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person1990s-present

Sean Carroll

Disciplines:
cosmology
physics
philosophy of science/philosophy of physics

Summary

American theoretical physicist and philosopher who has argued for the Everettian interpretation of quantum mechanics, a naturalistic account of emergent time, and a 'poetic naturalism' where all ontological levels are valid.

Core Contribution

From Eternity to Here: entropy and the arrow of time emerge from cosmological initial conditions (the Past Hypothesis). Something Deeply Hidden: the most accessible defense of many-worlds quantum mechanics. Poetic naturalism: different levels of description are all equally 'real' — there is no single fundamental ontology.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • Poetic naturalism is a deliberate response to the fact/value problem: all descriptive levels (particle physics, chemistry, biology, human intention) are equally valid narratives — none is more 'real' than another.
  • His defense of the Everettian interpretation against Tim Maudlin and others has been the most high-profile debate in philosophy of physics in the 2010s.

Notable Works & Achievements

Spacetime and Geometry

From Eternity to Here

The Particle at the End of the Universe

Something Deeply Hidden

The Big Picture

Historical Influences

Richard Feynman Hugh Everett

Intellectual Lineage

Contemporary Physics

Contemporaries & Peers

Tim Maudlin David Albert

Minds Influenced

Public Philosophy of Physics

Intellectual Posterity

Arrow of Time Poetic Naturalism

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