Sean Carroll is a Research Professor of Physics at both Caltech and the Sante Fe Institute.
A theoretical physicist, his newest book, Something Deeply Hidden, is about quantum mechanics, the “Many Worlds” interpretation, and the emergence of spacetime.
Ahead of his talk tonight at Symphony Space, we spoke with Sean about how to understand quantum mechanics, what questions it seeks to answer, and whether he believes science can explain everything in the universe…
Quantum mechanics is obviously a very complex topic. What are some resources (eg. articles, videos, podcasts…) you recommend for the layperson to get a basic idea of quantum physics and its significance?
My own podcast, Mindscape, is of course my first suggestion. Another good one is Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe. For videos, check out series by Sixty Symbols, Minute Physics, or Veritasium.
There’s a lot of quantum quackery (or “flapdoodle” per physicist Murray Gell-Mann’s term) out there. If even physics PhDs have difficulty understanding or explaining quantum mechanics – how can the average person distinguish science from pseudoscience?
You can learn as much as you can, but you can also consider both the source and what they are saying. If the person making claims about physics is someone doing academic research in the field, that’s a good start. And if they’re making claims that sound too good to be true, that’s a bad sign. When it’s not clear, don’t be afraid to go to Quora or Reddit and ask questions.
Your new book, Something Deeply Hidden, has been called one of the best popularizations of quantum mechanics. Why should someone study quantum mechanics? What “big picture” questions does it seek to answer?
Quantum mechanics is the most fundamental theory we have. Everyone should know a little bit about it. In the modern view, it’s quantum mechanics that provides the answer to big-picture questions about what the world is and how it evolves.
Your interests clearly range beyond science: you frequently discuss matters related to philosophy, art, religion and literature. Have these other passions influenced your scientific research?
Philosophy is definitely relevant to physics, as there are conceptual questions that philosophers are well-suited to answering — or at least possible conceptual problems that philosophers are well-suited to pointing out. Art and literature are less immediately relevant to the practice of science, but they can play an important role in interpreting and illuminating the meaning of scientific discoveries.
Do you think science can (eventually) explain everything? Is there no evolutionary benefit to mystic beliefs or religion?
Science can only hope to explain what the world is and what happens within it — it doesn’t address value questions like what is good, or what is beautiful. Even within its purview, we have no way of knowing that science can eventually account for everything, but we have no reason to doubt it, either. I don’t personally think that mysticism or religion are helpful, we should be able to find purpose and meaning in our lives within the natural world described by science.
Meet Sean Carroll tonight at his talk at Symphony Space. Details here.