The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss
Alle afleveringen
160 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Neil deGrasse Tyson: Starry Messages, Science, Culture, and Life
6 november 2022 · 1 uur 34 min
Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the most recognizable faces of science in the world, and for good reason. He has thought a lot about how to engage people in the wonder and joy of science, something that is also near and dear to my own heart, and to the spirit of many of my own activities, including The Origins Podcast. I was so happy that Neil agreed to return to have another dialogue on the podcast following the release of his new book, Starry Messenger, because it provided us with the opportunity to have the kind of give and take discussion that I so enjoy having with him, and which I also think is so important for people to get to watch. Neil and I share many of the same sensibilities but we don’t agree about everything, and our perspectives are sometimes different. We try to share those different perspectives with each other by respectful dialogue, and discussion. Sometimes we change each others’ minds, or at least I like to think we do. Lees meer
That aspect of science, open questioning, joint enthusiasm for trying to find what he calls objective truth, and what I am less willing to label as such, is one of the things he discusses in his book, and I think our dialogue provides a great example of how science can help us move forward together toward a possibly brighter future.
It will be interesting to hear what you think about our discussion. In the end I hope you will find it as entertaining and informative as I did.
As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers . Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version is available free on the Critical Mass site and on all podcast sites, and the video version will also be available on the Origins Project Youtube channel as well.
Get full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe
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Peter Boghossian: From Street Epistemology to Academic Freedom
15 oktober 2022 · 2 uur 13 min
Pete Boghossian is a philosopher with little tolerance for nonsense, whose efforts to broadly encourage critical thinking using Socratic methods began early on. While doing his PhD, he worked with inmates to see if he could impact on their moral reasoning through a process of Socratic questioning. Lees meer
Viewing faith-based beliefs as delusional, he worked on ways to encourage believers to question their beliefs. Because of the inherent difficulties in having such conversations Peter later worked with James Linsdsay to produce a book entitled How to Have Impossible Conversations, outlining a series of techniques aimed at producing productive, rather than defensive, conversations.
These techniques form a part of his current program of Street Epistemology, where he takes critical thinking and questioning out into the public, traveling around the country having a series of open conversations with people, and seeing if they are willing to change their beliefs.
Peter became more well known among the public when, with Lindsay, and Helen Pluckrose, he wrote a series of spoof papers submitted to gender studies journals, designed to show what they regarded as the lack of true scholarship in that discipline. Then, most recently, he resigned his position at Portland State University in response to what he said was harassment from the administration, and its lack of commitment to free speech and open inquiry.
All of these topics provided fodder for a fascinating discussion, which I hope you enjoy.
As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers . Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version is available free on the Critical Mass site and on all podcast sites, and the video version will also be available on the Origins Project Youtube channel as well.
Get full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe
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Frans de Waal: Learning from Primates about ourselves: From Gender to Social Hierarchies
28 september 2022 · 2 uur 31 min
Frans de Waal is not only my favorite primatologist, he is one of my favorite scientist-communicators. His books on primates, particularly on Bonobos and Chimpanzees—from politics to child-rearing and even culture—reveal a tremendous amount about our closest genetic relatives, and hence about ourselves. His newest book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, tackles a particularly hot topic at the current time, but as is typical of his books, this one is both entertaining, and touching, and packed with data rather than anecdotes. I was very happy to sit down with Frans again to talk broadly about the motivations for his career choice, as well as his many years of experience in the field. While we focused on his new book, our discussion ranged far more broadly over the importance of primatology as a new and useful window on humans. I have had the privilege of sharing numerous stages with Frans, as well as hosting him at a previous Origins symposium, and each time I come away with important new perspectives. This podcast was no exception, and I hope you too will come away from it with a different view of yourself and your relationship to the world around you—which after all, is again one of the purposes of this podcast. Lees meer
Speaking of new perspectives, I describe in the podcast how a video Frans showed me over a decade ago, involving Capuchin monkeys, as I recall, changed my own perspectives on occasions when I experience jealousy or envy, and I think it improved my own behavior, at least a little bit. Once you here him describe it, I wonder, if you then go to youtube and watch it, whether it will do the same for you. Either way, enjoy this entertaining, provocative, and informative discussion with a charming and insightful scientist.
As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers . Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version…
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Janice Fiamengo: Feminism, Anti-Feminism, and Common Sense
9 september 2022 · 1 uur 59 min
As I describe in the introduction to our discussion, I first learned about Janice Fiamengo by watching an incredible series of videos she produced called The Fiamengo Files. Not surprisingly, because they presented a well-reasoned approach to various hot-button social justice issues, these videos were taken down YouTube. No worries, like the proverbial Phoenix, The Fiamengo Files II emerged and can be found. Lees meer
Janice, a retired Professor of English at the University of Ottawa, calls herself an anti-feminist, which may sound shrill or reactionary, but it is worth listening to her discussions to learn why she so labels herself. Most recently she has been working on a comprehensive history of Feminism and provides compelling arguments, based on data, that much of conventional wisdom regarding such things as universal suffrage and the plight of women currently misrepresents what actually transpired.
