Humility is the first step toward learning. You can't learn until you are humble enough to realise that there is something for you to learn. - Robert T. Kyosaki
Brian Cox is my favorite physicist because he is just such a kind and down to earth seeming guy. He seems like he is still so excited by science and it makes me want to listen to him even more. 😊
Refreshing to see interviewers/podcasters let the guest speak uninterrupted for nearly 5 minutes. Sometimes it’s nice to let knowledgeable people speak for themselves and let the audience soak it in.
This. It seems to be the modern style of many interviewers to interrupt the guest directly after mildly interesting oneliner has been said. This is refreshing.
I wish I could have learned from Brian Cox as a kid. I do watch his videos and documentaries and read all the books he's written He makes science so unbelievably interesting. I respect and admire him for what he does and how he does it. He is so cool, smart, well-spoken, and pleasant. We need more people like him and more people like him in every field of study.
I remember being taught long ago that if you cannot explain something to a 6th Grader you don't really know what you're talking about. Brian Cox is such a great example of how scientists should be.
I spend a lot of my time writing technical documentation. I often ask people completely unfamiliar with the technology to review my documentation. If they can’t understand it, I’ve failed.
@@pepelemoko01And Confucius said, "A wise man can recognise a fool because he was once a fool. However, a fool cannot recognise a wise man because has never been wise."
Happy to admit that Brian Cox is my Man Crush. His understanding of not just science, but communication, blows my mind. This man made me interested in topics which were previously well beyond my comprehension. He is expanding peoples minds, and that is truly beautiful.
I’ve read somewhere that, “The beginning of wisdom is being able to say I don’t know”. Brian Cox is truly wise! He knows how much we don’t know and doesn’t bullshit about it. He is a brilliant communicator. 👍
Best thing i could compliment the man on is that he's one of those rare people who you could just listen to for hours on end in complete silence. He's so good at bringing the fascination he has for physics to us @@johnstirling6597
Professor Cox is one of the easiest people just to listen to talking. I love listening to him and Matthew Syed talk. They are two hyper intelligent people that are genuinely excited and love their fields of work but can explain things on the most basic level. Professor Cox is just an incredible teacher.
Personally, I believe that Brian Cox is a worthy successor to the excellence of Carl Sagan. Sagan was without doubt one of the great polymaths who could blend the teaching of science with the teaching of history and an evocative prose of the best writer. Though Brian's prose in his presentations may not be quite as elevated, it is just as evocative, and his sense of wonder and joy in portraying the immensity and mystery of the Universe is magnetic and enthralling. In fact, I think he may have actually taught me more in his Wonders of the Solar System and Wonders of the Universe series than Sagan did in Cosmos, though perhaps that is due both to his access to more and newer ways of seeing these wonders today. Professor Cox has the unique capacity to gather the information, analyze, synthesize, and teach it with clarity and a quiet power. But he is certainly standing on the giant shoulders of Dr. Sagan,
I love this comment. You can see the examples and inspiration than Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman have offered, as forces of good for humanity, directly in the work of Brian Cox and Tyson De Grasse
💯 I started watching the 'remake' of Cosmos and was put off by the attitude of the host and the slick CGI effects. The sense of wonder was not present as it had been in the original series. The sense of someone who is full of themselves, in the new series, was abundantly clear.
Brian Cox is indeed a great teacher. You can immediately understand it when he begins to speak. All great teachers explain concepts in a simple manner. If s/he cannot explain ideas in simple terms s/he does not understand it! If s/he does not understand it, s/he cannot teach it!
Brian Cox doesn’t know how rare his way of critical thinking is, it’s wonderful to listen to him talk about those giants of humanity, Sagan, Feynman etc, I remember by accident watching Richard Feynman’s “The pleasure of finding things out” when I was about 12 or so, the lectures on TV. I instantly knew this was a very special person indeed, someone that will help to open up this amazing world to me. What a wonderful teacher, the questions he would ask and make you look at more closely was so insightful. One thing that came up only very recently, mentioned here, was this concept of Time being built of smaller things. Oh my goodness I’m looking forward to the next decade of discoveries.
Indeed. Additionally, the BBC has regularily broadcast the Christmas lectures from the Royal Institution, designed to showcase and demonstrate science to younger people, often fronted by well known scientists. They have always been done with a great sense of fun and stimulating content to encourage interest and enthusiasm from their younger audiences. The 2023 lectures explore the science behind Artificial Intelligence.
The discussion about saying “I don’t know”. The host nailed it. This is the biggest threat to our collective intellect, a peril of the current culture and business hierarchy norms that he mentions. People need to wise up. I listen to the people who say “I don’t know.” Because it’s THOSE things that we can add value in discovering.
@@andrewthomas695 That's basically what I was taught early on. Knowledge is knowing something, intelligence is knowing how to use it and wisdom is knowing when not to.
We need more folks like Professor Cox. An honest expert who doesn't have to bluster and b.shit. The media in general seem to be so lacking in people of this character.
Simply love listening to Prof Brian Cox because he never makes you feel you lack knowledge and understanding. You leave feeling there is so much even the experts don’t understand. 🌟
"Being delighted, excited and passionate about not knowing" is what has gotten us here. Belief is a certainty. Accepting our ignorance is important for our progress
@@dionlindsay2 What I think they’re really trying to say is that those who assert the superiority of belief, which is a claim to certainly know a revealed truth in which all faith must be invested, over the knowledge that our knowledge is necessarily limited and subject to constant revision (as science and philosophy do), are actually limiting human progress. After all, a claim founded on the belief that something is true - especially those which assert the absoluteness of that revealed “wisdom” - is also likely to prohibit any and all progress as a threat to its own certainties. The quote at the beginning of their comment, which they have cited in praise (I think), illustrates that it is that uniquely curious disposition of mind that has allowed humanity to make it as far as we have - for better and worse. Hence, the last sentence seems to be saying that *not* knowing, yet being willing to be wrong in the quest of finding out, is more necessary than continuing to place faith in systems of belief simply for their own sake.
