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[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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welcome back to the UFO Rabbit Hole

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podcast I'm your host Kelly Chase in

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many ways our trip down the rabbit hole

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has been leading us inevitably to this

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episode it's in this episode that we

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reach a decisive inflection point

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nothing will be the same after this

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maybe not even you

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over the previous 18 episodes I have

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done my best to make the case not only

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that the UFO phenomenon is real but that

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the complexity ubiquity and

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unintelligibility of the phenomenon are

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so great as to suggest that many of our

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most fundamental assumptions about the

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nature of reality itself may be

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incorrect this episode is my closing

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argument in the case of the phenomenon

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versus consensus reality and when it's

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done I hope that you'll agree with me

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that it's time to burn it all down or at

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the very least I hope you'll agree that

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perhaps it's time to consider some new

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models of reality that have the

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potential to reintroduce meaning and

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intelligibility into our broken world

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where impossible things won't stop

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happening when I first began my own trip

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down the UFO Rabbit Hole this is not at

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all the place that I imagined that I'd

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end up I started out like so many others

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before me with the goal of using logic

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in science to solve the UFO mystery once

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and for all either UFOs would prove to

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be be some kind of a hoax or a

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misunderstanding or it would be

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discovered to be some kind of a natural

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phenomenon with a rational explanation

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the naivete of that assumption makes me

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smile now because when you dig into the

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evidence for UFOs what you find is a

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phenomenon that is both undeniably real

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and entirely irrational UFOs can be

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neither explained nor explained away

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because of this there are many that have

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compared the UFO phenomenon to a Zen

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koan a koan is a paradoxical question or

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statement used in Zen Buddhism to help

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students deepen their understanding of

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the nature of reality and develop

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insight into their true nature one of

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the most famous examples is what is the

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sound of one hand clapping while they

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might sound nonsensical at first the

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purpose of a koan is to help the student

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transcend conventional thinking and to

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awaken them to a deeper level of

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understanding Koons are not intended to

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be solved logically or intellectually

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but rather to be contemplated or

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meditated upon in a way that allows the

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student to move Beyond dualistic

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thinking and experience a moment of

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insight or Enlightenment the UFO

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phenomenon challenges Us in this same

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way it forces us out of our comfortable

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paradigms and it makes us consider the

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possibility of a Transcendent reality

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that might be able to not just contain

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the paradoxical nature of the phenomenon

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but make it somehow coherent and

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intelligible in a way that eludes us now

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and I am increasingly convinced that

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such a paradigm exists it's being

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developed and put forward right now by

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some of the top Minds in fields ranging

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from cognitive science to religious

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studies and I believe that this new

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paradigm has the ability not just to

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explain the UFO phenomenon but to fix

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the fundamental issues with our models

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of reality and if true the transition to

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this new paradigm will undoubtedly mark

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one of the most significant moments in

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the history of humanity thus far

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but before we can get to that new

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paradigm we have to tear the old one

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down and so that's what we're going to

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do today in this episode we're going to

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take a wrecking ball to everything that

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we thought was true starting with the

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official story of everything the

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official story of everything is the name

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I'm giving to the narrative that we

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generally use in Western society as the

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container for what we know about

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ourselves and the universe it should be

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very familiar to you it goes like this

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everything in the known universe came

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into being in an event called The Big

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Bang around 13.8 billion years ago

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starting out as a single point of

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infinite density and pressure it began

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to expand rapidly outward in a massive

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explosion this explosion was so intense

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that it took 380 000 years after the big

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bang for things to cool down enough for

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the first atoms to form

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over the next several hundred million

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years those atoms that were in denser

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regions of the universe began to

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coalesce through gravitational

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attraction over time these regions

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became increasingly dense eventually

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forming gas clouds Stars galaxies and

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other astronomical structures that we're

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familiar with today

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the early Universe was a chaotic place

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with lots of newly formed objects

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slamming into each other and creating

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new objects but over time the force of

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gravity continued to bring these massive

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objects together creating more and more

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order within the universe

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our own planet formed around 4.5 billion

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years ago or a little over 9 billion

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years after the big bang

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over hundreds of millions of years the

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planet cooled and solidified the oceans

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in the atmosphere began to form the moon

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showed up somehow and if you want more

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details on that you can find it in

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episode 15. and the moon brought with it

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the tides which churned the oceans of

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the planet creating the conditions that

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make it particularly well suited to life

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and in these favorable conditions the

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first microscopic organisms appeared on

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Earth about 3.7 billion years ago over

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time through the process laid out by

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Darwin these microscopic organisms

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evolved into increasingly complex and

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differentiated forms of life over

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billions of years

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eventually around 850 million years ago

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some of these organisms developed early

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forms of consciousness

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then around 2 million years ago our

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first human ancestors appeared a million

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or so years ago they began to use fire

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and finally after spending millions of

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years as hunter-gatherers around 12 000

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years ago right at the end of the last

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ice age humans developed agriculture six

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thousand years later the first

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civilizations appeared followed by

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writing math philosophy and the other

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trappings of high civilization until

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finally we find ourselves here as a

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newly space-faring species with a

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stunning command of the world around us

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the knowledge that we have developed

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over Millennia has brought us to the

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point where we aren't just able to put a

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man on the moon but we're able to peer

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back into the unfathomable depths of

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time and understand how it all began

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pretty cool right the problem with this

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story though is that it's almost

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certainly not true the most important

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thing for us to recognize about the

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official story of everything is that

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it's just a story it's a narrative woven

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Loosely together connecting various

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popular theories the only thing that

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holds it all together is the mere

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agreement that this is what is true

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and this story is the lens through which

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we view the world ourselves and the

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cosmos it's one of our most basic

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meaning making devices

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the problem is that if you drill down

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into literally any aspect of this

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narrative that we use to form the

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foundation of what we deem to be

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possible and true you quickly find that

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this Foundation is built upon rapidly

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shifting Sands virtually all of the

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theories and models upon which the story

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is based have been fatally wounded if

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not outright disproven over the last

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century the few that remain largely owe

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their explanatory power to the fact that

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they are impossible to verify one way or

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another and yet this story hobbles on

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barely held together with duct tape and

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fairy tales

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we're going to go through this story in

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just a minute and I'll show you point by

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Point how every bit of this narrative is

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likely untrue and how this fact is too

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obvious to be denied and as we do that

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you might start to wonder to yourself

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how did this happen how did we get here

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how could we be so wrong about so much

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and not know it

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in his book The Four Agreements Don

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Miguel Ruiz uses ancient Toltec wisdom

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to explain how the basic agreements

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about the nature of reality that are

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made between groups of people end up

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becoming deeply entrenched Norms the

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people are taught to accept without

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question in the Toltec culture it was

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believed that all of human life is a

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dream that the fundamental nature of a

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human is that of a dreamer a and that

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the beliefs that we hold create and

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shape our reality he writes quote humans

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are dreaming all the time before we were

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born the humans before us created a big

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outside dream that we will call

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society's dream or the dream of the

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planet

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collective dream of billions of smaller

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personal dreams which together create a

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dream of a family a dream of a community

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a dream of a city a dream of a country

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and finally a dream of the whole of

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humanity the dream of the planet

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includes all of society's rules its

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beliefs its laws its religions its

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different cultures and ways to be it's

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government schools social events and

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holidays end quote this dream of the

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planet is taught to us by rote from the

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time we're born first it's taught to us

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by our mothers and fathers and then by

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school and the outside world through

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this shared dream we learn what is good

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and what is bad what is possible and

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what is impossible what is acceptable

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and what is unacceptable we learn how to

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live in society and one of the most

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fundamental agreements that is required

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of us to be accepted by our community is

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that the dream of that Community is

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objective truth Ruiz emphasizes that all

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the things that we claim as our most

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fundamental beliefs are not really our

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own

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he writes quote it was not your choice

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to speak English you didn't choose your

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religion or your moral values they were

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already there before you were born we

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never had the opportunity to choose what

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to believe or what not to believe we

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never chose even the smallest of these

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agreements we didn't even choose our own

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name end quote and so if we're asking

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how it is that we could be so wrong and

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not know it the Toltec answer would be

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that it's simply the nature of the

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shared dream and the Toltec culture

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weren't the only ancient people to hold

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this sort of view of reality

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over the last two episodes in my

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interviews with Dr Diana Walsh basulka

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and Dr James Madden we took a deep dive

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into Plato's allegory of the cave if you

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haven't gotten a chance to listen to

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those interviews yet I highly recommend

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you go back and do so the ideas there

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serve as a great introduction and means

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00:10:56,030 --> 00:10:54,120
of framing the ideas that we're going to

