Into the Impossible With Brian Keating Big Bang Productions Inc.

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There are many stories, notions, and theories about what might happen if the development of artificial intelligence goes wrong. But what if it goes right? What if we develop superintelligence safely, govern it well, and make good use of it?

These are the profound questions that today’s esteemed guest, Nick Bostrom, has explored in his highly anticipated new book, Deep Utopia.

Nick is a Professor at Oxford University, where he heads the Future of Humanity Institute as its founding director. He is the most-cited professional philosopher in the world aged 50 or under and is the author of some 200 publications, including Anthropic Bias (2002), Global Catastrophic Risks (2008), Human Enhancement (2009), and Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (2014), a New York Times bestseller.

With a background in theoretical physics, computational neuroscience, logic, and artificial intelligence, he is a leading expert in this field so without further ado, let’s dive right into his beautiful utopia!

Key Takeaways:


00:00:00 Intro

00:02:37 Judging a book by its cover 

00:06:01 Failed utopian experiments

00:10:47 The future of work

00:16:16 The limits to growth and superintelligence 

00:28:30 Simulation hypothesis 

00:39:14 The potential for AI alignment 

00:47:53 Why Nick hopes there are no aliens

00:50:19 Audience questions 

01:03:49 Outro


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Additional resources:

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📚 Deep Utopia by Nick Bostrom: https://a.co/d/bCDkoX0 

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How are cosmology and cosmetology linked? Has the Big Bang happened an infinite number of times? And why has no one ever seen a perfect triangle? 

I recently had the opportunity to discuss these and other exciting topics with Dennis Prager! Dennis is the host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show The Dennis Prager Show, which can be heard nationwide on nearly 400 stations! He is also the founder of Prager University (PragerU), the world's most-watched conservative video website with a billion views a year, more than half of them by people under 35. 

Enjoy our insightful conversation! 

Key Takeaways:


00:00:00 Intro

00:00:55 Cosmology and cosmetology 

00:04:58 The origin of the universe 

00:09:01 The perfect triangle 

00:13:01 The first scientific crack in cosmology and Olber’s paradox

00:18:26 Do most physicists believe in the Big Bang? 

00:22:59 My predictions about the past

00:27:50 Outro 


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➡️ Connect with Dennis Prager:
💻 Website: https://dennisprager.com/ 
✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DennisPrager/

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

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Is Earth unique, or are there other Earth-like planets full of life? If so, what might life be like on these other planets? Could we even detect it? These questions have puzzled people for millennia.

Now, we finally have the technology to explore it. Among the people who have taken up the search for other Earth-like planets and extraterrestrial life is today's guest, Lisa Kaltenegger!

Lisa Kaltenegger is an award-winning astrophysicist and astrobiologist and the founding director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell. She is a pioneer and world-leading expert in modeling habitable worlds and their light footprints. For the last decade, she has been finding new ways to discover life in space, working with NASA and ESA from Austria to the Netherlands, Harvard, Germany, and now Cornell. 

Today, she will take us on an exciting journey through space in search of habitable planets and life. 

Tune in! 

Key Takeaways: 


00:00:00 Intro

00:03:00 Judging a book by its cover

00:06:16 What kind of aliens is Lisa looking for? 

00:10:50 The key technology for planet hunting 

00:16:51 Modeling habitable planets

00:24:09 A trip through probability space 

00:33:58 Panspermia and life on Mars

00:38:02 Proof of life

00:44:51 Information theory and identifying signs of life

00:48:11 The implications of discovering extraterrestrial life

00:53:16 The future of pedagogy 

00:57:39 Outro


Additional resources: 

➡️Win a copy of ALIEN EARTHS! enter here: https://kingsumo.com/g/mkl3j6/win-a-copy-of-dr-lisa-kaltenegger-s-hit-book-alien-earths 

➡️Learn more about Lisa Kaltenegger:
📚 Alien Earths: https://a.co/d/bKobTOp 
✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KalteneggerLisa/ 

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!
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The multiverse has captured the imagination of scientists and thinkers for centuries, sparking debates in physics, philosophy, and beyond.

But is it a valid scientific theory or just science fiction? 