@@feliscorax I'm to a large degree at the mercy of an epistemology course I took at University about 45 years ago, where knowledge was defined as justified true belief. The kind of belief you're writing about was called faith and it was distinguished from belief as a constituent of knowledge. So I do treat belief as having less credibility than knowledge. Of course there's wisdom to be fitted into the picture somewhere too.
In Ancient Rome, bathers at the Roman baths would pay to cover themselves (or even eat) the discarded oils that had been used for massaging the celebrities. That there are stupid people in the world is not surprising or newsworthy.
Didn’t they used to have public information films to tell people not to; play on train tracks, climb electrical pylons and what to do if you drink bleach?
No one was legit eating detergent. The exaggeration of that one story haunts your mind, man. That has not been a legitimate problem. How did Oppenheimer the movie get made? Nolan’s movies have made 6 billion worldwide, that’s how. Hahaha
Brian Cox is a gift of our time, where a relatable bloke from Oldham can explain with passion complex scientific topics. (Even though he is a Phd in his field).
I had a collage educator who told all his classes. " it is not important that you know everything! it is important that you know where to go and how to get the answers you need to accomplish your goals" . Brian is saying the about same thing.
Loved Oppenheimer and loved Carl Sagan’s ‘Cosmos’ - I saw it when I was a little kid on our ABC in Australia. I watched it with my Dad and that was special. Car was an incredible communicator and so is Brian…..
the great thing about Brian, is for someone who is obviously extremely bright, he is able to dumb it down so that the rest of us are able to understand what he is trying to communicate
It’s a tremendous portrait of a complex, fiercely intelligent character, who was completely betrayed and ultimately destroyed by his work. I went back and watched Oppenheimer’s later interviews, and saw a broken man. A brilliant film, only spoiled by the quiet dialogue, which was at times difficult to follow.
I love Brian Cox... I was also so influenced by Carl Sagan, but Brian has a humility and fearlessness that is amazing.. (also super cool that he went from being a pop-star to being an astronomer....kind of a reverse Brian May...🙂
I know very little about science and I am not in any way a mathematical genius... but if given the chance thats the man I would choose to spend a day with.... he is so pleasant listening to...
Spot on, when you truly know and understand something, it's pretty easy to find simple ways to explain it and break it down into easily manageable nuggets which Brian has done many times.
To this day, Sagan remains unbeaten as the most brilliant science communicator to ever grace the TV screens. Brian Cox is great, with a humble demeanor that for example, lacks in NDGT. Michio Kaku is a bit all over the place and sometimes, like NDGT sticks his foot in his mouth. Sagan however, was a natural, He had this fantastic way of putting extremely complex concepts into easily grasping explanations. A calm, soothing presence and voice that would take you on long voyages across the Cosmos. He is sorely missed.
IMHO Brian Cox is also up there with the great science communicators, he manages to create a sense of wonder when looking at nature, very similar to what Sagan did, I deeply dislike Tyson, he comes off as arrogant and entitled, like most contemporary americans.
James Burke was an amazing communicator and if you were not from Britain in 60's 70's 80's you may not know him. He would have given Sagan a run for his money.
NdGT has great rethoric skills and ample knowledge about a lot of things besides strictly science (which makes him a great entertainer in general) but I also feel sometimes he is a bit too full of himself. It's great to have him, don't get me worng, even if he has this tendency to monopolize debates. Brian Cox is a rock star in my books, both literally and figuratively, because not only he knows a lot of stuff but he also seems eager to learn something form the others, even if that other is you. And his british accent is neat xD
Well it's the whole, "if you truly understand a concept you could explain it simply" that holds true. Self important people make it a point that they know more than you do. But when you are humble and understand a topic very well, you want to share and you can explain it in a way anyone can understand.
I see somewhat of a trend developing here; and that is "most people are too stupid to understand us geniuses". WHAT POPPYCOCK! Big Bang? Here are some questions for you geniuses; What Big Bang, Where is the BIG BANG? Time, what time? What is time, has time always existed, was it created or has it existed all along? What is "dark matter/dark energy', what is always here or did it just pop into being? Tell me this when you so called geniuses figure this out and have answers instead of unproved theorems give me a call.
Interesting interview. I am a retired chemical engineer. In my retirement I spent much of my time delving into physics with a special interest in relativity, gravity and quantum mechanics. I now teach the subject whenever I can to A level students, U3A Science groups and university summer schools. Because I have had to go through a 'relearning process' I find that I am now much better at teaching the subject because I now know what it took to learn new and abstract concepts. I freely admit when I don't know an answer to a question and will always go and find out what the answer is and relay it back to the questioner. By the way I have discovered that even the great Feynman sometimes got things wrong. He taught his students that your mass increases as you approach the speed of light. This in fact not the case as rest mass is invariant. Your relativistic momentum tends to infinity but that that is not because of changing mass. Enough said!
It depends on how mass is defined. Today it is unpopular to use the term "relativistic mass". When a physicist talks today about mass he always means "rest mass". But: a hot cup of coffee has indeed a higher mass then a cold cup of coffee. And that’s because the equivalence between momentum, energy and mass.
Its not about popularity. Rest mass is invariant. If relativistic mass were real then fast moving bodies would exert an increased gravitational force etc. etc. Energy and mass are convertible but this does not give rise to relativistic mass which in the limit becomes infinite.@@grandeau3802
I’m a Chem Eng too and I’ve always said science isn’t about knowing all the answers, it’s the process of looking for them. We know a lot, but there’s always more to learn, no matter how good you are.