Whether or not you are inclined to agree with Janice, listening to her is enlightening, and it is also enriching. She is calm and charming, and anything but a firebrand, and I cannot imagine how one could have a non-cordial conversation with her. Nevertheless, she has been censored, and protesters have too often forced her public lectures to be cancelled. It is a great pity, because we need voices of reason to speak to each other if we are ever to rise above the partisan nonsense currently engulfing popular debate.
For that reason I was particularly excited that she agreed to come on the podcast to talk about these issues, her current projects, and her past work, including her book Sons of Feminism. I hope you enjoy the discussion as much as I did, and are provoked to think about these issues in a new way, no matter what you might ultimately conclude. That is, once again, one of the purposes of the Origins Podcast, and of the Critical Mass website.
As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers . Your subscriptions …
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Richard Dawkins: From Selfish Gene to Flights of Fancy
26 augustus 2022 · 2 uur 4 min
Richard Dawkins needs no introduction. He is one of the world’s most well known scientists and science writers. He is also a good friend and colleague. As many of you may know, Richard and I have toured much of the world together on stage, often in dialogues about our disciplines, our views of the world, and of course the conflict between science and religion. Lees meer
When we decided to create The Origins Podcast, it was natural to consider early on having a dialogue between Richard and me. One fateful day, our crew headed to Oxford. As we began our journey, our car was broken into and much equipment stolen. Then we had a small car accident later. We finally got to Richard’s late in the day, in time to begin a dialogue, but not long enough to complete it.
I wanted to hold on to that snippet for the right time, so that Richard and I could continue our conversation by touching something new, something we had not talked about before onstage. The release of two new books over the past year provided just such an opportunity. Richard and I were able to discuss Flights of Fancy, his latest book, about flight in the animal kingdom and beyond. It is a beautiful book to read and look at, with delightful illustrations by Jana Lenzova.
I had assumed I knew everything that was in it, as Richard and I had talked about the physics of flying early on when he was writing it. But I was wrong. It is a wonderful compendium of fascinating stories about how nature, and evolution, conspired to harness physics to escape, at least temporarily, they tyranny of gravity.
We used the book as a launching point to discuss science more generally. It was an enjoyable tour from The Selfish Gene to his, and my, most recent thinking about nature. I hope you enjoy it.
As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers . Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version is available free …
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Alex Garland: Fundamental questions inspire art and science
14 augustus 2022 · 1 uur 13 min
Alex Garland is probably best known to the world for writing and directing the blockbuster film Ex Machina about the consequences of the coming of age of an AI humanoid robot. Before that, he wrote the film 28 days later, about the fictional aftermath of a mysterious incurable virus that spreads through the UK. Most recently he directed a television series for FX called Devs, about many things, but hinging on quantum mechanics and issues of a multiverse. Lees meer
The human implications of new technology seem to play an ever present role in his films, and I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to chat with him about science and art in the past, and was eager to sit down and record a podcast. He is remarkably thoughtful and at the same time self-deprecating. Since the origins podcast tends to focus on issues of science and culture, Alex was the perfect guest, and he seamlessly blends the two. We sat down and talked about his own origins, emerging from a period of more or less complete disinterest in science to returning to the kind of questioning that his scientist grandfather used to embark on with him when he was a young boy. Recorded in the building in which his most recent TV series Devs was being recorded, we had to talk about the quantum universe as well.
It was a fascinating and thoughtful conversation about the human interface with modern science, as displayed in film, writing, and art.
As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers . Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version is available free on the Critical Mass site and on all podcast sites, and the video version will also be available on the Origins Project Youtube channel as well.
Get full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe
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Geoff Marcy: The Search for Exoplanets and Life Elsewhere in the Universe
29 juli 2022 · 1 uur 53 min
Geoff Marcy has been pioneer in the search for extra-solar system planets since the first discovery of an exoplanet surround a main sequence star was made in 1995 by Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz. Within months, Marcy and his team had not only confirmed this result but detected numerous other exoplanets. Seventy of the first one hundred exoplanets were discovered by Marcy’s team, including the firs exoplanet located as far away from its star as Jupiter is to the Sun, and the first exoplanet discovered by observing its transit of its host star, a technique that will be used by JWST to explore the atmosphere of exoplanets to search for bio signatures. Marcy was then a Co-PI on the Kepler Mission, which discovered over 4000 exoplanets. For their pioneering work in the creation of this new field Marcy and Mayor shared the international Shaw Prize in 2005. More recently Marcy has turned his attention to methods to probe for intelligent life in the Universe, first as a PI on the Breakthrough Listen Project, and more recently exploring novel methods, including optical techniques to probe for possible signals of intelligence elsewhere. Lees meer
We discussed all of these exciting topics, as well as Geoff’s own origins as a scientist in a thoughtful and fascinating discussion. He has become well known not just as a world renown scientist, but as one of the best communicators of astronomy there is. Our discussion will give a whole new dimension to your thinking about that age-old question: Are we alone in the Universe?
