briangreeneauthor

Don't get me started. Certainly at the lower grades, my experience is that the educational system is far too focused on assessment/grades. Wonder and excitement should drive learning, not fear of bad grades.

Many thanks. Joe Rogan is a great interviewer.

Regarding quantum gravity: It COULD be that we have the answer right now. It could be that string theory IS the answer. It COULD be that loop quantum gravity is the answer. The challenge is testing any theory of quantum gravity. These theories come into their own at extremely high energies, extremely short distances, well beyond the reach of today's technology. So, hopefully we will find an indirect test of these theories that we can undertake--until then, they will remain hypothetical.

Very simple: Learn the BASICS of physics and mathematics inside out. You can read about and be inspired by work at the cutting edge. But if you don't learn the basics you will never reach your potential to contribute to our understanding. I encounter many kids who want to jump over the "old" stuff and learn only about research at the frontier. That is a huge mistake. Take the time now to build a solid foundation.

From my perspective, the biggest questions are (a) the nature of spacetime and (b) the nature of consciousness. Regarding limits to human knowledge--there could well be things we are unable to understand. Take dogs. They're smart creatures but they seemingly don't know much about quantum mechanics. They, seemingly, don't have the brain power. Perhaps, then, we humans too don't have the brain power to grasp certain deep truths about reality.

It is possible that within a reasonable time frame we may understand the very ingredients of space and time. Much as matter is composed of molecules and atoms, space and time may themselves be composed of finer entities. There are proposals now being developed that may in the not too distant future identify those entities.