Particles of Thought

I am binging this show while at work at the moment. There doesn’t really seem to be a script or anything. It’s just an organic conversation between two scientists about really fun topics. The interviewer is great; he asks questions and has conversations in a way that sounds off the cuff but smart. I’m happy to hear someone from New Orleans on a science podcast. Being from NOLA, I miss the New Orleanian way of speaking.

So many ??? Learned vocalizations by humans actually change the structure of our brains. Oliver Sacks wrote about those who don’t learn language by puberty are largely inable to process complex theoretical thought. I.e. unable to make advanced rational concepts critical for sophisticated speech. YET… spoken language is but one means of communication. There are so many sentient beings that communicate from single cell organisms to plants— even the planet itself. The human bias of rational thought minimizes the significance of intuition and emotion which has a universality far greater than limits of the spoken or written word. Think of everything from Beethoven to boogie woogie, or the sound of wind through the forest or roar of the sea. It was my pleasure and privilege to traverse the mountains forest shoreline and prairie of western Canada these last three years. Maybe it was just my imagination, but it felt like the entire land and seascape was speaking to me — saying that I was a part of this magnificence. Then looking into the eyes of wild Bighorns, moose, elk deer and sea lion. And for an instant, see a piece of myself looking back. A communication profound, beyond words— the music of the spheres.

Enjoy Hakim’s curiosity and quest for understanding. And you get to go along.

Unlike episodes about scientific topics that break the concepts down into baby steps, these are genuine conversations at light speed (by comparison). So good!