Sean Carroll

So in the specific approach that I was talking about in that podcast, time is just a very different kind of thing than space. Ben Lloyd asks a priority question. I need your help with something. This might seem weird, but my biggest fear by far is that at some point everything will end forever. I'm not really scared that our civilization will likely not be able to survive the heat death.

My main fear is that the universe will end. Nothing interesting will be able to happen anywhere forever, and no multiverse scenarios that would contradict what would turn out to be true. Luckily, many theories or hypotheses make it so that interesting things would happen forever. For example, inflation is the dominant theory for explaining the early universe and how it evolved.

My main fear is that the universe will end. Nothing interesting will be able to happen anywhere forever, and no multiverse scenarios that would contradict what would turn out to be true. Luckily, many theories or hypotheses make it so that interesting things would happen forever. For example, inflation is the dominant theory for explaining the early universe and how it evolved.

And many prominent proponents of inflation often say that eternal inflation is almost inevitable once you get inflation. In eternal inflation, there would be continuously new universes forever. The next biggest competing theories to inflation are cyclic models, etc.

And many prominent proponents of inflation often say that eternal inflation is almost inevitable once you get inflation. In eternal inflation, there would be continuously new universes forever. The next biggest competing theories to inflation are cyclic models, etc.

I've always needed this sort of existential comfort, but more than that, I need to believe things that have evidence and things that could be true. That's why I'm not religious. Anyway, what do you think of this? Do you align more with my view? I really don't align with your view.

I've always needed this sort of existential comfort, but more than that, I need to believe things that have evidence and things that could be true. That's why I'm not religious. Anyway, what do you think of this? Do you align more with my view? I really don't align with your view.

You know, I think that I can't let my life here on Earth be vastly affected by things that are going to happen long after the last star stops burning. This is something that I can imagine, but not something that affects my life in any way. I am entirely at peace with the idea that the universe might someday end. Maybe the last living creatures in such a universe will be sad, and that I understand.

You know, I think that I can't let my life here on Earth be vastly affected by things that are going to happen long after the last star stops burning. This is something that I can imagine, but not something that affects my life in any way. I am entirely at peace with the idea that the universe might someday end. Maybe the last living creatures in such a universe will be sad, and that I understand.

That makes perfect sense. But we are so enormously far away from that that no, it doesn't really affect me very much.

That makes perfect sense. But we are so enormously far away from that that no, it doesn't really affect me very much.

And in fact, it's sort of important to not let it affect you too much if you're a scientist or philosopher, because then it will point you towards sort of giving more credence to certain theories than might otherwise be appropriate, even though you don't have a lot of evidence really for them.

And in fact, it's sort of important to not let it affect you too much if you're a scientist or philosopher, because then it will point you towards sort of giving more credence to certain theories than might otherwise be appropriate, even though you don't have a lot of evidence really for them.

Funky Town says, for the first few decades of my life, I lived, first two decades of my life, I lived in a very small bubble with limited knowledge of the universe's workings and a huge emphasis on religion and the Bible as final truth. For the last decade of my life, I found myself diverging from my original worldview and considering myself a little more enlightened.

Funky Town says, for the first few decades of my life, I lived, first two decades of my life, I lived in a very small bubble with limited knowledge of the universe's workings and a huge emphasis on religion and the Bible as final truth. For the last decade of my life, I found myself diverging from my original worldview and considering myself a little more enlightened.

The biggest struggle for me during this time is trying to understand the feelings and experiences I had in my earlier years and rationalizing them. Is there a physical explanation for the responses someone has that are considered religious experiences, especially if that has been something they have been immersed in during their entire upbringing?

The biggest struggle for me during this time is trying to understand the feelings and experiences I had in my earlier years and rationalizing them. Is there a physical explanation for the responses someone has that are considered religious experiences, especially if that has been something they have been immersed in during their entire upbringing?

For example, I went to a service recently for the first time in years and had a very emotional response despite not putting much stock into the belief anymore. Yeah, you know, I think that I'm not an expert in exactly the neurological or even psychological explanation for these responses, but to me they seem completely unsurprising.

For example, I went to a service recently for the first time in years and had a very emotional response despite not putting much stock into the belief anymore. Yeah, you know, I think that I'm not an expert in exactly the neurological or even psychological explanation for these responses, but to me they seem completely unsurprising.

You know, when I walk into a beautiful cathedral or hear really good church music, it is emotionally affecting. Why wouldn't it be? Forget about the existence of God. These things, these cathedrals, these pieces of music were designed by human beings to evoke an emotional response, right? That's why they were designed the way they were.