The Passage of Time and the Meaning of Life | Sean Carroll (Talk + Q&A)

What is time? What is humankind’s role in the universe? What is the meaning of life? For much of human history, these questions have been the province of religion and philosophy. What answers can science provide?
In this talk, Sean Carroll will share what physicists know, and don’t yet know, about the nature of time. He’ll argue that while the universe might not have purpose, we can create meaning and purpose through how we approach reality, and how we live our lives.
Sean Carroll is a Research Professor of theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology, and an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. His research has focused on fundamental physics and cosmology, especially issues of dark matter, dark energy, spacetime symmetries, and the origin of the universe.
Recently, Carroll has worked on the foundations of quantum mechanics, the emergence of spacetime, and the evolution of entropy and complexity. Carroll is the author of Something Deeply Hidden, The Big Picture, The Particle at the End of the Universe amongst other books and hosts the Mindscape podcast.
“The Passage of Time and the Meaning of Life” was given on May 4, 02021 as part of Long Now's Seminar series. The series was started in 02003 to build a compelling body of ideas about long-term thinking from some of the world's leading thinkers. The Seminars take place in San Francisco and are curated and hosted by Stewart Brand. To follow the talks, you can:
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[@jessejames6216]

Sean Carroll is my favorite and I've learned a whole new world from him in a few short lectures and there wonderfully entertaining enlightening videos he is brilliant fun and cool 🥰🥰🥰🥰 we need more Sean Carroll this is what we should be marketing broadly and widely to everyone in every language tuned to every dialect to each region let's educate the masses the world needs mass intelligence the herd is manageable but the smarter the POPULATIONS the less potential for nevermind LOL we love you thank you for this content

[@jessejames6216]

Outstanding content ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@IntricateUniverse25]

If you can’t explain something to someone who doesn’t know in a way that they will understand then you don’t really know. This is how you know this man understands his concepts. Very easy to follow.

[@Virsconte]

So you can remember the past, but not "predict" it from current data. You can't remember the future, but you can (in principle) predict it. So the present moment tells you more about the future than the past. That's kind of breaking my brain.

[@michaelchildish]

"The purpose of being alive, is to be alive" - Alan Watts, renegade 'process philosopher' who left the Anglican Church and studied eastern philosophies. I like science for that is what is observable, and love his words for society matters, psychology, his clever wordplay, and his view of The Big Questions. He believes the universe itself, is ALIVE!

[@honesttraveltipshonesttrav7808]

Brilliant. You have explained abstruse concepts that can be understood easily in lay person’s terms. I for one am excited you have left Caltech. You are making physics accessible to everyone. Thank you. Keep going!

[@MaNuLaToROfficial]

brilliant!

[@feszty]

Sean Carroll is my favorite.

[@juliocepeda3896]

The beauty of this talk is that Sean never mentioned the word god.

[@segism.810]

Excellent explanation, thanks for making such abstract concepts understandable.

[@sandeepguha5997]

Thank you so much LNF for arranging such an amazing session. You are precious Sean Sir , beautifully explained 😇

[@blustar1856]

Problem is, Sean, where did the cream come from?? If coffee without cream is the early universe - what does the cream represent? Sounds like something is missing here. If the cream was somehow already mixed in the coffee at the big bang - what did that 'phase space' actually look like?

[@edshirley337]

Great video, very well explained, thank you

[@justicewillprevail1106]

What a fantastic speaker.

[@craigpoer]

Good to see Shawn again.

[@crab-dogjones4659]

You started to blow my mind around 25 min or so.

[@TheAngiepangie424]

SEAN!! my head! 🧐🤯🧘🏻‍♀️

[@robertw1871]

Philosophy is not the enemy, if you consider that most, if not all, of the major breakthroughs in physics were brought to us by nearly pure imagination and grounded common sense not necessarily by elaborate and verbose mathematical ideas. I still have a sense that time is fundamentally more rich than just a marker of movement in 3 dimensions.

[@stargrazer1597]

I love this guy!!!

