good episode

The most intelligent discussion on pretty much everything. The gulf of knowledge, balance, maturity and demeanor between Sean Carroll and someone like Eric Weinstein or Sam Harris is inconceivably vast. An adult podcast for thinking adults. The best guests. Great questions from the host.

The recent interview with Ellen Lander broke me. Sean is such an amazing teacher when it comes to physics and the intersection with philosophy. However, giving credence to a reputed hack like Ellen Langer is too far. Sean either needs to vet his guests better or increase his standards. There have been questionable guests in the past, but this is egregious.

Possibly the best science podcast around. Sean is an academic scientist with broad interests and the ability to ask excellent/deep questions. He gets very interesting guests and manages them well. Some of his solo podcasts are priceless (e.g., on relativity).

Scientists don't often step outside their field in order to engage in dialogues that are of the essence, evermore during times of worrisome turbulence. Dr. Sean Carroll does not only step outside his field, but is acutely cognizant when doing so. His conversations are similar to the conversations from "Dialogues concerning two sciences, between Sagredo, Simplicio, and Salviati". In other words he is not shy for when he lacks knowledge on certain subjects and is courteous when correcting others. He has calculative approaches towards crucial conversations. Scientists, I hope are paying attention to the importance of having conversations among different sciences and opening the doors to other fields, specially to the ones that aren't related to their science.

I listen to this podcast nearly every day (I’m catching up with some older episodes) and I absolutely love it. As a Ph.D. student, I was feeling a bit burnt out and listening to this podcast reminded of why I got into research in the first place - there’s a lot of cool stuff out there to learn about! Sean is a fantastic host and will take you on a journey throughout the universe - from physics to jazz music to psychology to even poker. Absolutely recommend!

What a great episode with CV. I understood about 5%, was able to follow about 15%, but how much fun listening to the other 80%. How do we define stable?

This is an unbeatable podcast for people interested in science, or even in just thinking through issues deeply and rigorously. That said, I wish the host applied that same rigor to his choice of advertising partners. I completely understand the need to monetize the podcast given the incredible amount of work that must go into it. However, given the podcast’s emphasis on the importance of empiricism and scientific inquiry, I have to say that there have been empirical studies that show BetterHelp and similar text-based therapy platforms demonstrate no benefit to their users (or exceedingly small benefits), especially when you compare them with traditional mental health providers. I get that it’s difficult to ever fully live your values in a capitalistic system, but I do wish scientific podcast hosts (and Carroll is not the only scientific podcast host who has BetterHelp as a sponsor) would apply the same rigor they apply to everything else to their sponsors. I worry that people might take their BetterHelp ads as endorsements of the product, a product they likely wouldn’t make if they took the time to review the empirical evidence in this area.

Nice interplay with his guest on peeling back the underlying properties of nature from experimental data

One episode and I was hooked. This podcast goes much deeper than most others. It’s two experts talking about the universe and physics and some other things. The one problem I have is the ads. I’m not here to hear about babbel or whatever. I would rather have the ads at the beginning and end then every 15 or so minutes. Other than that, it’s pretty awesome

This is by far, the best version of the pod cast, in all the multiverse!

Sean asks tough questions and gets good answers. If he feels like he needs to butt in, he does. Deal with it. Excellent podcast.

I agree w other reviews about how condescending the host comes off. It’s noticeable enough I can’t listen too long bc I get uncomfortable. He has brilliant experts discuss mind-bending ideas. However it’s hard to tell if the host doesn’t trust his guests or us as the audience—but I would say what takes me out of the dialogue isn’t the guests getting into flow of discussion but the host interrupting them to correct or insist they explain when I already was there with them. I mean at least loudly sigh as frequently as you do away from the mic. Let them talk! I’m following! You don’t have all the answers either; no one does.

No need to ask right? In the middle of every sentence

Overall good podcast but this episode showcased how out of touch academia is with the normal working population. Employees wanting to impress their managers by working extra hours and over promising results only to become burnt out?! Unbelievable!!! 😂Welcome to the real world guys😂

Very fine podcast. Wonderful breadth of topics. Not dumbed down but neither is it overly esoteric. But I sure wish the host wasn’t so darn smug. He’s also often condescending to his guests. Maybe he has earned the right to be smug but I don’t like it. Neither would Kant. I think it’s an occupational hazard of being a university professor.

i love this podcast but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make an episode with cj the x.

Amazing podcast

I wonder if you could listen to your friends Origin podcast, first Sabine Hossenfelder, then Cormac McCarthy.As you know, Sabines great new book is about the hazards of gleaning beautiful equations a la string theory.Krauss acted like she was way out over her skiis here, acting like it was a rare if unspoken issue. Yet with McCarthy, it was a beauty pageant.Lots of talk about the big names of late 20th century physics and beauty.And elegance (beauty).Two different takes!

