Mindscape 245 | Solo: The Crisis in Physics

Patreon: / seanmcarroll
Blog post with audio player, show notes, and transcript: www.preposterousuniverse.com/...
Physics is in crisis, what else is new? That's what we hear in certain corners, anyway, usually pointed at "fundamental" physics of particles and fields. (Condensed matter and biophysics etc. are just fine.) In this solo podcast I ruminate on the unusual situation fundamental physics finds itself in, where we have a theoretical understanding that fits almost all the data, but which nobody believes to be the final answer. I talk about how we got here, and argue that it's not really a "crisis" in any real sense. But there are ways I think the academic community could handle the problem better, especially by making more space for respectable but minority approaches to deep puzzles.
Mindscape Podcast playlist: • Mindscape Podcast
Sean Carroll channel: / seancarroll
#podcast #ideas #science #philosophy #culture

[@gtziavelis]

Sean is interested in what his guests have to say, and so am I, but I am just as interested, if not much more, in what Sean himself has to say, so the occasional solo episode is a real treat for curious minds. Thank you Sean and patrons!

[@vee__7]

Sean is Sean's best guest lol.

[@mrloop1530]

What a coincidence that you are interested in what are being said on the podcast to which you are listening.

[@gtziavelis]

@@mrloop1530 I had a two-part point and you just told me that you noticed the first part, and that's all. OK, understood. to reiterate, the second part is where I say that a Sean Carroll solo episode is a real treat, and I stand by it 😎

[@skat9000]

Dear Professor Carrol. I think this episode was brilliant. For me it was like catching up on the state of the art in theoretical physics. I have a PhD in applied physics and I was always left with the emptiness of not fully understanding the most basic (and hardest to learn) principles of physics. Thank you very much for your work on your podcast, I enjoy every episode while walking the dog.

[@gorbalsboy]

Well done saying this ,very brave.all the best from sunny Troon 😊

[@NomenNescio99]

Make sure you enjoy and appreciate every one of the walks with your dog. My best friend since 13 years left us a few weeks ago and words can not describe how much I miss him.

[@Doozy_Titter]

It's really amazing to have a physicist of this calibre to rumble on history and ideas of physics.

[@NaneuxPeeBrane]

Sean "I dont want to go into too many details" Carroll

[@evcoproductions]

Sean's level head and depth of knowledge is such a beacon in these times.

[@HeWhoRoamsAimlessly]

Most people I know: "you just can't know how things work" Sean: "we know how almost everything works mostly, pretty much"

[@5piles]

and yet his entire worldview is disproven by the tukdam event that occurred in taipei 2020 which was also the first time such a thing was fully monitored and tested by neuroscientists and others

[@optimisticwreck6632]

Most people can't know how things work because they aren't capable of thinking beyond buttons that do everything for them. Especially liberals, who also tend to think that there is no objective truth whatsoever, only subjective truth based on your personal beliefs. i.e. - "I feel like the opposite gender or some random made up pronoun or some entirely different species therefore I am and that's what everyone will call me or I will have a mental breakdown"

[@sudazima]

- At the fundamental level" you left that part out which is really rather important.

[@user-np6tf8zx1u]

​@@5pileswhat's that

[@5piles]

@@user-np6tf8zx1u just search tukdam taipei 2020, you will get a few articles and reports. without going into heavy detail what is always externally observable of someone post clinical death undergoing tukdam is the body does not decompose for the duration of the meditation, even in taipei 38c summer weather, the body and skin remains supple and produces sweet fragrance, and heat is generated around the heart region for the duration. when tukdam ends and the subtlest level of mind moves to another object some blood will spill out of the bodys nostril indicating the tukdam has ended, and the body will begin regular decomposition. what was unique about this tukdam was the exceptional skill involved in being able to sustain it for over 30 days (3-5 days is typical, 2 weeks is rare, longer is very very rare). this extended duration also provided the opportunity for lazy western scientists to conduct monitoring and research for the first time on someone undergoing tukdam. they collected a large amount of data in addition to what i listed above, such as measuring spontaneous brain activity activation weeks post clinical death.

