69 min listen
Fear of a Black Universe
ratings:
Length:
64 minutes
Released:
Sep 27, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Join us for a conversation with cosmologist Stephon Alexander, who argues that great physics requires one to think outside the mainstream—to improvise and to rely on intuition. His approach has led him to three principles that shape all theories of the universe: the principle of invariance, the quantum principle, and the principle of emergence.
Alexander uses these three principles to explore some of physics' greatest mysteries, from what happened before the Big Bang to how the universe makes consciousness possible. Drawing on his experience as a Black physicist, Alexander makes a powerful case for diversifying our scientific communities because—after successfully incorporating a piece of life-changing advice that, in order to discover real physics, he needed to stop memorizing and start taking risks—Alexander has concluded that making further progress in physics probably requires embracing the excluded, listening to the unheard, and being unafraid of being wrong.
MLF ORGANIZER
George Hammond
NOTES
MLF: Humanities
SPEAKERS
Stephon Alexander
Professor of Physics, Brown University; Jazz Musician; Author, Fear of a Black Universe: An Outsider's Guide to the Future of Physics
In Conversation with George Hammond
Author, Conversations With Socrates
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on September 24th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alexander uses these three principles to explore some of physics' greatest mysteries, from what happened before the Big Bang to how the universe makes consciousness possible. Drawing on his experience as a Black physicist, Alexander makes a powerful case for diversifying our scientific communities because—after successfully incorporating a piece of life-changing advice that, in order to discover real physics, he needed to stop memorizing and start taking risks—Alexander has concluded that making further progress in physics probably requires embracing the excluded, listening to the unheard, and being unafraid of being wrong.
MLF ORGANIZER
George Hammond
NOTES
MLF: Humanities
SPEAKERS
Stephon Alexander
Professor of Physics, Brown University; Jazz Musician; Author, Fear of a Black Universe: An Outsider's Guide to the Future of Physics
In Conversation with George Hammond
Author, Conversations With Socrates
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on September 24th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Released:
Sep 27, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Gopi Kallayil: The Happy Human: By embracing not only our own selves but also the entire human experience, Kallayil inspires us to expect miracles daily, to use every fall as a chance to bounce back, to go for what we want on every front and to live our lives fully. by Commonwealth Club of California Podcast