Does Math Reveal Reality?

Mathematics has an uncanny ability to describe the physical world. It elegantly explains and predicts features of space, time, matter, energy, and gravity. But is this magnificent scientific articulation an invention of the human mind or is mathematics indelibly imprinted upon the substrate of reality? #BrianGreene and leading thinkers parse the thorny problems of math’s existence.

This Webby-nominated program is part of the Big Ideas series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation.

Participants:
David Z. Albert
Sheldon Goldstein
Silvia Jonas
Max Tegmark

Moderator:
Brian Greene

Senior Executive Producer: Tracy Day; Executive Producer: Aaron Lubarsky; Produced by: Vincent Liota; Editorial Producer: Sheila Kumar; Coordinating Producer: Tanner Dahlin

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[janedherrera]

I am a Colombian trying to study English to teach it to our young people... You can NOT imagine how much pleasant it is to listen to all of you with this outstanding topic to be shared with my students.
There's beauty in the desire of sharing such deep and basic ideas. That would be for me the real result of a mathemathics that lies underneath, inside, outside, in and about our desire of sharing such awareness deep in us.

[HB-fzdw]

Thank you Dr. Brian Greene for all the work you do to make physics more visually accessible to people who think in images. Such a great video!!

[humptydumpty]

Once you realize how beautiful and literal math can be, how it makes the unknown and the future come to reality, you’ll instantly fall in love with it and it will be your best friend throughout life.

[solutionrevolution]

This Channel is the best youtube channel out there, such good topics and the in-depth conversation that happens. Love this 5, 6-panel group style of presenting the information. You get some great information from various good views on things from people from many fields.

[covey-hcmy]

Brian greene is a total legend. Love your style and enthusiasm of bringing science to a lay person like me. We owe you lots of gratitude and a thanks for helping us mere mortals with science.

[suryadeepmohan]

Talks of scientists are so disciplined and precise

[alex-dnto]

this has got to be my favorite WSF talk. I really think we need to have more conversation about understanding conciseness and how it is *actually* very deeply related to the universe, physics, and even mathematics.

[fotwen]

As a person that loves math, I talk about this a lot. I say math is discovered. Geometric laws are a part of reality with or without us. We are still discovering π today, we aren't inventing it. Regardless of what we call it, two, duos, or 二, what it represents is beyond the symbol. Imo.

[johnphil]

This conversation really reveal the "beauty of mathematics " . Thanks Brain.

[hamsandwich]

I love the concept of knowing things about mathematics we can't know but intrinsically understand. As Shelly put it, "Consciousness is left out" is something I have experienced when thinking through a mathematical problem. All of the sudden my brain will put it together without me consciously connecting the dots by doing the work. Like our brains sometimes know what our conscious mind does not. So many more questions.

[AmberlightES]

I have been binge watching this channel since I came across it a few weeks ago. Such eloquent debates are difficult to find sometimes on the Internet these days...
How about "Mathematics: Tangible or Theoretical".
Thanks.

[Elizabeth-mptr]

Ok Dr. Greene! I am driven to tears by the awesomeness of this!

Can I make a comment: Maybe consciousness comes from our senses yet the interpretation of those senses, is intelligence. And morality, comes from the senses, in what hurts us and does not hurt us. Fear comes from what hurts us. Is there an electron charge to the feeling of hurtness? Or is the feeling of hurtness, a quantum mechanics response of one impulse which effects another entity, which is our senses in our body?

We thus apply those feelings of safety on a broader scale in society. This is morality.

And, in time, for example, a child of 2, does not cross over, a plate of glass at a high level. The child's innate depth perception, is to keep the child safe. But with interpretation, and experiences over time and growth, we interpret that piece of glass from our ability to perceive safety, and interpret that information through reasoning. So what are the basic elements in morality: safety and not safety? So if the number 5 is safe to me, then its moral, its a moral entity. Its just all our perceptions and interpretations.

Is there a mathematical model to the colour brown of the bark of a tree? Or a mathematical model to the concept of perception? The colour brown is a perception.

I dont understand the discussion on morality, without a neuropsychologist on your panel.

[bruceneeley]

Wow, an excellent topic & panel. It was good to see some familiar faces again. The presentation format was brilliantly executed. Thank you all for being such great educators.

[KieranGarland]

This is a great format, with terrific annotations and animations, for virtual discussions about such difficult subjects. Fantastic work.

[michaelbakalios]

I admit that by the end of the 12 minutes of introduction, I could hardly keep my tears. Mister Brian Greene, you really give me goosebumps each time, you are the ideal person to express the true magic of science.

[Tahycoon]

I like how you turned a zoom meeting (that no one would watch) into a nice editing, nice job!

[RoboticEngineerAutomation]

Thank you for working around the parameters of covid and producing high end quality videos for YouTube!! It's good to see you again!

[Paul_Ch]

You folks put together the most compelling environment with graphics folded seamlessly into the intellect of the discussion. The panel was fantastic! At some points I wanted to slap either David or Max. Loved it! Congrats, again, Dr. Greene, on another touchdown.

[MCASDI]

Just a comment on this very interesting discussion, ...I think Max has a permanent, beautiful, smile... always shining! A joy!

[andersonmachado]

How is good you partipated of a conversation, where you can understand the grandiosity about mathematics, and have a notion that nothing at the world is easy.