[@allancorrigall3496]

The way quantum field theory was described here allowed me to finally visualize it in my minds eye, I am very grateful for this. I think you did I great job providing a broad overview of the current state of physics and it was really helpful to an enthusiastic laymen. There is something about connection everything to one another that creates a solid chain of understanding that is difficult to find elsewhere. Thanks!

[@scrubjay93]

OMG I can't wait to listen to this - I love the solo episodes. Sean, you are a treasure.

[@Emanresu56]

While everyone else is focusing on culture war bullshit Sean puts out a 4 hour podcast on the crisis in physics.

[@adamsn06]

Well, except maybe for the Twitter dying comment lol

[@248wendell]

Psychics is part of the culture war

[@daarom3472]

I don't know anyone in real life focusing on culture wars. It's just youtubers and the media creating that perception.

[@nPr26_50]

Culture matters. The freedom for Sean to question established beliefs and get us closer to the truth had to be fought for, often violently.

[@daarom3472]

@@nPr26_50 in a scientific sense not per se. Sure Galileo was persecuted but it wasn't the case that Newton had to protest and fight for his right to do science. It was mostly a few states/rulers deciding it was "OK" to go ahead, these gettig a huge competitive advantage and thereby forcing other states to follow suit. Scientific freedom (STEM fields) and the freedom of (political) speech have been mostly separate developments, just look at current China.

[@masonherlihy717]

A 4 hour solo!?! Christmas came early 😊

[@BB-cf9gx]

Challenge everything all the time. If you can't defend your theory it probably has weaknesses. The dialog is healthy. Don't attack the person, challenge the idea. Thanks Sean. Healthy dialog.

[@bmdecker93]

Sean had and has so much to contribute to the world of physics but he has even more to contribute as a philosopher and conveyor of scientific knowledge. In addition, its wonderful that he accepted the position at Hopkins. He belongs there in that position.

[@paulmichaelfreedman8334]

My goodness, 4 and a half hours! You definitely have a lot to tell us, going to listen now :)

[@tcell7192]

This is my favorite Mindscape podcast ever! The wide scope and your concise perspective summarizes an amazing amount of physics. Thank you, Sean!

[@uw10isplaya]

Favorite way I've heard a lot of these topics described. Will definitely share with friends. The philosophical influence is clear with the clarity and precision that otherwise nebulous terms are defined and explained.

[@topcat7365]

Love that it’s over 4hrs!!! Thanks Professor

[@iridium1911]

Really important podcast. Explains a lot of intermediate level stuff that clarifies a lot of what we hear about through the usual physics lectures and pop science stuff. Thanks for this - would love more!

[@KirkpatrickSounds]

Over 4 hours? What a treat. Looking forward to diving in! Thanks as always Sean for the great content.

[@rinket7779]

Ssh

[@rayfighter]

​@@rinket7779😂 ❤

[@jyjjy7]

He couldn't have cut out 2 mins to make it 4:20? 🌲🔥 Boo

[@1PrinceWilliam]

@@jyjjy7lol

[@vana4508]

4+ hour episode let's gooooo!

[@zigatretjak75]

Listened to many a blog. This one flows as a prize winning novel. Congratulations and thank you for enriching me again. It is a delightful train of thoughts woven in a comprehensive presentation.

[@greenmountainfarms7515]

Sean, thank you for this masterpiece of interpretation on the "crisis" in physics today. It was so enlightening for me to hear how you layout our understanding and helped fill holes in my understanding. And I'm only at hour one! Thank you, Maxwell!!! What an age to be alive! 😊

[@catbutt2107]

All in all an excellent exposition! My old cat loved your voice so much, he snored like never before. Gonna keep on playing this!

[@bernardreed6161]

As an older person it bothers me that modern physics has become an area where people seem to think out loud about the universe, without proof about what they are talking about. Some scientists have used the interest in finding answers to promote themselves. They have become rockstars. String theory anyone. .

[@brightstar9870]

This is the review I’ve been waiting for my whole life ❤️

[@ChavisvonBradfordscience]

I was just kind of listening to this as background information until Sean Carroll started getting into the lattice that provides a discrete structure for complex quantum systems, serving as the foundation for quantum field theory. After he got into this stuff he had my full attention. Yes, Feynman diagrams do visualize these interactions, complicated by loop momentum and infinities from ultraviolet and infrared divergences. Wilson's effective field theory and renormalization technique set a limit to tackle these infinities. In this, the concept of running coupling emerges, showing interaction strength 'runs' with the energy scale, exemplified in quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Non-perturbative effects further deepen the understanding beyond perturbation theory, revealing phenomena like quark confinement in QCD. The lattice also facilitates studying these non-perturbative phenomena, illustrating the interconnectedness of quantum physics.

