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| caption = Carroll in 2017
| birth_name = Sean Michael Carroll
| birth_date = {{
| birth_place = [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| citizenship =
| fields = {{
| workplaces = [[California Institute of Technology]] {{br}} [[Santa Fe Institute]] {{br}} [[Johns Hopkins University]]
| education = {{unbulleted list|[[Villanova University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])|[[Harvard University]] ([[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])}}
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| awards = [[Andrew Gemant Award]] <small>(2014)</small><br />[[Guggenheim Fellowship]] <small>(2015)</small>
| spouse = [[Jennifer Ouellette]]
| signature = <!--
| website = {{URL|www.preposterousuniverse.com
}}
'''Sean Michael Carroll''' (born October 5, 1966) is an American [[Theoretical physics|theoretical physicist]] and [[Philosophy|philosopher]] who specializes in [[quantum mechanics]], [[cosmology]], and the [[philosophy of science]].
He has appeared on the [[History Channel]]'s [[The Universe (TV series)|''The Universe'']], [[Science Channel]]'s ''[[Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman]]'', ''[[Closer to Truth]]'' (broadcast on [[PBS]]),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.closertotruth.com/contributor/sean-carroll/profile|title=Sean Carroll – Closer to Truth|website=www.closertotruth.com|access-date=February 23, 2017|archive-date=February 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224131618/https://www.closertotruth.com/contributor/sean-carroll/profile|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Comedy Central]]'s ''[[The Colbert Report]]''. Carroll is the author of ''Spacetime And Geometry'', a graduate-level textbook in general relativity, and has also recorded lectures for [[The Great Courses]] on cosmology,
== Career ==
Carroll received his PhD in [[astronomy]] in 1993 from [[Harvard University]], where his advisor was [[George B. Field]]. His [[dissertation]] was entitled ''Cosmological Consequences of Topological and Geometric Phenomena in Field Theories''. He worked as a [[postdoctoral researcher]] at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT) and [[Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics]] at the [[University of California, Santa Barbara]]<ref>{{cite web
Carroll has a B.S. in astronomy, Astrophysics and Philosophy from [[Villanova University]] in [[Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=CV – Sean Carroll|url=https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/cv/|access-date=2021-04-19|website=www.preposterousuniverse.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Activities – Sean Carroll|url=https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/activities/|access-date=2021-04-11|website=www.preposterousuniverse.com}}</ref>
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He is also a very prolific public speaker, hosting the podcast series Mindscape,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sean Carroll's Mindscape Podcast – Sean Carroll|url=https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/|access-date=2021-04-16|website=www.preposterousuniverse.com}}</ref> which he describes as "Sean Carroll hosts conversations with the world's most interesting thinkers", and The Biggest Ideas in the Universe.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biggest Ideas in the Universe|url=https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/category/biggest-ideas-in-the-universe/|access-date=2021-04-16|website=Sean Carroll|language=en-US}}</ref> He also delivers public speeches as well as [[#Debates, dialogues and discussions|getting engaged in public debates in wide variety of topics]].
Carroll has appeared on numerous television shows including [[List of The Colbert Report episodes (2005–06)|''The Colbert Report'']] and ''[[Through the Wormhole]]''.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|title=Sean Carroll|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2994354/|access-date=2021-08-16|website=IMDb}}</ref> He also worked as a consultant in several movies<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|title=Sean Carroll Bridges Spacetime between Science, Hollywood and the Public {{!}} American Association for the Advancement of Science|url=https://www.aaas.org/membership/member-spotlight/sean-carroll-bridges-spacetime-between-science-hollywood-and-public|access-date=2021-08-16|website=www.aaas.org|date=July 19, 2019
== Personal life ==
Carroll is married to [[Jennifer Ouellette]], a science writer and the former director of the [[Science & Entertainment Exchange]].<ref>Claudia Dreifus, [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/science/20conv.html?_r=1 "Sean Carroll Talks School Science and Time Travel"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227194302/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/science/20conv.html?_r=1
== Research ==
Carroll has worked on a number of areas of theoretical cosmology, field theory and gravitation theory. His research papers include models of, and experimental constraints on, violations of [[Lorentz invariance]]; the appearance of [[closed timelike curve]]s in general relativity; varieties of [[topological defect]]s in field theory; and cosmological dynamics of [[Kaluza–Klein theory|extra spacetime dimensions]]. He has written extensively on models of [[dark energy]] and its interactions with ordinary matter and [[dark matter]], as well as modifications of [[general relativity]] in cosmology. He has also worked on the foundations of [[quantum mechanics]], especially the [[many-worlds interpretation]], including a derivation of the [[Born rule]] for probabilities.
