Podcast Summary
Leveraging specialized platforms for effective hiring and saving money: Indeed.com helps employers find quality candidates faster, while Rocket Money saves users an average of $720 per year by finding and canceling unwanted subscriptions and monitoring spending.
For effective hiring and saving money, leveraging specialized platforms can make a significant difference. During the discussion, we learned about Indeed.com, a matching and hiring platform with over 350 million monthly visitors, helping employers find quality candidates faster. On the other hand, Rocket Money is a personal finance app that assists in finding and canceling unwanted subscriptions, monitoring spending, and lowering bills, saving users an average of $720 per year. These platforms streamline processes and provide valuable solutions, allowing us to focus on what truly matters. Additionally, the holiday message from the Blindscape Podcast highlighted the importance of exploring unconventional topics, such as immortality, and the potential implications it holds for individuals, ideas, and society.
The reality of true immortality: While the universe may be eternal, human consciousness and identity aren't. We exist for a moment in time, not forever.
True immortality, as we commonly understand it, may not be achievable based on our current understanding of the universe. While the universe itself may be eternal, human consciousness and identity as we know it are not. The information that makes up an individual persists in the universe, but we are constantly changing and evolving, making it more accurate to say that we exist for a moment in time rather than forever. This was a key topic of discussion during a workshop, encouraging participants to confront the concept of immortality and consider what it truly means. Ultimately, we must acknowledge that we live in the macroscopic world, and our identities are defined by the accessible information about us, which comes and goes throughout our lives.
Our finite lifespan and memory in the context of psychological continuity and identity: Though we can't live forever in the many worlds interpretation, our focus on our present existence and fear of death comes from our awareness of the finite nature of our current life.
From a macroscopic perspective, human beings have a finite lifespan and memory, despite the constant change we undergo. This concept of psychological continuity and identity over time is essential. Although the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics presents a quantum immortality thought experiment, the overwhelming majority of branches result in death, with only a tiny fraction potentially allowing for immortality. However, these branches count infinitesimally in the many worlds interpretation, making the prospect of immortality an insignificant concern in our everyday lives. The value we place on our current existence and the fear of death stems from the fact that we are aware of our present moment and the possibility of its imminent end.
Desire for immortality might not bring solace: Infinite versions of us exist in many worlds, but most don't last forever. Not everyone wants to live for thousands of years, focus on making the most of present time, find joy in learning.
The desire for immortality, whether it's quantum immortality or living for thousands of years in the real world, might not bring the solace we seek. In the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, there are infinite versions of us, but most of them won't continue to exist forever. Even if we could live for thousands of years in the real world, not everyone wants to, and it's important to consider whether it would be good for us. During a poll at a workshop, a majority of people said they wouldn't want to live for 10,000 years. Instead of focusing on immortality, we might want to focus on making the most of the time we have and finding joy in learning new things, like a new language with Babbel.
The downside of immortality: boredom and lack of direction: Immortality may lead to boredom and a lack of motivation, as individuals may run out of things to be interested in, contrasting our finite desires and imaginations with the infinite nature of time.
While the concept of immortality may seem appealing, it could potentially lead to a lack of motivation and enjoyment in life due to the infinite amount of time available. As explored in stories like Jorge Luis Borges' "The Immortals" and Julian Barnes' "Dream," immortality can result in boredom and a lack of direction, as individuals may run out of things to be interested in. The Julian Barnes story also highlights the human condition's inherent finiteness, including our desires and imaginations, which can be contrasted with the infinite nature of time and possibility. Ultimately, even if given the option to live forever, individuals may still choose to end their existence, as demonstrated in both the story and the TV show "The Good Place." The length of time one would want to live remains an interesting question, with some preferring the idea of living for a very long time but not forever.
Should we strive for immortality?: Society's progress and evolution depend on new generations, questioning the desirability of immortality for individuals and society as a whole.
Immortality, while intriguing, may not be a desirable goal for society as a whole. Science fiction writer Ted Chiang argued that without the presence of new generations, society could stagnate and fall into a rut. He believed that the evolution of ideas and progress relies on the energy and fresh perspectives of young people. However, it's important to note that there are different forms of immortality - physical and legacy. While we may physically die, our impact on the world can continue long after we're gone. Ultimately, the question of whether we should strive for immortality is complex and requires careful consideration. The podcast discussed the possibility of achieving it, but before delving into that, it's essential to ponder whether we even want it.