[@Edgarbopp]

This and your AMAs are my favorite content.

[@TheMemesofDestruction]

Four hours of Professor Carroll! ☮️ ❤️ ^.^

[@mcwulf25]

This is going to take a while! Thanks for the all your amazing content Sean.

[@LaurenLewis]

Finally made it through. Thanks for sharing.

[@mrloop1530]

Yessss I can fall asleep to this for many nights in a row. Please take that as the huge compliment, cuz it is.

[@poopieheadface]

The casual commentary really helps get a broad overview and wade through the BS when learning such complicated theories. Thanks!!

[@akumar7366]

I started listening to your podcast at the beginning of Covid back in 2020. I have learned so much and leant how to think, that n you Sir.

[@chromabotia]

One of your best! Succinct and enthusiastic... thank you!

[@GGoAwayy]

I fell asleep 3/4 of the way listening to this and had a dream where I was a scientist working for Sean Carroll.

[@williamjmccartan8879]

Would have been nice to hear a live chat as this was taking place, it has taken a long time, but today I would say that Sean is perhaps the best communicator of science we have in the english world, I've watched Brian Green, Brian Keating, Neil Degrass Tyson, Sabine Hossenfelder, who is very good as well, as is Neil Turok, and Carlo Rovelli, Lawrence Krauss. Thank you for sharing your time and work Sean, especially for those of us who are not formally educated in the sciences. Peace

[@user-zh3cc8mh7j]

Nice! I enjoyed listening...I was able to comprehend about a quarter of what was said, which is a big improvement from when I started listening to this podcast (Ep. 1). Thanks Sean.

[@iridium1911]

Honestly, listen to it again. I re-listen to dense podcasts all the time and find myself learning more on the 2nd and 3rd time, and with this one I think its worth it if you really want to further your understanding.

[@producer2123]

Sean Carroll has a great personality. Edifying and enjoyable at the same time.

[@jacobb6953]

Props to you Sean for not striving to make the podcast “edgy!” Truth-seeking is a much more noble goal than just trying to conform to what the masses want to see/hear. We all appreciate it!

[@mrloop1530]

1. [not] trying to conform to what the masses want to see/hear. 2. We all appreciate it! 🧐😄

[@goldwhitedragon]

Truth seeking is also an ego trip.

[@mrloop1530]

@@goldwhitedragon Only to the extent that everything is an ego trip.

[@ticcc3]

super enjoyed this one sean thanks

[@codyramseur]

My gut told me that was complete bullshit about the universe being twice as old. It’s disappointing to know that some of my favorite creators in the realm of astrophysics jumped on this. Your POV is always grounding and I’m super thankful for what you do.

[@daarom3472]

out of curiosity, who are your favourite creators? I personally watch Sean and Sabine then Curt/Lex for a bit more lighthearted stuff.

[@codyramseur]

@@daarom3472 Sean is by far my favorite science communicator. I like Fraser Cain for catching up on astronomy news. Lately I’ve been having fun watching Dr. Angela Collier. Hank Green because he’s a real life super hero. I’ll just name a few more, Dr. Matt O’Dowd on PBS Space Time and Joe Hanson Ph.D. on Be Smart. I could go on for days so I’ll just finish with Grady Hillhouse on Practical Engineering and also everyone featured on Numberphile esp Matt Parker.

[@codyramseur]

@@daarom3472 In case you’re still interested I’ll just say Steve Mould, I did a thing, Boy Boy, Not Just Bikes, Climate Town, 3blue1brown, Undecided with Matt Ferrell, and Asianometry. Ok I think that is fairly comprehensive though I’m sure I’ve forgotten some.

[@daarom3472]

@@codyramseur thanks for the recommendations! if you like Matt Ferrell also do check out "the engineering mindset" and "real engineering". Another gem I found (biology domain) is "real science".

