An Inside View of the Institute for Advanced Study

this sucker here this is a big big bad boy that's called the cosmological constant and that's the directly the question of why the universe is large there's so much we don't know about the world we don't actually understand how physics works we don't actually understand how biology works we're a little confused about math and computer science in terms of the things that will happen in the future the Institute is at the center of that conversation Einstein Bohr Oppenheimer there is no student body here just chalk and blackboard and books and scholars there's no other place where everyone is so totally absorbed in pure research don't have to teach you don't have to attend committee meetings you just are there and it's a time to explore there's no requirements there's no punch guide I think we're all very interested in what we do a space to be able to concentrate is absolutely crucial it's been crucial for centuries I don't know of any other place with cares about this and only this it's operating principles are extremely simple it's getting the best people and then giving them the complete freedom to think the big question I'm trying to answer is how do galaxies in the universe form what is dark matter what is dark energy what makes up most of the matter in the universe we don't understand that currently why in the 10th 11th century Jewish theologians start doing theology as as Muslim scholars do what is space and time really the goal is to learn new things about the way the world works oh yeah that's that's that's a good question I am an economist I'm interested in how the psychology of poverty affects decision-making I like to write about something that I like in order to understand why I like it I'll show you a painting that was made six months before doing the pixel was invented in 1951 well I don't work I'm retired a long time ago I work in the theory of modular forms we study whole numbers and try to understand prime numbers there's always someone doing something amazing even if it's not you that's incredibly inspiring I was stuck on one point in which was very tricky and she found a way around it and that's exactly what progress is I speak to historians to economists to political theorists occasionally to physicists I think what keeps people going is that they are motivated and when you're excited about something it makes for a very stimulating interaction sometimes I describe my job as being mayor of a very small village since we all live together we eat together play together bonds are formed both intellectually and socially that lasts a lifetime we know that if we get big we will spoil everything because the kind of intimacy kind of understanding the kind of comradeship but dis possible in the place of this size is hard to maintain in a place ten times as big I'm stunned by this place it still seems to be one of the most exciting ideas in the history of humankind that's a lot to say if you have a small idea that will have small consequences big ideas totally transform our world and you need the place which is kind of a nursery for these big ideas

Channel: Institute for Advanced Study

Views: 108,684

Rating: 4.8915343 out of 5

Keywords: Albert Einstein (Academic), Princeton (City/Town/Village), Institute For Advanced Study (College/University), Robbert Dijkgraaf (Academic), Nima Arkani-Hamed (Academic), Eric Schmidt (Organization Leader), Research (Industry), Physics (Field Of Study), Mathematics (Field Of Study), historical studies, Social Science (Field Of Study), Higher Education (Industry)

Id: JCFP9F7Tbr4

Length: 3min 48sec (228 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 01 2015