279
00:10:57,530 --> 00:10:56,040
talk about in this episode

280
00:10:59,690 --> 00:10:57,540
one of the most important ideas

281
00:11:01,670 --> 00:10:59,700
presented through Plato's Cave is the

282
00:11:04,430 --> 00:11:01,680
idea that the default state of human

283
00:11:06,470 --> 00:11:04,440
civilization is that of Illusion

284
00:11:07,970 --> 00:11:06,480
the people in the cave are tied up and

285
00:11:10,790 --> 00:11:07,980
forced to watch Shadows on the wall

286
00:11:12,829 --> 00:11:10,800
which they mistake for reality when on

287
00:11:15,110 --> 00:11:12,839
occasion one of these strange prisoners

288
00:11:17,030 --> 00:11:15,120
manages to untie themselves they

289
00:11:19,250 --> 00:11:17,040
discover the fire behind them and the

290
00:11:20,930 --> 00:11:19,260
people casting Shadows on the wall and

291
00:11:22,970 --> 00:11:20,940
are confronted with the disturbing

292
00:11:25,550 --> 00:11:22,980
realization that what they thought was

293
00:11:27,949 --> 00:11:25,560
reality was only a shadow play emanating

294
00:11:30,949 --> 00:11:27,959
from a reality that is quite literally

295
00:11:32,750 --> 00:11:30,959
more real and to any of these escaped

296
00:11:34,790 --> 00:11:32,760
prisoners who returned to the cave to

297
00:11:37,430 --> 00:11:34,800
tell others what they have seen nothing

298
00:11:39,290 --> 00:11:37,440
good awaits the prisoners don't want to

299
00:11:40,730 --> 00:11:39,300
know that they are prisoners they don't

300
00:11:41,990 --> 00:11:40,740
want to consider the idea that

301
00:11:44,750 --> 00:11:42,000
everything that they thought was real

302
00:11:46,910 --> 00:11:44,760
was only an illusion and the idea is

303
00:11:49,490 --> 00:11:46,920
easy to push back against because it

304
00:11:51,949 --> 00:11:49,500
sounds crazy to them Preposterous even

305
00:11:53,810 --> 00:11:51,959
so the people who returned to the cave

306
00:11:56,329 --> 00:11:53,820
to try to tell them the truth end up

307
00:11:58,490 --> 00:11:56,339
being labeled as crazy they're ridiculed

308
00:12:00,650 --> 00:11:58,500
and shunned they might even be killed

309
00:12:02,630 --> 00:12:00,660
but it's important to recognize that the

310
00:12:05,389 --> 00:12:02,640
dream of the cave isn't the result of a

311
00:12:07,250 --> 00:12:05,399
conspiracy per se or or at least it

312
00:12:09,650 --> 00:12:07,260
isn't necessarily the result of a

313
00:12:11,690 --> 00:12:09,660
conspiracy rather it's an emergent

314
00:12:14,269 --> 00:12:11,700
phenomenon resulting from the beliefs of

315
00:12:16,090 --> 00:12:14,279
the people who came before the dream of

316
00:12:18,829 --> 00:12:16,100
the cave is self-creating

317
00:12:20,449 --> 00:12:18,839
self-perpetuating and self-enforcing the

318
00:12:22,550 --> 00:12:20,459
vast majority of people live their

319
00:12:25,550 --> 00:12:22,560
entire lives inside of it and never know

320
00:12:27,170 --> 00:12:25,560
the difference it's no easy task to wake

321
00:12:29,509 --> 00:12:27,180
up inside the cave

322
00:12:31,670 --> 00:12:29,519
everything about the Cave reinforces the

323
00:12:34,130 --> 00:12:31,680
reality of the cave everything you learn

324
00:12:36,350 --> 00:12:34,140
in school everything you see on TV and

325
00:12:39,590 --> 00:12:36,360
the answer to every Google search is in

326
00:12:41,930 --> 00:12:39,600
some very real way a manifestation of

327
00:12:43,490 --> 00:12:41,940
the cave and should you ever catch a

328
00:12:45,530 --> 00:12:43,500
glimpse of anything that suggests that

329
00:12:47,690 --> 00:12:45,540
the Shadows on the wall might not be all

330
00:12:49,670 --> 00:12:47,700
there is to your reality the other

331
00:12:51,410 --> 00:12:49,680
prisoners are quick to remind you that

332
00:12:54,050 --> 00:12:51,420
such thoughts will only result in

333
00:12:55,610 --> 00:12:54,060
isolation and ridicule most of us learn

334
00:12:57,350 --> 00:12:55,620
to ignore such things

335
00:12:59,030 --> 00:12:57,360
because we are so strongly

336
00:13:01,250 --> 00:12:59,040
disincentivized from questioning the

337
00:13:03,410 --> 00:13:01,260
nature of our reality it often takes

338
00:13:05,990 --> 00:13:03,420
something drastic to shock someone awake

339
00:13:07,850 --> 00:13:06,000
I think it's significant that in Plato's

340
00:13:10,009 --> 00:13:07,860
Cave The Prisoner who manages to get out

341
00:13:12,530 --> 00:13:10,019
of the cave doesn't escape of their own

342
00:13:15,230 --> 00:13:12,540
volition they are dragged out of the

343
00:13:16,970 --> 00:13:15,240
cave because in many cases it is a

344
00:13:18,530 --> 00:13:16,980
traumatic event or an anomalous

345
00:13:20,930 --> 00:13:18,540
experience that can't be easily

346
00:13:22,670 --> 00:13:20,940
explained away that first causes a

347
00:13:25,370 --> 00:13:22,680
person to begin to question

348
00:13:27,470 --> 00:13:25,380
but thankfully trauma and ontological

349
00:13:30,110 --> 00:13:27,480
shock aren't the only ways to escape the

350
00:13:33,050 --> 00:13:30,120
cave if you're sufficiently open-minded

351
00:13:35,509 --> 00:13:33,060
and curious It's also possible to think

352
00:13:37,910 --> 00:13:35,519
your way out and if you can manage it

353
00:13:39,769 --> 00:13:37,920
that's definitely the way to go because

354
00:13:41,750 --> 00:13:39,779
while there are still plenty of Trials

355
00:13:44,210 --> 00:13:41,760
and pitfalls along the way for those who

356
00:13:47,329 --> 00:13:44,220
take that path it certainly beats being

357
00:13:49,610 --> 00:13:47,339
dragged so where should we begin just

358
00:13:51,470 --> 00:13:49,620
like in a 12-step program the first step

359
00:13:53,509 --> 00:13:51,480
in beating our addiction to consensus

360
00:13:54,350 --> 00:13:53,519
reality is admitting that we have a

361
00:14:00,410 --> 00:13:54,360
problem

362
00:14:02,690 --> 00:14:00,420
recall in 1897 the physicist William

363
00:14:04,370 --> 00:14:02,700
Thompson Lord Kelvin looked at all the

364
00:14:06,530 --> 00:14:04,380
tremendous advancements in electricity

365
00:14:08,930 --> 00:14:06,540
astronomy and biology that marked his

366
00:14:11,449 --> 00:14:08,940
age and concluded there is nothing new

367
00:14:13,250 --> 00:14:11,459
to be discovered in physics Now All That

368
00:14:15,710 --> 00:14:13,260
Remains is more and more precise

369
00:14:17,810 --> 00:14:15,720
measurement and our boy simply could not

370
00:14:19,730 --> 00:14:17,820
have been more wrong just two decades

371
00:14:21,650 --> 00:14:19,740
later the discovery of quantum mechanics

372
00:14:23,509 --> 00:14:21,660
blasted a hole in the hull of classical

373
00:14:24,949 --> 00:14:23,519
physics and it's been taking on water

374
00:14:27,110 --> 00:14:24,959
ever since

375
00:14:28,790 --> 00:14:27,120
when William Thompson Lord Kelvin made

376
00:14:31,069 --> 00:14:28,800
that Infamous statement at the turn of

377
00:14:33,470 --> 00:14:31,079
the 20th century it represented the

378
00:14:35,210 --> 00:14:33,480
prevailing view of the time and the fact

379
00:14:36,889 --> 00:14:35,220
that he was proven to be decisively

380
00:14:38,389 --> 00:14:36,899
wrong has done little to prevent that

381
00:14:40,790 --> 00:14:38,399
from being the prevailing Viewpoint

382
00:14:42,769 --> 00:14:40,800
today even among scientists who

383
00:14:45,110 --> 00:14:42,779
acknowledge the clear issues created by

384
00:14:46,670 --> 00:14:45,120
the discovery of quantum mechanics most

385
00:14:48,530 --> 00:14:46,680
still seem to be functioning under the

386
00:14:50,569 --> 00:14:48,540
assumption that all of this is just a

387
00:14:53,150 --> 00:14:50,579
temporary setback that what is broken

388
00:14:55,009 --> 00:14:53,160
about physics is fixable and I simply

389
00:14:57,290 --> 00:14:55,019
don't agree the more we discover about

390
00:14:59,509 --> 00:14:57,300
the universe and nature of reality the

391
00:15:01,069 --> 00:14:59,519
less it makes sense instead of moving

392
00:15:02,689 --> 00:15:01,079
ever closer toward a theory of

393
00:15:04,490 --> 00:15:02,699
everything that would unite the various

394
00:15:07,310 --> 00:15:04,500
theories of science into a coherent

395
00:15:11,990 --> 00:15:07,320
whole such a theory seems to be receding

396
00:15:16,730 --> 00:15:14,990
as a result there is a rising chorus of

397
00:15:19,430 --> 00:15:16,740
voices from within the scientific

398
00:15:21,110 --> 00:15:19,440
establishment itself that is making the

399
00:15:23,210 --> 00:15:21,120
very strong argument that it might be

400
00:15:25,069 --> 00:15:23,220
time to admit that our current paradigms

401
00:15:27,110 --> 00:15:25,079
are no longer tenable in the face of

402
00:15:29,810 --> 00:15:27,120
emerging scientific discoveries and

403
00:15:32,090 --> 00:15:29,820
Humanity might be on the precipice of a

404
00:15:34,009 --> 00:15:32,100
profound shift in perspective to which

405
00:15:35,689 --> 00:15:34,019
Quantum leaps of the past from the

406
00:15:37,389 --> 00:15:35,699
discovery of fire to the recognition

407
00:15:40,910 --> 00:15:37,399
that the Earth revolves around the Sun

408
00:15:42,650 --> 00:15:40,920
surely pale in comparison and before we

409
00:15:45,350 --> 00:15:42,660
begin I just want to make a few things

410
00:15:46,850 --> 00:15:45,360
clear first of all though I recognize

411
00:15:49,370 --> 00:15:46,860
that I'm making some pretty big claims

412
00:15:50,990 --> 00:15:49,380
in this episode I want to emphasize that

413
00:15:52,850 --> 00:15:51,000
nothing that I'm saying here about

414
00:15:55,129 --> 00:15:52,860
various scientific theories is

415
00:15:57,769 --> 00:15:55,139
particularly controversial these aren't

416
00:15:59,870 --> 00:15:57,779
Fringe theories by and large what I'm

417
00:16:02,050 --> 00:15:59,880
presenting here in this episode is the

418
00:16:04,189 --> 00:16:02,060
exact party line of mainstream science

419
00:16:06,230 --> 00:16:04,199
the only thing that's controversial

420
00:16:09,769 --> 00:16:06,240
about what I'm saying is that I'm asking

421
00:16:11,509 --> 00:16:09,779
does this actually make sense I'm asking

422
00:16:14,269 --> 00:16:11,519
if perhaps the emperor might have

423
00:16:16,670 --> 00:16:14,279
forgotten his lows because as I'll argue

424
00:16:18,769 --> 00:16:16,680
these theories heavily rely on a

425
00:16:20,870 --> 00:16:18,779
combination of unsupported absurdities

426
00:16:23,509 --> 00:16:20,880
and outright denial of the question at

427
00:16:25,970 --> 00:16:23,519
hand as the duct tape that barely holds

428
00:16:28,850 --> 00:16:25,980
this old jalopy of a world view together

429
00:16:30,949 --> 00:16:28,860
and we don't need phds to explore these

430
00:16:32,389 --> 00:16:30,959
ideas we don't need to get deep into the

431
00:16:35,150 --> 00:16:32,399
weeds with the particulars of these

432
00:16:37,730 --> 00:16:35,160
theories themselves because as we'll see

433
00:16:40,430 --> 00:16:37,740
the issues with these theories don't lie

434
00:16:42,889 --> 00:16:40,440
in the details the rod is structural

435
00:16:45,230 --> 00:16:42,899
it's in the very foundation of the ideas

436
00:16:46,970 --> 00:16:45,240
themselves the second point of

437
00:16:48,350 --> 00:16:46,980
clarification that I'd like to make is

438
00:16:50,269 --> 00:16:48,360
that because of the way these

439
00:16:52,430 --> 00:16:50,279
conversations are usually framed in our

440
00:16:54,949 --> 00:16:52,440
culture you might hear my arguments

441
00:16:57,949 --> 00:16:54,959
against consensus reality as an argument

442
00:16:59,569 --> 00:16:57,959
for the existence of God that is not my

443
00:17:01,670 --> 00:16:59,579
purpose here and I intentionally have

444
00:17:03,590 --> 00:17:01,680
stayed out of that debate what I'm

445
00:17:05,210 --> 00:17:03,600
advocating for here is that we work

446
00:17:07,189 --> 00:17:05,220
toward new theories that have the

447
00:17:09,770 --> 00:17:07,199
ability to integrate all of human

448
00:17:11,630 --> 00:17:09,780
experience and Discovery those theories

449
00:17:14,090 --> 00:17:11,640
may or may not end up pointing to the

450
00:17:16,669 --> 00:17:14,100
existence of God but that is well above

451
00:17:18,530 --> 00:17:16,679
my pay grade and the final thing that I

452
00:17:20,329 --> 00:17:18,540
want to make clear is that I don't think

453
00:17:22,130 --> 00:17:20,339
that any of what I'll talk about in this

454
00:17:24,049 --> 00:17:22,140
episode is the result of some sort of

455
00:17:26,630 --> 00:17:24,059
conspiracy among scientists and

456
00:17:28,309 --> 00:17:26,640
academics to hide the truth from us nor

457
00:17:30,730 --> 00:17:28,319
do I think that mainstream scientists

458