[@codyramseur]

@@daarom3472 oh ok and “lighthearted” stuff, I like Joe Scott and Simon Whistler. For politics, Brian Tyler Cohen. Then my guilty pleasure is H3 Podcast.

[@danellwein8679]

thank you for the work you do ..

[@kathyorourke9273]

Thank you so much. I enjoyed this.

[@corruptideal]

This episode is excellent 👌

[@DoctorLazer]

I thought the crisis in physics was about how our standard candles to measure cosmological distances are leading to strange inconsistencies. I kept waiting for him to talk about that.

[@Kwarktaschnir]

That's the crisis in cosmology and Sean talked about it with several of his guests (for example Adam Riess in episode 118)

[@rajeevgangal542]

It's like all patreon supporters voted this question as their once in a lifetime question in monthly Q&A

[@stupidsucks]

great topic. ive loved all things cosmology and quantum physics since my teens in the nineties when you had to read books to learn anything about it. its terrific that now insights into the fields are so easily available for the average consumer but since JWST especially there is a lot of hooey on youtube and the like that completely confuses people or emboldens them, dunning kruger. thanks for how much you contribute, im working on Biggest Ideas space/time/motion. so grateful for your work making books for people like myself. keep living.

[@NajibElMokhtari]

Other sensational youtubers: make a 22 min video claiming that physics is in a crisis and physicists are stuck. Sean Carroll: makes a 4 hour 22 minutes video with the full history of physics of the 20th century, a summary of particle physics and cosmology detailed enough for us to understand that there is no physics crisis and encouraging the youth to join the ongoing epic endeavors of modern physics. This channel is honestly one of the best things that happened on KZbin.

[@schmetterling4477]

So you think that over four hours of bullshit is better than 22 minutes of bullshit? :-)

[@recall660]

amazing effort I can say I have some idea mow ,thanks

[@DeclanMBrennan]

That covered an impressive amount of ground while staying both comprehensible and interesting.

[@bhos6543]

Thanks Dr. Carroll. I need to join patreon.

[@Dechral]

these solos are so far and few between but are my favorites! Thx for sharing Sean

[@keybutnolock]

Wow, plenty to ponder - thanks.

[@elizondorj]

Thank you. I wish I could say more, but, thank you is the best I can say and you're the best.

[@Eastcoast_Rds]

Sean ! Thank you

[@CodepageNet]

loved most of it! Only the end got a bit circular. But the amount of knowledge in this man's brain is nothing short of humbling.

[@miendude]

This is like a Hardcore History episode, love it.

[@RonPineault]

Wow this is amazing. Time stamps would be really helpful but I don’t care that much. Such a good introduction into physics

[@BrianFedirko]

Being a good heretic IS extremely hard work, and I've done it most my life. But as Sean says, it takes so much persistence, which is why I respect him the most. I can tell in his answers that they come from this point of view, and I appreciate his view... especially debunking most statements ... it is what I love. ☮

[@eonasjohn]

Thank you for the video.

[@johngrundowski3632]

Great , this info ties things together with current progress🎇

[@WestOfEarth]

Finally found the time to listen to this fantastic podcast. I really appreciated the encapsulated history of the various theories. It provided a much needed context for the so-called crisis. The only part that confused me was your statement about the Standard Model requiring symmetry, and that broken symmetries, or anomolies, can't exist. But isn't it true that the Higgs mechanism and weak force bosons necessarily are consequences of broken symmetry?

[@chrisbuller9938]

A tour de force. Sean's seemingly effortless romp across high level controversies in modern theoretical physics is always sensitive, positive, optimistic and humanistic. A needed antidote to so much anti-intellectualism and general negativism in our modern on-line world. Thank you.

[@goldwhitedragon]

And the anti-mindism

[@Well_Earned_Siesta]

On the point made in this video's intro... One of my biggest takeaways from Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age" is on how subversion actually works. The book points out that if you want to subvert anything, you first have to completely master the existing system. The book was mostly referring to subverting political systems, but I think it's very broadly applicable.

[@goldwhitedragon]

Those unnamable tribal hostile elite subverting tbe system created it in the first place.

[@anieldev]

liked, commented and added to “favorites” playlist. hopefully the algorithm picks up what I’m laying down

[@breakfastenjoyer]

greatest iso pod in the history of physics pods

[@GoatOfTheWoods]

oh yes, 4 hrs and a half of goodness!

