Natural Philosophy

Dyson is rejecting the notion that physics can find a “final theory” that solves the riddle of the universe and brings physics to an end. Dyson is also hinting at a solution to the deepest of all theological puzzles, the problem of evil: Why would God create such a painful, unjust world?

Philosophers like Murray Bookchin argued that the natural world tends towards greater and greater diversity. Now scientists in collaboration with philosophers argue that this tendency to complexify could constitute a natural law of the universe.

I think all of us here can agree that seeking to describe our universe in terms of laws and principles that allow us to make predictions about its dynamics is a worthy and fascinating pursuit. It is also undeniably valuable to any species that wishes to live and thrive in it.

My partner ordered it for me a couple of weeks ago as a surprise, but she had to tell me shortly after because I was talking about it and she didn't want to risk me ordering it too. The anticipation has been torturous.

This is one of my favourite episodes of Sean Carroll's Mindscape podcast. He talks about his recent work in attempting to derive the kind of spacetime geometry we observe from little more than the mere existence of a universal quantum wavefunction.