00:17:33,530 --> 00:17:30,740
are inherently dogmatic backward or dumb

459
00:17:35,990 --> 00:17:33,540
in my experience these people tend to be

460
00:17:37,490 --> 00:17:36,000
extremely intelligent hardworking and do

461
00:17:39,890 --> 00:17:37,500
their jobs in good faith for the

462
00:17:41,690 --> 00:17:39,900
betterment of humanity as a whole and I

463
00:17:42,950 --> 00:17:41,700
think it's extremely important that when

464
00:17:45,289 --> 00:17:42,960
we challenge the scientific

465
00:17:47,029 --> 00:17:45,299
establishment that we not forget that

466
00:17:49,370 --> 00:17:47,039
it's made up of good people who are

467
00:17:51,350 --> 00:17:49,380
earnestly doing their best the reality

468
00:17:54,110 --> 00:17:51,360
of science is that given a long enough

469
00:17:56,390 --> 00:17:54,120
timeline even the brightest Minds end up

470
00:17:58,370 --> 00:17:56,400
on the wrong side of History our quest

471
00:18:00,650 --> 00:17:58,380
to understand the cosmos and ourselves

472
00:18:02,990 --> 00:18:00,660
has always been fraught with setbacks

473
00:18:05,630 --> 00:18:03,000
dead ends and circuitous detours that

474
00:18:08,210 --> 00:18:05,640
bring us maddeningly right back to where

475
00:18:10,549 --> 00:18:08,220
we started men and women will dedicate

476
00:18:12,950 --> 00:18:10,559
their entire lives to developing one

477
00:18:15,230 --> 00:18:12,960
single idea only to have it washed away

478
00:18:17,750 --> 00:18:15,240
like a sand castle by the next wave of

479
00:18:19,909 --> 00:18:17,760
Discovery and Innovation there's a real

480
00:18:22,370 --> 00:18:19,919
nobility to that it's something that I

481
00:18:24,049 --> 00:18:22,380
deeply respect nothing that I'm saying

482
00:18:26,750 --> 00:18:24,059
here is meant to be an attack on the

483
00:18:28,730 --> 00:18:26,760
institutions of Science and Academia but

484
00:18:31,250 --> 00:18:28,740
I hope that it might serve in some small

485
00:18:32,990 --> 00:18:31,260
way as a call to action as we've

486
00:18:35,690 --> 00:18:33,000
discussed in the past few episodes in

487
00:18:38,330 --> 00:18:35,700
our exploration of Plato's Cave humans

488
00:18:40,370 --> 00:18:38,340
are natural cave Builders we create

489
00:18:42,529 --> 00:18:40,380
meaning making narratives to explain our

490
00:18:44,029 --> 00:18:42,539
world and our society functions on the

491
00:18:46,430 --> 00:18:44,039
basis of our agreement to those

492
00:18:48,650 --> 00:18:46,440
narratives these narratives are usually

493
00:18:50,870 --> 00:18:48,660
very useful they help us with everything

494
00:18:52,370 --> 00:18:50,880
from building a spaceship to quieting

495
00:18:54,049 --> 00:18:52,380
that nagging voice in the back of your

496
00:18:56,210 --> 00:18:54,059
head that says that something about the

497
00:18:59,090 --> 00:18:56,220
nature of your reality isn't quite right

498
00:19:02,150 --> 00:18:59,100
and so we become very attached to these

499
00:19:03,590 --> 00:19:02,160
narratives because they help us but we

500
00:19:05,750 --> 00:19:03,600
need to always be aware that just

501
00:19:08,270 --> 00:19:05,760
because an idea is useful doesn't mean

502
00:19:10,549 --> 00:19:08,280
that it's true my very educated mother

503
00:19:12,289 --> 00:19:10,559
just made us nine pizzas is a useful

504
00:19:14,450 --> 00:19:12,299
mnemonic device for remembering the

505
00:19:17,690 --> 00:19:14,460
order of the planets but it doesn't have

506
00:19:20,029 --> 00:19:17,700
any truth value on its own and pizzas

507
00:19:21,409 --> 00:19:20,039
aren't even a planet anymore the

508
00:19:23,029 --> 00:19:21,419
argument that I'm making in this episode

509
00:19:24,950 --> 00:19:23,039
is simply this

510
00:19:27,529 --> 00:19:24,960
our current meaning making narratives

511
00:19:29,090 --> 00:19:27,539
have outgrown their utility we have

512
00:19:31,730 --> 00:19:29,100
progressed to the point where we need

513
00:19:34,130 --> 00:19:31,740
new ones and if we look at all the ways

514
00:19:35,390 --> 00:19:34,140
in which our current models fail those

515
00:19:37,549 --> 00:19:35,400
things might point us in the direction

516
00:19:40,250 --> 00:19:37,559
of a new official story of everything

517
00:19:42,230 --> 00:19:40,260
that allows for the full scope of human

518
00:19:44,270 --> 00:19:42,240
experience and which allows us to draw

519
00:19:45,650 --> 00:19:44,280
better conclusions about the nature of

520
00:19:48,289 --> 00:19:45,660
our reality

521
00:19:50,930 --> 00:19:48,299
let's start with the big bang Terence

522
00:19:52,789 --> 00:19:50,940
McKenna famously said modern Science is

523
00:19:55,310 --> 00:19:52,799
based on the principle give us one free

524
00:19:57,950 --> 00:19:55,320
miracle and we'll explain the rest the

525
00:19:59,930 --> 00:19:57,960
Big Bang is that free miracle though

526
00:20:01,789 --> 00:19:59,940
it's presented to us in school as a

527
00:20:04,190 --> 00:20:01,799
scientific explanation for the existence

528
00:20:06,169 --> 00:20:04,200
of everything if you ask even the most

529
00:20:08,510 --> 00:20:06,179
basic and immediate questions that come

530
00:20:10,490 --> 00:20:08,520
to mind you may start to get the sense

531
00:20:12,110 --> 00:20:10,500
that the Big Bang isn't actually all

532
00:20:14,450 --> 00:20:12,120
that scientific and that it doesn't

533
00:20:16,130 --> 00:20:14,460
really explain anything either the

534
00:20:17,990 --> 00:20:16,140
miracle of the Big Bang is how it

535
00:20:20,570 --> 00:20:18,000
manages to get everything from nothing

536
00:20:22,430 --> 00:20:20,580
it's the ultimate magic trick but

537
00:20:25,190 --> 00:20:22,440
instead of pulling a rabbit out of a hat

538
00:20:27,890 --> 00:20:25,200
the Big Bang pulls everything that ever

539
00:20:29,210 --> 00:20:27,900
was or ever will be out of absolute

540
00:20:31,610 --> 00:20:29,220
nothingness

541
00:20:32,870 --> 00:20:31,620
it's a task so big that it was once

542
00:20:35,990 --> 00:20:32,880
believed that it could only be the work

543
00:20:38,450 --> 00:20:36,000
of God but since it was proposed in 1931

544
00:20:40,250 --> 00:20:38,460
the Big Bang has become the prevailing

545
00:20:43,310 --> 00:20:40,260
theory for the origins of the universe

546
00:20:44,870 --> 00:20:43,320
at least among 99.9 percent of the

547
00:20:47,390 --> 00:20:44,880
members of the National Academy of

548
00:20:49,310 --> 00:20:47,400
Sciences however if you look closely

549
00:20:51,590 --> 00:20:49,320
you'll see that the Big Bang doesn't

550
00:20:54,289 --> 00:20:51,600
actually dispatch any of our questions

551
00:20:55,970 --> 00:20:54,299
about where the universe came from it

552
00:20:57,529 --> 00:20:55,980
just tucks them conveniently out of

553
00:21:00,289 --> 00:20:57,539
sight with some quick sleight of hand

554
00:21:01,970 --> 00:21:00,299
I'll show you how it works we'll start

555
00:21:03,950 --> 00:21:01,980
with one of the most obvious questions

556
00:21:05,890 --> 00:21:03,960
that an elementary school student might

557
00:21:09,470 --> 00:21:05,900
have upon hearing about the Big Bang

558
00:21:11,330 --> 00:21:09,480
what happened before the Big Bang the

559
00:21:14,450 --> 00:21:11,340
official answer is this

560
00:21:16,850 --> 00:21:14,460
time can only arise alongside matter and

561
00:21:19,669 --> 00:21:16,860
energy there was no time before the Big

562
00:21:23,029 --> 00:21:19,679
Bang so the question has no meaning

563
00:21:26,330 --> 00:21:23,039
C sight of hand now you see it now you

564
00:21:28,789 --> 00:21:26,340
don't let's try another one what is the

565
00:21:31,430 --> 00:21:28,799
universe expanding into

566
00:21:33,529 --> 00:21:31,440
and the official answer you can't have

567
00:21:35,990 --> 00:21:33,539
space without objects defining it so the

568
00:21:37,490 --> 00:21:36,000
question doesn't have meaning also you

569
00:21:39,649 --> 00:21:37,500
can't think about the universe from the

570
00:21:42,409 --> 00:21:39,659
outside there's nothing outside of the

571
00:21:44,750 --> 00:21:42,419
universe so the question is nonsensical

572
00:21:46,669 --> 00:21:44,760
do you see what I mean the Big Bang

573
00:21:48,409 --> 00:21:46,679
Theory doesn't really explain anything

574
00:21:50,330 --> 00:21:48,419
when it comes to the origins of the

575
00:21:51,950 --> 00:21:50,340
universe it just shuffles things around

576
00:21:54,230 --> 00:21:51,960
so that all of the most profound

577
00:21:55,909 --> 00:21:54,240
questions that we have are out of bounds

578
00:21:58,970 --> 00:21:55,919
and there's something deeply

579
00:22:00,950 --> 00:21:58,980
unsatisfying about that because when we

580
00:22:03,830 --> 00:22:00,960
inquire into what it was that brought

581
00:22:06,169 --> 00:22:03,840
the universe into existence most people

582
00:22:07,730 --> 00:22:06,179
aren't asking about the exact series of

583
00:22:10,130 --> 00:22:07,740
events that immediately followed its

584
00:22:11,690 --> 00:22:10,140
creation which is ultimately all that

585
00:22:14,450 --> 00:22:11,700
the Big Bang deals with

586
00:22:18,230 --> 00:22:14,460
we're asking where the universe came

587
00:22:21,230 --> 00:22:18,240
from we're asking why it happened what

588
00:22:23,210 --> 00:22:21,240
caused it and how and these are the very

589
00:22:25,850 --> 00:22:23,220
questions the proponents of The Big Bang

590
00:22:27,950 --> 00:22:25,860
Theory tell us are meaningless it's a

591
00:22:30,289 --> 00:22:27,960
very Wizard of Oz moment pay no

592
00:22:32,270 --> 00:22:30,299
attention to that man behind the curtain

593
00:22:34,430 --> 00:22:32,280
I suspect that this might be the reason

594
00:22:36,049 --> 00:22:34,440
why despite the fact that the vast

595
00:22:38,570 --> 00:22:36,059
majority of scientists believe in the

596
00:22:39,649 --> 00:22:38,580
big bang a majority of Americans aren't

597
00:22:43,490 --> 00:22:39,659
so sure

598
00:22:45,890 --> 00:22:43,500
in 2014 an AP poll reported that 51 of

599
00:22:48,169 --> 00:22:45,900
Americans said that they were not too

600
00:22:51,350 --> 00:22:48,179
confident or not at all confident that

601
00:22:53,870 --> 00:22:51,360
the statement the universe began 13.8

602
00:22:56,570 --> 00:22:53,880
billion years ago with a big bang was

603
00:22:59,210 --> 00:22:56,580
correct and basically all of the news

604
00:23:01,190 --> 00:22:59,220
outlets that covered this story included

605
00:23:02,930 --> 00:23:01,200
quotes from rode weary scientists

606
00:23:04,430 --> 00:23:02,940
throwing up their hands in dismay over

607
00:23:06,169 --> 00:23:04,440
the fact that people just aren't

608
00:23:08,270 --> 00:23:06,179
accepting the science

609
00:23:10,310 --> 00:23:08,280
but I'd argue that in this case

610
00:23:12,710 --> 00:23:10,320
scientists are asking people to accept

611
00:23:15,169 --> 00:23:12,720
their answer to a question without

612
00:23:17,090 --> 00:23:15,179
recognizing that it's fundamentally not

613
00:23:19,370 --> 00:23:17,100
the question that was asked

614
00:23:20,690 --> 00:23:19,380
think about it this way even if you

615
00:23:22,490 --> 00:23:20,700
could account for every single thing

616
00:23:24,529 --> 00:23:22,500
that happened in the minute immediately

617
00:23:26,810 --> 00:23:24,539
following the initial impact of a car

618
00:23:29,450 --> 00:23:26,820
accident you still couldn't be entirely

619
00:23:31,190 --> 00:23:29,460
sure of what caused the accident you

620
00:23:32,570 --> 00:23:31,200
could make a decent guess based on the

621
00:23:34,909 --> 00:23:32,580
trajectory of the cars and people

622
00:23:37,430 --> 00:23:34,919
involved but that wouldn't tell you the

623
00:23:39,830 --> 00:23:37,440
whole story was it caused by road rage

624
00:23:42,770 --> 00:23:39,840
negligence a drug driver a heart attack

625
00:23:44,330 --> 00:23:42,780
an honest mistake we have no way of

626
00:23:47,390 --> 00:23:44,340
gaining a full picture of what happened

627
00:23:49,850 --> 00:23:47,400
if we only look at the aftermath and

628
00:23:51,350 --> 00:23:49,860
it's the same with a big bang we tend to

629
00:23:53,630 --> 00:23:51,360
think of the universe like billiard

630
00:23:55,610 --> 00:23:53,640
balls with objects smashing into each

631
00:23:58,730 --> 00:23:55,620
other and knocking each other around in

632
00:24:00,350 --> 00:23:58,740
predictable measurable ways and in that

633
00:24:02,390 --> 00:24:00,360
way we aren't much different than our

634
00:24:04,909 --> 00:24:02,400
old friend William Thompson Lord Kelvin

635
00:24:06,649 --> 00:24:04,919
we assume that the laws of physics are

636
00:24:09,049 --> 00:24:06,659
more or less figured out and that given

637
00:24:10,970 --> 00:24:09,059