Honoring the Past and Living in the Present: Focus on living fully and consciously in the present, honor past memories, and consider the implications of extended lifespans and interstellar travel.
While the concept of immortality is intriguing, it may not be practically achievable for humans as biological organisms. Instead, it's essential to focus on living fully and consciously in the present. Neuroscientist Scott Small's idea of a "ceremony of forgetting" can help us honor the memories of those who have passed while moving forward with life. The extension of human lifespan is a realistic goal, but the extent of it remains uncertain. It's essential to consider the implications of potentially living much longer and recognize that interstellar travel might require lifespans of thousands or even millions of years. Ultimately, the most important thing is to live our lives to the fullest and appreciate the finite time we have on Earth.
The universe will eventually reach a state of maximum entropy and emptiness: The universe, including all its complex structures and forms of life, is temporary and will eventually return to a state of maximum entropy and emptiness
The universe, as we know it, is not permanent. The arrow of time, which drives the development and complexity of living organisms, is a result of the early universe having very low entropy. However, as the universe expands and cools, it continues to approach thermal equilibrium, eventually leading to a high entropy state of empty space. Stars, black holes, galaxies, and all forms of complexity will eventually disappear, leaving nothing but emptiness. This is a natural process, but it serves as a reminder that everything in the universe is temporary. Our current universe, which is approximately 10 to the power of 10 years old, still has plenty of time for exploration and discovery, but eventually, all will come to an end. This concept was explored in a paper by Aidan Chatwin Davis and the speaker, using a definition of entropy that applies to both matter and gravity. The result showed that the universe, with a positive cosmological constant, will eventually empty out and become smooth and featureless, approaching an empty universe with exponentially growing expansion. This is the highest entropy state the universe can be in.
The universe's complexity and existence are not eternal: The universe, including life, uses up a finite resource of low entropy energy and is currently in a complex stage, but the rate of star formation and complexity increase is declining, suggesting a finite lifespan
The universe, including life, uses up a finite resource of low entropy energy to exist and increase in complexity. We are currently in a complex stage of the universe's existence, but the rate of star formation and complexity increase is declining. The universe started simple, flourished, but its interesting life is finite. Physicist Freeman Dyson's 1979 paper "Time Without End" suggested the universe might be open and not last forever. We use energy to live, think, and metabolize, which is a finite resource. The universe's complexity and existence are not eternal, and we are part of this finite process.
The limit to infinite life in an expanding universe: Despite the potential for infinite existence in an expanding universe, there's a finite limit to the amount of life due to the maximum entropy the universe can reach.
According to Freeman Dyson's theory, in an expanding and infinite universe, one could potentially live forever by having thoughts that require less and less energy but take more and more time. However, there's a limit to the amount of life that can exist due to the finite entropy of the observable universe. This means that there's a limit to the amount of information that can be processed, and thus, a limit to the amount of life that can exist in the future of our universe. This is because every thought or computation increases the entropy of the universe, and the total entropy of the universe cannot exceed a certain limit. This limit, which is approximately 10 to the power of 122, is the maximum entropy that our observable universe can reach. Therefore, even in an infinite and expanding universe, there's a finite amount of life that can exist.
Projected potential for human existence: The potential for human existence far exceeds the number of lives lived on Earth, with around 10 to the 34 possible human life equivalents if we consider life on Earth until the sun dies and colonize the stars.
The total entropy production of a human being over a lifetime can be projected into the future, and if we limit ourselves to life on Earth, we have only experienced a small fraction of the potential for human existence. To be precise, the number of human life equivalents that have existed on Earth is around 10 to the 11, but if we consider the potential for life on Earth until the sun dies and if we colonize the stars, the number of human life equivalents that could be experienced is much larger - around 10 to the 34. However, it's important to note that the universe has an upper bound of total entropy, and given that it is moving toward thermal equilibrium, true immortality for human beings or even the human race is not a foreseeable prospect. The universe itself, however, could potentially last forever.
Infinite baby universes with temporary life: The universe lasts forever but renews itself with infinite baby universes, each with temporary complex systems including life, preventing the burden of an infinite past and maintaining freshness
Our universe, according to a certain cosmological scenario, lasts forever but most of it is empty and dead. However, there will be infinite instances of baby universes where complex systems, including life, can temporarily exist before returning to their quiescent state. This scenario explains the low entropy of the early universe but also implies that no information is passed between universes, making it the ultimate form of forgetting. In this way, the universe renews itself and maintains freshness while preventing the burden of an infinite past or the ability to impose constraints on the infinite future.