Closer To Truth

How Does Deception Affect Human Behavior?

What can we learn when people deceive? There are all kinds of deception: from lying, duplicity, and disguises, to propaganda, disinformation, and deep fakes. Self-deception, too, offers insight. Why would evolution select for deceiving ourselves? Is deception bred into us, affecting all humans?
 
This episode features interviews with Joshua Greene, V.S. Ramachandran, Robert Trivers, and Max Tegmark.
 
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Tim Palmer on Doubt: From Quantum Physics to Climate Change

Tim Palmer discusses his new book, The Primacy of Doubt: From Quantum Physics to Climate Change, How the Science of Uncertainty Can Help Us Understand Our Chaotic World. In it, he challenges conventional wisdom on quantum mechanics, free will, and more.
 
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Tim Palmer is a Royal Society Research Professor in the department of physics at the University of Oxford. Trained as a mathematical physicist, he pioneered the development of operational ensemble weather and climate forecasting, which are now standard practice globally. He contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

Where Are They, All Those Aliens?

Most scientists assume that the universe must be populated with innumerable alien intelligences and civilizations—after all, we humans can't be so special. OK, so where are they, these "innumerable alien intelligences and civilizations"? How come there's zero evidence?
 
Featuring interviews with Jill Tarter, Douglas Vakoch, Frank Drake, Raymond Kurzweil, Francisco Ayala, Steven Dick, and David Brin.
 
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Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam on How Thinking Emerged from Chaos

Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam, neuroscientists and authors of Journey of the Mind: How Thinking Emerged from Chaos, discuss why consciousness exists, how consciousness works, and their unified theory of the mind.
Ogas and Gaddam's book is available for purchase now: https://rb.gy/9st8f
Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam both received their PhDs in computational neuroscience from Boston University, where they designed mathematical models of cognition.
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The Multiverse: What’s Real?

Is the multiverse real? What could be more startling than many universes – multiple universes, innumerable universes, perhaps an infinite number of universes? But does the multiverse really exist?
Featuring interviews with Max Tegmark, Laura Mersini-Houghton, Paul Davies, Andreas Albrecht, Alan H. Guth, Anthony Aguirre, and Carlo Rovelli.
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Michio Kaku on Quantum Supremacy

Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku discusses his new book, Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything. He explores how quantum computing may eventually illuminate the deepest mysteries of science and solve some of humanity’s biggest problems, like global warming, world hunger, and incurable disease.
Purchase the book today: https://bit.ly/3oT67vi
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Hilary Lawson on Closure

English philosopher Hilary Lawson discusses his book, Closure: A Story of Everything, a text that develops a comprehensive system of non-realist metaphysics.
Hilary Lawson is a philosopher and award-winning broadcaster who founded The Institute of Art and Ideas to bring philosophy and intellectual ideas into public discourse. He has been hosting IAI TV’s philosophy and global politics debate strands since 2010.
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Are There Extra Dimensions?

Extra dimensions beyond length, width, height seem the stuff of science fiction. What would extra dimensions be like? Is time the fourth dimension? Could deep reality be so strange? And, anyway, why would we care?
This episode features interviews with Lawrence Krauss, Michio Kaku, David Gross, Nima Arkani-Hamed, Juan Maldacena, and Roger Penrose.
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Manil Suri on How to Build the Universe with Math

Mathematician Manil Suri talks about about his insightful new book, The Big Bang of Numbers: How to Build the Universe Using Only Math. He explores if math describes the universe or creates it, what "nothing" means to a mathematician, and if all mathematically consistent systems create universes. We also tackle arithmetic, geometry, algebra, patterns, physics, and much more.
Manil Suri is a distinguished university professor in mathematics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is the author of three award-winning novels, The Death of Vishnu, The Age of Shiva, and The City of Devi.
For subscriber-only exclusives, register for free at closertotruth.com and read an excerpt of Suri's book here.

Why is Consciousness Baffling?

How does consciousness weave its magical web of inner awareness-appreciating music, enjoying art, feeling love? Even when all mental functions may be explained, the great mystery—what it "feels like" inside—will likely remain.
This episode features interviews with Charles Tart, Roger Walsh, Raymond Kurzweil, Hubert Dreyfus, Alva Noë, Henry Stapp, and George Lakoff.
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