David Spergel: Way of the Peaceful Cosmologist (#130)

David Spergel is one of today's most respected and accomplished
astrophysicists. He has made foundational contributions to our
understanding of the origin and evolution of the universe via the
Cosmic Microwave Background and observations of distant compact
objects. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences,
recipient of the Breakthrough Prize, and is the incoming President
of the Simons Foundation whose mission is to advance the frontiers
of research in mathematics and the basic sciences. In this
bucket-list interview, conducted just before his 60th birthday,
David reveals his scientific mindset, his top habits for physical,
mental, and creative health, his pedagogical philosophy, and gives
his take on the role of controversies in cosmology and beyond.
David played a huge role in my book, Losing the Nobel Prize, which
he also graciously blurbed :-) You do NOT want to miss David's
answers to my Thrilling Three Impossible Questions! To receive
them, you'll need to subscribe to my mailing list where you will
also get resources and enter giveaways to win a FREE copy of my
book (and more) http://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php 00:00:00
Introduction 00:02:01 What's your daily routine? 00:06:00 Thoughts
on academic prizes. 00:11:46 God, cosmology and the authority of
prizes. 00:16:01 Thoughts on leadership: Are leaders born or made?
00:24:06 Balancing leadership with providing autonomy. Hear all
voices! 00:30:00 The benefits of failure. 00:33:15 What makes a
great leader? 00:43:37 Popularization of science, controversies and
standards of proof. 00:49:01 What do you think of theories that can
not be falsified? 00:56:07 How much of your work do you think
really matters? Watch my most popular videos Frank Wilczek
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