enough time and processing power that we

638
00:24:12,770 --> 00:24:10,980
could look at the speed and direction of

639
00:24:15,230 --> 00:24:12,780
all of the objects in the universe as

640
00:24:16,789 --> 00:24:15,240
they are now and run back the tape to

641
00:24:19,250 --> 00:24:16,799
the very beginning of time to see what

642
00:24:20,690 --> 00:24:19,260
happened and in a lot of ways that's

643
00:24:23,029 --> 00:24:20,700
basically what we've done with the big

644
00:24:25,070 --> 00:24:23,039
bang we know that the universe is

645
00:24:26,930 --> 00:24:25,080
expanding rapidly outward from its

646
00:24:29,330 --> 00:24:26,940
Center and so we assume that it must

647
00:24:30,529 --> 00:24:29,340
have started from there we run the tape

648
00:24:32,450 --> 00:24:30,539
all the way back to the first

649
00:24:33,830 --> 00:24:32,460
microseconds of the universe and make

650
00:24:35,450 --> 00:24:33,840
assumptions about what must have

651
00:24:38,330 --> 00:24:35,460
happened and what the conditions must

652
00:24:40,250 --> 00:24:38,340
have been like but even if all of the

653
00:24:42,710 --> 00:24:40,260
many assumptions that we've made all

654
00:24:45,169 --> 00:24:42,720
turn out to be correct we still haven't

655
00:24:46,909 --> 00:24:45,179
answered the question about who hit play

656
00:24:48,830 --> 00:24:46,919
in the first place

657
00:24:50,110 --> 00:24:48,840
and you might think that question is

658
00:24:52,070 --> 00:24:50,120
falling into the Trap of

659
00:24:53,990 --> 00:24:52,080
anthropomorphizing a physical process

660
00:24:55,850 --> 00:24:54,000
just because we don't know who did it

661
00:24:58,549 --> 00:24:55,860
doesn't mean that God did it you say as

662
00:25:00,770 --> 00:24:58,559
you shake your fist and I don't disagree

663
00:25:02,810 --> 00:25:00,780
who pressed play may not be the right

664
00:25:05,210 --> 00:25:02,820
question but what we're talking about

665
00:25:07,370 --> 00:25:05,220
here is trying to understand where we

666
00:25:09,710 --> 00:25:07,380
got this perfectly tuned Universe in

667
00:25:12,110 --> 00:25:09,720
which every physical action has a

668
00:25:14,149 --> 00:25:12,120
physical cause and we find that there

669
00:25:17,149 --> 00:25:14,159
are only two explanations within our

670
00:25:19,130 --> 00:25:17,159
current Paradigm either one the universe

671
00:25:22,310 --> 00:25:19,140
is infinite and has no beginning or end

672
00:25:25,789 --> 00:25:22,320
which doesn't seem likely or two it was

673
00:25:28,250 --> 00:25:25,799
set into motion by some uncaused cause a

674
00:25:30,110 --> 00:25:28,260
first mover something outside of the

675
00:25:32,450 --> 00:25:30,120
bubble of space and time that erupted

676
00:25:34,789 --> 00:25:32,460
into being at the start of the universe

677
00:25:36,590 --> 00:25:34,799
you can call that God or not it doesn't

678
00:25:39,649 --> 00:25:36,600
really matter for the purposes of this

679
00:25:42,350 --> 00:25:39,659
conversation but the question is there

680
00:25:44,390 --> 00:25:42,360
and the question is legitimate and the

681
00:25:46,490 --> 00:25:44,400
question has not been answered by

682
00:25:48,289 --> 00:25:46,500
science the only thing that science has

683
00:25:49,669 --> 00:25:48,299
succeeded in with the big bang is

684
00:25:51,710 --> 00:25:49,679
convincing people that the biggest

685
00:25:54,049 --> 00:25:51,720
questions that we have about our Origins

686
00:25:56,450 --> 00:25:54,059
are meaningless while giving us nothing

687
00:25:57,409 --> 00:25:56,460
to replace them and that is not an

688
00:26:00,350 --> 00:25:57,419
answer

689
00:26:01,970 --> 00:26:00,360
now to be fair science actually does

690
00:26:05,630 --> 00:26:01,980
have an answer for what caused the Big

691
00:26:07,789 --> 00:26:05,640
Bang the official party line is this we

692
00:26:09,590 --> 00:26:07,799
observe particles materializing in empty

693
00:26:11,649 --> 00:26:09,600
space and then Vanishing these are

694
00:26:14,330 --> 00:26:11,659
called quantum mechanical fluctuations

695
00:26:16,730 --> 00:26:14,340
given enough time one would expect the

696
00:26:19,370 --> 00:26:16,740
fluctuation to involve so many particles

697
00:26:21,529 --> 00:26:19,380
that an entire universe would appear

698
00:26:23,149 --> 00:26:21,539
so basically one of the many weird

699
00:26:25,549 --> 00:26:23,159
things about quantum mechanics which

700
00:26:27,230 --> 00:26:25,559
we'll get to shortly is that particles

701
00:26:29,690 --> 00:26:27,240
can sometimes appear and disappear in

702
00:26:32,149 --> 00:26:29,700
space and so given enough time

703
00:26:34,070 --> 00:26:32,159
eventually this would randomly happen to

704
00:26:35,630 --> 00:26:34,080
so many particles simultaneously that

705
00:26:37,490 --> 00:26:35,640
the Universe would spring into being

706
00:26:38,510 --> 00:26:37,500
much in the manner that we see with the

707
00:26:40,669 --> 00:26:38,520
big bang

708
00:26:43,310 --> 00:26:40,679
but I'd argue that there are serious and

709
00:26:45,769 --> 00:26:43,320
glaring issues with this idea as well

710
00:26:48,289 --> 00:26:45,779
first of all the idea that given enough

711
00:26:50,269 --> 00:26:48,299
time an unspeakably vast number of

712
00:26:52,130 --> 00:26:50,279
particles would randomly appear in the

713
00:26:55,730 --> 00:26:52,140
same place at once to create the

714
00:26:57,649 --> 00:26:55,740
universe requires time that implies a

715
00:26:59,510 --> 00:26:57,659
timeline and a reality existing outside

716
00:27:02,149 --> 00:26:59,520
and separate from our universe because

717
00:27:05,269 --> 00:27:02,159
as we already established space and time

718
00:27:07,430 --> 00:27:05,279
didn't exist before the Big Bang so once

719
00:27:09,169 --> 00:27:07,440
again we're given this hint that there

720
00:27:11,029 --> 00:27:09,179
is something on the other side of the

721
00:27:13,789 --> 00:27:11,039
curtain but if you want to be taken

722
00:27:15,470 --> 00:27:13,799
seriously in polite educated Society you

723
00:27:17,570 --> 00:27:15,480
were only allowed to gesture at it

724
00:27:18,649 --> 00:27:17,580
vaguely you aren't allowed to ask what

725
00:27:20,990 --> 00:27:18,659
it is

726
00:27:23,029 --> 00:27:21,000
and my other issue with this is that it

727
00:27:25,610 --> 00:27:23,039
uses the loophole of infinity as a

728
00:27:27,049 --> 00:27:25,620
crutch to explain the unexplainable this

729
00:27:28,789 --> 00:27:27,059
is a trick that is used in a few

730
00:27:30,590 --> 00:27:28,799
different places and the official Theory

731
00:27:32,510 --> 00:27:30,600
of Everything to prop up some of the

732
00:27:35,630 --> 00:27:32,520
ideas for which there is literally no

733
00:27:38,570 --> 00:27:35,640
rational justification and frankly I

734
00:27:40,310 --> 00:27:38,580
call the entire argument rests

735
00:27:41,990 --> 00:27:40,320
on the idea that given an infinite

736
00:27:44,750 --> 00:27:42,000
amount of time everything that could

737
00:27:46,430 --> 00:27:44,760
happen will eventually happen and there

738
00:27:48,649 --> 00:27:46,440
are a few issues with that

739
00:27:51,350 --> 00:27:48,659
first of all we don't have proof that

740
00:27:53,570 --> 00:27:51,360
infinity even exists Infinity is

741
00:27:56,390 --> 00:27:53,580
generally regarded to be simply a useful

742
00:27:58,130 --> 00:27:56,400
idea we use it in math and science all

743
00:28:01,250 --> 00:27:58,140
the time to do calculations that would

744
00:28:03,769 --> 00:28:01,260
otherwise be impossible and it works but

745
00:28:05,630 --> 00:28:03,779
like the square root of negative one we

746
00:28:07,850 --> 00:28:05,640
don't have any proof that Infinity is

747
00:28:09,350 --> 00:28:07,860
something that can actually exist more

748
00:28:11,630 --> 00:28:09,360
than hypothetically

749
00:28:13,850 --> 00:28:11,640
so for this idea to work we have to

750
00:28:16,190 --> 00:28:13,860
assume infinite time something for which

751
00:28:18,890 --> 00:28:16,200
we have no proof and this infinite time

752
00:28:21,110 --> 00:28:18,900
has to exist somehow apart from or

753
00:28:23,390 --> 00:28:21,120
separate from the space-time in which we

754
00:28:25,669 --> 00:28:23,400
currently find ourselves embedded which

755
00:28:28,570 --> 00:28:25,679
means that we can't verify it or even

756
00:28:31,610 --> 00:28:28,580
meaningfully inquire about it and listen

757
00:28:33,529 --> 00:28:31,620
that still might be the answer but when

758
00:28:35,750 --> 00:28:33,539
we're talking about introducing an idea

759
00:28:37,850 --> 00:28:35,760
for which there is no evidence and which

760
00:28:40,130 --> 00:28:37,860
by its very nature can't be proven one

761
00:28:41,930 --> 00:28:40,140
way or another there is literally no

762
00:28:43,610 --> 00:28:41,940
reason for us to show any kind of

763
00:28:46,610 --> 00:28:43,620
preference for that answer over any

764
00:28:48,529 --> 00:28:46,620
other to do so requires a blind leap of

765
00:28:51,230 --> 00:28:48,539
faith that would make the most stalwart

766
00:28:52,669 --> 00:28:51,240
young Earth creationist proud if they

767
00:28:53,870 --> 00:28:52,679
weren't too busy disagreeing with the

768
00:28:55,909 --> 00:28:53,880
conclusion

769
00:28:58,250 --> 00:28:55,919
and there are a few other issues with

770
00:29:00,049 --> 00:28:58,260
the big bang for example the Big Bang

771
00:29:02,269 --> 00:29:00,059
explains where everything we see

772
00:29:04,070 --> 00:29:02,279
everything that has form and all of the

773
00:29:04,909 --> 00:29:04,080
known energies of the universe comes

774
00:29:06,950 --> 00:29:04,919
from

775
00:29:09,289 --> 00:29:06,960
however all of these things only

776
00:29:12,649 --> 00:29:09,299
comprise four percent of what the actual

777
00:29:14,690 --> 00:29:12,659
universe is made of 96 of the universe

778
00:29:16,850 --> 00:29:14,700
is composed of dark matter and dark

779
00:29:19,549 --> 00:29:16,860
energy and we literally don't know what

780
00:29:21,350 --> 00:29:19,559
those things are so it's actually quite

781
00:29:24,049 --> 00:29:21,360
bold of us to assume that we have

782
00:29:26,210 --> 00:29:24,059
definitive answers on where the universe

783
00:29:28,610 --> 00:29:26,220
came from when we don't even know what

784
00:29:31,190 --> 00:29:28,620
96 of it even is

785
00:29:33,049 --> 00:29:31,200
and while the Big Bang is the one free

786
00:29:34,970 --> 00:29:33,059
Miracle to which Terence McKenna

787
00:29:37,010 --> 00:29:34,980
referred if you look closely at the

788
00:29:39,110 --> 00:29:37,020
official story of everything you begin

789
00:29:41,690 --> 00:29:39,120
to realize that scientists are asking

790
00:29:43,549 --> 00:29:41,700
for more than just one Miracle they're

791
00:29:45,830 --> 00:29:43,559
asking for several one of the biggest

792
00:29:48,169 --> 00:29:45,840
mysteries about the origin of life is

793
00:29:49,850 --> 00:29:48,179
how the universe came to be so perfectly

794
00:29:52,070 --> 00:29:49,860
tuned to support it

795
00:29:54,289 --> 00:29:52,080
all four of the universe's four forces

796
00:29:56,570 --> 00:29:54,299
and all of its constants don't just

797
00:29:59,330 --> 00:29:56,580
allow for life they seem to be

798
00:30:01,430 --> 00:29:59,340
specifically coded to encourage it and

799
00:30:04,330 --> 00:30:01,440
the chances of things just happening to

800
00:30:06,590 --> 00:30:04,340
unfold that way are astronomically small

801
00:30:08,210 --> 00:30:06,600
the slightest change in the initial

802
00:30:09,889 --> 00:30:08,220
conditions of the universe could have

803
00:30:12,049 --> 00:30:09,899
resulted in a version of the universe

804
00:30:15,049 --> 00:30:12,059
where life is impossible

805
00:30:17,210 --> 00:30:15,059
for example if the Big Bang had been one

806
00:30:18,889 --> 00:30:17,220
part in a million more powerful it would

807
00:30:20,870 --> 00:30:18,899
have expanded too quickly for the

808
00:30:23,630 --> 00:30:20,880
galaxies and therefore life to develop

809
00:30:26,149 --> 00:30:23,640
if the strong nuclear force were

810
00:30:28,070 --> 00:30:26,159
decreased by just two percent Atomic

811
00:30:29,269 --> 00:30:28,080
nuclei wouldn't hold together and the

812
00:30:32,389 --> 00:30:29,279
universe would be filled with nothing

813
00:30:35,210 --> 00:30:32,399
but hydrogen if the gravitational force

814
00:30:36,950 --> 00:30:35,220
were decreased by just a hair Stars

815
00:30:39,710 --> 00:30:36,960
including the sun would never have

816
00:30:41,630 --> 00:30:39,720
ignited the carbon that is in our bodies

817
00:30:44,149 --> 00:30:41,640
and that is necessary for Life as we

818
00:30:46,909 --> 00:30:44,159