The title is a bit misleading. He wasn't really giving his honest opinion of Oppenheimer, but using Oppenheimer to talk about his commitment to popular science
Brian Cox and Anton Petrov are the 2 reasons my heart and mind is still chasing knowledge and science today. A lot of Science personalities seem to be of late trying to justify their positions on their ideas and such, as opposed to just giving us not only the facts, but in a way that doesn't make me feel foolish for not understanding the "math" of it all...
I found Carl Sagan and Cosmos a real eye-opener and an inspiration. His excellent poetic science and wonder of the natural world were groundbreaking; Brian Cox is the new Carl Sagan.
No he aren’t new Carl Sagan, that’s an insult to a great man. Brian Cox is next gen that showing world what men like Carl done which is to educate people on cosmos etc.
@@Jeffro5564 To say it is an insult to compare him to a modern Carl Sagan (not the same as) is rather extreme ,but I find Neil deGrasse Tyson awful; even though he was a student of Carl Sagan, I find him insufferable. Brian Cox is a great informer.
I’m a Mancunian like Brian and of similar age, he sounds very much like a kid I could’ve grown up alongside and been good friends with in the 1970s. He’s very likeable and passionate about his interests and communicates that extremely well.
Impressed they got through this conversation without mentioning that the qualities of science they discussed are direct opposites of how religions think and act: admitting you don't have the answers, embracing new evidence and amending your world view as you learn more.
There are good teachers and lecturers and there are bad, I still remember my A level physics teacher who was absolutely brilliant and my chemistry teacher who was stiff and had no idea how to pass on knowledge even though he was very smart. I think being able to teach is as skilful as the knowledge itself,and Professor Brian Cox is one of those people.
To be blessed with a mind like that.......humbly knowledgeable, with the fresh enthusiasm of a child persisting through an awesome career of breathtaking insight, just wonderfully inspiring.
Although nearly three hours too long, "Oppenheimer" is a true Hollywood MASTERPIECE. It ranks right up there with "The Three Stooges Go Around the World In A Daze."
Oppenheimer! He was both a blessing and a curse to the world! He stopped world wars, but put the world in a danger it’s never witnessed before. It’s up to you decide if he was for man’s better or worse. Frankly I can’t
Bryan Cox is correct when he says you must be delighted when things go wrong. It really does mean you have learned something. I doubt many people use this in their lives. I used to build race engines and if it does not start after a build it has gone wrong. When you subsequently find the issue you have learned not to do that again. Trial and error a great way to learn. As an apprentice I was taught this. It’s a shame many people look down on so called failure. Teachers of any subject need to learn a students failure to understand is their failing not the students. It takes strength of character by the teacher to accept this.
Sagan..... 'The Spaceship of The Mind....' It was groundbreaking...... I was glued as a youngster... Love your enthusiasm. Opp was a scientist without knowing it I think......
Brian Cox is a pearl of great price. Possession of knowledge is a gift from the gods. His ability to connect with others is singular. He is the star-child of Sagan and Oppenheimer.
Richard Hamming said: I need to discuss science vs. engineering. Put glibly: In science if you know what you are doing you should not be doing it. In engineering if you do not know what you are doing you should not be doing it.
I'm too young to have lived when Feynmann was waxing eloquent but have had the great fortune to listen to Sagan and BC explaining the BIG challenges that we face. Privileged.
In response to a reporter’s question, Feynman once said something along the lines that if he could explain QED in one or two sentences, they wouldn’t have awarded the Nobel Prize to him.
I too grew up watching Carl Sagan's Univerce and to this day belive in finding answers and the truth of jusy Why and How things work, I'm still amazed at finding things out. Thank you UA-cam..ur the best lesson ever.
9:10 I respectfully disagree. School, in a sense, punishes us for not knowing. But society today has become extremely anti-intellectual. You get laughed at if you actually _do_ know. It’s almost a social _faux pas_ to attempt to explain something because people don’t want to know. In my opinion, there are several reasons for this. Firstly, they don’t know themselves, so they find that embarrassing or threatening. Secondly, it’s considered very uncool to explain something using nuance and with potentially conflicting information. Finally, they blame the messenger or try to laugh it off because being funny is preferable to being knowledgeable. Brian Cox transcends all of this. His calm, patient demeanour and slightly self-effacing, friendly sort of nature makes him more appealing and far less threatening to most people than a lot of other intellectuals.
BBC's sky at night is one of the longest running tv programmes in the world (1957,and patrick Moore was the tv host of the same programme the longest in tv history)
Prof Brian Cox is someone I wish was in my friendship group as these are exactly the kinds of conversations I relish but don’t get the opportunity to have very often.
I think one of the major problems that humans face is this: Not knowing that you don't know something and admitting it that you don't know is easy.... What's difficult is when you don't even know what it is that you don't know and admitting that. You're still in control, with the former. You're able to identify and determine what it is you'd need to understand, in order to know. But with the latter, you have zero control. Not only do you not know, but the thing is so beyond you, that you aren't even aware of what it is you don't know. The former is something that fairly intelligent people encounter and the latter is something that most of the common population encounter regularly.
Professor Cox is great, and I think his detractors -- notably the one with three names -- are jealous, science snobs. He has an open mind and is only interested in learning and knowing, not bombastically bullying people into his way of thinking. If you can find it, check out the 1980 PBS 'American Experience' TV miniseries Oppenheimer, starring Sam Waterston. It, too is a masterpiece.
I think the only thing I ever heard Neil de Grasse Tyson say about Cox is that he wishes that there were more of him, that he seems to be the only Brit who appears on tv. I’d add Dawkins. But maybe Dawkins is too controversial for Tyson to champion, much as he agrees with the notion that religions are (almost certainly) just bosh.
