Pondering the Imponderables: The Biggest Questions of Cosmology

Is our universe unique or one of many? What happened before the Big Bang? Why is there something rather than nothing? Physicists and cosmologists are closing in on how the universe operates at its very core. But even with powerful telescopes and particle accelerators pushed to their limits, experimenters struggle to keep up as theoreticians march forward, leaving grand theories untested. Some argue that if these deep questions can’t be answered empirically, they’re not relevant to science. Are they right? Join world-leading cosmologists, philosophers and physicists as they tackle the profound questions of existence.

This program is part of the Big Ideas Series, made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.

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MODERATOR: Jim Holt
PARTICIPANTS: David Z. Albert, George F. R. Ellis, Alan Guth, Veronika Hubeny, Andrei Linde, Barry Loewer

The Biggest Questions of Cosmology 00:05

Participant Introductions 05:33

Does eternity relate to infinity? 13:45

Why is wrong to say the universe has a finite past? 24:15

The two claims about inflation. 36:54

Is 3D dimensional space the real space? 47:27

The "measurement" problem 59:33