5 minute summaries
1 quote, 3 ideas & 1 question from each episode
__________
29 May 2021
2hr 30mins
Owltail Summaries
1 quote, 3 ideas & 1 question from each episode
_________
#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens
29 May 2021
2hr 30mins
Quote
"If you don't make mistakes, you're not working on hard enough problems. And that's a mistake."
Ideas
1
If we map our 13.8 billion year old world into one calendar year, where the big bang is on the 1st of January. You'd have to wait until Christmas for dinosaurs to emerge, and then, the entire history of our human race, all falls within the last day of the year.
And despite that we're small in terms of time occupied in our universe, we're large compared to meaningful units of processing information and being able to conceptualize and understand things.
In our life time, our brains has time for billions of meaningful thoughts, those very thoughts that help us realise this reality.
In our life time, our brains has time for billions of meaningful thoughts, those very thoughts that help us realise this reality.
1
If we map our 13.8 billion year old world into one calendar year, where the big bang is on the 1st of January. You'd have to wait until Christmas for dinosaurs to emerge, and then, the entire history of our human race, all falls within the last day of the year.
And despite that we're small in terms of time occupied in our universe, we're large compared to meaningful units of processing information and being able to conceptualize and understand things.
In our life time, our brains has time for billions of meaningful thoughts, those very thoughts that help us realise this reality.
In our life time, our brains has time for billions of meaningful thoughts, those very thoughts that help us realise this reality.
2
The beauty in this world is that it is both inexhaustible as well as comprehensible for us to live within.
Many things, when it reaches a certain level of complexity, become impossible for us to understand or to think of all potential options for.
Even things as relatively simple as chess, where the rules limit the level of complexity, is still something where we can't fully or completely comprehend all potential moves of.
What's amazing is that we can create laws and principles that are simple and comprehensible that is also very powerful and allows us to control things, and on the other hand, the world is going to be inexhaustible.
Even things as relatively simple as chess, where the rules limit the level of complexity, is still something where we can't fully or completely comprehend all potential moves of.
What's amazing is that we can create laws and principles that are simple and comprehensible that is also very powerful and allows us to control things, and on the other hand, the world is going to be inexhaustible.
2
The beauty in this world is that it is both inexhaustible as well as comprehensible for us to live within.
Many things, when it reaches a certain level of complexity, become impossible for us to understand or to think of all potential options for.
Even things as relatively simple as chess, where the rules limit the level of complexity, is still something where we can't fully or completely comprehend all potential moves of.
What's amazing is that we can create laws and principles that are simple and comprehensible that is also very powerful and allows us to control things, and on the other hand, the world is going to be inexhaustible.
Even things as relatively simple as chess, where the rules limit the level of complexity, is still something where we can't fully or completely comprehend all potential moves of.
What's amazing is that we can create laws and principles that are simple and comprehensible that is also very powerful and allows us to control things, and on the other hand, the world is going to be inexhaustible.
3
3 pieces of advice that I think are generally applicable to life:
1. Keep searching until you find what looks promising and catches your imagination; don't settle
2. Read the history & masters of a subject, both for context and for knowledge
3. Learn the basics as soon as possible; each career has it's tools, those tools should become natural like language
2. Read the history & masters of a subject, both for context and for knowledge
3. Learn the basics as soon as possible; each career has it's tools, those tools should become natural like language
3
3 pieces of advice that I think are generally applicable to life:
1. Keep searching until you find what looks promising and catches your imagination; don't settle
2. Read the history & masters of a subject, both for context and for knowledge
3. Learn the basics as soon as possible; each career has it's tools, those tools should become natural like language
2. Read the history & masters of a subject, both for context and for knowledge
3. Learn the basics as soon as possible; each career has it's tools, those tools should become natural like language
Questions
1
Can you think of something that is inexhaustible but also practically comprehendable in your life?
1
Can you think of something that is inexhaustible but also practically comprehendable in your life?
What else is in the episode
1
How and why there's symmetry in both art and science
1
How and why there's symmetry in both art and science
2
How life emerged in the universe
2
How life emerged in the universe
3
Physics of Quarks & Dark Matter
3
Physics of Quarks & Dark Matter
Who is Frank Wilczek?
1
A theoretical physicist, mathematician and professor of physics at MIT. He won a Nobel Prize in Physics, for the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction. He's also the author of multiple books on the nature of reality from the perspective of physics.
1
A theoretical physicist, mathematician and professor of physics at MIT. He won a Nobel Prize in Physics, for the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction. He's also the author of multiple books on the nature of reality from the perspective of physics.
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