expresses their appreciation for the interconnectedness of knowledge across time and space, finding beauty in the idea that human understanding can transcend death.
• The speaker expresses their fascination with the idea that the protons in their body can be traced back to the Big Bang and that matter cannot be created or destroyed.

Meaning and the Universe

• The speaker acknowledges the potential for misinterpreting scientific concepts to create meaning, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between scientific facts and personal interpretations.
• The speaker believes that while the universe may not inherently provide meaning, humans have the capacity to create their own meaning within it.

The Construction of Meaning

• The speaker believes that meaning is constructed, not intrinsic to the universe.
• The speaker finds beauty in the way humans fit into the cosmos and how they fit together, even if that beauty is constructed.

Finding Meaning in Coincidence

• The speaker draws inspiration from Amy Cross Rosenthal's observation that meaning can be found in coincidence, even if it is just coincidence.
• The speaker believes that meaning is still real, even if it is constructed, and that it is a beautiful thing to be able to create meaning for oneself.

The Human Web of Meaning-Making

• The speaker finds comfort in the idea that humans are part of a great human web of meaning-making and that each person contributes to it.
• The speaker believes that even after death, the ways in which people constructed meaning and the people with whom they constructed it will continue to be shaped by their meaning-making.

Determinism and the Universe

• The speaker believes that the universe came into being and that everything that happened after that had to happen the way it did.
• The speaker believes that the far future is inevitable on the scale of the universe and that everything that has happened, including the speaker's own life, was always going to happen.

Quantum Uncertainty and Chaos

• Quantum uncertainty is the idea that there is a limit to how well we can measure things on a quantum level. This is related to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which states that we cannot know both the position and momentum of a particle perfectly at the same time.
• The phenomenon of superposition suggests that a particle can exist in multiple states simultaneously until it is measured.

The Influence of Quantum Uncertainty

• Quantum uncertainty can influence the formation of large-scale structures in the universe, such as clusters of galaxies.
• Chaos theory suggests that small changes in initial conditions can lead to significant differences in outcomes.

The Uniqueness of Our Existence

• The combination of quantum uncertainty and chaos suggests that even if the initial conditions of the universe were the same, the specific details of our existence, such as our birth date and life experiences, would likely be different in a different universe.
• The speaker compares the universe to a marble experiment where marbles are dropped through a box with pins, creating a bell curve distribution.

The Statistical Nature of the Universe

• The speaker suggests that while the universe might be statistically similar each time it's "rerun," the details could be different.
• The speaker expresses resistance to discussing free will and human choice, stating that it's not a topic within their expertise in cosmology.

The Complexity of Free Will

• The speaker also feels that contemplating free will can lead to mental difficulties without any benefit.
• The speaker believes that life is a mix of initial conditions and choices, with individuals having varying degrees of wiggle room based on their origins, childhoods, resources, and brain/personality development.

The Unpredictability of Life

• The speaker concludes that it's impossible and potentially unhelpful to definitively determine whether a choice is a result of trauma or a bad decision.
• The speaker suggests that individual lives, like the universe, might have fluctuations that shape outcomes, leading to variations in the "bell curve" of life experiences.

The Beauty of the Universe

• The speaker believes that while the universe is inherently unfair, it is also beautiful.
• They argue that the universe's beauty justifies the existence of life and makes it worthwhile to seek understanding.

Finding Wonder in the Details

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of finding beauty and wonder in the details of life, even within constraints or predetermined paths.
• They suggest that the pursuit of understanding is often guided by a desire for surprise and novelty, which is a common trait among scientists.

The Motivations of Scientists

• The speaker highlights the difference between the public's perception of science and the actual motivations of scientists, who often seek out unexpected and exciting discoveries.
• Scientists are always looking for places where their current theories break down.

The Importance of Breaking Models

• This is because finding these places allows them to develop more comprehensive and accurate theories.
• An example of this is the development of general relativity, which was born out of the limitations of Newton's Laws of Gravitation.

The Large Hadron Collider

• The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a prime example of a tool used to test the limits of current theories.
• The discovery of the Higgs boson was a major success for the LHC, but scientists are eager to find new particles that would challenge existing models.

The Pursuit of Novelty

• The search for new particles and phenomena is driven by a desire for novelty and a belief that breaking existing models leads to better understanding.
• This pursuit of surprise and wonder is a key aspect of scientific inquiry, alongside the goal of understanding.

The Joy of Exploration

• The process of scientific discovery is not just about understanding, but also about meaning-making, puzzle-solving, and the joy of exploration.
• The speakers discuss the connection between art and science, specifically the appreciation for both novelty and coherence in both fields.

Novelty and Coherence in Art and Science

• They note that both art and science involve finding surprising elements within established structures, such as the structure of a sonnet or the framework of scientific understanding.
• The speakers highlight the importance of skepticism in science, but also emphasize the excitement of discovering new and unexpected phenomena that fit within existing knowledge.

Human Curiosity and Understanding

• They connect this appreciation for novelty and coherence to human nature, suggesting that our inherent curiosity and desire for understanding drive both artistic and scientific endeavors.
• The speakers acknowledge that science is conducted by humans, who bring their own biases and evolutionary quirks to the process.

The Remarkable Journey of Life

• They conclude that our ability to use our "animal proclivities" towards novelty and coherence to understand the universe is a remarkable and positive aspect of human nature.
• The speaker expresses gratitude for the ability to explore the universe and acknowledges the remarkable journey of life from the oceans to the present.

Acknowledgements and Future Episodes

• The speaker expresses appreciation for Katie Mack's insights and contributions to the podcast.
• The speaker announces that the next episode will focus on the future of the universe, promising further exploration and questions.

Production Credits and Support

• The speaker acknowledges the production team and expresses gratitude to the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
• The speaker encourages viewers to support Crash Course through Patreon.