The 2012 CBC Massey Lectures, "The Universe Within: From Quantum to Cosmos"
Ideas | CBC Radio | Posted: November 12, 2012 5:00 AM | Last Updated: February 23, 2015
Every technology we rely on today was created by the human mind, seeking to understand the universe around us. Scientific knowledge is our most precious possession, and our future will be shaped by the breakthroughs to come.
In this personal, visionary, and fascinating work, Neil Turok, Director of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, explores the transformative scientific discoveries of the past three centuries — from classical mechanics, to the nature of light, to the bizarre world of the quantum and the evolution of the cosmos. Each new discovery has, over time, yielded new technologies causing paradigm shifts in the organization of society.
Now, he argues, we are on the cusp of another major transformation: the coming quantum revolution that will supplant our current digital age. Facing this brave new world, Turok calls for creatively re-inventing the way advanced knowledge is developed and shared, and opening access to the vast, untapped pools of intellectual talent in the developing world.
Elegantly written, deeply provocative and highly inspirational, The Universe Within is, above all, about the future — of science, society and ourselves.
Now, he argues, we are on the cusp of another major transformation: the coming quantum revolution that will supplant our current digital age. Facing this brave new world, Turok calls for creatively re-inventing the way advanced knowledge is developed and shared, and opening access to the vast, untapped pools of intellectual talent in the developing world.
Elegantly written, deeply provocative and highly inspirational, The Universe Within is, above all, about the future — of science, society and ourselves.
Listen:
Neil Turok is one of the world's leading physicists, and a renowned educational innovator. The highly regarded Director of Canada's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Turok was previously professor of physics at Princeton and held a Chair of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge. As well as developing fundamental theories of the cosmos, he has led efforts to determine their predictions and to test them through observation. With Stephen Hawking, he developed the Hawking-Turok Instanton Theory describing the birth of inflationary universes. With Paul Steinhardt, he developed a cyclic universe scenario, described in their critically acclaimed book Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang - Rewriting Cosmic History.
Turok was awarded the James Clerk Maxwell medal of the UK Institute of Physics and, in 2008, a prestigious TED Prize. Born in South Africa, Turok founded the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), a pan-African network of centres for education and research. This work has been recognized by awards from the World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (WSIE) and the World Innovation Summit on Education (WISE). Turok now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Turok was awarded the James Clerk Maxwell medal of the UK Institute of Physics and, in 2008, a prestigious TED Prize. Born in South Africa, Turok founded the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), a pan-African network of centres for education and research. This work has been recognized by awards from the World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (WSIE) and the World Innovation Summit on Education (WISE). Turok now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
The Universe Within: From Quantum to Cosmos is published by House of Anansi Press.