Sean Carroll

One of the great things about therapy is by looking inside yourself, you can both learn to take those warning signs seriously, but also learn to be open to new experiences and new things, to know when something might be worth pursuing. BetterHelp is a fully online service that makes therapy affordable and convenient, serving over 5 million people worldwide.

One of the great things about therapy is by looking inside yourself, you can both learn to take those warning signs seriously, but also learn to be open to new experiences and new things, to know when something might be worth pursuing. BetterHelp is a fully online service that makes therapy affordable and convenient, serving over 5 million people worldwide.

You can easily switch therapists anytime at no extra cost. So discover your relationship green flags with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash mindscape today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com slash mindscape. Scott Collins says, could Laplace's demon predict a Boltzmann brain? Put another way, are random quantum fluctuations theoretically predictable?

You can easily switch therapists anytime at no extra cost. So discover your relationship green flags with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash mindscape today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com slash mindscape. Scott Collins says, could Laplace's demon predict a Boltzmann brain? Put another way, are random quantum fluctuations theoretically predictable?

Well, this comes down to the question of whether or not the ultimate laws of physics are in fact deterministic or not. You know, Laplace's demon is a thought experiment meant to illustrate the implications of determinism in classical physics. That's the whole point.

Well, this comes down to the question of whether or not the ultimate laws of physics are in fact deterministic or not. You know, Laplace's demon is a thought experiment meant to illustrate the implications of determinism in classical physics. That's the whole point.

The point of Laplace's demon is that the information needed to predict what comes in the future is implicitly present in the moment right now. If you had the complete 100% comprehensive state of the universe. You never do, so that's just a thought experiment just to try to teach you what determinism really means. In quantum mechanics, for all intents and purposes, in the observable universe,

The point of Laplace's demon is that the information needed to predict what comes in the future is implicitly present in the moment right now. If you had the complete 100% comprehensive state of the universe. You never do, so that's just a thought experiment just to try to teach you what determinism really means. In quantum mechanics, for all intents and purposes, in the observable universe,

the laws of physics are not deterministic, okay? And I need to like put all those words in there with emphases about the observable universe for all intents and purposes, etc., because maybe there is a deterministic theory underlying what's going on. Both Bohmian mechanics or pilot wave theories and also many worlds in two very different ways are ultimately deterministic theories.

the laws of physics are not deterministic, okay? And I need to like put all those words in there with emphases about the observable universe for all intents and purposes, etc., because maybe there is a deterministic theory underlying what's going on. Both Bohmian mechanics or pilot wave theories and also many worlds in two very different ways are ultimately deterministic theories.

But in both of them, it is impossible for an actual observer in the actual universe to predict what is going to happen next. So it might depend on exactly what kind of Boltzmann—sorry, what kind of Laplace's demon you have in mind. Laplace's demon in Everett could predict the wave function of the entire universe, but there will be different observers observing different things.

But in both of them, it is impossible for an actual observer in the actual universe to predict what is going to happen next. So it might depend on exactly what kind of Boltzmann—sorry, what kind of Laplace's demon you have in mind. Laplace's demon in Everett could predict the wave function of the entire universe, but there will be different observers observing different things.

That's going to be inevitable, and those observers themselves will never be able to predict what will happen. In a hidden variable model, if that were plausible and fit the data, then presumably Laplace's demon would know what exactly was going to happen. So it depends on what you mean by quantum fluctuations and what you mean by Laplace's demon. Steve Bonner says, priority question.

That's going to be inevitable, and those observers themselves will never be able to predict what will happen. In a hidden variable model, if that were plausible and fit the data, then presumably Laplace's demon would know what exactly was going to happen. So it depends on what you mean by quantum fluctuations and what you mean by Laplace's demon. Steve Bonner says, priority question.

I've always wondered why cosmologists say we need to explain why the baryons in the current universe are almost all matter. If there were nearly equal parts matter and antimatter in the early universe, but randomly just a tad more matter, then after annihilation, that small amount is what you would see today.

I've always wondered why cosmologists say we need to explain why the baryons in the current universe are almost all matter. If there were nearly equal parts matter and antimatter in the early universe, but randomly just a tad more matter, then after annihilation, that small amount is what you would see today.

It looks to us like a lot, but we have no idea how much total matter and antimatter there was to start with. Given any amount of observed residual matter or antimatter, couldn't we come up with an initial combined mass sufficiently large to explain it all as just a small, statistically insignificant imbalance?

It looks to us like a lot, but we have no idea how much total matter and antimatter there was to start with. Given any amount of observed residual matter or antimatter, couldn't we come up with an initial combined mass sufficiently large to explain it all as just a small, statistically insignificant imbalance?

Well, hopefully you'll not be surprised to learn that cosmologists have thought about this quite a bit. And you have to be careful. Of course, generally, well, let's say one thing. In fact, what cosmologists believe is that there was almost exactly an equal amount of matter and antimatter, but not exactly.

Well, hopefully you'll not be surprised to learn that cosmologists have thought about this quite a bit. And you have to be careful. Of course, generally, well, let's say one thing. In fact, what cosmologists believe is that there was almost exactly an equal amount of matter and antimatter, but not exactly.