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The Diary of a CEOAre We Living In A Simulation? The Physics That Proves We Might Be
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EPISODE INFO
- Released
- August 17, 2026
- Duration
- 2h 11m
- Channel
- The Diary of a CEO
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Professor Brian Greene reveals the biggest questions science still can’t answer, whether we’re living in a simulation, why AI may deserve human rights, and what happens at the end of the universe! Professor Brian Greene is a theoretical physicist, mathematician, and Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University, where he also directs the Center for Theoretical Physics. He is a leading researcher in string theory, the co-founder of the World Science Festival, and the bestselling author of several books, including ‘Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe’. He explains:
- Why most physicists believe time travel into the future is already possible
- Why he believes humans don't actually have free will
- How string theory could reveal what everything in the universe is really made of
- Why the "Pale Blue Dot" changes how you see your own life and problems
- Why the search for meaning may matter more than finding the answer itself
00:00:00 Intro 00:02:42 The Big Question Science Is Trying to Answer 00:04:09 How String Theory Could Explain Our Universe 00:05:04 How Could We Ever Prove String Theory Is Real? 00:06:37 What Makes the Strings in String Theory Vibrate? 00:08:12 Can String Theory Explain Why We’re Here? 00:09:36 What If We’re Living in a Simulation? 00:11:43 How Can Physics Explain Human Emotions? 00:17:43 Could Humans One Day Manufacture Emotions? 00:19:13 Would Knowing We’re in a Simulation Change Anything? 00:20:44 Could Humans and AI Eventually Merge? 00:21:19 Could Humans Ever Achieve Immortality? 00:25:17 How Knowing We’ll Die Shapes Every Decision We Make 00:27:19 Why Are We Here? The Optimistic and Pessimistic Answers 00:30:44 How Did Gods and Religions First Emerge? 00:33:53 What’s the Most Compelling Case for a God? 00:37:01 How Can We Comprehend Billions of Years? 00:40:32 Does Our Place in the Universe Make Us Insignificant? 00:43:08 How Big Is the Observable Universe, Really? 00:47:19 What Exists Beyond the Observable Universe? 00:48:16 Why Are Humans So Obsessed With Aliens? 00:52:05 Ads 00:54:46 What Is the Meaning of Life? 00:56:46 Is Free Will Actually Real? 01:01:01 What If Consciousness Is the Foundation of Reality? 01:08:25 Are Animals Conscious Like We Are? 01:10:31 What If the Universe Isn’t Infinite? 01:12:32 Could Aliens Have Already Visited Earth? 01:13:23 Could Humans Ever Travel Across the Universe? 01:16:13 How Time Travel Could Actually Be Possible 01:19:15 Who Was the Smartest Person Who Ever Lived? 01:21:46 Could AI Become the Next Einstein or Newton? 01:24:57 Ads 01:28:40 How AI Could Accelerate Science—and Even Tackle Mortality 01:30:08 Could AI Evolve Faster Than Humans Ever Could? 01:33:07 Could AI Become an Existential Threat to Humanity? 01:41:11 Can AI Ever See the World the Way Humans Do? 01:45:21 What Happens to Humanity in an Age of Abundance? 01:47:59 Could AI Ever Become Truly Conscious? 01:50:49 Why Go Vegan? The Case for Rethinking What We Eat 01:54:16 What Happens at the End of Time? 01:56:58 What Could Matter More Than What You Value Most? Follow Professor Brian: X - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/3UrBK3y Instagram - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/7ah5tbw Website - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/4GQfbDy World Science Festival - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/4ltduUF You can purchase Brian’s book, ‘Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe’, here: https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/GQngff0 The Diary Of A CEO:
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SPEAKERS
Brian Greene
guestTheoretical physicist at Columbia University and director of its Center for Theoretical Physics, known for work on string theory and cosmology.
Steven Bartlett
hostEntrepreneur and host of The Diary of a CEO.
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of The Diary of a CEO, featuring Brian Greene and Steven Bartlett, Are We Living In A Simulation? The Physics That Proves We Might Be explores Brian Greene on reality: strings, simulations, consciousness, meaning, fate Greene frames science’s deepest aim as understanding the true nature of reality, while admitting progress feels like gathering “grains of sand” against an immense unknown.
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