know it to exist is created by nuclear

819
00:30:49,370 --> 00:30:46,919
reactions inside of stars but until

820
00:30:52,010 --> 00:30:49,380
about 50 years ago scientists weren't

821
00:30:53,750 --> 00:30:52,020
sure how this even happened most nuclear

822
00:30:56,149 --> 00:30:53,760
reactions occur when two extremely

823
00:30:58,250 --> 00:30:56,159
fast-moving Atomic nuclei or protons

824
00:31:00,590 --> 00:30:58,260
Collide and fuse to form a heavier

825
00:31:02,810 --> 00:31:00,600
element that is usually helium

826
00:31:05,149 --> 00:31:02,820
it shouldn't be possible to manufacture

827
00:31:07,549 --> 00:31:05,159
carbon by this process because all of

828
00:31:10,909 --> 00:31:07,559
the intermediate elements from Helium to

829
00:31:13,190 --> 00:31:10,919
carbon have highly unstable nuclei

830
00:31:15,649 --> 00:31:13,200
the only way for it to work would be for

831
00:31:18,049 --> 00:31:15,659
three helium nuclei to collide at the

832
00:31:20,389 --> 00:31:18,059
same time but the likelihood of that

833
00:31:22,250 --> 00:31:20,399
happening is minuscule and it certainly

834
00:31:23,990 --> 00:31:22,260
couldn't happen at a rate high enough to

835
00:31:24,950 --> 00:31:24,000
account for all of the carbon in the

836
00:31:26,870 --> 00:31:24,960
universe

837
00:31:29,269 --> 00:31:26,880
what scientists eventually discovered

838
00:31:31,250 --> 00:31:29,279
was that carbon has a resonant State at

839
00:31:33,289 --> 00:31:31,260
just the correct energy that causes

840
00:31:36,110 --> 00:31:33,299
helium to come together in precisely

841
00:31:38,510 --> 00:31:36,120
this way as a result of this resonance

842
00:31:41,210 --> 00:31:38,520
stars are hardwired to be able to

843
00:31:43,610 --> 00:31:41,220
produce carbon in large quantities

844
00:31:46,490 --> 00:31:43,620
these examples are a few of just more

845
00:31:48,950 --> 00:31:46,500
than 200 physical parameters within the

846
00:31:51,289 --> 00:31:48,960
solar system in the universe that had to

847
00:31:54,169 --> 00:31:51,299
be precisely calibrated for life to

848
00:31:56,269 --> 00:31:54,179
emerge given that fact it's clear that

849
00:31:58,930 --> 00:31:56,279
by far the most likely result of the Big

850
00:32:02,090 --> 00:31:58,940
Bang would have been a lifeless Universe

851
00:32:03,950 --> 00:32:02,100
in fact the chances are so minuscule

852
00:32:06,409 --> 00:32:03,960
that a universe suitable to Life as we

853
00:32:08,389 --> 00:32:06,419
know it could emerge that it's LED some

854
00:32:10,490 --> 00:32:08,399
scientists to ask how it could be that

855
00:32:13,370 --> 00:32:10,500
we find ourselves in this exceedingly

856
00:32:16,130 --> 00:32:13,380
unlikely Goldilocks Universe where

857
00:32:18,230 --> 00:32:16,140
everything seems to be just right and

858
00:32:20,510 --> 00:32:18,240
the official answer contains more of the

859
00:32:21,289 --> 00:32:20,520
familiar sleight of hand it goes like

860
00:32:23,930 --> 00:32:21,299
this

861
00:32:25,610 --> 00:32:23,940
If gravity was a touch stronger or if

862
00:32:27,710 --> 00:32:25,620
the Big Bang had just a little less bang

863
00:32:30,289 --> 00:32:27,720
we wouldn't be here to ask about it

864
00:32:32,570 --> 00:32:30,299
because we're here the universe had to

865
00:32:34,789 --> 00:32:32,580
be calibrated in a way for us to emerge

866
00:32:37,669 --> 00:32:34,799
so it's actually not unlikely at all

867
00:32:40,070 --> 00:32:37,679
case closed and if you find that answer

868
00:32:43,190 --> 00:32:40,080
to be unsatisfying you're certainly not

869
00:32:46,310 --> 00:32:43,200
alone in his 1989 book universes

870
00:32:48,350 --> 00:32:46,320
philosopher John Leslie wrote quote a

871
00:32:50,930 --> 00:32:48,360
man in front of a firing squad of 100

872
00:32:53,450 --> 00:32:50,940
Riflemen is going to be pretty surprised

873
00:32:55,250 --> 00:32:53,460
if every bullet misses him sure he could

874
00:32:57,110 --> 00:32:55,260
say to himself of course they all missed

875
00:32:58,549 --> 00:32:57,120
that makes perfect sense otherwise I

876
00:33:01,010 --> 00:32:58,559
wouldn't be here to wonder why they all

877
00:33:03,529 --> 00:33:01,020
missed but anyone in his or her right

878
00:33:06,289 --> 00:33:03,539
mind is going to want to know how such

879
00:33:08,570 --> 00:33:06,299
an unlikely event occurred end quote

880
00:33:11,570 --> 00:33:08,580
once again the answer that we're given

881
00:33:13,370 --> 00:33:11,580
isn't an answer it's a non-answer that

882
00:33:15,649 --> 00:33:13,380
attempts to sidestep the question by

883
00:33:17,690 --> 00:33:15,659
making it meaningless and the fact that

884
00:33:19,789 --> 00:33:17,700
the universe is perfectly calibrated to

885
00:33:22,009 --> 00:33:19,799
support life is only the first of three

886
00:33:23,149 --> 00:33:22,019
miracles of life that we have to account

887
00:33:25,970 --> 00:33:23,159
for

888
00:33:28,549 --> 00:33:25,980
the second Miracle of Life lies in the

889
00:33:30,710 --> 00:33:28,559
fact that it emerged at all we have no

890
00:33:32,870 --> 00:33:30,720
idea how that happened there are

891
00:33:34,909 --> 00:33:32,880
theories of course most involve slow

892
00:33:38,090 --> 00:33:34,919
random changes over billions of years

893
00:33:39,950 --> 00:33:38,100
like we discussed in episode 15 the moon

894
00:33:41,810 --> 00:33:39,960
may have played a role in the emergence

895
00:33:44,210 --> 00:33:41,820
of Life by churning the oceans and

896
00:33:46,190 --> 00:33:44,220
causing the tides turning the surface of

897
00:33:49,190 --> 00:33:46,200
the Earth into a giant chemistry set

898
00:33:51,830 --> 00:33:49,200
that eventually by dumb luck struck upon

899
00:33:54,110 --> 00:33:51,840
the formula for life and sure maybe

900
00:33:56,570 --> 00:33:54,120
that's how it happened but it's just a

901
00:33:58,850 --> 00:33:56,580
theory and the reality is that even if

902
00:34:00,470 --> 00:33:58,860
that's a exactly the series of events

903
00:34:02,870 --> 00:34:00,480
that led to the emergence of life on

904
00:34:05,750 --> 00:34:02,880
Earth we still don't understand the

905
00:34:07,669 --> 00:34:05,760
mechanism by which that happened we have

906
00:34:10,310 --> 00:34:07,679
no way of explaining through any current

907
00:34:12,050 --> 00:34:10,320
theory how inert matter can somehow

908
00:34:14,450 --> 00:34:12,060
become alive

909
00:34:16,550 --> 00:34:14,460
even the simplest single-celled organism

910
00:34:18,530 --> 00:34:16,560
contains an inner complexity that makes

911
00:34:21,829 --> 00:34:18,540
it difficult to imagine how it could

912
00:34:23,810 --> 00:34:21,839
emerge entirely at random the simplest

913
00:34:25,810 --> 00:34:23,820
single cell organism has been shown to

914
00:34:29,629 --> 00:34:25,820
require somewhere between

915
00:34:32,270 --> 00:34:29,639
265 and 350 genes to survive and

916
00:34:34,310 --> 00:34:32,280
reproduce in a lab but where did the

917
00:34:36,770 --> 00:34:34,320
genes to create the first single-celled

918
00:34:39,290 --> 00:34:36,780
organism come from it's the ultimate

919
00:34:41,570 --> 00:34:39,300
chicken in the egg scenario and like

920
00:34:44,030 --> 00:34:41,580
with the big bang we're given elaborate

921
00:34:46,190 --> 00:34:44,040
descriptions about how a fire grows in

922
00:34:47,629 --> 00:34:46,200
response to our question about what lit

923
00:34:50,270 --> 00:34:47,639
the first Spark

924
00:34:52,369 --> 00:34:50,280
and the third Miracle of Life is that

925
00:34:55,190 --> 00:34:52,379
despite being able to describe many of

926
00:34:57,770 --> 00:34:55,200
the processes of life we have no real

927
00:34:59,810 --> 00:34:57,780
idea of what life is

928
00:35:01,790 --> 00:34:59,820
scientists have not even been able to

929
00:35:03,589 --> 00:35:01,800
strike upon a consistent list of the

930
00:35:05,630 --> 00:35:03,599
characteristics of life

931
00:35:07,750 --> 00:35:05,640
a commonly accepted list of traits

932
00:35:10,730 --> 00:35:07,760
includes order growth and development

933
00:35:13,089 --> 00:35:10,740
homeostasis metabolism reaction to

934
00:35:16,010 --> 00:35:13,099
stimuli reproduction and evolution

935
00:35:17,329 --> 00:35:16,020
however it's extremely easy to begin to

936
00:35:19,550 --> 00:35:17,339
poke holes in this list of

937
00:35:22,069 --> 00:35:19,560
characteristics there are exceptions

938
00:35:23,930 --> 00:35:22,079
that can be found to every rule for

939
00:35:26,210 --> 00:35:23,940
example crystals are not generally

940
00:35:29,150 --> 00:35:26,220
considered to be alive yet they are

941
00:35:31,609 --> 00:35:29,160
highly organized and they grow a fire

942
00:35:33,829 --> 00:35:31,619
consumes energy and grows and on the

943
00:35:36,349 --> 00:35:33,839
other end of the spectrum bacteria

944
00:35:38,810 --> 00:35:36,359
tardigrades and even some Crustaceans

945
00:35:41,150 --> 00:35:38,820
can enter long periods of dormancy where

946
00:35:43,790 --> 00:35:41,160
all growth change metabolism cease

947
00:35:46,609 --> 00:35:43,800
entirely and yet they aren't technically

948
00:35:49,010 --> 00:35:46,619
dead the strange truth is that we don't

949
00:35:50,750 --> 00:35:49,020
really know what life is We Believe

950
00:35:53,030 --> 00:35:50,760
instinctively that there is a clear

951
00:35:55,250 --> 00:35:53,040
obvious difference between a dog and a

952
00:35:57,410 --> 00:35:55,260
crystal between a bacterium and a grain

953
00:36:00,290 --> 00:35:57,420
of sand but when pushed to clearly

954
00:36:02,690 --> 00:36:00,300
identify what that difference is we find

955
00:36:04,670 --> 00:36:02,700
that we come up empty there seems to be

956
00:36:06,829 --> 00:36:04,680
a ghost in the machine machine but we

957
00:36:08,990 --> 00:36:06,839
don't have the right language to name it

958
00:36:10,490 --> 00:36:09,000
some have gone so far as to argue that

959
00:36:11,930 --> 00:36:10,500
the reason that we can't name the

960
00:36:14,150 --> 00:36:11,940
difference between things that are alive

961
00:36:15,829 --> 00:36:14,160
and things that aren't is that there is

962
00:36:17,510 --> 00:36:15,839
no difference and that life doesn't

963
00:36:19,250 --> 00:36:17,520
actually exist

964
00:36:22,630 --> 00:36:19,260
in an article for Scientific American

965
00:36:26,270 --> 00:36:22,640
entitled why life does not really exist

966
00:36:28,730 --> 00:36:26,280
writer Ferris jabber argues quote life

967
00:36:30,829 --> 00:36:28,740
is a concept that we invented on the

968
00:36:32,930 --> 00:36:30,839
most fundamental level all matter that

969
00:36:35,329 --> 00:36:32,940
exists is an arrangement of atoms in

970
00:36:36,950 --> 00:36:35,339
their constituent particles these

971
00:36:39,290 --> 00:36:36,960
Arrangements fall into an immense

972
00:36:41,390 --> 00:36:39,300
spectrum of complexity from a single

973
00:36:44,210 --> 00:36:41,400
hydrogen atom to something as intricate

974
00:36:46,069 --> 00:36:44,220
as a brain in trying to Define life we

975
00:36:47,810 --> 00:36:46,079
have drawn a line at an arbitrary level

976
00:36:49,550 --> 00:36:47,820
of complexity and declared that

977
00:36:53,030 --> 00:36:49,560
everything above that border is alive

978
00:36:55,430 --> 00:36:53,040
and everything below it is not in truth

979
00:36:58,130 --> 00:36:55,440
this division does not exist outside the

980
00:36:59,930 --> 00:36:58,140
mind there is no Threshold at which a

981
00:37:02,750 --> 00:36:59,940
collection of atoms suddenly becomes

982
00:37:04,490 --> 00:37:02,760
alive no categorical distinction between

983
00:37:07,310 --> 00:37:04,500
the living and inanimate no

984
00:37:09,050 --> 00:37:07,320
frankenstinian spark we have failed to

985
00:37:10,910 --> 00:37:09,060
Define life because there was never

986
00:37:12,410 --> 00:37:10,920
anything to Define in the first place

987
00:37:14,870 --> 00:37:12,420
unquote

988
00:37:16,730 --> 00:37:14,880
and this is exactly the absurdist

989
00:37:19,730 --> 00:37:16,740
position that we find ourselves in again

990
00:37:22,069 --> 00:37:19,740
and again we inquire after the origins

991
00:37:23,870 --> 00:37:22,079
and nature of life and finding that our

992
00:37:25,790 --> 00:37:23,880
models aren't sufficient to explain it

993
00:37:28,069 --> 00:37:25,800
it is decided that it's not a question

994
00:37:29,930 --> 00:37:28,079
worth answering anyways anything that

995
00:37:32,030 --> 00:37:29,940
doesn't make sense about that answer is

996
00:37:34,180 --> 00:37:32,040
just in your head and if you question

997
00:37:52,270 --> 00:37:34,190
that you're the crazy one

998
00:37:52,280 --> 00:38:01,690
thank you

999
00:38:25,069 --> 00:38:11,530
[Music]

