The Other Side of Physics | Sabine Hossenfelder | TEDxNewcastle

For some physics is all about helping us nail down how the natural world works. And of course this is a hugely valuable and important effort.

In Sabine’s talk, however, she wants to discuss how physics is a catalyst and inspiration for deeper discussion on some of the big, and often unanswerable, questions in life. For example, does a ‘multiverse’ really exist? Can the Universe think?

As part of her talk she wants to distinguish between the ‘unscientific’ and the ‘ascientific’ to help us understand the difference between bad science and important questions that science simply cannot answer, at least not yet. Sabine has a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a PhD in physics. Her current work is mostly in the foundation of physics. She has written over 80 research papers on topics ranging from quantum gravity to particle physics, cosmology, astrophysics, statistical mechanics, and quantum foundations.

[SeanRJohnson]

I'm so happy to live in a universe capable of producing Sabine Hossenfelder.

[hawkerdoo]

When I was a youngster I was completely captivated by Professor Carl Sagan, and here I am having that same experience with Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder in my Senior years.

[amphibiousone]

Sabine gives outstanding lectures. Thank You Dr.Sabine

[DJWESG]

Rare this.. an expert giving a Ted talk..

[lennyvlaminov]

Sabine is brilliant, a whole universe of insights and analysis

[eric]

Fantastic talk, Sabine Hossenfelder has introduced physics and concepts in digestible bits for folks like myself trying to learn a little bit more every day

[brianhadley]

Clear presentation of somewhat difficult to comprehend ideas. Informative and educational in an interesting way. Gotta love this intelligent woman.

[sparky]

Physics can discover the laws of our universe and how we can use them. That is the limit of physics. It can not explain what happened before the big bang. It can not explain how psychics can communicate with the dead. It can not explain how it is that some people can see the future. Physics can not develop equations to explain these kinds of things.
Sabine Hossenfelder makes physics so interesting and explains things so well. I think she's the best!

[shubhanshjain]

Thank you Dr. Hossenfelder for taking time out of your busy schedule to deliver this lecture. I’ve learned some great facts and ideas from your videos.

[charlesdavis]

The best science communicator of our age? It is rare to explain the most complex ideas in a way that is completely understandable.

[emalee]

She's wonderful! Smart, humorous, and good at teaching. Follow her science news channel. Oh, and she also creates music. 🙂

[TheMarcusrobbins]

When I have heard her before she seemed to lack imagination. Now I see it's just that her imagination is strongly tempered by precise logical thought. That is the mark of a great mind, my respect for her has increased significantly. It is an annoying aspect of a scientific world dominated by sensors, people who do not delve into the subconscious as much, that these insights are frowned upon. I hope as her standing increases she becomes more free to express them.

[GerritSchulze]

It is always a pleasure to listen to Sabine Hossenfelder's thoughts. They are easy to grasp and to say in her words 'ascientific', at least for me...
I have no evidence against nor do I have evidence supporting the idea behind her thoughts.

[hyrocoaster]

11:26 I find the idea of a thinking universe on a large scale interesting and I hadn't known before that physicists have started to think about it. However, what I thought she would say, and this would have appeared rather self-evident to me, is that we know already that the universe can think through us. This wouldn't mean that the thinking is everywhere (in the sense of the idea that the whole universe can think), but as Sabine said herself we are part of the same universe, so apparently at least parts of it can think? So the question for me would be whether there is, in addition to the thinking that the universe already does, further thinking: among galaxies, tiny wormholes, etc.

[erickmorales]

I’m shocked . I came on here because I have listened to Sabine for over a year now. I actually alway wondered what if the universe itself is a brain trying to understand itself, and it is alive but in a way our brain cant comprehend. The same way we are trying to understand our existence. Now I don’t feel as crazy.

[yinyuejia]

Sabine, thank you for being so complete and clear!

[davidpantoja]

So good to have this content available, science is cool.

[waltergith]

Dear Sabine (I hope you read the comments), I like your work a lot! I would appreciate if you would also tell people that what you call "compatible" indeed means that our philosophical speculations are at least 50% about our own theories and not about what we call "reality". In my eyes all our theories are "compatible theories". As the observer problem clearly shows, the reality itself is and will always be beyond our knowledge. I think the works of Donald Hoffman show this very impressively.

[thee_ms_enthusiast]

I don’t know if it’s the same experience with others. Being taught and given empirical meaning to what’s being taught, gives me liking and an opportunity to better interpret “stuff” and even maybe make advancement on them. I’m usually lost if I cannot pair what is taught with empirical meaning. This is why I like Sabine. She dangles these two so well. In undergraduate physics, I didn’t understand geometrical meanings of the cones in special relativity. And here she opens up so well to it.

[glenncurry]

Interesting to watch you from another perspective. I watch your youtube channel religiously! And watched you with Penrose and others in discussions. I always learn something and love your, yes, strange humor!