18 Sean M. Carroll Quotes for You to Enjoy

Sean M. Carroll

American Scientist

Born: Oct 5, 1966

Big Physics Science Think Time Universe

Related authors: Ben Carson Carl Sagan E. O. Wilson George Washington Carver Isaac Asimov Margaret Mead Neil deGrasse Tyson W. Edwards Deming

Even in empty space, time and space still exist. Sean M. Carroll

Time Space Empty Space Empty Still Time And Space Exist Even

Whenever you say you're a physicist, there's a certain fraction of people who immediately go, 'Oh, I hated physics in high school.' That's because of the terrible influence of high school physics. Because of it, most people think physics is all about inclined planes and force-vector diagrams. Sean M. Carroll

You People Physics School Think Say Immediately High Hated High School About Physicist Most Terrible Because Diagram Go Oh Whenever Influence Planes Certain Who Inclined Fraction

Naturalism says that we were not put here for any purpose. But that doesn't mean there isn't such thing as purpose. It just means that purpose isn't imposed from outside. We human beings have the creative ability to give our lives purposes and meanings. Sean M. Carroll

Creative Our Our Lives Says Ability Give Purpose Purposes Outside Put Were Imposed Any Human Just Human Beings Mean Meanings Means Naturalism Beings Lives Thing Here

The arrow of time doesn't move forward forever. There's a phase in the history of the universe where you go from low entropy to high entropy. But then, once you reach the locally maximum entropy you can get to, there's no more arrow of time. Sean M. Carroll

I'm a big believer that science is part of a larger cultural thing. Science is not all by itself. Sean M. Carroll

Science Big Part Big Believer Cultural Itself Believer Larger Thing

I've loved physics from a young age, but I've also been interested in all sorts of big questions, from philosophy to evolution and neuroscience. And what those fields have in common is that they all aim to capture certain aspects of the same underlying universe. Sean M. Carroll

Age Physics Big Young Universe Aim Philosophy Those Evolution Neuroscience Also Underlying Sort Been Questions Same Big Questions Common Young Age Loved Interested Fields Certain Aspects Capture

I'm trying to understand how time works. And that's a huge question that has lots of different aspects to it. Sean M. Carroll

Time Understand How Question Lots Huge Trying Different Aspects Works

The particular aspect of time that I'm interested in is the arrow of time: the fact that the past is different from the future. We remember the past but we don't remember the future. There are irreversible processes. There are things that happen, like you turn an egg into an omelet, but you can't turn an omelet into an egg. Sean M. Carroll

Future Time You Remember Past Omelet Fact Particular Like Arrow Egg Different Irreversible Happen Processes Interested Turn Aspect Things

If our local, observable universe is embedded in a larger structure, a multiverse, then there's other places in this larger structure that have denizens in them that call their local environs the universe. And conditions in those other places could be very different. Or they could be pretty similar to what we have here. Sean M. Carroll

Someday, when the ultimate laws of physics are in our grasp, we may discover that the notion of time isn't actually essential. Time might instead emerge to play an important role in the macroscopic world of our experience, even if it is nowhere to be found in the final Theory of Everything. Sean M. Carroll

Time Experience Physics World Important Final Our Everything Emerge Someday Laws Instead Important Role Ultimate Discover Role Essential May Might Notion Theory Grasp Even Found Nowhere Play Actually

Our conviction that green cheese makes up a negligible fraction of the Moon's interior comes not from direct observation but from the gross incompatibility of that idea with other things we think we know. Sean M. Carroll

Interior Cheese Moon Conviction Think Other Our Negligible Direct Observation Idea Know Makes Up Green Gross Things Fraction

Among advocates for life after death, nobody even tries to sit down and do the hard work of explaining how the basic physics of atoms and electrons would have to be altered in order for this to be true. If we tried, the fundamental absurdity of the task would quickly become evident. Sean M. Carroll

Life Work Death Hard Work Physics Be True Atoms Become Sit Down Evident Would Tried Tries True Absurdity Nobody Altered Advocate How Quickly Task Order After Explaining Hard Electron Even Fundamental Among Basic

The fact that the underlying laws of physics are deterministic and impersonal does not mean that at the human level we can't talk about ideas about reasons and goals and purposes and free will. Sean M. Carroll

Physics Goals Will Free Free Will About Laws Fact Purposes Impersonal Ideas Talk Underlying Does Human Mean Reasons Level

The simplest way out of the puzzle of time travel is to say that it can't be done. That's very likely the right answer. However, we don't know for sure. Sean M. Carroll

Time Travel Way Say Out Simplest Puzzle Know Likely Sure Answer However Time Travel Very Done Right Right Answer

I think it's important that science just doesn't stay within narrow boundaries. Sean M. Carroll

Science Important Think Stay Boundaries Within Narrow Just

We tend to talk about the world in a myriad of ways - a microscopic world of elementary particles, a biological world of organisms and evolution, a social world of morality and meaning. But it's all the same underlying world. That's the underlying theme of 'The Big Picture.' Sean M. Carroll

As we get older, we tend to grow quite fond of the planets of belief we have constructed for ourselves. We build elaborate defense mechanisms to ward off attacks from competing ideas or new data. The system makes us comfortable but resistant to change, no matter how much change might be called for. Sean M. Carroll

Change Matter Build Older Defense System Ourselves Fond Data Constructed Tend Attacks New Ideas Comfortable Makes How How Much Off Get Quite Elaborate Ward Might Us Much Planets Mechanisms Grow Belief Competing Resistant

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