[@deanshetlar6361]

Another good video. Here is a simple model of the universe. If quarks and electrons exert their gravity and electromagnetism to large distances this may cause a small loss of their energy/matter over time. Nothing is free and it seems that matter should also be a slave to entropy. This loss of mass/energy would make the quarks and electrons smaller. If they become smaller the protons and electrons will be closer together which implies that the emitted photons will be at higher frequencies, hence time will speed up. What happened at previous times in the universe cycle: Going backwards in time the atoms are larger and the emitted frequencies of their photons would be lower and the wavelengths longer which could be seen as a red shift of their emitted photons. This matches what we see with light emitted from distant galaxies. Going farther back in time the protons and electrons would eventually become large enough to where they would return to their original state of being neutrons. Running time even farther back these neutrons will start overlapping each other and eventually become fully overlapped and become part of the fabric of space. What happens going forward from the beginning of the universe cycle: Runing time forward at this point we would see the shrinking neutrons emerge from the fabric of space at the beginning of the universe and they will decay into protons, electrons, and anti-neutrinos. The energy/heat from this decay will become the cosmic microwave background we now see. This more massive new matter will sweep some of the existing smaller matter into the central black holes of the galaxies, thus making those black holes massive again at the start of this new universe cycle. The rest of the large matter will become stars, planets, etc in the new universe cycle. Over time the frequencies of emitted photons will become higher and the frequency increase will accelerate faster and faster over time as the atoms shrink faster and faster over time(extremely slow acceleration on human time scales). At the end of this universe cycle a new set of large neutrons will again emerge out of the fabric of space, starting another cycle of the universe. This model: Has no big bang. The universe is infinite. Has no more than 3 dimensions plus the time dimension. Has no expansion or accelerating expansion over time. Has no anti-mater at the beginning of the universe cycle. Has super massive black holes again at the beginning of the universe cycle. Question: Does the math for this model match reality? For example: If all the matter were neutrons at the beginning of the universe, would the matter seen today, all the neutrons and all neutron equivalents of "1 proton + 1 electron + 1 antineutrino = 1 neutron" supply enough decay energy to equal the energy in the cosmic microwave background?

[@jessejames6216]

This is wonderful 🏵️🏵️🏵️🏵️🏵️ much appreciated ❤️☺️🙏

[@codygriffin540]

I'm

[@dustinellerbe4125]

Loved it

[@alexmoodie2887]

Amazing

[@kutulchana]

outstanding

[@elizondorj]

Thank you for posting such interesting videos.

[@rusty1here]

Question: My understanding of the best DESCRIPTION on how the material world that we perceive arises from the underlying quantum fields is through a lexicographical matrix to what we call reality. First, is this roughly correct? Second, is a lexicographical matrix in essence, a game theory matrix? Lastly, if these are both yeses, I have a thought experiment for you. What would happen to the Nash Equilibrium we enjoy in our current orbit around the Son was suddenly moved out beyond Pluto's orbit and why? Hints: Nash Equilibrium = “negotiated peace” and what is in the middle of selflessness and selfishness? Thanks for indulging me.

[@NM-xj6qr]

Nice presentation. I have some questions, if possible to get an answer thank you in advance: - if before the big bang, there was a ball of plasma/matter, very hot and diffuse(high entropy), and then there was an explosion, that cools off and forms planets and galaxies, isn't that entropy decreasing (since also all cooled of)? -after you mix the coffee and creme, with time, both are separated again returning to low entropy, right? -is it possible that regions of space have high entropy and others low entropy, but in the end, all is equilibrated, or entropy is decreasing, since all is cooling off, comparing to the beginning of bing bang? -if things get more structured and organized, isn't that also lowering entropy and improving systems for energy use?

[@sherlockholmeslives.1605]

I really like this. I have read Patrick Moore's book 'Exploring The Earth and Moon', some of it I thought was obvious, saying that T-Rex was the largest ever land predator is plain wrong, but I enjoyed reading it, although I found it a bit demanding, and I didn't understand tidal effects, but the book is aimed for 8 - 12 year olds. I understand Plato's 'Wax Tablet Hypothesis' but that is about my limit. Lol! I'll study quantum statistical mechanics now.

[@UnderTheGoldenGate]

Seems like this all comes down to whether free will really exists. You can't predict the future based on the current state either because you can't know, or because it's inherently unknowable either because of free will or "chaos". Same with whether there is really a now and if it's the only now.

[@bonvivant524]

very enjoyable stream of photons today :)

[@wanderingfido]

I can positively attest to the fact that my brain is not orderly. And certainly not by anyone who encounters it.

[@boopster4033]

I could totally see myself on a date with dude...FALLIN ASLEEP!🤣🤣🤣

[@ACM5855]

