Infinite Worlds
A Journey through Parallel Universes
A Journey through Parallel Universes
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
The multiverse hypothesis, suggesting that our universe is but one of perhaps infinitely many, speaks to the very nature of reality. Join physicist Brian Greene, cosmologists Alan Guth and Andrei Linde, and philosopher Nick Bostrom as they discuss and debate this controversial implication of forefront research and explore its potential for redefining the cosmic order. Moderated by Robert Krulwich and featuring an original musical interlude, inspired by parallel worlds, by DJ Spooky.
Moderator
Robert Krulwich
Participants:
Nick Bostrom is a co-founder of the World Transhumanist Association and Director of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University. His research areas of interest include artificial intelligence, bio-enhancement and mind uploading. He devised a thought experiment describing one of the strange philosophical implications of multiverse theories: our universe may be a computer simulation.
Brian Greene is a Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University, and is recognized for a number of groundbreaking discoveries in his field of superstring theory. His books are widely read: The Elegant Universe, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and has sold more than a million copies worldwide; The Fabric of the Cosmos spent half a year on the New York Times bestseller list, and inspired the Washington Post to call him the “single best explainer of abstruse ideas in the world today.”
Alan Guth is Professor of Physics at MIT, and world-renowned for his discovery of inflationary cosmology, the dominant cosmological paradigm for over two decades. His current research focuses on developing mathematical tools for quantitatively analyzing inflation's suggestion that there are an infinite number of universes.
Robert Krulwich is an award-winning radio and television journalist who has been called ‘the most inventive network reporter in television’ by TV Guide. He is an ABC News correspondent, NPR science correspondent, and co-host of WNYC's science documentary program, Radio Lab.
Andrei Linde is Professor of Physics at Stanford University. He is one of the authors of the inflationary multiverse theory, which proposes that the universe may consist of many universes with different properties.
Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid is a composer, multimedia artist and writer. His written work has appeared in The Village Voice, The Source, Artforum and Rapgun among other publications.Venue
NYU Skirball CenterThis event made possible with the support of
as part of the Big Ideas Series