1000
00:38:25,079 --> 00:38:33,950
thank you

1001
00:38:38,390 --> 00:38:36,050
and if life is hard to explain within

1002
00:38:39,890 --> 00:38:38,400
our current Paradigm it has nothing on

1003
00:38:41,930 --> 00:38:39,900
what is perhaps the most baffling

1004
00:38:43,370 --> 00:38:41,940
mystery in all of science

1005
00:38:45,230 --> 00:38:43,380
consciousness

1006
00:38:47,450 --> 00:38:45,240
at least in the case of the origins of

1007
00:38:49,310 --> 00:38:47,460
life we may not know what lit the

1008
00:38:51,829 --> 00:38:49,320
initial spark but we have a pretty

1009
00:38:54,589 --> 00:38:51,839
decent idea of the biochemical processes

1010
00:38:56,450 --> 00:38:54,599
that make it work the discovery of DNA

1011
00:38:59,030 --> 00:38:56,460
in particular has helped us to literally

1012
00:39:01,490 --> 00:38:59,040
decode many of what used to be life's

1013
00:39:03,650 --> 00:39:01,500
most mysterious aspects with

1014
00:39:06,770 --> 00:39:03,660
Consciousness however we've made no such

1015
00:39:09,710 --> 00:39:06,780
progress in fact not only can scientists

1016
00:39:11,630 --> 00:39:09,720
not explain how Consciousness arose are

1017
00:39:13,790 --> 00:39:11,640
current scientific models don't even

1018
00:39:16,730 --> 00:39:13,800
allow for the existence of Consciousness

1019
00:39:19,790 --> 00:39:16,740
I'll say that again our current

1020
00:39:22,910 --> 00:39:19,800
scientific models don't even allow for

1021
00:39:25,730 --> 00:39:22,920
the existence of Consciousness and this

1022
00:39:27,950 --> 00:39:25,740
is a major problem in fact there is no

1023
00:39:30,650 --> 00:39:27,960
bigger problem in all of science because

1024
00:39:32,690 --> 00:39:30,660
all of science all of logic all of human

1025
00:39:35,210 --> 00:39:32,700
accomplishment and even our ability to

1026
00:39:37,630 --> 00:39:35,220
sit here and have this conversation is

1027
00:39:40,250 --> 00:39:37,640
only possible because of Consciousness

1028
00:39:42,170 --> 00:39:40,260
everything that you've ever felt seen

1029
00:39:43,550 --> 00:39:42,180
thought or experienced has been a result

1030
00:39:45,589 --> 00:39:43,560
of consciousness

1031
00:39:48,290 --> 00:39:45,599
in the words of famed theoretical

1032
00:39:50,569 --> 00:39:48,300
physicist Max Planck we cannot get

1033
00:39:52,310 --> 00:39:50,579
behind Consciousness everything that we

1034
00:39:54,890 --> 00:39:52,320
talk about everything that we regard is

1035
00:39:57,589 --> 00:39:54,900
existing postulates consciousness

1036
00:40:00,890 --> 00:39:57,599
and yet despite this self-evident and

1037
00:40:02,750 --> 00:40:00,900
entirely undeniable fact we don't have a

1038
00:40:05,569 --> 00:40:02,760
single way to account for Consciousness

1039
00:40:07,609 --> 00:40:05,579
with any of our current models the best

1040
00:40:08,810 --> 00:40:07,619
we've managed to do is to sort the

1041
00:40:11,510 --> 00:40:08,820
things that we don't know about

1042
00:40:13,310 --> 00:40:11,520
Consciousness into two buckets the easy

1043
00:40:15,470 --> 00:40:13,320
problem of Consciousness and the hard

1044
00:40:17,569 --> 00:40:15,480
problem of Consciousness the easy

1045
00:40:19,910 --> 00:40:17,579
problem of Consciousness has to do with

1046
00:40:22,370 --> 00:40:19,920
explaining how various phenomena related

1047
00:40:24,770 --> 00:40:22,380
to Consciousness work these phenomena

1048
00:40:26,690 --> 00:40:24,780
include things like the ability to

1049
00:40:29,390 --> 00:40:26,700
discriminate categorize and react to

1050
00:40:32,089 --> 00:40:29,400
environmental stimuli the integration of

1051
00:40:34,730 --> 00:40:32,099
information by a cognitive system the

1052
00:40:36,890 --> 00:40:34,740
reportability of mental States the

1053
00:40:39,589 --> 00:40:36,900
ability of a system to access its own

1054
00:40:42,829 --> 00:40:39,599
internal States the focus of attention

1055
00:40:44,630 --> 00:40:42,839
the deliberate control of behavior and

1056
00:40:47,569 --> 00:40:44,640
the difference between being asleep and

1057
00:40:50,210 --> 00:40:47,579
awake and we refer to this as the easy

1058
00:40:51,950 --> 00:40:50,220
problem of Consciousness because even

1059
00:40:54,109 --> 00:40:51,960
though we don't know how any of those

1060
00:40:55,609 --> 00:40:54,119
things work right now we are holding out

1061
00:40:57,829 --> 00:40:55,619
hope that some kind of a breakthrough

1062
00:40:59,450 --> 00:40:57,839
will do for Consciousness what DNA did

1063
00:41:01,370 --> 00:40:59,460
for the understanding of the processes

1064
00:41:03,290 --> 00:41:01,380
of life perhaps such a breakthrough

1065
00:41:05,210 --> 00:41:03,300
could provide us with some sort of a

1066
00:41:07,010 --> 00:41:05,220
Rosetta Stone that will show us how

1067
00:41:08,930 --> 00:41:07,020
these phenomena map to particular

1068
00:41:11,089 --> 00:41:08,940
structures and processes within the

1069
00:41:13,250 --> 00:41:11,099
brain it's not actually an easy problem

1070
00:41:15,710 --> 00:41:13,260
at all but it is at least easy in

1071
00:41:17,450 --> 00:41:15,720
comparison because we think we have some

1072
00:41:19,609 --> 00:41:17,460
prayer of solving it at some point in

1073
00:41:21,230 --> 00:41:19,619
the future with the hard problem of

1074
00:41:23,630 --> 00:41:21,240
Consciousness we have no such

1075
00:41:25,670 --> 00:41:23,640
expectation the hard problem of

1076
00:41:27,589 --> 00:41:25,680
Consciousness is a philosophical issue

1077
00:41:30,109 --> 00:41:27,599
that has perplexed Scholars for

1078
00:41:32,210 --> 00:41:30,119
centuries it is the question of how

1079
00:41:35,210 --> 00:41:32,220
subjective experience arises from

1080
00:41:37,670 --> 00:41:35,220
physical matter or more simply put why

1081
00:41:39,650 --> 00:41:37,680
and how our brains create consciousness

1082
00:41:41,510 --> 00:41:39,660
despite the significant advancements

1083
00:41:43,550 --> 00:41:41,520
made in the field of Neuroscience and

1084
00:41:45,950 --> 00:41:43,560
cognitive science we still don't have a

1085
00:41:47,329 --> 00:41:45,960
satisfactory answer to this question at

1086
00:41:48,890 --> 00:41:47,339
the heart of the hard problem of

1087
00:41:50,990 --> 00:41:48,900
Consciousness is the idea that

1088
00:41:53,270 --> 00:41:51,000
Consciousness is not reducible to

1089
00:41:55,069 --> 00:41:53,280
physical processes while scientists can

1090
00:41:57,650 --> 00:41:55,079
observe brain activity and measure

1091
00:42:00,109 --> 00:41:57,660
neural responses to stimuli these

1092
00:42:02,030 --> 00:42:00,119
observations do nothing to explain the

1093
00:42:04,910 --> 00:42:02,040
subjective experience of Consciousness

1094
00:42:06,890 --> 00:42:04,920
in other words science can describe some

1095
00:42:08,870 --> 00:42:06,900
of the neurological processes that occur

1096
00:42:11,930 --> 00:42:08,880
in your brain when you see a red apple

1097
00:42:14,270 --> 00:42:11,940
but it can't explain why you have an

1098
00:42:16,910 --> 00:42:14,280
experience of the Red Apple think about

1099
00:42:19,490 --> 00:42:16,920
it this way what actually happens when

1100
00:42:21,170 --> 00:42:19,500
you see the Red Apple the process of

1101
00:42:23,390 --> 00:42:21,180
seeing the Apple begins when light

1102
00:42:25,730 --> 00:42:23,400
bounces off of the apple and enters the

1103
00:42:27,710 --> 00:42:25,740
eye through the cornea the clear outer

1104
00:42:29,630 --> 00:42:27,720
covering of the eye after passing

1105
00:42:31,910 --> 00:42:29,640
through the cornea the light enters the

1106
00:42:33,950 --> 00:42:31,920
pupil the black circular opening in the

1107
00:42:35,630 --> 00:42:33,960
center of the eye the size of the pupil

1108
00:42:37,609 --> 00:42:35,640
can change depending on the amount of

1109
00:42:39,890 --> 00:42:37,619
Light present with the pupil constricted

1110
00:42:42,290 --> 00:42:39,900
in bright light and dilating in low

1111
00:42:44,270 --> 00:42:42,300
light conditions the light then passes

1112
00:42:46,310 --> 00:42:44,280
through the lens which adjusts its shape

1113
00:42:48,650 --> 00:42:46,320
to help Focus the light onto the retina

1114
00:42:51,290 --> 00:42:48,660
a layer of light sensitive cells at the

1115
00:42:53,569 --> 00:42:51,300
back of the eye the retina contains two

1116
00:42:55,790 --> 00:42:53,579
types of photoreceptor cells rods and

1117
00:42:57,710 --> 00:42:55,800
cones rods are more sensitive to light

1118
00:43:00,170 --> 00:42:57,720
and more responsible for our ability to

1119
00:43:02,210 --> 00:43:00,180
see in low light conditions while cones

1120
00:43:04,550 --> 00:43:02,220
are responsible for our color vision and

1121
00:43:06,230 --> 00:43:04,560
our ability to see fine detail when

1122
00:43:08,210 --> 00:43:06,240
light hits the photoreceptor cells in

1123
00:43:10,250 --> 00:43:08,220
the retina it triggers a chemical

1124
00:43:12,109 --> 00:43:10,260
reaction that produces an electrical

1125
00:43:14,329 --> 00:43:12,119
signal these signals are then

1126
00:43:16,010 --> 00:43:14,339
transmitted through the optic nerve to

1127
00:43:19,010 --> 00:43:16,020
the brain where they are processed and

1128
00:43:20,930 --> 00:43:19,020
interpreted as visual images the brain

1129
00:43:22,910 --> 00:43:20,940
then combines the signals from both eyes

1130
00:43:25,309 --> 00:43:22,920
to create a three-dimensional image of

1131
00:43:27,530 --> 00:43:25,319
the world this process known as

1132
00:43:29,210 --> 00:43:27,540
binocular vision allows us to perceive

1133
00:43:31,849 --> 00:43:29,220
depth and distance

1134
00:43:33,589 --> 00:43:31,859
and all of that is well and good you

1135
00:43:35,270 --> 00:43:33,599
might even be persuaded to think based

1136
00:43:37,550 --> 00:43:35,280
on all of that that we understand how

1137
00:43:41,150 --> 00:43:37,560
sight works but when you look at the Red

1138
00:43:43,309 --> 00:43:41,160
Apple where does that site occur you

1139
00:43:44,809 --> 00:43:43,319
aren't seeing with your eyes your eyes

1140
00:43:46,609 --> 00:43:44,819
are just acting like a switchboard

1141
00:43:48,829 --> 00:43:46,619
sending the signals to where they need

1142
00:43:50,569 --> 00:43:48,839
to go in your brain it's your brain that

1143
00:43:53,510 --> 00:43:50,579
then translates that signal into sight

1144
00:43:55,730 --> 00:43:53,520
and strangely these visual impulses are

1145
00:43:57,829 --> 00:43:55,740
translated into what you see in the

1146
00:44:00,230 --> 00:43:57,839
occipital lobe which is in the back of

1147
00:44:02,210 --> 00:44:00,240
your head nowhere near your eyes so

1148
00:44:03,950 --> 00:44:02,220
where is it that your experience of

1149
00:44:05,630 --> 00:44:03,960
sight takes place

1150
00:44:08,089 --> 00:44:05,640
maybe you've never thought about it

1151
00:44:09,710 --> 00:44:08,099
before most people haven't our

1152
00:44:11,870 --> 00:44:09,720
subjective experience is the most

1153
00:44:14,450 --> 00:44:11,880
fundamental element of every aspect of

1154
00:44:16,309 --> 00:44:14,460
Our Lives from birth to death and so it

1155
00:44:18,050 --> 00:44:16,319
takes a bit of an intuitive leap to be

1156
00:44:19,849 --> 00:44:18,060
able to zoom out and begin to ask

1157
00:44:21,710 --> 00:44:19,859
questions about the nature of your

1158
00:44:23,990 --> 00:44:21,720
experience and what it means

1159
00:44:26,270 --> 00:44:24,000
we have no way to explain the

1160
00:44:28,910 --> 00:44:26,280
interiority and the subjective nature of

1161
00:44:31,010 --> 00:44:28,920
experience we can't explain why it is

1162
00:44:33,470 --> 00:44:31,020
that you have a sense of being you and I

1163
00:44:35,210 --> 00:44:33,480
have a sense of being me even my cat

1164
00:44:37,670 --> 00:44:35,220
seems to have her own unique lived

1165
00:44:39,410 --> 00:44:37,680
experience if we are nothing more than

1166
00:44:42,050 --> 00:44:39,420
complex Arrangements of physical matter

1167
00:44:43,970 --> 00:44:42,060
we have no way of explaining how it is

1168
00:44:46,790 --> 00:44:43,980
that matter when arranged in particular

1169
00:44:48,530 --> 00:44:46,800
ways takes on the quality of being aware

1170
00:44:50,690 --> 00:44:48,540
of itself and wondering what it will

1171
00:44:52,490 --> 00:44:50,700
have for dinner and the fact that we

1172
00:44:54,290 --> 00:44:52,500
each have our own subjective experience

1173
00:44:56,510 --> 00:44:54,300
is what makes this problem even more

1174
00:44:58,190 --> 00:44:56,520
difficult to solve if you've ever

1175
00:45:00,470 --> 00:44:58,200
wondered to yourself when you look at

1176
00:45:02,809 --> 00:45:00,480
the sky if the blue you're seeing is the

1177
00:45:04,730 --> 00:45:02,819
same as the blue someone else sees then

1178
00:45:07,430 --> 00:45:04,740
you understand the Crux of the issue

1179
00:45:08,930 --> 00:45:07,440
when we talk about the color blue we

1180
00:45:11,089 --> 00:45:08,940
assume that we're talking about the same

1181
00:45:12,950 --> 00:45:11,099
thing but because I have no way to

1182
00:45:15,230 --> 00:45:12,960
access your personal subjective

1183
00:45:17,690 --> 00:45:15,240
experience of the color blue and you

1184
00:45:19,730 --> 00:45:17,700
have no way to access mine we will spend

1185
00:45:22,250 --> 00:45:19,740
our entire lives talking about the color

1186
00:45:24,230 --> 00:45:22,260
blue without ever knowing if talking

1187
00:45:26,450 --> 00:45:24,240
about the same experience

1188
00:45:28,670 --> 00:45:26,460
and that's what's so baffling about the

1189
00:45:30,650 --> 00:45:28,680
hard problem of Consciousness because we

1190
00:45:32,270 --> 00:45:30,660
are conscious intelligent beings we're

1191
00:45:35,030 --> 00:45:32,280
able to do things that would otherwise

1192
00:45:37,010 --> 00:45:35,040
be impossible we can go to the Moon we

1193
00:45:38,630 --> 00:45:37,020
can take an x-ray of a broken bone and

1194
00:45:41,089 --> 00:45:38,640
talk to friends on the other side of the

1195
00:45:43,130 --> 00:45:41,099
world with the push of a button and yet

1196
00:45:45,950 --> 00:45:43,140
although all of this is only possible

1197
00:45:48,410 --> 00:45:45,960
because of our conscious Minds we have

1198
00:45:51,230 --> 00:45:48,420
absolutely no idea what Consciousness is

1199
00:45:53,150 --> 00:45:51,240
or how it works it's actually kind of

1200
00:45:54,950 --> 00:45:53,160
stunning when you think about it and the

1201
00:45:57,650 --> 00:45:54,960
Mystery concerning Consciousness doesn't

1202
00:45:59,690 --> 00:45:57,660
stop there as we've discussed previously

1203
00:46:01,609 --> 00:45:59,700
about a hundred years ago quantum

1204
00:46:04,430 --> 00:46:01,619
mechanics delivered such a shocking

1205
00:46:06,650 --> 00:46:04,440
indecisive blow not just to physics but

1206
00:46:09,230 --> 00:46:06,660
to everything about how we conceptualize

1207
00:46:10,550 --> 00:46:09,240
the world that a century later we still

1208
00:46:12,950 --> 00:46:10,560
haven't figured out how to put the

1209
00:46:14,809 --> 00:46:12,960
pieces back together and at the center

1210
00:46:18,050 --> 00:46:14,819
of the mystery that took a wrecking ball

1211
00:46:19,550 --> 00:46:18,060
to Newtonian physics is consciousness if

1212
00:46:21,770 --> 00:46:19,560
you want to do a deeper dive on this

1213
00:46:23,510 --> 00:46:21,780
check out the first half of episode 5

1214
00:46:26,470 --> 00:46:23,520
which deals with the interdimensional

1215
00:46:29,150 --> 00:46:26,480
hypothesis but here's a quick refresher

1216
00:46:30,890 --> 00:46:29,160
the reason that quantum mechanics breaks

1217
00:46:32,990 --> 00:46:30,900
our understanding of reality can be

1218
00:46:34,970 --> 00:46:33,000
summed up in a famous experiment called

1219
00:46:37,309 --> 00:46:34,980
the double slit experiment

1220
00:46:39,230 --> 00:46:37,319
so imagine you're in a lab and you have

1221
00:46:41,270 --> 00:46:39,240
a beam of photons that you can point at

1222
00:46:44,089 --> 00:46:41,280
a screen that has two vertical parallel

1223
00:46:46,010 --> 00:46:44,099
slits cut into it when that beam passes