[@rickcygnusx1]

1:33:25 -1:54:03 crystal clear explanation of dark matter's influence on galaxies and the CMB's power spectrum Dr. Carroll should get a nobel prize for education!!!

[@hopperpeace]

thank you!

[@gilbertengler9064]

Only for this contribution you deserve the Nobel-Prize! Congratulations

[@dancurtin2756]

Thank you so much, Professor Carroll, for devoting so much of your time to de-mystification, and de-mythologization

[@jonathanbyrdmusic]

Incredible that you put so much into this channel. Thank you, Sean.

[@daverei1211]

We’ll done Sean - the best 4hours spent painting the veranda ceiling.

[@grahamjones25]

Skimming the transcript I spotted something called Bohemian Mechanics. What a great typo!

[@PenandPaperScience]

This will be good! Thanks in advance (::

[@user-fz3il5zo6w]

Best content on KZbin 🏆

[@nowhereman8374]

Dr. Carroll, don't worry you are not edgy. You are a continuous flow of useful information to enlighten without any boundaries.👏

[@cloudysunset2102]

I understood exactly 6 and 1/2 words of this but I loved hearing it and imagining the concepts and processes that led to the discoveries. Ain't us humans grand?

[@bad1970muts]

Large clusters of black martier or black stars also have gravity. 1) How does this affect Einstein's theory of spacetime and its possible curvature. 2) If there is curvature or gravity, then "ordinary matter" may have been attracted by it, which these processes may have provided, even if black matter and hydrogen influence each other directly, this form of a perhaps weaker space curve may well if this occurs on a gigantic scale and can create gigantic black holes?

[@Iambicawes]

I thought you might appreciate my sonnet, written when I heard about this latest "crisis" in physics. OUR GREAT GRAND COSMOS Turns out, the cosmos lied about its age and may be twice as old as we were told. The Big Bang may have only been a stage, and not her “birth,” so we’re not sure how old the universe we come from could be now, but we’ve glimpsed galaxies in her far past that were large even then, and can’t say how (that soon after atoms) they formed so fast. Maybe our red-shift measurements are wrong. Perhaps gravity was stronger back then. We’ve found black holes so huge they don’t belong around so early; we’re surprised again. To save our classical cosmology, we’ll need new origin mythology. ~ Jim (Bard Of Mars)

[@darktower0603]

I enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!

[@tmjmccormack]

Thank you

[@cwcarson]

Missed opportunity to make it 4h20m

[@Biskawow]

Im only 3 hours 40 mins in, but I thin this is best episode so far

[@Miguel_Noether]

4 hrs to listen, whole semester to comprehend it 😥

[@tomlavelle8340]

Yes. No crisis in Physics. It’s just that we don’t know everything about it. We may never know it all. But that’s no crisis, it’s just the way it is.

[@smlanka4u]

Many different types of Dark Matter can make many different planes of existence. Highly appreciates your profound lectures.

[@HowardVega]

Is there a limit to the concetration of matter inside a black hole's singularity? Can exceeding this limit cause a big bang? If we assume this singularity is spherical, at least conceptually, can Pi describe the splitting of this singularity once the maximum density is reached to cause a big bang?

[@1PrinceWilliam]

Can’t thank you for taking the time to break in down for cosmos groupies who aren’t necessarily in the trenches but enthusiastic nonetheless! You’re a gentleman and a scholar! (In the truest, most literal sense!) P.S. I can definitely appreciate criticism but from me to you, don’t change anything. You and the podcast are absolutely perfect as presently constructed!

[@ethanwagner]

Lol I’m very curious if literally anyone has ever commented saying you “rambled on too long” or that a certain tangent “could have been cut out” because you literally do not miss with making your roundabouts interesting and consistent with the topic. The cosmological constant talk was very engaging

[@giovannironchi5332]

what about an episode with Sabine Hossenfelder and/or Peter Woit on the topic?

[@paulperkins1615]

I can hardly imagine over 4 hours of one person talking about particle physics, cosmology, and foundations of quantum mechanics being interesting, and yet, it is. Because putting the current state of Physics into perspective takes a lot of context that not many people have. I certainly didn't.