As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers . Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version is available free on the Critical Mass site and on all podcast sites, and the video version will also be available on the Origins Project YouTube channel as well.
Get full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe
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Andy Knoll: The First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth
14 juli 2022 · 2 uur 54 min
Andy Knoll is a Renaissance Scientist. He is a geologist, paleobiologist, and geochemist and has applied key ideas from chemistry, biology, physiology and more to understanding the key developments associated with life on Earth—both how geology and chemistry have impacted on life, and vice versa. He has made ground breaking contributions to the understanding of almost every phase of life, from early Pre-Cambrian single cell life, to the emergence of more complex lifeforms, to mass extinctions. His group was the first to demonstrate that the rapid rise of CO2 was probably responsible for the last great extinction on Earth, a subject of some relevance today. For his work he most recently won the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Crafoord Prize in Geosciences… the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in that field. Lees meer
But more than all of this, Andy is a wonderful teacher and human being, and a great communicator . He has written numerous books on the history of life on Earth, and we discussed his most recent book, “A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters” in this podcast, along with his own origins and evolution as a scientist. The discussion was so fascinating that we went overtime during our first session and had to continue the next day.
Our discussion will forever change your perspective on our planet, and our place within it. Enjoy.
As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers . Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version is available free on the Critical Mass site and on all podcast sites, and the video version will also be available on the Origins Project Youtube channel as well.
Get full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe
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Charles Murray: On Human Diversity
1 juli 2022 · 2 uur 19 min
After writing the book, The Bell Curve, Charles Murray became a controversial figure in the US Social Science scene, and was much maligned in the public arena. His work has been misinterpreted as being racist and sexist, and at Middlebury College students forcibly stopped his guest lecture and rioted. Lees meer
As often the case with stereotypes, Murray is instead a thoughtful scholar who has tried to base his social science research on data from empirical science, something that should be standard, but isn’t.
I wanted to discuss his most recent book, Human Diversity, with him. It is far from controversial, and instead is a clear effort to explain often complex genetic concepts in a popular format. He makes it clear that he focuses on only well understood and well accepted concepts, and the discussion we had was instructive and enjoyable. He is a delightful and thoughtful individual and I believe that comes out in our dialogue.
I know from experience, as I indicated at the beginning of our discussion, that many people will condemn the discussion without listening to it, just as they condemn his writing without reading it. But if you take the time, I think you will be pleasantly surprised, as well as learning some new things about the world.
One of the purposes of The Origins Podcast is to connect science and culture, and Murray connects hard science with social science issues in a refreshingly honest and detailed way. Indeed, if all social scientists and policy makers took his approach, the overall tenor of popular discussion would improve, I believe. And while Murray and I do not share political views on a number of issues, thoughtful discussion is far preferred to blanket cancellation and denunciation or a refusal to even engage. Again, that, I hope, is a hallmark of the podcast. I hope you enjoy the discussion as much as I did.
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(Audio) John Mather: From the Big Bang to Searching for Life
16 juni 2022 · 1 uur 57 min
John Mather is an astrophysicist at NASA who has been involved in important space missions to probe our fundamental understanding of the Universe for over four decades. He helped lead the design and deployment of the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE), which launched in 1989 to probe the cosmic microwave background radiation from the Big Bang with a precision that could not be obtained from terrestrial experiments because of absorption of radiation by the atmosphere. The experiments on COBE, and its successor missions WMAP and PLANCK, literally have turned cosmology from an art to a science, allowing the precise measurement of cosmological observables that previously were either not measured at all or only measured to within a factor of two. This has led to a golden age of cosmology, where theories of the early universe can now be compared directly to observation. Lees meer
John directed the building of the Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS) on COBE which was able to show that the cosmic microwave background radiation was indeed an almost perfect ‘black body’ spectrum associated with a very well defined temperature of the Universe at a time of about 300,000 years after the big bang. Indeed, no terrestrial experiment has ever produced such an accurate black body spectrum, which was one of the fundamental predictions that helped develop quantum mechanics early in the 20th century.
For his work on COBE, John shared the Nobel Prize with George Smoot. But John didn’t rest on his laurels, for several decades after COBE John helped lead the design and development of the James Webb Space Telescope, which recently launched and will probe both the very early universe and also extra solar planets, possibly helping us discover evidence for life elsewhere in the Universe.