1224
00:46:47,870 --> 00:46:46,020
through the slits and hits a screen on

1225
00:46:49,790 --> 00:46:47,880
the wall what you'll see is an

1226
00:46:52,190 --> 00:46:49,800
alternating pattern of light and dark

1227
00:46:53,870 --> 00:46:52,200
called an interference pattern the

1228
00:46:56,089 --> 00:46:53,880
reason you get an interference pattern

1229
00:46:57,950 --> 00:46:56,099
is because waves of light work in the

1230
00:47:00,530 --> 00:46:57,960
same way as waves in a pool of water

1231
00:47:02,750 --> 00:47:00,540
when you drop a stone into a pool of

1232
00:47:05,089 --> 00:47:02,760
water ripples form in concentric circles

1233
00:47:06,890 --> 00:47:05,099
that move outward if you drop another

1234
00:47:09,290 --> 00:47:06,900
Stone in the pool next to it another

1235
00:47:11,510 --> 00:47:09,300
wave pattern will form and when those

1236
00:47:13,670 --> 00:47:11,520
waves run into each other in some places

1237
00:47:15,710 --> 00:47:13,680
the crest of one wave collides with the

1238
00:47:18,230 --> 00:47:15,720
trough of another wave causing those

1239
00:47:20,030 --> 00:47:18,240
waves to cancel each other out this same

1240
00:47:21,710 --> 00:47:20,040
sort of process results in the

1241
00:47:24,230 --> 00:47:21,720
alternating pattern that you can see on

1242
00:47:26,510 --> 00:47:24,240
the wall what's strange is that even if

1243
00:47:28,609 --> 00:47:26,520
you stop the beam of photons and you

1244
00:47:30,770 --> 00:47:28,619
only shoot one Photon at a time at the

1245
00:47:32,390 --> 00:47:30,780
screen with the double slits waiting for

1246
00:47:34,730 --> 00:47:32,400
each Photon to hit the screen on the

1247
00:47:36,589 --> 00:47:34,740
wall before firing the next one you will

1248
00:47:39,530 --> 00:47:36,599
still will get the same interference

1249
00:47:42,470 --> 00:47:39,540
pattern which to be clear is completely

1250
00:47:43,730 --> 00:47:42,480
mind melting how are photons interfering

1251
00:47:45,230 --> 00:47:43,740
with each other to create an

1252
00:47:47,510 --> 00:47:45,240
interference pattern if we're only

1253
00:47:49,609 --> 00:47:47,520
sending one Photon through the slits at

1254
00:47:51,829 --> 00:47:49,619
a time but the insanity doesn't stop

1255
00:47:54,170 --> 00:47:51,839
there there's a second half to the

1256
00:47:56,030 --> 00:47:54,180
double slit experiment in this part of

1257
00:47:58,309 --> 00:47:56,040
the experiment we introduce a device

1258
00:48:00,530 --> 00:47:58,319
that tracks which of the two slits the

1259
00:48:02,990 --> 00:48:00,540
photons go through and what we find when

1260
00:48:05,569 --> 00:48:03,000
we do the experiment again firing one

1261
00:48:08,329 --> 00:48:05,579
Photon of the screen at a time is it the

1262
00:48:10,250 --> 00:48:08,339
interference pattern is now gone the

1263
00:48:12,470 --> 00:48:10,260
photons now form a pattern on the wall

1264
00:48:14,990 --> 00:48:12,480
in two straight lines corresponding with

1265
00:48:17,089 --> 00:48:15,000
the two slits on the screen so what is

1266
00:48:20,030 --> 00:48:17,099
going on here the truth is we don't

1267
00:48:21,950 --> 00:48:20,040
really know what we do know is this if

1268
00:48:23,690 --> 00:48:21,960
we don't look to see which of the slits

1269
00:48:25,550 --> 00:48:23,700
the photons went through they behave

1270
00:48:27,470 --> 00:48:25,560
like a wave and go through both of the

1271
00:48:30,230 --> 00:48:27,480
slits at once and we get an interference

1272
00:48:32,030 --> 00:48:30,240
pattern when we do look to see which of

1273
00:48:33,950 --> 00:48:32,040
the slits the photons went through they

1274
00:48:36,170 --> 00:48:33,960
behave like a particle and only go

1275
00:48:38,450 --> 00:48:36,180
through one slit or the other so we

1276
00:48:39,950 --> 00:48:38,460
don't get an interference pattern and

1277
00:48:42,290 --> 00:48:39,960
although this experiment has been

1278
00:48:44,690 --> 00:48:42,300
replicated more times and through more

1279
00:48:47,089 --> 00:48:44,700
permutations than almost any other this

1280
00:48:49,190 --> 00:48:47,099
is what happens every time and the

1281
00:48:51,950 --> 00:48:49,200
inevitable conclusion is that the mere

1282
00:48:54,650 --> 00:48:51,960
Act of observing the photon Alters Its

1283
00:48:56,510 --> 00:48:54,660
Behavior the problem is that we have

1284
00:48:58,730 --> 00:48:56,520
nothing within our current scientific

1285
00:49:01,309 --> 00:48:58,740
models and paradigms that can help us to

1286
00:49:03,170 --> 00:49:01,319
understand how it can possibly be true

1287
00:49:04,550 --> 00:49:03,180
that subatomic particles behave as

1288
00:49:07,550 --> 00:49:04,560
though they respond to conscious thought

1289
00:49:09,290 --> 00:49:07,560
and yet they do the specifics of quantum

1290
00:49:11,690 --> 00:49:09,300
mechanics despite being seemingly

1291
00:49:13,910 --> 00:49:11,700
impossible are extremely well documented

1292
00:49:15,530 --> 00:49:13,920
and we've used what we know of quantum

1293
00:49:18,410 --> 00:49:15,540
mechanics to make everything from

1294
00:49:21,230 --> 00:49:18,420
electron microscopes to lasers to atomic

1295
00:49:23,210 --> 00:49:21,240
clocks to quantum computers so while we

1296
00:49:25,730 --> 00:49:23,220
can't explain how quantum mechanics

1297
00:49:27,230 --> 00:49:25,740
works we know that it does work and we

1298
00:49:29,450 --> 00:49:27,240
can use it to understand and predict

1299
00:49:32,150 --> 00:49:29,460
other things to an extremely high degree

1300
00:49:34,250 --> 00:49:32,160
of accuracy so we find ourselves in

1301
00:49:36,290 --> 00:49:34,260
quite a pickle we're in a position where

1302
00:49:38,930 --> 00:49:36,300
we have no rounds to accept the obvious

1303
00:49:40,809 --> 00:49:38,940
conclusions of quantum mechanics and yet

1304
00:49:43,490 --> 00:49:40,819
we absolutely can't dismiss them either

1305
00:49:45,650 --> 00:49:43,500
Nobel physicist Richard Feynman once

1306
00:49:47,809 --> 00:49:45,660
said I think it's safe to say that no

1307
00:49:49,370 --> 00:49:47,819
one understands quantum mechanics do not

1308
00:49:51,890 --> 00:49:49,380
keep saying to yourself if you can

1309
00:49:54,050 --> 00:49:51,900
possibly avoid it but how can it be like

1310
00:49:56,329 --> 00:49:54,060
that because you will go down the drain

1311
00:49:58,609 --> 00:49:56,339
in a blind alley from which nobody has

1312
00:50:00,890 --> 00:49:58,619
yet escaped and this seems to represent

1313
00:50:02,270 --> 00:50:00,900
the thoughts of mainstream Academia in

1314
00:50:04,910 --> 00:50:02,280
general when it comes to quantum

1315
00:50:06,290 --> 00:50:04,920
mechanics we recognize that particles

1316
00:50:08,390 --> 00:50:06,300
behave as though they respond to

1317
00:50:09,890 --> 00:50:08,400
conscious thought but in our current

1318
00:50:12,589 --> 00:50:09,900
Paradigm we've decided that can't

1319
00:50:14,210 --> 00:50:12,599
possibly be right so instead we've

1320
00:50:15,650 --> 00:50:14,220
proceeded for the last century either

1321
00:50:18,349 --> 00:50:15,660
under the assumption that quantum

1322
00:50:20,150 --> 00:50:18,359
mechanics is entirely inexplicable or

1323
00:50:22,430 --> 00:50:20,160
we've come up with elaborate and

1324
00:50:24,829 --> 00:50:22,440
entirely unverifiable explanations to

1325
00:50:26,569 --> 00:50:24,839
attempt to account for it within these

1326
00:50:28,490 --> 00:50:26,579
two camps you'll find the two most

1327
00:50:30,710 --> 00:50:28,500
popular theories for the explanation of

1328
00:50:33,470 --> 00:50:30,720
quantum mechanics both of which have

1329
00:50:35,569 --> 00:50:33,480
major flaws the first is what is known

1330
00:50:38,030 --> 00:50:35,579
as the Copenhagen interpretation which

1331
00:50:41,089 --> 00:50:38,040
was introduced by Fame physicists Neil

1332
00:50:43,250 --> 00:50:41,099
Bohr and Verner Heisenberg in the 1920s

1333
00:50:45,410 --> 00:50:43,260
this is the version that is most often

1334
00:50:47,510 --> 00:50:45,420
taught in schools according to the

1335
00:50:49,250 --> 00:50:47,520
Copenhagen interpretation we can explain

1336
00:50:51,470 --> 00:50:49,260
the double slit experiment by

1337
00:50:53,750 --> 00:50:51,480
understanding that the photon exists in

1338
00:50:56,030 --> 00:50:53,760
a blurry and determinate State as a wave

1339
00:50:58,250 --> 00:50:56,040
function of probability it doesn't

1340
00:51:00,710 --> 00:50:58,260
actually have a definite position until

1341
00:51:03,230 --> 00:51:00,720
its wave function collapses something

1342
00:51:05,569 --> 00:51:03,240
that only happens when it is observed so

1343
00:51:07,910 --> 00:51:05,579
basically the conclusion here is that

1344
00:51:09,890 --> 00:51:07,920
the photons actually are responding to

1345
00:51:11,530 --> 00:51:09,900
conscious thought but there are two

1346
00:51:14,450 --> 00:51:11,540
major issues with this interpretation

1347
00:51:16,609 --> 00:51:14,460
the first is that we have no way to

1348
00:51:18,650 --> 00:51:16,619
explain how that happens and the second

1349
00:51:20,329 --> 00:51:18,660
is that if it's true it breaks

1350
00:51:22,730 --> 00:51:20,339
everything that we know about the nature

1351
00:51:24,109 --> 00:51:22,740
of our reality you know just a couple of

1352
00:51:26,270 --> 00:51:24,119
minor issues

1353
00:51:28,430 --> 00:51:26,280
because the thing is that literally

1354
00:51:31,130 --> 00:51:28,440
everything that we interact with is made

1355
00:51:33,290 --> 00:51:31,140
up of subatomic particles so if the

1356
00:51:35,150 --> 00:51:33,300
Copenhagen interpretation is correct and

1357
00:51:37,309 --> 00:51:35,160
we take the double slit experiment at

1358
00:51:39,049 --> 00:51:37,319
face value and accept that a photon

1359
00:51:41,870 --> 00:51:39,059
doesn't have a specific position until

1360
00:51:44,750 --> 00:51:41,880
it's observed then the clear implication

1361
00:51:47,030 --> 00:51:44,760
is that nothing has a specific location

1362
00:51:48,470 --> 00:51:47,040
until it is observed and that just

1363
00:51:50,210 --> 00:51:48,480
simply flies in the face of everything

1364
00:51:52,549 --> 00:51:50,220
we've come to believe about the nature

1365
00:51:54,049 --> 00:51:52,559
of our reality and so there are those

1366
00:51:55,490 --> 00:51:54,059
who simply throw up their hands and say

1367
00:51:57,950 --> 00:51:55,500
that quantum mechanics defies

1368
00:51:59,750 --> 00:51:57,960
explanation in an attempt to save

1369
00:52:01,910 --> 00:51:59,760
physics from the implications of quantum

1370
00:52:04,069 --> 00:52:01,920
mechanics other interpretations have

1371
00:52:06,309 --> 00:52:04,079
been introduced the most popular of

1372
00:52:09,890 --> 00:52:06,319
which is the many worlds interpretation

1373
00:52:11,809 --> 00:52:09,900
developed by Hugh Everett in 1957 the

1374
00:52:13,910 --> 00:52:11,819
many worlds interpretation states that

1375
00:52:16,370 --> 00:52:13,920
the wave function is the true nature of

1376
00:52:19,370 --> 00:52:16,380
reality and therefore it never actually

1377
00:52:21,290 --> 00:52:19,380
collapses it only appears to collapse

1378
00:52:23,150 --> 00:52:21,300
because we can only see one of a

1379
00:52:25,549 --> 00:52:23,160
potentially infinite number of outcomes

1380
00:52:28,250 --> 00:52:25,559
when the OB server looks to see which

1381
00:52:30,530 --> 00:52:28,260
slit the photons go through they see

1382
00:52:33,530 --> 00:52:30,540
just one possible outcome because

1383
00:52:35,630 --> 00:52:33,540
they're only aware of one world but in

1384
00:52:38,329 --> 00:52:35,640
reality there are many potentially

1385
00:52:40,430 --> 00:52:38,339
infinite worlds in which every possible

1386
00:52:43,069 --> 00:52:40,440
Quantum probability gets a chance to

1387
00:52:44,870 --> 00:52:43,079
play itself out and every world is

1388
00:52:47,930 --> 00:52:44,880
equally real to the people living in it

1389
00:52:49,549 --> 00:52:47,940
so in your world you see one outcome but

1390
00:52:52,069 --> 00:52:49,559
there is a world that exists for each

1391
00:52:54,230 --> 00:52:52,079
and every possible outcome and in each

1392
00:52:57,049 --> 00:52:54,240
of those worlds you are experiencing

1393
00:52:59,390 --> 00:52:57,059
only that outcome and if that hurts your

1394
00:53:02,450 --> 00:52:59,400
brain consider that the photon isn't the

1395
00:53:04,250 --> 00:53:02,460
only Quantum system in this scenario you

1396
00:53:07,130 --> 00:53:04,260
as the Observer are part of the quantum

1397
00:53:09,410 --> 00:53:07,140
system as well so each of your actions

1398
00:53:11,510 --> 00:53:09,420
and decisions plays out in the same way

1399
00:53:13,730 --> 00:53:11,520
with every permutation of every

1400
00:53:15,349 --> 00:53:13,740
possibility playing out somewhere out

1401
00:53:18,170 --> 00:53:15,359
there in a world that looks a lot like

1402
00:53:20,089 --> 00:53:18,180
this one but isn't the basic premise of

1403
00:53:22,069 --> 00:53:20,099
the many worlds interpretation is that

1404
00:53:24,950 --> 00:53:22,079
everything that can happen does happen

1405
00:53:27,349 --> 00:53:24,960
and as we discussed earlier I take issue

1406
00:53:29,510 --> 00:53:27,359
with this approach first of all we don't

1407
00:53:32,270 --> 00:53:29,520
have any proof that either Infinity or

1408
00:53:34,309 --> 00:53:32,280
other dimensions actually exist they

1409
00:53:36,589 --> 00:53:34,319
might but we don't have one shred of

1410
00:53:38,450 --> 00:53:36,599
tangible proof for that and when we are

1411
00:53:40,250 --> 00:53:38,460
backed into a corner we can't just pull

1412
00:53:42,710 --> 00:53:40,260
the escape hatch into Infinite other

1413
00:53:44,630 --> 00:53:42,720
dimensions and call that an answer one

1414
00:53:46,430 --> 00:53:44,640
of the most problematic elements of the

1415
00:53:49,370 --> 00:53:46,440
many worlds interpretation is its

1416
00:53:50,930 --> 00:53:49,380
implications for free will because with

1417
00:53:52,790 --> 00:53:50,940
this Theory it's not just that

1418
00:53:55,670 --> 00:53:52,800
everything that can happen does happen

1419
00:53:58,010 --> 00:53:55,680
but that everything that can happen has

1420
00:54:01,549 --> 00:53:58,020
to happen and when taken to that extreme

1421
00:54:04,309 --> 00:54:01,559
an infinite reality is inherently a

1422
00:54:06,349 --> 00:54:04,319
deterministic reality and any illusion

1423
00:54:08,390 --> 00:54:06,359
that we have of making a choice is

1424
00:54:10,730 --> 00:54:08,400
simply the forced perspective of only

1425
00:54:13,549 --> 00:54:10,740
having awareness of one reality at a

1426
00:54:15,650 --> 00:54:13,559
time and that's unsettling I don't think

1427
00:54:18,530 --> 00:54:15,660
that anyone likes the idea of being just

1428
00:54:20,510 --> 00:54:18,540
another Cog in a cosmic wheel we want to

1429
00:54:22,849 --> 00:54:20,520
believe that we have choices and that we

1430
00:54:25,370 --> 00:54:22,859
can shape our own destiny or at the very

1431
00:54:26,870 --> 00:54:25,380
least that what we do matters and I

1432
00:54:29,210 --> 00:54:26,880
personally don't think it's just the

1433
00:54:31,910 --> 00:54:29,220
protestations of our fragile human egos

1434
00:54:34,130 --> 00:54:31,920
that makes us feel this way we all seem

1435
00:54:36,950 --> 00:54:34,140
to have a deep sense that Free Will is

1436
00:54:38,630 --> 00:54:36,960
intrinsic to our Humanity it's hard to

1437
00:54:40,430 --> 00:54:38,640
fully Embrace a theory that deals so

1438
00:54:43,190 --> 00:54:40,440
dismissively with something that seems

1439
00:54:46,430 --> 00:54:43,200
so foundational to our lived experience

1440
00:54:47,930 --> 00:54:46,440
and sure I can admit that just because I

1441
00:54:50,030 --> 00:54:47,940
don't like the idea that we might not

1442
00:54:53,150 --> 00:54:50,040
have free will doesn't mean that it

1443
00:54:54,770 --> 00:54:53,160
isn't true it could be but I'm deeply

1444
00:54:56,150 --> 00:54:54,780
suspicious of any framework that

1445
00:54:58,790 --> 00:54:56,160