UPDATE: Still loving this podcast so very much. It’s consistently great, and I find myself reflecting on previous episodes and recommending it regularly. ___________ I’m embarrassed not to have written a review, yet, having listened for over a year now. It’s one of my favorite podcasts. I love the interviews, the variety of guests and changing subject matter, and I love the AMAs as well.

Not sure how else to say it. Sean brings everything together here. Kind mind, reflective, wicked intellect, humble. Great voice too. Opening my mind to amazing thoughts. Please don’t stop.

B R I L L I A N T

I listened to few of the episodes and found them quite interesting and informative. However, the episode on ChatGPT felt like an opinion of one person.

I chose the episode 200 on the Multiverse, and instead of getting an episode that grabbed my attention and was interesting I found myself listening to multiple tangents that couldn't seem to follow one consistent strain of thought. Instead of making the topic digestible for someone to understand it felt like the host was rather using as many complicated words as they could to the point where I almost wondered if they actually WANTED to make the listener feel like falling asleep. I rated it 1 star because it reminded me of being in my honors college class with teachers that were more concerned with impressing students with the vast content of their vocabulary rather than actually teaching us anything.

I truly don’t understand how Sean has the time to do all the things he does, but I am delighted that he squeezes in the podcast! Although is a physicist, his interests and guests are wide ranging. He is a great interviewer and asks questions that show a genuine interest in trying to understand his guests (and make sure we listeners understand his guests, too). Thanks from a Patreon Patron!

Great content, but often the information (especially when it’s Sean himself speaking, like in AMAs) is not presented for easy mass consumption- which might be intended.

Dr. Sean Carroll is a wonderful interviewer and brings the highest standards and guests to us. I really should Pareon him.

This podcast is so valuable. It puts me in the game in so many different areas and gives me direction in learning

As good as any science podcast out there. As for politics... just skip those parts and skim the NYT (including all the corrections...)

Guests who can’t speak well make the episode unlistenable. Ironic that the one about chatbots can’t speak without audible-ized pauses.

Carrol's disciplined and curious mind, technical acumen, and conversational gifts illuminate contemporary scientific and philosophical subjects. If you like science, physics, exploring fundamental questions, you will love this podcast!

Looking forward to hear each one of the incoming episodes 💎💎💎💎🎂

Thank you!

Host seems more interested in espousing his own views to his guest, than a general interest in hearing from the guest and inviting theirs. When searching a topic or guest by name, most listeners are interested in hearing from that guest.

I’m always surprised at how much I learn. I’m naturally over confident I guess.

Good on topics he’s good at, less so when expounding, even pontificating, on topics he’s not.

Really enjoy this podcast. Sean Carroll sounds just like Brett Clifford Gelman.

Great pod on GR! I just loved it. I learned more about GR at a high level then I perhaps absorbed from any other source. Thank you, Sean!

Brilliant episode with Chiara Mingarelli.

I’m an evangelical, but Carroll’s analysis and explanations of physics and philosophy are always beneficial and challenging. His irenic tone is also greatly appreciated. I feel challenged, not attacked or insulted. Only feedback would be that Carroll’s political opinions are much less interesting. To be fair, he often gets asked questions *and* has every right to talk about his political opinions on his podcast! I just find other left of center political commentary more robust and rigorous than what is on offer here. Still an EXCELLENT podcast, though!

A purely amazing podcast that actually explores ideas in a rigorous, but also fun way. It’s not just science, it’s about society and politics too. And Sean Carrol brings on expert who bring forth both empirical and hard evidence. Yes there are well-informed opinions on this podcast and that’s a great thing too, we love to hear em. Society and science are interrelated and that’s why I love Sean Carrol’s podcast

Clear discussions on difficult but interesting topics.

It’s all just stumbling over words before getting to any (if even) actual point.

Sean Carroll is a renowned physicist. He is eloquent and knowledgeable in almost any scientific field and highly respected in his own. Sometimes the interviews require a very close listening for their technical language but well worth it!

Lost interest with the latest in this Jane person. 🤷‍♀️

I’ve been listening to this podcast for almost 2 years because I enjoy the variety of topics and guests, and Sean is a adequate interviewer. The format is less open than some of my other favorite science pods’ but the tone remains conversational. I never miss an episode!

The greedy host makes it impossible to enjoy the podcast with ridiculous advertisements thrown in every 10-15 minutes. Cutting off the guest mid-sentence in order to earn more money is the opposite of what science communication should be about.

Sean Carroll is tops in his class of science communication. Beyond that he is a fantastic role model for how we should reach beyond our field to educate ourselves in the world around us. Fantastic show, fantastic topics, and fantastic learning.

I love listening to Mindscape on walks, at the gym, and whenever else I need intellectual gristle to chew on. Sean’s interests are wide-ranging, and I appreciate the opportunity to learn about the latest in fields from cosmology to psychology.

TDS is being laid on strong without acknowledging his own bias for having been raised in far left institutions for his entire career. If he’s going to delve into politics he should bring on Ben Shapiro to discuss some of his political dogma.