John and I talked about his origins in science, the science he has accomplished, and what his future plans are in a discussion that will help provide a valuable perspective for anyone on the cur…
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Origins Podcast with Michael Shellenberger: From Apocalypse Never to Running for Governor
2 juni 2022 · 3 uur 27 min
I was very happy to have the chance to speak to Michael Shellenberger some time ago, after his book Apocalypse Never appeared. Having written my book, The Physics of Climate Change, I was intrigued by his take on the fact that climate change is not an existential threat. Once I read his book, I realized we agreed on many things, with perhaps the differences being on emphasize rather than substance. Nevertheless, we did have some disagreements, and we had a very spirited, and I hope respectful, discussion about climate change and its implications, but also on the other issues that need to be addressed and which climate change activists may be exacerbating because of their unique focus on this issue. The need to address important infrastructure issues in Africa and elsewhere in order to bring people up from poverty and also to help insulate them, or at least allow them to adapt to climate change is of great importance. Also, one of his central issues, the need for Nuclear Power, is an important issue, and I agree completely with Michael that we should not be closing down nuclear power plants, nor interfering with the construction of new plants. I don’t see Nuclear Power alone as a panacea, however. While perhaps largely due to the current burden of regulation, nuclear power plants are expensive and time consuming to build, and I think that they are just one component of what needs to be a many-pronged effort to address climate change and other global challenges. Lees meer
Michael is incredibly passionate about his view of the crucial pressing challenges we face, and any categorization of him as liberal, conservative, libertarian, or climate denier, is false. He is a thoughtful humanist, and I found the discussion with him to be enlightening, as well as provocative, and I learned a lot in the process. That is the best kind of discussion, after all.
After doing 2.5 hours together a year or so we sat together again (on zoom) for another discussion in the midst of his current ru…
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Jonathan Rauch: Free Thought, Democracy, and the Nature of Science
19 mei 2022 · 1 uur 43 min
Jonathan Rauch was 30 years ahead of the curve. In his book Kindly Inquisitors, written in 1993, he described the very mechanisms by which ideology can undermine both the search for truth, and the democratic ideal of free thought—mechanisms which have now become endemic in our society. But more than that, in that book, and in The Constitution of Knowledge, written in 2021 he lays out more clearly than anyone I have ever read, the philosophical and sociological basis of science. The search for truth, and the proper functioning of democratic government both require the same social contract: the implicit acceptance that all ideas are subject to open attack, but that ultimately when the community as a whole has access to open debate and discussion, to the logical attacks and counter-attacks, social consensus can emerge about which ideas remain productive, and which are consigned to the dustbin of history. Science is therefore a social activity every bit as much as governance is. This does not mean that science is a social construct however. It is precisely the need for open debate, without no constraints on whose claims have merit based on authority, gender, race, or religion, that ensures that the search for truth moves in the right direction. Lees meer
It was a delight and revelation for me to learn, belatedly, about Jonathan’s writing, and to have a chance to discuss some of his ideas in depth in this podcast. He is a gentle, eloquent, and thoughtful soul, and I hope you find the discussion with him as enlightening as I did.
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Alan Guth: Inflation of The Universe & More
6 mei 2022 · 2 uur 30 min
In 1979 Alan Guth, then a postdoc at Cornell, made what is perhaps the most important contribution to our theoretical understanding of the evolution of the Universe in the past half century. His realization that the early universe could have undergone a brief period of what he dubbed as “Inflation” provided the first and to date the only explanation of the large scale properties of the Universe compatible with observations, and based on well-defined, calculable, microphysical physics principles. Since that time, Inflation has become the paradigm of modern cosmology, and it made fundamental predictions about other observables in cosmology that have since been validated by observations of the Cosmo Microwave Background Radiation. Lees meer
I was particularly happy to have Alan on the podcast for a variety of reasons. First and foremost he is a remarkably clear and precise expositor of science. Second, his own history in the field provides, I think, a good object lesson for young scientists who might be struggling. Third, it was important that he provide a counterpoint to the discussion I previously had with Roger Penrose, who has presented his own alternative to Inflation that is much less well-defined at this time. Finally, Alan is a lovely human being, and both a friend, and in some sense a mentor to me (having served on my thesis examination committee when he first came to MIT, and having been a colleague and co-author with me on scientific papers).
I hope you enjoy what I found to be a very enlightening discussion about science, and a revealing window into the thoughts of one of the most important cosmologists currently alive today.
The audio version is free to all on this Critical Mass site. An ad-free video is available on Critical mass for paid subscribers only, a video version with advertisements is available separately on the Origins Project Foundation YouTube Channel.
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Dorian Abbot: From Climate and Exoplanets to DEI and Free Speech.
21 april 2022 · 1 uur 35 min
Dorian Abbot is an associate professor of geophysics at the University of Chicago, who uses mathematical and computational models to understand and explain fundamental problems in Earth and Planetary Sciences. His work on climate, and paleoclimate in particular is particularly important as we try and determine the likelihood that some exoplanets may be habitable. This is an area where may claims are made, most often on the basis of far too little solid evidence, so Dorian’s computer models have been particularly useful as we try and separate the wheat from the chaff in trying to determine if we are indeed alone in the Universe. Lees meer
He and I discussed the evolution of climate on Earth, and the important features that may determine habitability elsewhere in the cosmos. And then we turned to an issue that has made his name far more recognizable outside of the scientific community.
