Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas
Ever wanted to know how music affects your brain, what quantum mechanics really is, or how black holes work? Do you wonder why you get emotional each time you see a certain movie, or how on earth video games are designed? Then you’ve come to the right place. Each week, Sean Carroll will host conversations with some of the most interesting thinkers in the world. From neuroscientists and engineers to authors and television producers, Sean and his guests talk about the biggest ideas in science, philosophy, culture and much more.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 100 minutes
- Episodes
- 392
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2025
158 | David Wallace on the Arrow of Time
I talk with philosopher/physicist David Wallace about entropy, the arrow of time, and quantum mechanics.
01:47:58 |
Mon 02 Aug 2021
157 | Elizabeth Strychalski on Synthetic Cells and the Rules of Biology
I talk with synthetic biologist Elizabeth Strychalski about the minimal genetic requirements to make a functioning cell.
01:17:30 |
Mon 26 Jul 2021
156 | Catherine D’Ignazio on Data, Objectivity, and Bias
I speak with data scientist Catherine D'Ignazio about the ways in which data and algorithms can be biased, and the ways in which data can be used to correct against bias.
01:28:13 |
Mon 19 Jul 2021
155 | Stephen Wolfram on Computation, Hypergraphs, and Fundamental Physics
I talk with Stephen Wolfram about his project to base fundamental physics on simple computational rules.
02:40:45 |
Mon 12 Jul 2021
154 | Reza Aslan on Religion, Metaphor, and Meaning
I talk with Reza Aslan about religion as a vocabulary for thinking about the transcendent.
01:25:47 |
Mon 05 Jul 2021
153 | John Preskill on Quantum Computers and What They’re Good For
I talk with John Preskill about how quantum computers work, and what problems they will be able to effectively address.
01:32:52 |
Mon 28 Jun 2021
152 | Charis Kubrin on Criminology, Incarceration, and Hip-Hop
I talk with criminologist Charis Kubrin on who we put in jail and why, including the role of what the defendant's favorite music is.
01:19:38 |
Mon 21 Jun 2021
151 | Jordan Ellenberg on the Mathematics of Political Boundaries
I talk with mathematician Jordan Ellenberg about how random walks and Markov chains help us understand political gerrymandering.
01:23:43 |
Mon 14 Jun 2021
150 | Simon DeDeo on How Explanations Work and Why They Sometimes Fail
I talk with Simon DeDeo about the competing values of different kinds of explanations, from science to conspiracy theories.
01:32:46 |
Mon 07 Jun 2021
149 | Lee Smolin on Time, Philosophy, and the Nature of Reality
I talk with physicist Lee Smolin about time, the universe, and the future of physics.
01:29:24 |
Mon 31 May 2021
148 | Henry Farrell on Democracy as a Problem-Solving Mechanism
I talk with political scientist Henry Farrell about ways in which democracy is a good algorithm for solving problems.
01:26:40 |
Mon 24 May 2021
147 | Rachel Laudan on Cuisine, Culture, and Empire
I talk with science historian Rachel Laudan about the rise of world cuisines and how they intersect with politics and society.
01:16:30 |
Mon 17 May 2021
146 | Emily Riehl on Topology, Categories, and the Future of Mathematics
I talk with mathematician Emily Riehl about what topology and category theory are all about.
01:16:49 |
Mon 10 May 2021
145 | Niall Ferguson on Histories, Networks, and Catastrophes
I talk with historian Niall Ferguson about human society as a complex network, and what that means for how we deal with catastrophes.
01:25:10 |
Mon 03 May 2021
144 | Solo: Are We Moving Beyond the Standard Model?
I talk about the recent anomalies in particle physics, whether we should trust them and what they might mean for physics beyond the Standard Model.
01:11:49 |
Mon 26 Apr 2021
143 | Julia Galef on Openness, Bias, and Rationality
I talk with Julia Galef about why rationality is a good thing, and how we can all get better at it.
01:32:16 |
Mon 19 Apr 2021
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