“Why I Went to WAR with Stephen Hawking!” Leonard Susskind (364)

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What's really going on in a black hole? Why are there so many theories of everything? Did Leonard Susskind, one of the fathers of string theory, ever feel like an impostor? And why did he fight with Stephen Hawking?

Find out in this thrilling interview with none other than Susskind himself from 2020. Susskind is an American physicist and a professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University. He is also the founding director of the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics. In 1995, Susskind was the first to give a precise string-theoretic interpretation of the holographic principle and the first to introduce the idea of the string theory landscape in 2003.

In this interview, we discuss Susskind's popular science book, The Black Hole War, which covers the black hole information paradox and the related scientific dispute between Stephen Hawking and Susskind himself. We also talk about other developments in modern physics and more!

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Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)
The difference between writing for broad and small audiences (05:41)
Impostor syndrome (08:43)
The first image of a black hole (18:40)
The horizon of a black hole and the existence of a singularity (21:13)
Mathematician envy (35:58)
Why are there so many theories of everything? (43:15)
Three things that would push him to believe in the Multiverse (47:32)
Audience questions (56:14)
Who would Lenny have for coffee? (1:04:41)
What would he put in his ethical will? (1:09:58)
Outro (1:16:41)

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Additional resources:

📚 The Black Hole War by Leonard Susskind: https://a.co/d/a9WGKAc
Topic: Leonard Susskind's Discussion on Various Scientific and Philosophical Concepts

The constants of nature and the laws of physics in different regions of the multiverse
The search for life outside of Earth vs. fundamental particle physics
The simulation hypothesis and the laws of physics as algorithms
Variation in ways of describing and thinking about objective facts across civilizations
Consciousness and its nature
The impact of social media on science and public trust
The challenges faced by scientists and the potential for ridicule
The discovery of black holes and the triumph of observation and experimental physics
The existence of singularities and the nature of the Big Bang
Advances in computer science and artificial intelligence in understanding consciousness
The desire to have discussions with scientists from the past
The loss of interest in solving puzzles as one gets older
Following curiosity and not blindly adhering to others' opinions in science
Leonard Susskind's experience with Stephen Hawking and his frustration with Hawking's stubbornness
Writing a book on the quantum mechanics of gravity
Lenny's upbringing and rise to becoming a member of the National Academy of Sciences
Hawking radiation and the black disc formed around a black hole
Perturbations to a black hole's horizon observed through gravitational waves
Doubts about cosmic singularities

The importance of speaking out against evil tendencies in society
Lenny Susskind's hobbies outside of physics
Evaluation of theories and the role of mathematics in physics
The gauge of string theory's worthiness of pursuit

The multiple theories of everything and their potential equivalence
The fascination with eternal inflation and the endgame of the universe
Lenny's feelings of imbalance and discomfort in the academic world during his early years

Violations of the laws of physics and the second law of thermodynamics
The multiverse concept and its arguments against anthropic or fine tuning principles
Differing opinions on the multiverse concept, including religious and scientific perspectives
Environment-dependent laws of physics and the example of gravity's acceleration

Note: The sub-topics provided here are not exhaustive and may not necessarily follow the same sequential order as presented in the text.
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