This is really important. I was 'academic' - understanding and memorising the basics, then proving that I had learnt what other people had discovered - learn and churn. I was also 'clever' - I could fix stuff and work out how to do stuff. I was also 'sporty'. But, I never had 'that' kind of intelligence, brilliance, or ability. I became a teacher and being blessed with a good childhood memory, I could remember the difficulties I had faced. I knew the stepping stones to understanding, because I had used them. So, I could guide others, many of whom were far more gifted than I. I was absolutely rubbish at teaching symmetry, or map-reading/scale. I had never experienced a problem with it. It had always been 'obvious' - how can't you see it? And this is the problem that 'really intelligent' people have (not me) when trying to convey meaning to others. This is the problem clever people - sparkies, plumbers, carpenters, fitters, lorry drivers - have, too. They can't train people who 'just don't have it'. As for sports - "They will never be a ... as long as they have a hole in their...". Brilliant people should stick to being boffins, artisans and athletes. They are usually rubbish at teaching.
There those who do but can't teach who then claim that teachers teach but can't do. There are also those who can do AND teach and they are worth their weight in gold. And of course there are those who can't do or teach.
I was the opposite of you: I was poor from a traditional academic standpoint (more due to lack of interest than ability), but give me a problem or scientific concept to unravel and I will knock it out the park. I think I agree with you that too often we confuse academia with intelligence, and I suspect the ‘sweet spot’ (if we are to evolve) is how to properly challenge people rather than how to ‘properly’ teach people….
@@MrArchie800 Sadly, education has become very much a 'one size fits all' and yet, it fits fewer and fewer people. The National Curriculum - jump through hoops, with constant testing - has stifled creativity, piled on pressure and left no time to think and do. I left.
I fell in love with the book Cosmos. I used to walk around with it as kid like it was the Bible. Dr. Sagan's way of communicating cosmology and science was amazing and a huge influence on me as a kid... to have a inquisitive mind and investigate the world around us.
COSMOS got me started. When I heard Sagan talk about Eratosthenes and the circumference of the earth it blew my mind how you could take reason and a couple bits of information and scale it up to the distance around the earth. I have since sought out things that can be determined with the least evidence possible. Like the magic trick with 10 coins and you turn your back and let someone flip any two coins as many times as they want and cover one and you turn back and tell them what is under their hand. You only needed 1 bit of information before you turned your back.
I need new glasses, or a bigger phone... from the thumbnail I thought this was going to be Brian Cox plays LA Noire 😅 Great interview though, could listen to him talk for hours.
Even my Mum loved Carl Sagan but I think it was more his voice as she didn't really understand a lot of the science. His Cosmos series was extraordinary for the time when the only 'Space' program (at least what I can recall) was Patrick Moore's The Sky at Night.
Plato wrote a GREAT book called 'the Theaetetus of Plato'. I was a mathematics postgraduate. I studied a whole bunch from mathsy maths to theoretical physics,and I recently dropped out. In mythird year of my undergrad I took a Greek Philosophy module, we spent the whole semester studying this Socratic dialogue, 'the Theaetetus. This class, and this book, helped me form my perspective on what knowledge is to me. PS psychedelics also helped.
@@ninersix2790 I’m not any old druggy mate, I’m the worst kind. I’m the rob my bedridden mother of her only pain meds type druggy, I’m the shake your hand rob your house kind of druggy, I’m the rob your phone sell it for a tenner type druggy. The tweaker, the no sleeper, the peace preacher! Lol. nah mate, drugs are beyond good and evil. Get serious, leap past those resentments, if it is a conversation you desire.
“When I’m wrong, I’m delighted: I can learn something new” what a fantastic way to live your life. BC is a treasure.
Humility is the first step toward learning. You can't learn until you are humble enough to realise that there is something for you to learn. - Robert T. Kyosaki
This is a different definition of empathy. I like it.
This is bullshit and goes against every instinct.
Yes, they were hypnotized by intelligence!
@markjohnson7488 he doesn't?
When Brian Cox starts speaking, things can only get better 👍
I see what you did there...
Dare to D:Ream
Brian Cox is my favorite physicist because he is just such a kind and down to earth seeming guy. He seems like he is still so excited by science and it makes me want to listen to him even more. 😊
He probably has half a dozen heads on his Mantlepiece at home from people that disagreed with him . haahahahah
Check out Brian Greene WOW!!!!
He just a great tosser of incredible lies !
you mean weak and cowardly
A kind and down to earth seeming guy is what I think 80% of the human race is..... we are being led by pschicopaths.
Refreshing to see interviewers/podcasters let the guest speak uninterrupted for nearly 5 minutes. Sometimes it’s nice to let knowledgeable people speak for themselves and let the audience soak it in.
Shame rhe adds didnt 🙄
He’s a very interesting man Mr Cox so worth listening to.
This. It seems to be the modern style of many interviewers to interrupt the guest directly after mildly interesting oneliner has been said.
This is refreshing.
You think these divs interviewing him have anythhing worthwhile to say??
@@kevw333I’m not sure you understand cost and afford something for free
Thanks to the interviewers/hosts for letting Brian speak and inspire. All too often people don't get the chance.
You think these divs interviewing him have anythhing worthwhile to say??
Every middle school Science class in the world she be required to play at least one Brian Cox lecture. He is such a great communicator.
I wish I could have learned from Brian Cox as a kid. I do watch his videos and documentaries and read all the books he's written He makes science so unbelievably interesting. I respect and admire him for what he does and how he does it. He is so cool, smart, well-spoken, and pleasant. We need more people like him and more people like him in every field of study.
I remember being taught long ago that if you cannot explain something to a 6th Grader you don't really know what you're talking about. Brian Cox is such a great example of how scientists should be.
He always looks amazed
What one fool can understand, another can.
