What Newton and Einstein agreed on that our society doesn’t | Sean Carroll
Channel: Big Think
Duration: 16:56
The Big Picture
In a cosmic chat about the nature of time, Sean Carroll reveals that both Newton and Einstein saw time as non-directional according to the laws of physics; they don't show preference for past or future! Instead, it’s entropy, that cosmic ruler of chaos, starting in a lowly ordered state and rising ever upward, that gives our lives their time-soaked path. Who knew physics could explain why planners only work for looking forward, not backward?
Chapter Breakdown
- Act I: Newton's Smart Moves - We dive into Newton's era, awe at his genius, and gently snicker at everyone's eventual assumption that 'space and time are separate.' This is the setup for the universe's greatest mind-wrestling match!
- Act II: Einstein's Grand Unification - Enter the man, the legend, Albert Einstein! He smashes together space and time into 'spacetime,' makes the speed of light everyone's ruler, and leaves Newton’s ideas of absolutes in the cosmic dust.
- Act III: Time’s Mind-Bending Magic Show - Grab some popcorn! Time gets weird with black holes, twins aging differently, and gravity pulling strings. Watch as Carroll throws entropy into the mix, explaining why we get older instead of younger!
Highlights
- Newton invented a whole new way of doing physics but was super careful about its implications like a physicist on a first date.
- Einstein famously shrugged off a mathematical unification of space and time as 'extra mathematical nonsense' but eventually changed his tune!
- Time moves at the shocking speed of... wait for it... one second per second! Buckle up, folks!
- Fly near a black hole, and guess what? You'll come back younger than your friends on Earth!
- Interstellar kept its physics in check until books started flying around in singularity-induced libraries.
Quote of the Moment
Space and time aren't separate anymore; there's one thing called spacetime.
Controversial Takes
- The idea that time has no true direction due to fundamental physics laws but is perceived as one-directional due to entropy might spark debates among physicists and philosophers alike!
Is It Clickbait?
Clickbait verdict: Not Clickbait — Both Newton and Einstein agreed that the fundamental laws of physics are time-directionless, predicting past and future alike. The direction of time we experience is thanks to entropy and the universe's special low-entropy starting state.
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