Earlier this year, he was invited to give a named public lecture at MIT on climate, climate change, and exoplanet habitability. Previously, he and a colleague had written an unrelated op-ed piece in Newsweek that argued that “American universities are undergoing a profound transformation that threatens to derail their primary mission: “the production and dissemination of knowledge.” He laid the blame—as I and a number of my colleagues have independently also argued—on new "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" bloated bureaucracies at US universities that are stifling free speech, open inquiry, and merit based promotion.
As if to prove his point, under pressure from various social media complainants, MIT cancelled Abbot’s public lecture (which was later given online through a group at Princeton University). The subsequent uproar over the MIT cancellation has prompted many people to argue that it is time to rein in the current almost religious DEI proscriptions against open debate and discussion on these issues. Dorian and I discussed his experience, and ways to try and address this current proble…
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Matt Ridley: The Origins of COVID-19
7 april 2022 · 2 uur 26 min
(The Origins Podcast will appear every other Thursday.) Lees meer
Matt Ridley is a veteran journalist and science writer, with a training in genetics. He is also a Conservative member of the House of Lords in the UK. Matt and I were able to discuss his training, and his move from scientist to journalist, as well as the spectrum of his experiences in his various roles. We then moved on to the centerpiece of our dialogue: His newest book, Viral, written with geneticist Alina Chan. Together they produced what I view to be a masterpiece of science writing and detective work, exploring the origins of Covid-19. Our discussion, like the book, allowed us to illustrate a lot of the science related to the virus, and the current pandemic.
There are numerous surprises. One of the most remarkable was the realization that much of the important detective work uncovering the possible origin of the pandemic came from self-trained internet sleuths who were able to uncover masters theses, as well as online registries that had either not been referenced in the professional literature, or incorrectly referenced.
One comes away from the discussion with the realization that we still do not know for certain the origin of Covid-19, in spite of claims to the contrary. Recent, highly publicized scientific articles suggesting the Wuhan Seafood Market as the origin still have to deal with the fact that no direct evidence of the virus has yet to be uncovered from any of the animals at the market. At the same time, there is clear evidence that the Wuhan Virology Institute was working on Covid viruses, including viruses from bats that had caused Covid-like symptoms coming from a cave located far away in China.
Neither Ridley nor Chan advocate any particular scenario for the current outbreak. But it is clear that open, transparent discussion of the available evidence is very important if the world is to understand better how this pandemic started, and how to possibly head off, or prepare for the next on…
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The Origins Podcast: Roger Penrose
24 maart 2022 · 2 uur 50 min
Summary: Roger Penrose and I discussed his life and work in science, mathematics, art and beyond, including the work for which he won the Nobel Prize, and his recent highly controversial proposal regarding the beginning and end of the Universe. Lees meer
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Roger Penrose, who shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics, for his 1965 theoretical demonstration that black holes are an inevitable consequence of Einstein’s General Relativity, something that hadn’t been widely accepted at that time, is known to his colleagues as a remarkable mathematical physicist, whose way of picturing things has changed the way we now picture many things. His use of what are called conformal diagrams, now called Penrose diagrams, allow us to intuitively picture processes in curved space, particularly around black holes in ways we couldn’t do otherwise. He also developed something called Penrose tiles, fill a two dimensional plane in a way that was previously thought to be impossible. He both inspired, and was inspired by the famous Dutch artist M. C. Escher, in his ‘impossible’ drawings. Most recently Roger has proposed an alternative picture of the evolution of the Universe called Cyclic Conformal Cosmology, which connects the distant past of the Universe with the far future. It is controversial, and few others have accepted his picture at this time. He and I spent almost 3 hours discussing all of these things, and also his early inspirations as a young man, the nature of mathematics and physics, and much more. I am extremely happy to release this episode with Roger Penrose as the first Substack-hosted episode of The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss. I hope you enjoy it, and all the future episodes to come.
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Ayaan Hirsi Ali
2 maart 2022 · 2 uur 21 min
This episode features a very special guest, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who has an incredible life story and track record of speaking out against oppression, fighting for freedom of expression, and fostering a deeper discussion around some of today's most important topics. Lees meer
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Somali-born Dutch-American activist, feminist, author, scholar, and former politician. She received international attention as a critic of Islam and advocate for the rights and self-determination of Muslim women, actively opposing forced marriage, honor killing, child marriage, and female genital mutilation. She has founded an organization for the defense of women's rights, the AHA Foundation. Ayaan Hirsi Ali works for the Hoover Institution and the American Enterprise Institute.
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Stephen Wolfram on Math, Philosophy, & More
21 februari 2022 · 2 uur 23 min
In this episode of the Origins Podcast, Stephen Wolfram joins Lawrence Krauss for a fascinating conversation around Stephen's upbringing, his education path, Mathematica, and what he's working on now. They also cover various concepts around symbolic manipulation and the importance of knowing how to type. Lees meer
Stephen Wolfram is the creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha and the Wolfram Language; the author of A New Kind of Science; the originator of the Wolfram Physics Project; and the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research. Over the course of more than four decades, he has been a pioneer in the development and application of computational thinking—and has been responsible for many discoveries, inventions and innovations in science, technology and business.