Richard P. Feynman
I spend a lot of my time writing technical documentation. I often ask people completely unfamiliar with the technology to review my documentation. If they can’t understand it, I’ve failed.
The more you understand a subject, the more you're able to simplify it.
@@pepelemoko01And Confucius said, "A wise man can recognise a fool because he was once a fool. However, a fool cannot recognise a wise man because has never been wise."
Happy to admit that Brian Cox is my Man Crush. His understanding of not just science, but communication, blows my mind. This man made me interested in topics which were previously well beyond my comprehension. He is expanding peoples minds, and that is truly beautiful.
Same.
I can listen to Brian talk for hours, humble yet so knowledgeable
I can't
Yep, not a 'like, like...' anywhere. Dear Americans out there please take a lesson?
KP ;0)
He's a f lying establishment shill who promotes the "moon landing". Wth is wrong with you⁉️
I’ve read somewhere that, “The beginning of wisdom is being able to say I don’t know”. Brian Cox is truly wise! He knows how much we don’t know and doesn’t bullshit about it. He is a brilliant communicator. 👍
Myself and my 2 sons attended a lecture he gave in Perth a few years ago and it was one of the most illuminating 2 hours we have ever spent.
Best thing i could compliment the man on is that he's one of those rare people who you could just listen to for hours on end in complete silence. He's so good at bringing the fascination he has for physics to us @@johnstirling6597
Exactly! He's not a sensationalist, he knows the limits of his knowledge and isn't affrid to say! Thats how all scientists should be!
Tip for life: The more you know, the more you know that you don't know anything.
@@OriginalPuro so true. I know stuff, and I know stuff-all! 🤣
The man is an absolute genius. His way of articulating things is so good, could listen to him all day.
Professor Cox is one of the easiest people just to listen to talking.
I love listening to him and Matthew Syed talk. They are two hyper intelligent people that are genuinely excited and love their fields of work but can explain things on the most basic level.
Professor Cox is just an incredible teacher.
Brian is such a chill bloke
Personally, I believe that Brian Cox is a worthy successor to the excellence of Carl Sagan. Sagan was without doubt one of the great polymaths who could blend the teaching of science with the teaching of history and an evocative prose of the best writer. Though Brian's prose in his presentations may not be quite as elevated, it is just as evocative, and his sense of wonder and joy in portraying the immensity and mystery of the Universe is magnetic and enthralling. In fact, I think he may have actually taught me more in his Wonders of the Solar System and Wonders of the Universe series than Sagan did in Cosmos, though perhaps that is due both to his access to more and newer ways of seeing these wonders today. Professor Cox has the unique capacity to gather the information, analyze, synthesize, and teach it with clarity and a quiet power. But he is certainly standing on the giant shoulders of Dr. Sagan,
I love this comment. You can see the examples and inspiration than Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman have offered, as forces of good for humanity, directly in the work of Brian Cox and Tyson De Grasse
Thank you Melanie for you comment. I very much agree! I can't help but listen when Brian starts speaking because his curiosity is so magnetic!
💯
I started watching the 'remake' of Cosmos and was put off by the attitude of the host and the slick CGI effects. The sense of wonder was not present as it had been in the original series. The sense of someone who is full of themselves, in the new series, was abundantly clear.
Way better than Tyson who's just a jester.
Tyson should never have got that role, he didn't deserve it..
He is arrogant and thinks he is better than everyone..
Brian Cox is indeed a great teacher. You can immediately understand it when he begins to speak. All great teachers explain concepts in a simple manner.
If s/he cannot explain ideas in simple terms s/he does not understand it!
If s/he does not understand it, s/he cannot teach it!
Brian Cox doesn’t know how rare his way of critical thinking is, it’s wonderful to listen to him talk about those giants of humanity, Sagan, Feynman etc, I remember by accident watching Richard Feynman’s “The pleasure of finding things out” when I was about 12 or so, the lectures on TV. I instantly knew this was a very special person indeed, someone that will help to open up this amazing world to me. What a wonderful teacher, the questions he would ask and make you look at more closely was so insightful. One thing that came up only very recently, mentioned here, was this concept of Time being built of smaller things. Oh my goodness I’m looking forward to the next decade of discoveries.
Its not rare, this is how most scientist think
rare? what?
@n0body550 I don't see a lot of scientists anywhere these days or critical thinking being taught in schools, so I would say yes, very rare.
Why don't you get married!
Indeed. Additionally, the BBC has regularily broadcast the Christmas lectures from the Royal Institution, designed to showcase and demonstrate science to younger people, often fronted by well known scientists. They have always been done with a great sense of fun and stimulating content to encourage interest and enthusiasm from their younger audiences. The 2023 lectures explore the science behind Artificial Intelligence.
The discussion about saying “I don’t know”. The host nailed it. This is the biggest threat to our collective intellect, a peril of the current culture and business hierarchy norms that he mentions. People need to wise up. I listen to the people who say “I don’t know.” Because it’s THOSE things that we can add value in discovering.
Smart is knowing the answers, but wise is knowing when you don't. Few achieve the latter.
@@andrewthomas695 That's basically what I was taught early on. Knowledge is knowing something, intelligence is knowing how to use it and wisdom is knowing when not to.
Those folks who say
'I know All'
Actually tend to know fu
Dunning /Krueger.
We need more folks like Professor Cox. An honest expert who doesn't have to bluster and b.shit. The media in general seem to be so lacking in people of this character.
All women love Cox
@@wallstreet_au 📠
Not just the media, all walks and areas of life, the most damaging of which is indeed the media, politicians and corporate leaders.
Simply love listening to Prof Brian Cox because he never makes you feel you lack knowledge and understanding. You leave feeling there is so much even the experts don’t understand. 🌟
"Being delighted, excited and passionate about not knowing" is what has gotten us here. Belief is a certainty. Accepting our ignorance is important for our progress
Wot? So "I believe" is as convincing as "I know"? That's not even rational. If that's not what you mean by "Belief is a certainty", what do you mean?
