cover of episode 486. The Intersection of Science and Meaning | Dr. Brian Greene

486. The Intersection of Science and Meaning | Dr. Brian Greene

2024/10/3
logo of podcast The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

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Dr. Peterson and Dr. Greene discuss the nature of time, its potential link to entropy, and the implications of a universe without time before the Big Bang. They explore the intriguing concept that time might not be a fundamental constant but rather an emergent property linked to change and entropy. Dr. Greene uses the analogy of reaching the North Pole to explain the limitations of applying the concept of "before" to the Big Bang.
  • Time's definition remains elusive in physics.
  • The concept of "before" the Big Bang might be meaningless.
  • Time could be an emergent property linked to change and entropy.

Shownotes Transcript

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down with physicist and author, Dr. Brian Greene. They discuss the strange conceptualization of “before” the Big Bang, how time might be a microscopic phenomenon, how order existed at the point of the universe's creation, what would happen if you fell into a black hole, and the process of going from understanding to harnessing new insights.

 

Dr. Brian Greene is an American physicist known for his research on string theory. He is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University and the chairman of the World Science Festival, which he co-founded in 2008. Dr. Greene has worked on mirror symmetry, relating two different Calabi–Yau manifolds (concretely relating the conifold to one of its orbifolds). He also described the flop transition, a mild form of topology change, showing that topology in string theory can change at the conifold point.

 

This episode was recorded on September 9th, 2024

 

 

  • Links -

 

For Brian Greene:

 

On X https://x.com/bgreene?lang=en

 

Website https://www.briangreene.org/

 

"Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe" (Book) https://www.amazon.com/Until-End-Time-Evolving-Universe/dp/1524731676

 

"The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory" (Book) https://www.amazon.com/Elegant-Universe-Superstrings-Dimensions-Ultimate/dp/039333810X