How to Make Use of Our Limited Time in This Tiny Part of Space with Sean Carroll

Inquiring Minds

Science, Society & Culture, Neuroscience, Female Host, Interview, Social Sciences, Critical Thinking

4.4 • 848 Ratings

🗓️ 7 March 2022

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

During the pandemic, one thing we’ve had a little more of--at least sometimes--is time. Time to panic and stress and worry, but also time to think and reflect. This week, in the spirit of reflection, we’re revisiting a conversation with theoretical physicist Sean Carroll recorded back in 2016. At the time he had just written a book called The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself, which explores questions about purpose and belief and meaning. Today, in 2022, his book is even more poignant. If you’ve ever found yourself feeling woefully insignificant relative to the vastness of space and time, Carroll’s perspective might just change your life. He argues that since we only have a limited time in a tiny part of space, we need to make good use of every heartbeat. The Big Picture is a poetic overview of the known universe, with deep insights into the human experience.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You and Betty and the nancy's and bills and joes and james will find in the study of science a richer, more rewarding life.
0:10.7	Welcome to Inquiring Minds. I'm Andrey Viscontas. This is a podcast that explores the space where science and society collide.
0:18.9	We want to find out what's true, what's left to discover, and why it matters.
0:27.3	During the pandemic, maybe one thing that we've had a little more of, at least at times, is time, time to panic and
0:41.7	stress and worry, but also maybe time to think and reflect. This week, in the spirit of reflection,
0:51.3	we're revisiting a conversation I had with theoretical physicist Sean Carroll back in
0:56.4	2016. At the time, he had just written a book called The Big Picture on the origins of life,
1:02.8	meaning, and the universe itself, which explores questions about purpose and belief and meaning,
1:09.2	told through the voice of a thoughtful physicist.
1:12.9	I still love that book.
1:15.0	Today, the book and Sean's thoughts about it are even more poignant.
1:22.1	Welcome to Inquiring Minds Sean Carroll.
1:24.7	Thanks. Thanks for having me on.
1:26.0	It's not often that we have a theoretical
1:27.7	physicist on the show because there aren't that many of you around. And those that are around
1:33.2	don't seem to be able to translate what you're doing in a way that I can understand, at least.
1:38.8	Yeah, I think, you know, I'm a big believer in communication and outreach and so forth,
1:43.1	but I think that it's every field
1:45.2	has an obligation to reach out and explain what it's doing, but not every individual person. And there's
1:49.7	plenty of physicists that I know that I love dearly and are great scientists and I don't want
1:53.9	them talking to the public. Yeah, I feel the same way about neuroscience. And yet, you know,
1:59.9	here I have a list of questions or topics more so that I want to
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Inquiring Minds, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Inquiring Minds and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.