@@dionlindsay2^ Looks like someone hasn’t understood the comment.
@@feliscorax Pretty sure George understood it perfectly well 🙂. Not sure I did, by the look of it. Did you?
@@dionlindsay2 What I think they’re really trying to say is that those who assert the superiority of belief, which is a claim to certainly know a revealed truth in which all faith must be invested, over the knowledge that our knowledge is necessarily limited and subject to constant revision (as science and philosophy do), are actually limiting human progress. After all, a claim founded on the belief that something is true - especially those which assert the absoluteness of that revealed “wisdom” - is also likely to prohibit any and all progress as a threat to its own certainties. The quote at the beginning of their comment, which they have cited in praise (I think), illustrates that it is that uniquely curious disposition of mind that has allowed humanity to make it as far as we have - for better and worse. Hence, the last sentence seems to be saying that *not* knowing, yet being willing to be wrong in the quest of finding out, is more necessary than continuing to place faith in systems of belief simply for their own sake.
@@feliscorax I'm to a large degree at the mercy of an epistemology course I took at University about 45 years ago, where knowledge was defined as justified true belief. The kind of belief you're writing about was called faith and it was distinguished from belief as a constituent of knowledge. So I do treat belief as having less credibility than knowledge. Of course there's wisdom to be fitted into the picture somewhere too.
When the interviewers are captivated by the interviewee you know you have something special.
How this movie got made in an era where we have to tell people not to eat detergent is a movie in itself.
In Ancient Rome, bathers at the Roman baths would pay to cover themselves (or even eat) the discarded oils that had been used for massaging the celebrities.
That there are stupid people in the world is not surprising or newsworthy.
Didn’t they used to have public information films to tell people not to; play on train tracks, climb electrical pylons and what to do if you drink bleach?
No one was legit eating detergent. The exaggeration of that one story haunts your mind, man. That has not been a legitimate problem. How did Oppenheimer the movie get made? Nolan’s movies have made 6 billion worldwide, that’s how. Hahaha
Not really it just shows you consume too much media and have a skewed view of reality.
@kickedinthecalfbyacow7549 yes, PSAs targeted at children. Now we have to tell the Magas. So, no change then.
Brian Cox is a wonderful example of "the child and the closed box" Natural Curiosity, something which we lack in these days.
😂
This professor is such a genuine person!
Brian Cox is a gift of our time, where a relatable bloke from Oldham can explain with passion complex scientific topics. (Even though he is a Phd in his field).
Brian Cox .Forever young
Nice discussion. Prof. Brian Cox is a national treasure. I agree that self-honesty is critical to understanding anything.
he has a passion not just for science but humanity as well
Brian Cox can weave compelling stories like no one else. His humility helps….he often says “we don’t know…”
"You should be delighted to be shown that you were wrong, 'cause then you learn something" - THERE'S a paradigm to be followed!
I had a collage educator who told all his classes. " it is not important that you know everything! it is important that you know where to go and how to get the answers you need to accomplish your goals" . Brian is saying the about same thing.
We need more people like him. He should be a role model for young children, not those who are right now.
He is a role model, no doubt
He’s a WEF puppet
@@SLSAMG And you know that how?
@@LetsKeepThePeace google is your friend. He literally has a bio on their website 🤣
So? Who cares if he has a short bio on their site?
What does that have to do with him as a scientist and a science communicator? Absolutely nothing.
Loved Oppenheimer and loved Carl Sagan’s ‘Cosmos’ - I saw it when I was a little kid on our ABC in Australia. I watched it with my Dad and that was special. Car was an incredible communicator and so is Brian…..
He doesn't speak much about Oppenheimer here but all his words are so deep and important.
the great thing about Brian, is for someone who is obviously extremely bright, he is able to dumb it down so that the rest of us are able to understand what he is trying to communicate
It’s a tremendous portrait of a complex, fiercely intelligent character, who was completely betrayed and ultimately destroyed by his work. I went back and watched Oppenheimer’s later interviews, and saw a broken man. A brilliant film, only spoiled by the quiet dialogue, which was at times difficult to follow.
I love Brian Cox... I was also so influenced by Carl Sagan, but Brian has a humility and fearlessness that is amazing.. (also super cool that he went from being a pop-star to being an astronomer....kind of a reverse Brian May...🙂
about as cool as cancer... (unt
I know very little about science and I am not in any way a mathematical genius... but if given the chance thats the man I would choose to spend a day with.... he is so pleasant listening to...
Spot on, when you truly know and understand something, it's pretty easy to find simple ways to explain it and break it down into easily manageable nuggets which Brian has done many times.
To this day, Sagan remains unbeaten as the most brilliant science communicator to ever grace the TV screens.
Brian Cox is great, with a humble demeanor that for example, lacks in NDGT. Michio Kaku is a bit all over the place and sometimes, like NDGT sticks his foot in his mouth.
Sagan however, was a natural, He had this fantastic way of putting extremely complex concepts into easily grasping explanations. A calm, soothing presence and voice that would take you on long voyages across the Cosmos.
He is sorely missed.
Taken from us too soon. He only got to see the rough cut of "Contact" before he died.
IMHO Brian Cox is also up there with the great science communicators, he manages to create a sense of wonder when looking at nature, very similar to what Sagan did, I deeply dislike Tyson, he comes off as arrogant and entitled, like most contemporary americans.
James Burke was an amazing communicator and if you were not from Britain in 60's 70's 80's you may not know him. He would have given Sagan a run for his money.
I like NDT.