Ajay Madwesh Facts: A1) Gravity is real A2) Gravity is explained only by General Relativity. There is no aspect of gravity in quantum mechanics yet. A3) Mass and Gravity follow a well defined mathematics; explained by general relativity A4) Time is real and we experience it A5) General Relativity is the only theory that has a position on Dark Energy, Dark Matter and visible matter. Quantum theory address only 4.5% of the universe. B1) Quantum theory has no explanation for gravity other than the missing graviton particle yet to be found in nature B2) Quantum theory has no explanation for time. If it cannot explain it, doesn’t mean we remove it from the analysis. The possible error in thinking is that somehow quantum fields and quantum gravity is a primary solution to use as microscope to find faults with General Relativity.. likely the opposite is true. The issue is that the present analysis of inflation theory (inflation theory is generally correct and provides an explanation of why the universe evolved) is less than adequate and has far more suppositions than answers. Problem is with imposing our present assessment of quantum physics in the 10^43 to 10^32 time frame. quantum theory is being misapplied to classical model’s disadvantage. 1) Quantum mechanics, as elegant as it is and mathematically predictable, is limited to 4.6% of the universe’s matter. It’s theory does not explain dark matter. Obviously, dark matter is not answered by quantum mechanics 2) General Relativity does address dark matter since Dark Matter warps the space-time fabric and well quantified in its effect on gravity. Likely, modifications to quantum theory that accommodates dark matter and dark energy leads to unified theory versus “fixing General Relativity” which physicists are hankering after. Same people who, after over a hundred years, can’t still explain why superposition of multiple states or the dual nature of photons.

[@kimblekottmann]

Time sounds like consciousness.

[@michaeljmasseri973]

Why can't we put a fan on a sailboat

[@prognosis8768]

Does anyone else think that Sean Carroll really sounds like Alan Alda?

[@Tore_Lund]

Why is it important to ask physics about purpose of life? Science asks how, never why? Religion and philosophy does a much Better job, whereas science goes to great extents to filter out any notion of purpose, which would introduce bias and deminish the quality of its conclusions.

[@nathanialblower9216]

Is it just me, or does his delivery sound like he’s doing a Michio Kaku impression?

[@libmitchell6371]

at about 39 mins :Carroll " we dont know what in dark matter, is equivalent to molecules in matter ". Humans or consciousness in each living identity is to the black whole as molecules are to human observation. . . At 42:30 - all the oppositions - Carroll "we dont know if its this theory or that. " Apply 20th c physics, "of a great truth the opposite is also true". it is Point of View or story, or theoretical idea which makes one version true and the other seem impossible. As in the drawing of the old woman or the hat, the duck or the rabbit, the two profiles or the vase - you can see it as one OR the other, but not both simultaneously. We humans are each the process of becoming, going through complexity, and dying into NoThingness. We are fractal diferentiations of process which is happening at microcosmic and macrocsomic levels , at the level of quantum wiggles or something smaller than we can measure or compute ; it is also happening to us as part of the whole at universes-wide levels larger than we can measure or compute. We are differentiated at this human observable material level. At the level of microparticles we are the steady state whole - steady for the length of their witness. At the level of universes, we are the steady state whole - a species which arises, complexifies and dies - as all species do. We must evolve to continue to participate and it will be then at a different level. Our human consciousness being the consistent identity, not our ego story consciousness. Humans ARE limited, and ALSO part of a whole, with which we are qualitatively identical, although quantitatively different - we are a process which is discovering itself, returning to emptiness in death OR the present awareness of that which is observing THIS process. its a happening, man!! it is only language which is preventing the breakthrough which is now as well known to physicists as, in the east, it is known to the gurus. Each limited human is a mouthpiece ( persona) for the wisdom of the whole which is new and evolving in every moment - of which this is one. What is also true is that the whole of the wisdom or knowing has been known , is known, and will be known - Sean Carroll is speaking his part of that whole in the evolving language of physics. A new way to tell what is now , was, and ever shall be - THIS. "Each person has the story their soul needs" - Mine needs a story which coincides with the discoveries of physics without denying the ANALOGICAL truths in the stories of the past. Words create stories. Language is limited. Right now voices create babble - from solar band 345 it is blissful harmony emanating from our planet.

[@britoroque]

Have you seen a pregnant woman? Her belly growing is the time flowing.

[@FrankCoffman]

How can he say the Big Bang was low entropy and was very orderly? Actually, the early universe was a chaotic soup of subatomic particles without any order. How can that be called low entropy? Also, he uses a raw egg as an example of lower entropy before it was cracked and beaten up into a higher entropy scrambled egg. He said the scrambled egg was a change toward more disorder. Really? Is an omelet more disordered than a raw uncracked egg? No. The omelet is simply a different arrangement -- a different order than the original egg. When water freezes, it goes from the disordered random movement of molecules to highly ordered ice. So there isn't an inexorable trend toward increasing disorder. The universe has actually gone from total disorder -- subatomic particles flying around randomly -- to a more orderly universe of galaxies, stars, planetary systems and raw eggs. He's got it backwards. I find him boring and tedious, making assumptions that he doesn't bother to question.

[@xlilxillx]

oh yeah? how's that dark matter search going? lololol physicists are a joke