Astrophysicist Niayesh Afshordi and science communicator Phil Halper return to the channel to discuss their new book, Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins. We discuss inflationary theory, the BGV theorem, how space and time might not exist at the fundamental level of reality, and so much else besides. This was one of my favorite interviews so far.

Make sure to check out Phil and Niayesh's book, and follow Phil on YouTube.

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EPISODE CHAPTERS

00:00:13 Does the Big Bang theory feature a bang?

00:07:53 What is an FLRW spacetime? What is the Lambda-CDM model?

00:18:39 Is a singularity unscientific?

00:25:05 Singularity theorem #1: Hawking-Penrose

00:33:04 Singularity theorem #2: Borde-Guth-Vilenkin

00:39:23 What is "classical" spacetime?

00:52:40 Singularity theorem #3: Generalized second law of thermodynamics

00:57:54 The quantum eternity theorem

01:01:10 String-theoretic models of the universe

01:05:56 A fundamental limit to what we can know?

01:09:10 Is a cosmic beginning scientifically unsatisfying?

01:15:17 Teaching science as a story

01:19:35 Embrace uncertainty