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What is a Boltzmann brain?
If you thought the name of this blog comes from me thinking to be a reincarnation of Boltzmann, then you were almost but not quite right. Boltzmann’s brain is a serious scientific paradox at the intersection of statistical physics and cosmology with the (still serious) consequence that the Universe could be filled with zombies, including…
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Meeting “Meeting the Universe Halfway” Halfway
Karen Barad’s monumental book “Meeting the Universe Halfway” (subtitle: “Quantum physics and the entanglement of matter and meaning”, Duke University Press, 2007) currently receives more than 2700 citations per year (according to google scholar). That’s more than all my publications have received altogether over the years. Reason enough to read the book that promises a…
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Back to the Ivory Tower
The picture of the truth-seeking scientists sitting alone in their ivory towers is often used negatively. Instead, science is supposed to drive society forward, to create impact, provide solutions, and to be the basis of growth and prosperity. I argue that this expectation is detrimental for science and society. It creates a toxic scientific system…