[@schmetterling4477]

You can't even learn one tenth of classical mechanics in four hours. What makes you think that this is even scratching the surface? ;-)

[@phenghs2007]

I may not be your biggest fan. But I'm probably your dumbest fan. This guy is so great at explaining and articulating his thoughts.

[@pdelong42]

@3:24:45 - Your comment reminds me of a quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi (and I'm probably not remembering the exact phrasing here): "Everything we do is futile, but we must do it anyway"

[@Games_and_Music]

Oh man, i really read that title wrong. I was like: "Good! I'm glad there's a crisis in psychics!" And i was about to comment: "I'm sure they've seen that coming..." But yeah, a crisis in physics is not so good.. (now i will listen to the remaining 4 hours and 21 minutes and 30 seconds)

[@ModestNeophyte]

Thank you for touching on that universe age x2 claim. I watched that video and honestly, I'm not educated enough to be able to know that claim was bs.

[@spheroidialmaster1910]

This stuff drives me nuts. At about 1h38m Sean mentions 2 clusters that interacted but the centers of gravity stayed with the galaxies and not with the hot interstellar gas ( which supposedly has most of the regular matter mass) But isn't that actually reverse of expectation? Wouldn't the far more massive dark matter slow even more because it is interacting far more strongly than regular matter? Or does Dark matter somehow not interact with itself?

[@catbutt2107]

"Everything is particles! Everything is particles!" Reminds me a British comedy show. "Pasta is good." Naming conventions are important. Why not call it "heavy vacuum"?

[@Jason-gt2kx]

Novel Dark Matter Hypothesis Dark Matter is simply unaccounted for gravity. GR states that gravity is the consequence of the curvature of spacetime. Is it possible that the structure of spacetime itself could be warped without the presence of matter? Spacetime has been shown to react like a fabric by warping, twisting, and propagating independently of mass, and all have been proven with observations from gravitational lensing, frame dragging, and now gravitational waves! Fabrics can also be stretched, pressured, and/or heated to the point of causing a deformation and losing its elastic nature. All of these conditions were extreme during inflation, so it is plausible that the “fabric” of spacetime analog could extend having its elastic property have hit a yield point leaving pockets of inelastic spacetime geodesic that cause gravity without the presence of matter? Therefore, if gravity is strictly the consequence of the warped of spacetime, and fabrics can be permanently overstretched, then those empty warped geodesics would create gravitational wells independent of mass. My hypothesis of DM is subatomic black hole imprints of the quantum fluctuations that popped in at the moment of inflation. The CMB shows where the hot dense regions were they created the galaxies. They would have been the initial cause and location of the warping. These imprints would be clouds of quantum sized floating fixed geodesics, so they couldn’t expand or evaporate. Perhaps nothing has been detected because there is nothing to detect. GR wouldn’t require modification because DM would just be an extension of how spacetime behaves at extreme conditions. No MOND, no WIMPs, and no parallel universes, just empty spacetime deformations that produce gravitational wells to help jump start galaxy accretion processes. Zwicky may have named is Missing Mass correctly since he detected some gravity without mass present to cause it…

[@williamjmccartan8879]

132 minutes, not a scientist, so forgive me ahead of time, it sounds like dark matter behaves like water, a wide open ocean without constraints beyond landmasses moves without interacting, however if it comes across an obstruction, the water builds and holds pressure at the obstruction while the water unaffected by the obstruction continues to move freely wherever it travels. In the case of dark matter a similar affect takes place where it interacts with dense gravitational fields created by different types of matter that exist at different levels of density. Sean's description of dark matter intensifying in the bounce as gravity intensifies but not interacting with the bounce back reminded me of water hitting a shoreline. Just guessing, but its fun all the same.150 minutes in, question, will agi be able to answer any of these questions Sean?

[@Gary-rf7ng]

I was a fantastic crank early on. Looking back, as brilliant as I thought my ideas were, I was a fucking idiot. Fortunately for me, I was wrong often enough that one day I decided I should actually try to learn this stuff before continuing on my apparent mission to make a fool of myself. I have plenty of other ways to do that. I really don't need to spread the wealth. I'm good. I am actually proud of my progress, although, it's taken way longer than it should have to get here, at least, I'm here.

[@paulstevenage2286]

A 20 minute version! kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4vKqnmdndaefsk