attempts to solve our deepest

1446
00:55:00,650 --> 00:54:58,800
existential questions by insisting that

1447
00:55:03,290 --> 00:55:00,660
some of the most self-evident realities

1448
00:55:05,450 --> 00:55:03,300
that we encounter like the existence of

1449
00:55:06,890 --> 00:55:05,460
free will or even the existence of life

1450
00:55:09,670 --> 00:55:06,900
is something fundamentally different

1451
00:55:11,750 --> 00:55:09,680
than inert matter are mere Illusions

1452
00:55:13,910 --> 00:55:11,760
especially when there is not a single

1453
00:55:16,849 --> 00:55:13,920
shred of tangible evidence to back up

1454
00:55:18,770 --> 00:55:16,859
those claims and especially not when

1455
00:55:20,630 --> 00:55:18,780
it's done in an effort to prop up a

1456
00:55:23,210 --> 00:55:20,640
failing Theory that's already shot

1457
00:55:24,829 --> 00:55:23,220
through with theoretical bullet holes

1458
00:55:26,510 --> 00:55:24,839
and it's not just the issue of

1459
00:55:28,430 --> 00:55:26,520
Consciousness that makes quantum

1460
00:55:31,370 --> 00:55:28,440
mechanics incompatible with our current

1461
00:55:33,829 --> 00:55:31,380
paradigms quantum mechanics also manages

1462
00:55:36,109 --> 00:55:33,839
to break the concept of space-time in

1463
00:55:38,089 --> 00:55:36,119
such a profound way that it's led many

1464
00:55:40,130 --> 00:55:38,099
scientists to speculate that the view of

1465
00:55:42,950 --> 00:55:40,140
space-time is the fundamental fabric of

1466
00:55:45,109 --> 00:55:42,960
reality is ultimately doomed the core

1467
00:55:47,569 --> 00:55:45,119
problem with space-time arises from the

1468
00:55:49,970 --> 00:55:47,579
conflict between general relativity and

1469
00:55:52,309 --> 00:55:49,980
quantum mechanics the two most

1470
00:55:55,010 --> 00:55:52,319
successful theories in all of physics

1471
00:55:57,230 --> 00:55:55,020
general relativity describes gravity as

1472
00:55:58,849 --> 00:55:57,240
the curvature of space-time while

1473
00:56:00,890 --> 00:55:58,859
quantum mechanics deals with the

1474
00:56:02,329 --> 00:56:00,900
behavior of particles and Fields at the

1475
00:56:04,490 --> 00:56:02,339
microscopic level

1476
00:56:06,589 --> 00:56:04,500
however when these two theories are

1477
00:56:08,750 --> 00:56:06,599
combined they give rise to mathematical

1478
00:56:10,730 --> 00:56:08,760
inconsistencies and contradictions that

1479
00:56:11,870 --> 00:56:10,740
suggest the breakdown of the space-time

1480
00:56:13,730 --> 00:56:11,880
concept

1481
00:56:15,710 --> 00:56:13,740
one of the most major issues with

1482
00:56:17,690 --> 00:56:15,720
space-time is that it assumes that the

1483
00:56:19,970 --> 00:56:17,700
fabric of the universe is continuous and

1484
00:56:22,430 --> 00:56:19,980
smooth which is not consistent with the

1485
00:56:24,349 --> 00:56:22,440
quantum nature of reality in quantum

1486
00:56:26,329 --> 00:56:24,359
mechanics particles and fields are

1487
00:56:28,670 --> 00:56:26,339
described in terms of discrete packets

1488
00:56:30,950 --> 00:56:28,680
of energy and their behavior is subject

1489
00:56:32,630 --> 00:56:30,960
to the uncertainty principle which makes

1490
00:56:35,630 --> 00:56:32,640
it impossible to know both their

1491
00:56:37,549 --> 00:56:35,640
position and momentum precisely this

1492
00:56:39,710 --> 00:56:37,559
means that space-time cannot be a

1493
00:56:41,930 --> 00:56:39,720
continuous fabric but must be made of

1494
00:56:44,809 --> 00:56:41,940
discrete units or quanta

1495
00:56:46,370 --> 00:56:44,819
moreover the space-time concept is also

1496
00:56:48,349 --> 00:56:46,380
challenged by the existence of

1497
00:56:50,450 --> 00:56:48,359
singularities such as those found in

1498
00:56:52,849 --> 00:56:50,460
black holes according to general

1499
00:56:55,430 --> 00:56:52,859
relativity the gravitational force of a

1500
00:56:57,470 --> 00:56:55,440
black hole is so strong that it warps

1501
00:57:00,109 --> 00:56:57,480
the fabric of space-time to the point of

1502
00:57:01,849 --> 00:57:00,119
becoming infinitely curved leading to a

1503
00:57:04,730 --> 00:57:01,859
singularity where the laws of physics

1504
00:57:07,670 --> 00:57:04,740
break down this suggests that space-time

1505
00:57:09,770 --> 00:57:07,680
cannot be a fundamental concept but

1506
00:57:12,230 --> 00:57:09,780
rather a phenomenon that emerges from

1507
00:57:15,770 --> 00:57:12,240
the behavior of matter and energy

1508
00:57:17,210 --> 00:57:15,780
so once again we find ourselves in a

1509
00:57:19,609 --> 00:57:17,220
place where we are confronted with the

1510
00:57:21,710 --> 00:57:19,619
walls of our known reality and the hint

1511
00:57:24,890 --> 00:57:21,720
that something else might lie Beyond it

1512
00:57:27,349 --> 00:57:24,900
after all what happens inside of a black

1513
00:57:29,270 --> 00:57:27,359
hole when space-time breaks down and if

1514
00:57:31,609 --> 00:57:29,280
space-time is just an emergent property

1515
00:57:33,650 --> 00:57:31,619
of matter and energy doesn't that imply

1516
00:57:36,770 --> 00:57:33,660
the existence of some deeper reality

1517
00:57:38,930 --> 00:57:36,780
beneath space-time I could go on for

1518
00:57:41,210 --> 00:57:38,940
countless hours dismantling the official

1519
00:57:42,950 --> 00:57:41,220
story of everything it could be its own

1520
00:57:44,930 --> 00:57:42,960
podcast called everything you know is

1521
00:57:47,270 --> 00:57:44,940
wrong and I don't think we'd ever run

1522
00:57:48,890 --> 00:57:47,280
out of topics for discussion and even

1523
00:57:50,990 --> 00:57:48,900
with the topics that we have covered

1524
00:57:53,390 --> 00:57:51,000
just know that we've only scratched the

1525
00:57:55,670 --> 00:57:53,400
surface there is so much more that can

1526
00:57:57,410 --> 00:57:55,680
be said I'll include a reading list for

1527
00:57:58,970 --> 00:57:57,420
this episode so that you can dive deeper

1528
00:58:01,010 --> 00:57:58,980
into any of the topics if you're

1529
00:58:02,510 --> 00:58:01,020
interested in learning more yet even

1530
00:58:04,130 --> 00:58:02,520
though we've only just scratched the

1531
00:58:05,690 --> 00:58:04,140
surface I think that what we have

1532
00:58:07,849 --> 00:58:05,700
covered is more than enough to

1533
00:58:10,069 --> 00:58:07,859
compellingly make the case that our most

1534
00:58:12,890 --> 00:58:10,079
fundamental meaning making models are

1535
00:58:15,230 --> 00:58:12,900
irretrievably flawed so let let's do a

1536
00:58:17,030 --> 00:58:15,240
quick recap we don't know what caused

1537
00:58:19,250 --> 00:58:17,040
the big bang and the theory of the Big

1538
00:58:21,170 --> 00:58:19,260
Bang does nothing itself to explain the

1539
00:58:22,910 --> 00:58:21,180
origins of the universe only what

1540
00:58:25,309 --> 00:58:22,920
happened in the immediate aftermath of

1541
00:58:27,109 --> 00:58:25,319
being formed and even then we can only

1542
00:58:30,230 --> 00:58:27,119
account for four percent of what makes

1543
00:58:31,609 --> 00:58:30,240
up the universe the other 96 remains a

1544
00:58:33,710 --> 00:58:31,619
mystery to us

1545
00:58:36,349 --> 00:58:33,720
we don't know how the universe against

1546
00:58:38,990 --> 00:58:36,359
astronomically impossible odds became so

1547
00:58:40,849 --> 00:58:39,000
perfectly well suited to life and even

1548
00:58:43,910 --> 00:58:40,859
in the context of this perfectly tuned

1549
00:58:45,770 --> 00:58:43,920
Goldilocks Universe we have no idea how

1550
00:58:48,470 --> 00:58:45,780
it is that inert matters somehow gave

1551
00:58:49,970 --> 00:58:48,480
rise to life and actually now that you

1552
00:58:52,010 --> 00:58:49,980
mention it we don't even know what life

1553
00:58:54,109 --> 00:58:52,020
is although its existence is

1554
00:58:56,089 --> 00:58:54,119
self-evident we can't come up with a

1555
00:58:58,309 --> 00:58:56,099
single working definition to describe

1556
00:59:00,829 --> 00:58:58,319
what life is and what makes it distinct

1557
00:59:02,510 --> 00:59:00,839
from anything else in the universe we

1558
00:59:04,730 --> 00:59:02,520
also don't know how Consciousness arose

1559
00:59:07,069 --> 00:59:04,740
our scientific models don't even allow

1560
00:59:08,750 --> 00:59:07,079
for the existence of Consciousness we

1561
00:59:10,970 --> 00:59:08,760
have no way to account for the

1562
00:59:12,530 --> 00:59:10,980
experience of Consciousness and although

1563
00:59:15,049 --> 00:59:12,540
it is the result of our Consciousness

1564
00:59:16,549 --> 00:59:15,059
that we are able to know anything we

1565
00:59:18,710 --> 00:59:16,559
find that we are unable to say much

1566
00:59:19,910 --> 00:59:18,720
about Consciousness itself with any kind

1567
00:59:22,430 --> 00:59:19,920
of certainty

1568
00:59:24,049 --> 00:59:22,440
we have known for a century that quantum

1569
00:59:26,809 --> 00:59:24,059
mechanics breaks all of our existing

1570
00:59:28,970 --> 00:59:26,819
models the undeniable implication of the

1571
00:59:31,010 --> 00:59:28,980
double slit experiment is that subatomic

1572
00:59:33,589 --> 00:59:31,020
particles and therefore reality itself

1573
00:59:35,270 --> 00:59:33,599
responds to conscious thought but

1574
00:59:36,950 --> 00:59:35,280
because we've decided that can't be true

1575
00:59:38,630 --> 00:59:36,960
scientists generally throw up their

1576
00:59:41,210 --> 00:59:38,640
hands and say that quantum mechanics is

1577
00:59:43,069 --> 00:59:41,220
somehow inexplicable we deny the clear

1578
00:59:45,289 --> 00:59:43,079
implications of quantum mechanics even

1579
00:59:47,270 --> 00:59:45,299
as we leverage the exact properties that

1580
00:59:48,650 --> 00:59:47,280
we deny to create Next Generation

1581
00:59:50,329 --> 00:59:48,660
Technologies

1582
00:59:52,490 --> 00:59:50,339
we've discovered through quantum

1583
00:59:54,170 --> 00:59:52,500
mechanics that space-time which we have

1584
00:59:56,450 --> 00:59:54,180
largely regarded to be the fabric of

1585
00:59:58,910 --> 00:59:56,460
reality is actually an emergent

1586
01:00:01,670 --> 00:59:58,920
phenomenon which implies a deeper more

1587
01:00:04,309 --> 01:00:01,680
fundamental reality and most damning of

1588
01:00:06,349 --> 01:00:04,319
all is this the fact that we are asking

1589
01:00:08,450 --> 01:00:06,359
these questions presupposes the

1590
01:00:11,329 --> 01:00:08,460
existence not just of the universe but

1591
01:00:13,670 --> 01:00:11,339
of life and Consciousness and yet our

1592
01:00:16,190 --> 01:00:13,680
most basic meaning making models can't

1593
01:00:17,990 --> 01:00:16,200
account for any of those things they

1594
01:00:20,450 --> 01:00:18,000
don't even attempt to Grapple with them

1595
01:00:22,730 --> 01:00:20,460
they're simply swept unceremoniously

1596
01:00:24,890 --> 01:00:22,740
under the rug and anyone who asks after

1597
01:00:27,650 --> 01:00:24,900
them is shamed for trying

1598
01:00:30,170 --> 01:00:27,660
so why are we so endlessly committed to

1599
01:00:31,670 --> 01:00:30,180
these narratives I mean sure our

1600
01:00:33,470 --> 01:00:31,680
scientific models allow us to do

1601
01:00:35,990 --> 01:00:33,480
incredible things in our physical world

1602
01:00:37,490 --> 01:00:36,000
so we absolutely don't need to rush to

1603
01:00:40,190 --> 01:00:37,500
throw the baby out with the bath water

1604
01:00:42,049 --> 01:00:40,200
or anything but when they fail to answer

1605
01:00:44,150 --> 01:00:42,059
our most basic questions about the

1606
01:00:45,829 --> 01:00:44,160
nature of our reality and when they fail

1607
01:00:47,930 --> 01:00:45,839
to in any way account for the most

1608
01:00:50,630 --> 01:00:47,940
significant aspects of that reality

1609
01:00:52,609 --> 01:00:50,640
namely life and Consciousness then our

1610
01:00:54,289 --> 01:00:52,619
loyalty to them shouldn't go any further

1611
01:00:56,390 --> 01:00:54,299
than their utility

1612
01:00:58,730 --> 01:00:56,400
so much of our inquiry into the UFO

1613
01:01:01,069 --> 01:00:58,740
phenomenon boils down to a question of

1614
01:01:02,690 --> 01:01:01,079
what is possible and when we look at the

1615
01:01:04,490 --> 01:01:02,700
models that we use to make those kinds

1616
01:01:06,470 --> 01:01:04,500
of determinations what we quickly

1617
01:01:08,450 --> 01:01:06,480
discover is that we simply don't have

1618
01:01:10,849 --> 01:01:08,460
enough information to be making any

1619
01:01:13,549 --> 01:01:10,859
kinds of proclamations about what is

1620
01:01:15,049 --> 01:01:13,559
possible and what isn't there are holes

1621
01:01:17,210 --> 01:01:15,059
in our theories that are more than big

1622
01:01:19,609 --> 01:01:17,220
enough for an entire fleet of UFOs to

1623
01:01:21,230 --> 01:01:19,619
fly through and so perhaps we shouldn't

1624
01:01:23,450 --> 01:01:21,240
be surprised that they have

1625
01:01:25,670 --> 01:01:23,460
and I think it's time to admit that the

1626
01:01:27,349 --> 01:01:25,680
emperor has no clothes what's

1627
01:01:29,990 --> 01:01:27,359
interesting about this exercise of

1628
01:01:32,210 --> 01:01:30,000
questioning consensus reality is that in

1629
01:01:34,010 --> 01:01:32,220
the process of doing so we don't just

1630
01:01:36,109 --> 01:01:34,020
find definitive proof that the official

1631
01:01:38,690 --> 01:01:36,119
story of everything is but a shadow play

1632
01:01:41,930 --> 01:01:38,700
on the wall but the shape of the cave

1633
01:01:43,609 --> 01:01:41,940
itself begins to reveal itself to us the

1634
01:01:46,190 --> 01:01:43,619
problems with The Narrative of consensus

1635
01:01:48,230 --> 01:01:46,200
reality reveal themselves as limitations

1636
01:01:49,730 --> 01:01:48,240
in the kinds of information that we are

1637
01:01:52,730 --> 01:01:49,740
able to access

1638
01:01:54,470 --> 01:01:52,740
everywhere we turn there are walls when

1639
01:01:56,030 --> 01:01:54,480
we inquire after the origins of the

1640
01:01:57,890 --> 01:01:56,040
universe we find that we run into this

1641
01:02:00,410 --> 01:01:57,900
wall right at the moment of its creation

1642
01:02:02,150 --> 01:02:00,420
it's there again at the furthest edges

1643
01:02:04,970 --> 01:02:02,160
of the universe when we ask what the

1644
01:02:07,270 --> 01:02:04,980
universe is expanding into and inside of

1645
01:02:09,049 --> 01:02:07,280
black holes when space-time breaks down

1646
01:02:10,789 --> 01:02:09,059
everywhere that we get close to

1647
01:02:12,770 --> 01:02:10,799
answering the questions about the

1648
01:02:15,890 --> 01:02:12,780
ultimate Origins and nature of reality

1649
01:02:18,230 --> 01:02:15,900
there is this Veil a horizon past which

1650
01:02:20,170 --> 01:02:18,240
we cannot see and there's something

1651
01:02:23,569 --> 01:02:20,180
about that reality that is unsettling

1652
01:02:25,130 --> 01:02:23,579
why are we boxed in this way why are the

1653
01:02:27,349 --> 01:02:25,140
answers to the most profound questions

1654
01:02:29,690 --> 01:02:27,359
about who we are and what we are and

1655
01:02:31,609 --> 01:02:29,700
where we are always on the other side of

1656
01:02:33,890 --> 01:02:31,619
some impenetrable Veil

1657
01:02:36,289 --> 01:02:33,900
is this just what it means to be a human

1658
01:02:38,870 --> 01:02:36,299
and therefore a platonian cave Builder

1659
01:02:41,750 --> 01:02:38,880
or could it be that the walls of the

1660
01:02:43,130 --> 01:02:41,760
cave aren't only self-created what if

1661
01:02:44,870 --> 01:02:43,140
they were created by something else

1662
01:02:46,250 --> 01:02:44,880
something that wants to keep us

1663
01:02:48,049 --> 01:02:46,260
contained

1664
01:02:50,270 --> 01:02:48,059
and that's where we'll pick this up next

1665
01:02:52,190 --> 01:02:50,280
time with the question that arises

1666
01:02:53,630 --> 01:02:52,200
inevitably from our discovery of the

1667
01:02:55,910 --> 01:02:53,640
walls of our cave

1668
01:02:57,930 --> 01:02:55,920
are we living in a simulation

1669
01:03:01,250 --> 01:02:57,940
until next time

1670
01:03:01,890 --> 01:03:01,260
[Music]

1671
01:03:03,700 --> 01:03:01,900
foreign