Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur

- Season 2

(2016)

A look at the difficulties of returning to the moon to establish a permanent presence and many of the concepts and ideas envisioned to help accomplish that goal.

A look at Artificial Planets constructed as Shells around a filler mass, such as a black hole.

A look at Discworlds, Flat Earths, and Alderson Discs in terms of how they'd function and how they might be built.

A look into how very small black holes function, are created and destroyed, and how they might be used for power.

A continuing look at possible technologies using artificial Black Holes as power sources, focusing on spaceship concepts, as well as the impact on SETI. In this video we will examine the basic concept, as well as refueling black holes, using black holes as weapons, and several related concepts.

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A look at the Tachyon, a hypothetical particle that can travel back in time as well as looking at what theory tells us about Time Travel and Temporal Paradoxes.

A look at Hoop Worlds, a type of artificial planet with some surprising properties.

Covering the Dyson Dilemma of the Fermi Paradox, in which we cover the apparent contradiction in the lack of numerous Dyson Spheres in the Universe and their seeming inevitable construction by growth-oriented technological civilizations.

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A new look at the Fermi Paradox detailing all the popular solutions and their strengths and weaknesses.

A look at the concept of warp drives, a theoretical type of spaceship propulsion that warps space-time to allow faster than light travel.

A look at the Transhumanism movement with a special focus on extending the human lifespan. Topics including SENS and anti-aging research, mind uploading, Technological Singularities, and physical and mental augmentation.

A look at the Simulation Hypothesis, or Simulation Argument, along with its implications for identity, consciousness, and the Fermi Paradox.

A look at the Doomsday Argument, a probabilistic argument which suggests humanity may be nearing its end. We will examine how this applies to the Fermi Paradox and the Simulation Hypothesis.

A look at two topics, the Anthropic Principle and the idea of greater than human intelligence, generally called Super-Intelligence or SI.

Continuing our look at Dyson Spheres we examine the concept of the Nicoll-Dyson Beam, a type of advanced weapon that uses the output of an entire sun to create a laser that can strike target across the galaxy.

An exploration the Matrioshka Brain, a nested Layer type of Dyson Sphere designed to turn stars in to giant computers, and the conclusion to the topic Dyson Spheres and other types of Stellar Engines.

Examination of Arcologies, self-sufficient habitats that adapt the concepts previously considered for space stations and off-world colonies to Earth itself.

In our second look at possible futures for Earth we examine the concept of Ecumenopolises, planet spanning cities homes to trillions.

A jump trillions of years into the future to examine the concept of civilizations living in a dark, post-stellar Universe.

A look at worlds entirely covered in water, and how they are both harder and easier for life to develop and thrive on than one might expect.

Trillions of years into the future civilizations could be living in a dark, post-stellar Universe, with some some surprising possibilities about just how abundant and robust life might be in a seemingly dark and dead Universe.

An in-depth look at KIC 8462582, also known as Tabby's Star. We'll explore how this star became famous for an anomaly, what that anomaly was, and the various theories for what might be causing it.

A look at how emerging concepts in science and technology could disrupt our most our understandings of identity, consciousness, and free will.

A look at Dark Matter, what it is, what it isn't, and what it might be used for.

An examination of the concept of a civilizations and economies in which very little scarcity exists and in which production of goods requires so little labor that most basic needs can be met at little or no cost.

An in-depth survey of the various technologies for spaceship propulsion, both from those we can expect to see in a few years and those at the edge of theoretical science.

An in-depth look at the Kardashev Scale, a system of classifying advanced civilizations. We will talk about what it is, and what some of the capabilities of such civilizations would be.

An in-depth look at stars, from the common kinds to exotic stars and stars bigger than solar systems or tinier than a pinhead.

First part of an exploration of how humans will colonize the inner Solar System, becoming a true space-faring civilization.

A look at Colonizing the Solar System, moving from the inner solar system to the Asteroid Belt and beyond, all the way out to the Oort Cloud.

The basic concepts and misconceptions of wars fought in space and examination of the notions of weapons, defenses, stealth in space, and the distance involved.

A discussion of concepts of Black Swan Events and Outside Context Problems, highly unpredictable events which massively impact civilization.