Originally aired on Mar 1, 2023

Jesse and Priscilla talk with Oxford professor of philosophy of theoretical physics, Owen Maroney, about whether it’s more likely that each moment of our experience bursts in and out of existence out of nowhere.

What is the Boltzmann Brain Paradox?

• The Boltzmann Brain Paradox questions the formation of intelligent life in the universe by suggesting that it might simply be a random fluctuation of entropy.
• Maroney discusses the implications of this paradox for the nature of reality and consciousness.
• The Boltzmann Brain Paradox suggests that complex systems, such as intelligent life, might be a result of random fluctuations of entropy rather than natural processes.
• The paradox challenges the traditional view that intelligent life arises through evolution and natural selection, and suggests that we might simply be living in a temporary fluctuation of the universe’s entropy.
• The paradox raises questions about the nature of reality and consciousness, and whether our understanding of the universe is limited by our own cognitive biases.
• Maroney suggests that the paradox may be a result of our own limited understanding of the universe, and that we may need to rethink our conception of entropy and information.
• The paradox also has implications for the search for extraterrestrial life, as it suggests that the formation of intelligent life might be far less probable than we currently believe.
• Ultimately, the Boltzmann Brain Paradox challenges us to question our assumptions about the universe and our place in it, and to remain open to the possibility that our understanding of reality may be far more complex and mysterious than we can currently imagine.