Stephon Alexander: Fear of a Black Universe (#179)

Stephon Alexander is a Professor of Physics at Brown University and
the President of the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP).
Alexander has had previous appointments at Stanford University,
Imperial College, Penn State, Dartmouth College, and Haverford
College. He is a specialist in the field of string cosmology, where
the physics of superstrings are applied to address longstanding
questions in cosmology. In 2001, he co-invented the model of
inflation based on higher dimensional hypersurfaces in string
theory called D-Branes. In such models, the early universe emerged
from the destruction of a higher dimensional D-brane which ignites
a period of rapid expansion of space often referred to as cosmic
inflation. Years ago, cosmologist Stephon Alexander received
life-changing advice: to discover real physics, he needed to stop
memorizing and start taking risks. In Fear of a Black
Universe, Alexander shows that great physics requires us to
think outside the mainstream — to improvise and rely on intuition.
His approach leads him to three principles that shape all theories
of the universe: the principle of invariance, the quantum
principle, and the principle of emergence. Alexander uses them to
explore some of physics' greatest mysteries, from what happened
before the big bang to how the universe makes consciousness
possible. Drawing on his experience as a Black physicist, he makes
a powerful case for diversifying our scientific communities.
Compelling and empowering, Fear of a Black
Universe offers remarkable insight into the art of physics. In
his last best selling book, The Jazz of Physics, Alexander revisits
the ancient interconnection between music and the evolution of
astrophysics and the laws of motion. He explores new ways music, in
particular jazz music, mirrors modern physics, such as quantum
mechanics, general relativity, and the physics of the early
universe. He also discusses ways that innovations in physics have
been and can be inspired from “improvisational logic” exemplified
in Jazz performance and practice. Alexander also recently served as
a scientific advisor for the Walt Disney film A Wrinkle In Time,
directed by Ava DuVernay, and currently serves as President of the
National Society of Black Physicists (NSPB). https://nsbp.org/
https://www.stephonalexanderlab.com/
https://www.basicbooks.com/contributor/stephon-alexander/
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FREE LinkedIn.com/impossible 00:00:00 Intro 0002:31 The back
story of the book. 00:25:09 Applying the creativity of music to
science. 00:29:00 The risks of theorizing in public. 00:32:39 How
do you succeed in outsider thinking? The example of Faraday.
00:38:17 Applying outsider thinking: work on condensed matter in
cosmology 00:44:16 Why do we need to understand dark energy?
00:54:49 Cosmological Models-String/Gas Theory and Into the
Cosmological Matrix 01:16:40 In 50 years, what do you most want the
answer to? Watch my most popular videos: A New Contender is Here!
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