His most-cited work, "Is Cosmic Speed-Up Due To New Gravitational Physics?" (2003) was written with Vikram Duvvuri, [[Mark Trodden]] and [[Michael Turner (cosmologist)|Michael Turner]]. With over 1,900 citations, it helped pioneer the study of [[f(R) gravity]] in cosmology.<ref>{{Cite web
Carroll has also worked on the [[arrow of time]] problem. He and Jennifer Chen posit that the [[Big Bang]] is not a unique occurrence as a result of all of the matter and energy in the universe originating in a singularity at the beginning of time, but rather one of many [[cosmic inflation]] events resulting from [[quantum fluctuation]]s of [[vacuum energy]] in a cold [[de Sitter space]]. They claim that the universe is infinitely old but never reaches [[thermodynamic equilibrium]] as entropy increases continuously without limit due to the decreasing matter and energy density attributable to recurrent cosmic inflation. They assert that the universe is "statistically time-symmetric", insofar as it contains equal progressions of time "both forward and backward".<ref>Sean M. Carroll, Jennifer Chen, [https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0410270 "Spontaneous Inflation and the Origin of the Arrow of Time"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118235015/https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0410270
In 2017, Carroll presented an argument for rejecting certain cosmological models, including those with [[Boltzmann brain]]s, on the basis that they are cognitively unstable: they cannot simultaneously be true and justifiably believed.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Carroll|first1=Sean M.|date=2017|title=Why Boltzmann brains are bad|journal=|arxiv=1702.00850|bibcode=2017arXiv170200850C}}</ref> The article was solicited as a contribution to a larger work on ''Current Controversies in Philosophy of Science''.
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Carroll's speeches on the philosophy of religion also generate interest as his speeches are often responded to and talked about by philosophers and [[apologist]]s.<ref name=":9"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Responding to Sean Carroll: What If There Had Been a Camera at the Resurrection?|url=https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/responding-to-sean-carroll-what-if-there-had-been-a-camera-at-the-resurrection|access-date=2021-04-22|website=Discover Magazine|language=en}}</ref><ref>[https://files.meetup.com/328570/Reply_to_Carroll.pdf Reply to Sean Carroll] by [[Peter van Inwagen]].</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Is God a good theory? A response to Sean Carroll (Part One) – Uncommon Descent|url=https://uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/is-god-a-good-theory-a-response-to-sean-carroll-part-one/|access-date=2021-04-22|website=uncommondescent.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Horgan|first=John|title=Multiverse Theories Are Bad for Science|url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/multiverse-theories-are-bad-for-science/|access-date=2021-04-22|website=Scientific American Blog Network|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-02-13|title=Sean Carroll's Preposterous Universe|url=https://evolutionnews.org/2018/02/sean-carrolls-preposterous-universe/|access-date=2021-04-22|website=Evolution News|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Knowledge, Belief and God: New Insights in Religious Epistemology|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2018|isbn=978-0-19-879870-5|pages=133|chapter=A Theological Critique of the Fine-Tuning Argument}}</ref> Carroll believes that thinking like a scientist leads one to the conclusion that God does not exist.<ref name=":0"/> Carroll thinks that over four centuries of scientific progress have convinced most professional philosophers and scientists of the validity of ''naturalism''.<ref name="preposterousuniverse.com">{{Cite web|title=Moving Naturalism Forward – Sean Carroll|url=https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/naturalism2012/|access-date=2021-06-18|website=www.preposterousuniverse.com}}</ref> Carroll also asserts that the term [[Methodological Naturalism|methodological naturalism]] is an inaccurate characterisation of science, that science is not characterised by methodological naturalism but by [[methodological empiricism]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carroll|first=Sean Michael|title=The Big Picture|pages=133}}</ref>
Carroll is a vocal atheist who has debated with [[Christian apologist]]s such as [[Dinesh D'Souza]] and [[William Lane Craig]].<ref name=":4"/> He occasionally takes part in formal debates and discussions about scientific, religious and philosophical topics with a variety of people. Politically, Carroll has expressed his opposition to former president [[Donald Trump]]. He wrote ahead of the [[2016 United States presidential election]] that "[Trump] has continually vilified immigrants and foreigners generally, promoting an us-against-them mentality between people of different races and ethnicities" and that he posed a threat to liberal democratic values.<ref>{{cite web
== Debates, dialogues and discussions ==
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Carroll has been involved in numerous public debates and discussions with other academics and commentators. In 2012, he gathered a number of well-known academics from a variety of backgrounds for a three-day seminar titled "Moving Naturalism Forward".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Farrell|first=John|title=What Happens When You Lock Scientists And Philosophers In A Room Together|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnfarrell/2012/12/11/what-happens-when-you-lock-scientists-and-philosophers-in-a-room-together/|access-date=2021-06-18|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref><ref name="preposterousuniverse.com"/><ref>{{Cite web|last1=December 18|first1=the Editor on|last2=Essay|first2=2012 in|date=2012-12-18|title=Moving Naturalism Forward|url=https://www.metanexus.net/moving-naturalism-forward/|access-date=2021-06-18|website=Metanexus|language=en-US}}</ref> The participants were [[Steven Weinberg]], [[Richard Dawkins]], [[Daniel Dennett|Daniel C. Dennett]], [[Jerry Coyne]], [[Simon DeDeo]], [[Massimo Pigliucci]], [[Janna Levin]], [[Owen Flanagan]], [[Rebecca Goldstein]], [[David Poeppel]], [[Alexander Rosenberg|Alex Rosenberg]], [[Terrence Deacon]] and Don Ross with James Ladyman.