NdGT has great rethoric skills and ample knowledge about a lot of things besides strictly science (which makes him a great entertainer in general) but I also feel sometimes he is a bit too full of himself. It's great to have him, don't get me worng, even if he has this tendency to monopolize debates. Brian Cox is a rock star in my books, both literally and figuratively, because not only he knows a lot of stuff but he also seems eager to learn something form the others, even if that other is you. And his british accent is neat xD
Brian Cox, Brian Greene, and Sean Carroll all have a wonderful ability to communicate complex ideas in an easily digestible way.
Well it's the whole, "if you truly understand a concept you could explain it simply" that holds true. Self important people make it a point that they know more than you do. But when you are humble and understand a topic very well, you want to share and you can explain it in a way anyone can understand.
Robert Sapolsky makes biology/primateology so easy to digest and fun, he's a superb educator.
I see somewhat of a trend developing here; and that is "most people are too stupid to understand us geniuses".
WHAT POPPYCOCK! Big Bang? Here are some questions for you geniuses; What Big Bang, Where is the BIG BANG? Time, what time? What is time, has time always existed, was it created or has it existed all along? What is "dark matter/dark energy', what is always here or did it just pop into being?
Tell me this when you so called geniuses figure this out and have answers instead of unproved theorems give me a call.
Neil Degrass Tyson is also a worthy successor to Carl Sagan as an astrophysicist and a brilliant communicator.
Interesting interview. I am a retired chemical engineer. In my retirement I spent much of my time delving into physics with a special interest in relativity, gravity and quantum mechanics. I now teach the subject whenever I can to A level students, U3A Science groups and university summer schools. Because I have had to go through a 'relearning process' I find that I am now much better at teaching the subject because I now know what it took to learn new and abstract concepts. I freely admit when I don't know an answer to a question and will always go and find out what the answer is and relay it back to the questioner. By the way I have discovered that even the great Feynman sometimes got things wrong. He taught his students that your mass increases as you approach the speed of light. This in fact not the case as rest mass is invariant. Your relativistic momentum tends to infinity but that that is not because of changing mass. Enough said!
It depends on how mass is defined.
Today it is unpopular to use the term "relativistic mass". When a physicist talks today about mass he always means "rest mass".
But: a hot cup of coffee has indeed a higher mass then a cold cup of coffee. And that’s because the equivalence between momentum, energy and mass.
Its not about popularity. Rest mass is invariant. If relativistic mass were real then fast moving bodies would exert an increased gravitational force etc. etc. Energy and mass are convertible but this does not give rise to relativistic mass which in the limit becomes infinite.@@grandeau3802
Serious question please 🤗
What about a frozen cup of coffee
Doesn't a frozen liquid expand 🧊 ?
I’m a Chem Eng too and I’ve always said science isn’t about knowing all the answers, it’s the process of looking for them. We know a lot, but there’s always more to learn, no matter how good you are.
Same logic applies. @@grahamfisher5436
The title is a bit misleading. He wasn't really giving his honest opinion of Oppenheimer, but using Oppenheimer to talk about his commitment to popular science
Brian Cox and Anton Petrov are the 2 reasons my heart and mind is still chasing knowledge and science today. A lot of Science personalities seem to be of late trying to justify their positions on their ideas and such, as opposed to just giving us not only the facts, but in a way that doesn't make me feel foolish for not understanding the "math" of it all...
Very interesting interview, especially with the interviewers letting him talk and not constantly interrupting him.
You think these divs interviewing him have anythhing worthwhile to say??
I found Carl Sagan and Cosmos a real eye-opener and an inspiration. His excellent poetic science and wonder of the natural world were groundbreaking; Brian Cox is the new Carl Sagan.
No he aren’t new Carl Sagan, that’s an insult to a great man. Brian Cox is next gen that showing world what men like Carl done which is to educate people on cosmos etc.
@@Jeffro5564 To say it is an insult to compare him to a modern Carl Sagan
(not the same as) is rather extreme ,but I find Neil deGrasse Tyson awful; even though he was a student of Carl Sagan, I find him insufferable. Brian Cox is a great informer.
No he aren't? @@Jeffro5564
Another crip tipper I presome? @@funjuror
I have no idea what that means :)@@imwelshjesus
I’m a Mancunian like Brian and of similar age, he sounds very much like a kid I could’ve grown up alongside and been good friends with in the 1970s. He’s very likeable and passionate about his interests and communicates that extremely well.
This man is an observer, and has the honesty of insight., or maybe it’s the insight of honesty.
You and others make science an everyday discussion point. Thank you
Impressed they got through this conversation without mentioning that the qualities of science they discussed are direct opposites of how religions think and act: admitting you don't have the answers, embracing new evidence and amending your world view as you learn more.
How they snuck around that elephant in the room without waking it, was pretty impressive.
All questions answered x 1000, thank you Brian
This man is a world treasure
There are good teachers and lecturers and there are bad, I still remember my A level physics teacher who was absolutely brilliant and my chemistry teacher who was stiff and had no idea how to pass on knowledge even though he was very smart. I think being able to teach is as skilful as the knowledge itself,and Professor Brian Cox is one of those people.
Saw it the weekend it came out. Masterpiece
"You have to be delighted to be wrong, because then it means you learned something."
I appreciate Brian immensely
I like how the interviewers let the man speak without constantly interrupting. A refreshing change.
That is something I love about British programs they tend to let the guests (the ones people want to see and hear) actually speak.
Great lesson from Brian. Something I always apply to myself. I always think I now nothing and then the world becomes so interesting and wonderful.
Brian Cox is stellar scientist, fantastic communicator and a gift to all of us.🌿
And the Sub - Humans kill peoples like this , Beware Mr Cox the Scary people
Carl Sagan would be proud of Brian Cox. Top bloke
To be blessed with a mind like that.......humbly knowledgeable, with the fresh enthusiasm of a child persisting through an awesome career of breathtaking insight, just wonderfully inspiring.
wow - this was great- truly an honest conversation
Although nearly three hours too long, "Oppenheimer" is a true Hollywood MASTERPIECE. It ranks right up there with "The Three Stooges Go Around the World In A Daze."