I’ve had the pleasure of exploring this issue with the leading expert in this field, physicist and author Paul Halpern. Halpern is a professor of physics at Saint Joseph’s University and the author of eighteen popular science books, including Flashes of Creation, The Quantum Labyrinth, Einstein's Dice, Schrodinger's Cat, and Synchronicity. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. 

Halpern recently published The Allure of the Multiverse: Extra Dimensions, Other Worlds, and Parallel Universes, which tells the epic story of how science became besotted with the multiverse and the controversies that ensued. Today, we’re going to dive headfirst into this fascinating investigation!

Tune in.

Key Takeaways:


00:00:00 Intro

00:01:17 Judging a book by its cover

00:06:39 Bruno’s speculations about exoplanets

00:11:20 Why is the multiverse such a controversial theory? 

00:16:54 Richard Feynman And John Wheeler

00:23:31 Can we falsify the multiverse?

00:30:30 Has anyone ever written a biography of Bob Dickey? 

00:39:11 Inflationary models, multiverse and cyclic cosmology

00:45:36 Evidence of bubble collisions in the CMB? 

00:57:45 String theory and the multiverse

01:01:41 Outro


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Additional resources:

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

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Welcome everyone to a fascinating deep dive with the late Daniel Dennett!

In our interview, we tackled fascinating problems like free will, human consciousness, ethics, and the philosophy of science. He also explained why he’s sounding the alarm on AI!

Shortly after our interview, Daniel sadly passed away at the age of 82. He was a renowned philosopher, thought-provoking writer, brilliant cognitive scientist, and vocal atheist. He was the co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies, the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University in Massachusetts, a member of the editorial board for The Rutherford Journal, and a co-founder of The Clergy Project.

Known as one of the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism, he was at the forefront of discussions on consciousness, free will, and the impact of Darwinian evolution on religious belief. Dennett's works, including "Breaking the Spell" and "Consciousness Explained," have provoked both admiration and controversy, challenging readers to reconsider deeply held beliefs about the mind and its relationship to the physical world. Needless to say, I was thrilled to have Dan on the show!

The world has truly lost an extraordinary soul and a groundbreaking thinker.

RIP

Key Takeaways:


00:00:00 Intro

00:09:27 Judging a book by its cover

00:12:29 Dan's critique of Sam Harris's position on free will

00:21:43 The evolutionary advantage of music

00:29:01 Language, nonverbal communication, and artificial intelligence 

00:34:33 Are brains computers?

00:46:04 Sounding the alarm on AI

00:51:38 Bioengineering and bioethics 

00:57:21 Philosophy of physics 

01:02:47 The evolution of academia

01:09:08 Audience questions 

01:23:10 Outro


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Additional resources:

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

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Today on Into the Impossible, we’re exploring the fascinating realm of time with none other than the timekeeper himself – Chad Orzel. 

Chad is a professor of physics and science communicator renowned for his popular science books, How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog, Breakfast with Einstein, and How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes.com. 

In his most recent book, A Brief History of Timekeeping, Chad revisits the delicate negotiations involved in Gregorian calendar reform, the intricate and entirely unique system employed by the Maya, and how the problem of synchronizing clocks at different locations ultimately required us to abandon the idea of time as an absolute and universal quantity. 

From sundials to sandglasses and mechanical clocks, this sharp and engaging story isn't just about the science of timekeeping—it's a riveting tale encompassing politics, philosophy, and the very essence of space and time.

Tune in!

Key Takeaways:


00:00:00 Intro

00:01:07 Judging a book by its cover

00:05:07 Galileo’s telescope helmet

00:10:23 The connection between time and astronomy

00:13:11 Why is longitude so hard to measure?

00:15:32 The relativity of simultaneity

00:22:12 The future of education after COVID

00:25:55 The standard definition of time

00:31:19 Attosecond clocks

00:36:33 Why time is so much more perplexing than space

00:40:23 How to teach students new things

00:43:14 On education  

00:49:05 Outro


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Additional resources:

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➡️ Learn more about Chad Orzel:
✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/orzelc/ 
📚 Website: https://chadorzel.com/

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices