The Quantum State of the Universe - A Dialogue with Sean Carroll and Alan Guth

Sean Carroll and Alan Guth discuss the quantum state of the universe at FQXi's 5th International Conference.

[TheXitone]

Perfect to listen to while stoned. Fluent madness.

[RonJohn]

I don't know whether or not Carroll is right, but he's a very effective public communicator.

[catcat]

I can't take it seriously with those hats 😂😂😂

[TheKoelnKalk]

I am about to crowdfund physicist action figures. You know, like Star Wars figures but with Sean Carroll, Alan Guth, Lawrence Krauss on the light and Leonard Susskind, Polchinski, Feinman on the dark side.

[otonanoC]

Okay -- lets all put on our Quantum Cosmology Hats.

[semidemiurge]

great back and forth between two great guys

[RhysChellew]

can anyone recommend a beginner's guide that I can engage with and then come back to this and understand it.

[dlbattle]

Now way I can pay attention to what they are saying with those hats on lol.

[blueskinblake]

Do they make those hats in Boltzmann brain sizes?

[afifakimih]

Excellent debate..!! My fvrt two physicist!!

[MrZerausogaitnas]

forget the ciency mumbo jumbo, we need a video response to this explaining the hats.

[sekoivu]

Hahah, it surely took me a moment to realize that those are bear hats.... good talk by the way.

[whirledpeas]

I was thinking Jerry Springer was going to pop out. 😀

[BrodyLuv]

So basically, maybe, no, yes, perhaps, definately/impossible.

[gnagyusa]

I'm very skeptical about the possibility of Boltzmann brains. For a brain to function, you need not only a huge number of components, but also functioning connections between those components. A mind is the information flow between the parts (e.g. neurons).
Simple particles can form from quantum vacuum, then they can evolve into more complex systems, like brains over billions of years, via random mutations and natural selection, but for something as complex as a brain to form instantaneously, out of random quantum fluctuations, is a huge stretch.
There appears to be a limit to the complexity of systems that can form spontaneously and instantly. Otherwise, we should be seeing complex things, like bacteria just popping out of the quantum vacuum.
Infinite possibilities does *not* mean that everything is possible.
I'm not convinced that a Boltzmann brain, or many other complex systems would be stable / cohesive-enough to prevent them from fluctuating back into a random pattern, before they could start functioning as a brain, etc.
Just because something has not been proven to be impossible, it doesn't mean it's possible.
I'd require evidence to prove that something like that is actually possible.

[michellereed]

Alan Guth looks like the grandpa from the simpsons.

[sergeynovikov]

our entire visible universe is a Boltzmann brain as a whole which spontaneously appeared in the multiverse.

[zero]

could someone break it down for me, these guys are way beyond my intelligence

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