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Steven Pinker on Rationality, Psychology, Language, & More
2 februari 2022 · 1 uur 3 min
On this episode of The Origins Podcast, experimental psychologist, Steven Pinker shares an excellent conversation with Lawrence Krauss. Steven and Lawrence cover a variety of topics, including rationality, evolutionary psychology, and language. Lees meer
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Tim Minchin Discussing Science, Culture, & Comedy
18 januari 2022 · 2 uur 2 min
Tune in for an excellent conversation between Tim Minchin and Lawrence Krauss. They dive into a variety of interesting subjects, such as Tim Minchin's upbringing, his scientific interests, comedy, culture, the state of the world, and even a few of Tim Minchin's current projects that is he working on now. Lees meer
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Science Matters: Understanding The James Webb Space Telescope
18 januari 2022 · 28 min
This episode is best watched on Youtube, as there are slides and images that accompany Lawrence's talk. This week marks a very special moment in which the Origins Podcast passed 100,000 subscribers! In celebration of this, we've brought back Science Matters for a special episode to discuss the science of the James Webb Space Telescope. Thank you to everyone who has supported the Origins Project, both the podcast and the foundation as a whole. We have an excellent line-up of guests planned for 2022 and can't wait to share our newest episodes with you! Lees meer
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Jordan B Peterson on Confronting Value, Meaning, & More
18 december 2021 · 2 uur 23 min
This exciting episode of the Origins Podcast features Jordan B Peterson along with host, Lawrence Krauss. They explore Jordan's upbringing and background, the nuances of meaning and value, as well as the difficulties and opportunities of doing research in our current cultural climate. Many viewers will enjoy seeing a unique side of Jordan B Peterson that shines through during this discussion and it is planned to be the first of many, so please consider subscribing and supporting the podcast to receive notifications of upcoming episodes! Lees meer
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Sabine Hossenfelder: Physics, Science Ideology, & More
13 november 2021 · 2 uur
Sabine Hossenfelder joins Lawrence Krauss for an interesting discussion about theoretical physics, academia, and the future of science ideology. Lees meer
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Jim Simons: Math, Codes, Hunting Talent, Stocks, & Science
28 oktober 2021 · 1 uur 43 min
Jim Simons joins Lawrence for fascinating new and different take on the life of a man best known to the public for becoming a billionaire by using techniques from mathematics and statistics to revolutionize investing, but who has had numerous other careers, as a brilliant mathematician, academic leader, code breaker and science philanthropist. Lees meer
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Heather Mac Donald | Part 2 of 2 | Updates & Clarifications
6 oktober 2021 · 1 uur 11 min
This is the second part unique conversation with journalist and author, Heather Mac Donald. The author of The Diversity Delusion, Heather doesn't mince words. Lawrence and she don't agree on everything as you'll see during the podcast. Nonetheless, these conversations are critical in fostering an open dialogue as we try to come to a deeper understanding of the world around us. Lees meer
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Stephen Fry on Current Events | Self-Censoring of Scientific Publications
24 september 2021 · 48 min
Lawrence Krauss and Stephen Fry have a conversation about recent disconcerting news that several scientific publications and associations are self-censoring scientific publications and data for fear of offending people, even if no offense is intended.. something that concerns both of them, and should concern all of us. Lees meer
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Heather Mac Donald | Part 1 of 2
19 september 2021 · 2 uur 6 min
This is the first part unique conversation with journalist and author, Heather Mac Donald. Heather doesn't mince words, but Lawrence and she don't agree on everything as you'll see during the podcast. Nonetheless, these conversations are critical in fostering an open dialogue as we try to come to a deeper understanding of the world around us. Lees meer
Stay tuned for the upcoming second part of this episode, where Lawrence and Heather revisit their earlier discussion for updates, clarifications, and further discussion around current events as they unfold.
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Current Events: Follow Up on Afghanistan with Noam Chomsky
23 augustus 2021 · 26 min
Listen to our newest mini-series "Current Events with Noam Chomsky"! In this episode, Lawrence and Noam have a follow-up discussion about the latest developments in Afghanistan. Lees meer
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Barry Barish | Exploring The History of Experimental Physics
10 augustus 2021 · 2 uur 59 min
In this podcast episode, Lawrence Krauss reconnects with an old friend and Nobel Prize recipient, Barry Barish. They discuss a wide range of topics and explore Barry's own history as well as the history, present, and future of experimental physics. Lees meer
Barry Barish is an American experimental physicist and Nobel Laureate. He is a Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus at California Institute of Technology and a leading expert on gravitational waves. In 2017, Barish was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves". In 2018, he joined the faculty at University of California, Riverside, becoming the university's second Nobel Prize winner on the faculty.
