Speaker: Yi Wang (Associate Professor, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Theoretical Physicist and Cosmologist; Renowned Science Communicator)

Moderator: Liuxiang Hao (Director, Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Time: Wednesday, June 12, 2024, 14:00 - 16:00

Venue: Lecture Hall, Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Sciences (4th Floor, South Building, Building 4, Software Park, No. 4 Zhongguancun South Street)

Organizer: Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Abstract:
We can only observe one universe, and we exist within it. This makes cosmology fundamentally different from other branches of science that rely on repeatable experiments. Many issues in cosmology can be approached using scientific methods, but they cannot yet be fully resolved within the scientific framework.

This lecture will briefly review cosmology and focus on issues at the intersection of science and philosophy, including:

  • · How was the universe born?
  • · Why is it challenging to detect the moment of the universe's birth?
  • · Who "measured" the quantum universe?
  • · Why is the universe’s environment suitable for human existence (anthropic principle, top-down cosmology, etc.)?
  • · Are we typical observers in the universe (Boltzmann brain problem)?
  • · What challenges does dark energy pose to cosmology?
  • · What are the ultimate fates of the universe?

Speaker Bio:
Yi Wang is an Associate Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

  • · Research: Specializes in theoretical physics and cosmology, having published over 100 research papers with more than 6,000 citations. He was a Hawking Senior Scholar at Cambridge University, recipient of the National Science Foundation's Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Hong Kong/Macao), and awarded the Hong Kong University Grants Committee's Early Career Award.
  • · Teaching: He lectures on quantum field theory and general relativity on Bilibili, offers modern physics courses on Coursera, and teaches live courses on general relativity via Co-sharing. He has served as the Hong Kong regional leader for the International Physics Olympiad and received the HKUST Science Faculty Teaching Award.
  • · Science Communication: Co-author of the sixth edition of 100,000 Whys and author of popular science books such as One Theory for Everything and One Theory on the Three-Body Problem. His science videos and live streams have amassed over 100 million views.

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