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Artwork for Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

Sean Carroll
Quantum Mechanics
Artificial Intelligence
Consciousness
Democracy
Climate Change
Cosmology
Philosophy
Complex Systems
Black Holes
Neuroscience
Longevity
Dark Matter
Free Will
Quantum Field Theory
Entropy
Cancer
Aging
Emergence
Time
Exoplanets

Ever wanted to know how music affects your brain, what quantum mechanics really is, or how black holes work? Do you wonder why you get emotional each time you see a certain movie, or how on earth video games are designed? Then you've come to the right place. Each week, Sean Carroll will host conversations with some of the most interesting thinkers in the world. From neuroscientists and engineers t... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes434Founded8 years ago
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PhysicsScience

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Artwork for Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

Latest Episodes

Modern life has, in many ways, removed us from the environments in which our ancestors lived and adapted. Not only do we spend time looking at screens, but we spend time indoors, or outdoors but in urban spaces. How does this affect how we think and ... more

The cosmological constant, as discussed last episode, provides a perfectly good (thus far) explanation for why we observe the universe to be accelerating. But it might not be the right explanation, and demonstrating that would be yet another foundati... more

The most surprising discovery in fundamental physics during my career as a scientist was undoubtedly the acceleration of the universe, announced in 1998. The most straightforward explanation for these observations is a positive cosmological constant,... more

Messenger RNA (mRNA) plays a literally central role in the functioning of life as we know it, shuttling information back and forth between the DNA where it is stored to the ribosome where it is used to produce proteins. RNA may even have been the fir... more

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Recent Guests

Jeff Coller
Professor of RNA Biology and Therapeutics, Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
Episode: 357 | Jeff Coller on mRNA, Vaccines, and Bespoke Therapeutics
Andrea Wulf
Historian of science and author
Episode: 356 | Andrea Wulf on Enlightenment, Nature, Romanticism, and Modernity
Christian List
Philosopher; director at Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy
Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (MCMP)
Episode: 354 | Christian List on Free Will and Levels of Reality
Alvin Roth
Nobel Prize-winning economist, Stanford University
Stanford University
Episode: 353 | Alvin Roth on the Economics of Morally Contested Markets
Bing Brunton
Neuroscientist and biologist at the University of Washington
University of Washington
Episode: 352 | Bing Brunton on Connecting the Connectome to the Body
J. Eric Oliver
Political scientist at the University of Chicago, author of How to Know Yourself
University of Chicago
Episode: 350 | J. Eric Oliver on the Self and How to Know It
Daniel Harlow
Physicist at MIT, expert on quantum gravity
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Episode: 349 | Daniel Harlow on What Quantum Gravity Teaches Us About Quantum Mechanics
Jessica Riskin
Historian of science
Episode: 348 | Jessica Riskin on Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Life as Creative Agency
Andrew Guthrie Ferguson
Professor of Law at George Washington University Law School
George Washington University Law School
Episode: 347 | Andrew Guthrie Ferguson on How Your Data Will Be Used Against You

Host

Sean Carroll
Host of Mindscape; engages guests across physics, philosophy, and culture with thoughtful, rigorous questioning.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 9.7k ratings
  • Wrong

    Ideas, theories and thoughts should not end with the word”right”making the listener agree with you rather than letting one decide if something is right or wrong or needs more time to think. Stop ending your sentences with the word -right. You are not always right.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    johnfivethousand
    United States8 days ago
  • Ad nauseum

    Great content and a great show, but the new ad inserts kill everything good about it. Nothing like trying to unwind and listen to a nice talk and then have someone randomly start screaming into your ears about airfare or whatever. The ad volume alone is like 40x the volume of the podcast. How dare you, Sean…

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    largestoof
    Denmark8 days ago
  • A true gem

    Exceptional podcast. SC is providing a much needed service to modern culture by engaging a diverse group of intellectuals and broadcasting their ideas.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Wittgeinstein86
    United Kingdom25 days ago
  • Adscape

    The dynamic ads are making it virtually unbearable for me to listen to episodes. I no longer care for the AMAs; the solo episodes are not properly structured; and the main episodes are almost all book promotion, the host having almost never actually done his homework beforehand. Carroll doesn’t need my money and the quality doesn’t make it worth it to pay for the ad free version.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    NicolasAJD
    United Statesa month ago
  • Thank you

    Thank you for taking the time to do this podcast! I found you thru Brian Greene’s World Science Fest and your guest appearances in Startalk! I am so intrigued and awed by the topics you explore ! Thank you again! 🙏💎🤗

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    BrendaLMFT
    United Statesa month ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise accessible deep dives into complex topics and engaging guest lineups.
Ads and sponsor reads are occasionally criticized for loudness or intrusion.
Some reviews note political discussions at times dominate or color the tone, which may polarize portions of the audience.

Chart Rankings

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

353 | Alvin Roth on the Economics of Morally Contested Markets
Q: Can you explain kidney exchange and how it demonstrates market design in medicine?
Kidney exchange uses matching algorithms and non-directed donors to connect donors and patients in chains, increasing transplants and saving lives by expanding the pool of compatible donors without paying donors directly.
353 | Alvin Roth on the Economics of Morally Contested Markets
Q: Why are some transactions considered controversial markets, and how do laws split them across jurisdictions?
Controversial markets are those where moral or religious objections intersect with economic incentives, and legality varies by place; what is illegal in one jurisdiction may be legal in another, prompting cross-border and policy questions about design and reform.
353 | Alvin Roth on the Economics of Morally Contested Markets
Q: What makes a market a market beyond simple price signals?
A market is a system of human institutions that coordinate private information and preferences to produce outcomes that participants would not achieve on their own, often requiring matching and information exchange more than just price.
AMA | May 2026
Q: What is your view on the appropriate contribution of contemplative practices and psychonautic explorations to understanding consciousness?
There is mild usefulness in altered states for data gathering, but they are not a pathway to a definitive understanding of consciousness; they may aid therapy and provide experiential context, while the scientific understanding requires careful, reproducible inquiry.
350 | J. Eric Oliver on the Self and How to Know It
Q: How does language influence our sense of self and time?
Language allows us to project into the future and reflect on the past, which makes selfhood highly time-bound and narrative-driven, while also enabling sophisticated self-reflection and social coordination.

Audience Metrics

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What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show combines deep science, philosophy, and culture through long-form conversations with prominent thinkers. Episodes span quantum physics, cognitive science, economics, biology, law, and the history of science, often exploring how big ideas intersect with everyday life, society, and technology. Listeners likely appreciate rigorous inquiry tempered by accessible explanations, with occasional debates about politics and public policy that reflect the host's broad curiosity. A standout hook is the blending of technical depth with clear storytelling, drawing in both specialists and general audiences who enjoy thinking critically about science and its broader implications.

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How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 8 years ago and published 434 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Jeff Coller
2. Andrea Wulf
3. Christian List
4. Alvin Roth
5. Bing Brunton
6. J. Eric Oliver
7. Daniel Harlow
8. Jessica Riskin

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