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-origins-podcast/id1467481703
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The Origins Podcast, a production of The Origins Project Foundation, features in-depth conversations with some of the most interesting people in the world about the issues that impact all of us in the 21st century. Host, theoretical physicist, lecturer, and author, Lawrence M. Krauss, will be joined by guests from a wide range of fields, including science, the arts, and journalism. The topics discussed on The Origins Podcast reflect the full range of the human experience - exploring science and culture in a way that seeks to entertain, educate, and inspire.
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David Gross
2 juli 2021 · 2 uur 16 min
Lawrence Krauss recently had the pleasure of sitting down with David Gross, one of the preeminent theoretical physicists who has been involved not just in the development of the theory of the strong interaction, called quantum chromodynamics, but he is also one of the founders and developers of String Theory. In their discussion, they explore the growth and changes of physics from the 1950's all the way to current day discoveries and methodologies. Lees meer
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Current Events: Noam Chomsky on Censorship & More
16 juni 2021 · 12 min
Listen to our newest mini-series "Current Events with Noam Chomsky"! In this episode, Lawrence and Noam discuss a variety of issues around Censorship. Lees meer
Show your support and access exclusive bonus content at https://www.patreon.com/originspodcast
Noam Chomsky is sometimes referred to as “the father of modern linguistics”, is a political activist, cognitive scientist, linguist, and philosopher who currently holds joint appointments at MIT and UofA. He is the author of over 100 books and generally considered one of the greatest living public intellectuals as well as being one of the most cited scholars in history. His most recent book, Yugoslavia: Peace, War, and Dissolution, is a collection of his previously published essays on that country. In the book, Chomsky reflects on the way international politics has affected Yugoslavia over the past 25 years and what it means for the global socio-economic landscape.
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Current Events: Noam Chomsky on Refugees & Border Policies
2 juni 2021 · 19 min
Listen to our newest mini-series "Current Events with Noam Chomsky"! This episode covers a variety of topics around Refugees and Border Policies in the United States and other countries. Lees meer
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Current Events: Noam Chomsky on Afghanistan
26 mei 2021 · 10 min
Listen to our newest mini-series "Current Events with Noam Chomsky"! In this episode, Lawrence and Noam discuss a variety of issues around Afghanistan, including the withdrawal of troops, military leaders, and considering the opinions of Afghans when deciding US Military movements. Lees meer
Show your support and access exclusive bonus content at https://www.patreon.com/originspodcast
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Current Events: Noam Chomsky on Iran
23 mei 2021 · 16 min
Listen to our newest mini-series "Current Events with Noam Chomsky"! In this episode, Lawrence and Noam discuss a variety of issues around Iran, including nuclear weapons, sanctions, and diplomatic relations. Lees meer
**Recorded before violence erupted in Israel and Gaza mid-May 2021**
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Werner Herzog
2 mei 2021 · 2 uur 1 min
Lawrence joins acclaimed film director Werner Herzog at his home in Los Angeles to discuss societal norms, consumerism, cancel culture, the colonization of Mars, the philosophy behind his art and films, and much more. Lees meer
See the commercial-free, full HD videos of all episodes at www.patreon.com/originspodcast immediately upon their release.
And please consider supporting the podcast by donating to the Origins Project Foundation www.originsprojectfoundation.org
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Ian Tattersall
8 april 2021 · 1 uur 10 min
Ian Tattersall (paleoanthropologist and curator emeritus of the American Museum of Natural History) joins Lawrence for a nuanced discussion of a wide range of topics including the rise of altruism in humans, the evolutionary reasons for religion, breeding compatibility between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, the origins of brewing beer, and more. Lees meer
See the commercial-free, full HD videos of all episodes at www.patreon.com/originspodcast immediately upon their release.
And please consider supporting the podcast by donating to the Origins Project Foundation www.originsprojectfoundation.org
Twitter: @TheOriginsPod
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Ian McEwan
1 maart 2021 · 1 uur 40 min
Lawrence joins novelist Ian McEwan (Atonement, Machines Like Me) at his home in London to discuss a wide variety of topics ranging from storytelling and censorship to artificial intelligence and Brexit. His latest book (The Cockroach) is a Kafkaesque, political satire in which a cockroach is transformed into the prime minister of England. Lees meer
See the commercial-free, full HD videos of all episodes at www.patreon.com/originspodcast immediately upon their release.
And please consider supporting the podcast by donating to the Origins Project Foundation www.originsprojectfoundation.org
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Andrea Ghez
1 februari 2021 · 1 uur 45 min
2020 Nobel Prize-winning physicist and astronomer Andrea Ghez joins Lawrence to discuss her life in science and the path that led her to the discovery of a supermassive compact object (black hole) at the center of our galaxy. Lees meer
See the commercial-free, full HD videos of all episodes at www.patreon.com/originspodcast immediately upon their release.
And please consider supporting the podcast by donating to the Origins Project Foundation www.originsprojectfoundation.org
Twitter: @TheOriginsPod
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Woody Allen
1 januari 2021 · 1 uur 48 min
Lawrence joins Academy Award-winning filmmaker Woody Allen at his screening room in New York City where Allen shares insights on his career, philosophy, education, politics and the struggle to find meaning in the universe. Allen’s latest memoir, Apropos of Nothing, is available now. Lees meer
See the commercial-free, full HD videos of all episodes at www.patreon.com/originspodcast immediately upon their release.
The Origins Podcast is now a part of The Origins Project Foundation. For more information, visit originsprojectfoundation.org .
Twitter: @TheOriginsPod
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Joseph LeDoux
5 december 2020 · 1 uur 45 min
Lawrence joins neuroscientist and author Joseph LeDoux in his office at New York University to discuss human consciousness (including its evolutionary development), the difficulties of distinguishing behavior from emotions, his latest book The Deep History of Ourselves: The Four-Billion-Year Story of How We Got Conscious Brains, and more. Lees meer
The Origins Podcast is now a part of The Origins Project Foundation. For more information, visit originsprojectfoundation.org
See the commercial-free, full HD videos of all episodes at www.patreon.com/originspodcast immediately upon their release.
And please consider supporting the podcast by donating to the Origins Project Foundation www.originsprojectfoundation.org
Twitter: @TheOriginsPod
Instagram: @TheOriginsPod
Facebook: @TheOriginsPod
Website: https://theoriginspodcast.comGet full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe
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Maryam Namazie
30 oktober 2020 · 1 uur 16 min
Lawrence joins human rights activist Maryam Namazie at her office in London to discuss her work with The Council of Ex-Muslims, the rise of fascism in the west, blasphemy, “safe spaces”, and more. Lees meer
See the commercial-free, full HD videos of all episodes at www.patreon.com/originspodcast immediately upon release.
The Origins Podcast is now a part of The Origins Project Foundation. For more information, visit www.originsprojectfoundation.org .
Twitter: @TheOriginsPod
Instagram: @TheOriginsPod
Facebook: @TheOriginsPod
Website: https://theoriginspodcast.comGet full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe
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Stephen Fry
22 september 2020 · 2 uur 6 min
The incomparable Stephen Fry joins Lawrence to discuss topics ranging from Greek myths and language, to AI, technology, religion, politics, and mental health. Lees meer
See the commercial-free, full HD videos of all episodes at www.patreon.com/originspodcast immediately upon their release. And please consider supporting the podcast by donating to the Origins Project Foundation www.originsprojectfoundation.org
Twitter: @TheOriginsPod
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David Frum
13 juli 2020 · 2 uur 30 min
Author and political commentator David Frum joins Lawrence to discuss Trump, US foreign policy, the challenges of a Carbon Tax, “wokeness”, behavior policing, and much more. Lees meer
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George Church
21 mei 2020 · 1 uur 11 min
Known as “the Father of Synthetic Biology”, George Church is a geneticist, chemist and molecular engineer. In this episode, Lawrence joins him in his office at Harvard Medical School to discuss his work with CRISPR, the differences between cultural and genetic evolution, the use of “smart materials” to battle climate change, and much more. Lees meer
See the commercial-free, full HD videos of all episodes at www.patreon.com/originspodcast immediately upon their release.
Twitter: @TheOriginsPod
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Sheldon Glashow
29 februari 2020 · 1 uur 31 min
Nobel Prize winning physicist Sheldon Glashow sits down with Lawrence to reflect on his life in science, the state of modern physics, and more. Lees meer
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Sir Trevor Nunn
7 februari 2020 · 1 uur 37 min
Lawrence discusses Shakespeare, education and science with the Tony award-winning director and former head of the Royal Shakespeare company Sir Trevor Nunn. Lees meer
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Elizabeth Loftus
13 januari 2020 · 1 uur 29 min
In this episode, Lawrence is joined by award-winning cognitive psychologist and author Elizabeth Loftus to discuss her ground-breaking work on false memories, recovered memories, “the misinformation effect” and the unreliability of eye-witness testimony. Lees meer
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Stephen Greenblatt
16 december 2019 · 1 uur 35 min
Lawrence joins Shakespearean, historian, and Pulitzer Prize winning author Stephen Greenblatt to discuss renaissance thinking, the crossroads of science and literature, Adam and Eve, Trump and much more. Lees meer
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Martin Rees
24 oktober 2019 · 1 uur 23 min
In London, Lord Martin Rees joins Lawrence to discuss cosmology, science writing, politics, and the role of religion (and religious figures) in modern society. Lees meer
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Neil deGrasse Tyson
4 oktober 2019 · 1 uur 43 min
Lawrence joins astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson in his office at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City to discuss Neil’s background, science communication methods, creating the perfect science sound bite, and much more. Lees meer
See the exclusive, full HD videos of all episodes at www.patreon.com/originspodcast immediately upon their release.
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