I am almost always made impatient when people wax philosophical about science, particularly when a vague familiarity with a few aspects of quantum mechanics is put forth to "explain" free will, consciousness, changing the universe by changing your state of mind, and all manner of New Age woo. Therefore, when I make the following recommendation, you can be sure that I really found a striking exception.
This week's episode of "Science Saturday" on BloggingHeads.tv is a diavlog between theoretical physicist Sean Carroll and philosopher of science David Albert. A glance at my blogroll and through the archives shows how much I admire Sean.
I had not heard of David before today, but I found him fascinating to listen to. My affinity for him was enhanced right at the beginning of the diavlog, when he talked briefly about being sandbagged by the makers of the movie What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?. The moment that resonated most, though, is shown below. This half-minute clip is the kind of thing I wish I could hear more often from all philosophers:
If the above embedded video doesn't work, watch the clip here. But if you're at all interested in theoretical physics, or more broadly, in thinking about how we know what we know, you really should watch the whole thing.
By the way, you can read more about What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? on Salon. David is quoted on page 2 of this article. There's a good post about the movie on Skeptico, too.
And finally, if you have some more time, Sean's other appearances on BloggingHeads.tv are well worth watching, too.
2 comments:
I like Sean M Carrol too. Personally though, I'm an even bigger fan of The other Sean Carrol - middle initial B. I just started this diavlog and will finish it sometime today. Your embed worked fine for me.
John:
I know of "the other" SC, I think maybe through you. I sought out an interview of him once, I think based on your recommendation. I agree -- another good egg.
Thanks for letting me know about the embed.
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