Avi Loeb is Chair of Harvard's Astronomy Department.Show notesSelected links •Follow Avi: Website •The Myth Of Sisyphus, by Albert Camus •The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas Kuhn •'The End of Spacetime', public lecture by Nima Arkani-Hamed •Rendezvouz With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke •'Glowing Auras and "Black Money": The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program', NYT article (16/12/17) •'2 Navy Airmen and an Object That "Accelerated Like Nothing I've Ever Seen", NYT article (16/12/17)Topics discussed •Avi's childhood growing up on a farm in Israel, and journey into academia. 5:16 •Avi's romance with philosophy, Satre, and Camus. 10:11 •When in their careers should scientists court risk? 15:24 •Albert Camus and The Myth Of Sisyphus. 21:10 •How does alien intelligence change the meaning of human existence? 24:50 •If there was no other intelligent life in the universe, would that make a god more likely? 34:51 •How far off is technology for 3D printing of...humans? 40:49 •What are the a priori odds of other intelligent life in the universe -- and how do we calculate them? 42:49 •Why is it so quiet out there? 47:25 •Space archaeology. 52:33 •Is space-time a doomed concept? 1:04:14 •How do we verify what happens beyond the event horizon of a black hole? 1:12:08 •The multiverse: bullshit or not? 1:17:25 •What could spacefaring aliens teach us about physics? 1:30:00 •'Oumuamua -- a possible interstellar spacecraft lurking in our solar system. 1:31:45 •The Pentagon UFO releases. 1:43:47 •Hostile aliens. 1:46:00 •The advantages of generalism. 1:54:43 •The meaning of life (42). 2:01:21See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related