How to Make Use of Our Limited Time in This Tiny Part of Space with Sean Carroll

How to Make Use of Our Limited Time in This Tiny Part of Space with Sean Carroll

Author: Indre Viskontas March 7, 2022 Duration: 40:21
During the pandemic, one thing we’ve had a little more of--at least sometimes--is time. Time to panic and stress and worry, but also time to think and reflect. This week, in the spirit of reflection, we’re revisiting a conversation with theoretical physicist Sean Carroll recorded back in 2016. At the time he had just written a book called The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself, which explores questions about purpose and belief and meaning. Today, in 2022, his book is even more poignant. If you’ve ever found yourself feeling woefully insignificant relative to the vastness of space and time, Carroll’s perspective might just change your life. He argues that since we only have a limited time in a tiny part of space, we need to make good use of every heartbeat. The Big Picture is a poetic overview of the known universe, with deep insights into the human experience.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds

Hosted by neuroscientist and communicator Indre Viskontas, Inquiring Minds digs into the questions that shape our lives, where hard data meets human experience. This isn't just about lab results or abstract theories; it's about how scientific thinking directly influences our culture, our social structures, and the daily choices we all face. Every episode is a deep, thoughtful conversation that starts with curiosity and follows the evidence wherever it leads. You'll hear from researchers, thinkers, and sometimes skeptics, all in service of untangling complex issues with clarity and nuance. The goal is to move beyond headlines and hype to examine what we really know, what remains a mystery, and how that knowledge empowers us. Tuning into this podcast means joining a community that values rigor and open-minded inquiry, recognizing that understanding the mechanisms of our world is the first step toward navigating it more thoughtfully. It's for anyone who has ever wondered how science actually informs policy, art, relationships, and our sense of self, presented not as a lecture but as an engaging, ongoing exploration.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Inquiring Minds
Podcast Episodes
We need to rethink toilets [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:38
We talk to Jay Bhagwan from the International Water Association about his work reinventing how we think about sanitation.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Five ways the universe might die [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:06
We talk to cosmologist and writer Katie Mack about her new book The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking).Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
The Surprising Story of Medieval Science [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:46
We talk to historian of medieval science Seb Falk about his new book The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Science.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
The Quest for the Oldest Skeleton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:21
We talk to journalist Kermit Pattison about his new book Fossil Men: The Quest for the Oldest Skeleton and the Origins of Humankind.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
You’re full of bones. How do they work? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:32
We talk to orthopedic surgeon Roy A. Meals about his new book Bones: Inside and Out.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Thinking isn’t your brain’s most important job [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:21
We talk to neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett about why the idea that you have a lizard brain and a rational brain is completely wrong, how you can fight against implicit biases by swamping your brain with new data, why…
Feed Drop: Cadence S3E1: The Music of Politics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:26
A special drop of the first episode of the new season of Indre’s other podcast, Cadence—which is about what music can tell us about our minds. This new season explores how music influences us, and the first episode is al…

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