Also in 2012, Carroll teamed up with [[Michael Shermer]] to debate with [[Ian Hutchinson (scientist)|Ian Hutchinson]] of MIT and author [[Dinesh D'Souza]] at Caltech in an event titled "The Great Debate: Has Science Refuted Religion?"<ref>Carroll, Sean M. [http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/03/25/sciencereligion-debate-live-streaming-today/#.VIaF1GfZcS8 "Science/Religion Debate Live-Streaming Today : Cosmic Variance"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214233805/http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/03/25/sciencereligion-debate-live-streaming-today/#.VIaF1GfZcS8
In 2014, Carroll participated in a highly anticipated debate with philosopher and Christian apologist [[William Lane Craig]] as part of the Greer-Heard Forum in New Orleans. The topic of debate was "The Existence of God in Light of Contemporary Cosmology".
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Also in 2014, Carroll partook in a debate held by [[Intelligence Squared]], the title of the debate was "Death is Not Final". Carroll teamed up with [[Steven Novella]], a neurologist by profession known for his skepticism, and the two argued against the motion. Their adversaries were [[Eben Alexander (author)|Eben Alexander]], neurosurgeon and an author, and [[Raymond Moody]], a philosopher, author, psychologist and physician.
In 2016, he delivered the [[Gifford Lectures]] on ''The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself'' at the [[University of Glasgow]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Glasgow Gifford Lectures|url=https://www.gla.ac.uk/events/lectures/gifford/|website=gla.ac.uk|publisher=University of Glasgow}}</ref>
In 2017, Carroll took part in a discussion with [[B. Alan Wallace]], a Buddhist scholar and monk ordained by the [[Dalai Lama]]. It was organized by an institution sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gleiser|first=Marcelo|author-link=Marcelo Gleiser|date=February 16, 2017|title=Alan Wallace and Sean Carroll on The Nature of Reality|url=https://ice.dartmouth.edu/blog/sean-carroll-and-alan-wallace-on-the-nature-of-reality|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190104223443/https://ice.dartmouth.edu/blog/sean-carroll-and-alan-wallace-on-the-nature-of-reality|archive-date=January 4, 2019|publisher=[[Dartmouth College]]}}</ref> In this public dialogue, they discussed the nature of reality from spiritual and scientific viewpoints.<ref>{{Cite web|title=B. Alan Wallace|url=https://wisdomexperience.org/content-author/b-alan-wallace/|access-date=2021-06-06|website=[[The Wisdom Experience]]|language=en}}</ref>
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== Selected publications ==
* {{Cite book
* {{Cite book
* {{Cite book
* {{Cite book
* {{Cite book
* {{Cite book
* {{Cite book|last=Carroll|first=Sean|title=Quanta and Fields: The Biggest Ideas in the Universe|date=2024|publisher=Dutton|isbn=9780593186602}}
* [http://inspirehep.net/search?ln=en&p=a+carroll%2C+s+m&of=hb&action_search=Search&sf=earliestdate&so=d Research publication list], from the [[INSPIRE-HEP]] digital library.
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* Video of Sean Carroll's panel discussion, "Quantum to Cosmos", answering the biggest questions in physics today, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QePNKlCpgl4 Part 1] at [[Perimeter Institute]]'s Quantum to Comos (Q2C) festival
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI09kat_GeI&list=PLrxfgDEc2NxZJcWcrxH3jyjUUrJlnoyzX Video introduction to Sean Carroll's lectures "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe"], 2020
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160512020046/http://www.cc.com/video-clips/ski7ov/the-colbert-report-sean-carroll Interview] on [[The Colbert Report]]
* {{cite web|last=Carroll|first=Sean|title=Higgs Boson with Sean Carroll|url=http://www.sixtysymbols.com/videos/higgs_sean.htm|work=Sixty Symbols|publisher=[[Brady Haran]] for the [[University of Nottingham]]}}
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