Saw the clip when I went to see Mission Impossible last year and thought it looked so boring! 3 hrs of utter dross
Brian speaks a lot of sense. I have huge respect for him. Unfortunately our, all, political systems favor psychopaths.
"...political systems favor psychopaths" So does big business!
Could listen to Brian Cox for hours😅
Wonderful man. And i respect him almost as much for getting Jake to shut up and listen as i do for his many other achievements.
Wow I remember Carl Sagen so well he was Brian Cox 40 yrs ago !!! Loved his TV shows
This movie is absolute masterpiece
Why? How?
Good but too long. Few fipms can justify being 3 hours and this definitely wasn't one of them
Oppenheimer! He was both a blessing and a curse to the world! He stopped world wars, but put the world in a danger it’s never witnessed before. It’s up to you decide if he was for man’s better or worse. Frankly I can’t
Bryan Cox is correct when he says you must be delighted when things go wrong. It really does mean you have learned something. I doubt many people use this in their lives. I used to build race engines and if it does not start after a build it has gone wrong. When you subsequently find the issue you have learned not to do that again. Trial and error a great way to learn. As an apprentice I was taught this. It’s a shame many people look down on so called failure. Teachers of any subject need to learn a students failure to understand is their failing not the students. It takes strength of character by the teacher to accept this.
Brian has a very pleasant demeanor and is very engaging to listen to. He's terrific at explaining complex material 😊
Mr Cox is a national treasure.
Professor Cox 😊
@@balthazarasquith Dr. Cox
Baron Cox.
Sagan..... 'The Spaceship of The Mind....' It was groundbreaking...... I was glued as a youngster... Love your enthusiasm. Opp was a scientist without knowing it I think......
Brian Cox is a pearl of great price. Possession of knowledge is a gift from the gods. His ability to connect with others is singular. He is the star-child of Sagan and Oppenheimer.
Fabulous interviewers. Well done!
Richard Hamming said: I need to discuss science vs. engineering. Put glibly: In science if you know what you are doing you should not be doing it. In engineering if you do not know what you are doing you should not be doing it.
I'm too young to have lived when Feynmann was waxing eloquent but have had the great fortune to listen to Sagan and BC explaining the BIG challenges that we face. Privileged.
We now live in a time when the people that are wrong, want someone that will lie to them and tell them there right.
Great video. Brian Cox, is a great educator. One thing that I kept thinking though is, "this guy is 55 years old!" he's aging very well.
hair
Einstein once said that if you cannot explain something to a six year old you haven't properly understood it yourself.
In response to a reporter’s question, Feynman once said something along the lines that if he could explain QED in one or two sentences, they wouldn’t have awarded the Nobel Prize to him.
I always think like a 6 yr old. Even though I’m in my 40’s. My kids hopefully thank me for that. They are very cleaver kids.
I too grew up watching Carl Sagan's Univerce and to this day belive in finding answers and the truth of jusy Why and How things work, I'm still amazed at finding things out. Thank you UA-cam..ur the best lesson ever.
9:10 I respectfully disagree. School, in a sense, punishes us for not knowing. But society today has become extremely anti-intellectual. You get laughed at if you actually _do_ know. It’s almost a social _faux pas_ to attempt to explain something because people don’t want to know. In my opinion, there are several reasons for this. Firstly, they don’t know themselves, so they find that embarrassing or threatening. Secondly, it’s considered very uncool to explain something using nuance and with potentially conflicting information. Finally, they blame the messenger or try to laugh it off because being funny is preferable to being knowledgeable.
Brian Cox transcends all of this. His calm, patient demeanour and slightly self-effacing, friendly sort of nature makes him more appealing and far less threatening to most people than a lot of other intellectuals.
BBC's sky at night is one of the longest running tv programmes in the world (1957,and patrick Moore was the tv host of the same programme the longest in tv history)
Has an extraordinary ability to discuss a complex subjects, in a way that the average person can comprehend …….
Interesting fact: Brian Cox also served as a consultant for Sunshine (2007), also starred Cillian Murphy.
Prof Brian Cox is someone I wish was in my friendship group as these are exactly the kinds of conversations I relish but don’t get the opportunity to have very often.
I think one of the major problems that humans face is this:
Not knowing that you don't know something and admitting it that you don't know is easy.... What's difficult is when you don't even know what it is that you don't know and admitting that.
You're still in control, with the former. You're able to identify and determine what it is you'd need to understand, in order to know.
But with the latter, you have zero control. Not only do you not know, but the thing is so beyond you, that you aren't even aware of what it is you don't know.
The former is something that fairly intelligent people encounter and the latter is something that most of the common population encounter regularly.
Professor Cox is great, and I think his detractors -- notably the one with three names -- are jealous, science snobs. He has an open mind and is only interested in learning and knowing, not bombastically bullying people into his way of thinking. If you can find it, check out the 1980 PBS 'American Experience' TV miniseries Oppenheimer, starring Sam Waterston. It, too is a masterpiece.
I think the only thing I ever heard Neil de Grasse Tyson say about Cox is that he wishes that there were more of him, that he seems to be the only Brit who appears on tv. I’d add Dawkins. But maybe Dawkins is too controversial for Tyson to champion, much as he agrees with the notion that religions are (almost certainly) just bosh.
Brian Cox how interesting you are. I have enjoyed this program, thank you.
Brian Cox has such a positive influence on the world!. (is it just me, or do I detect a smouldering ethical temper of epic proportions in the man?)
I can't believe Brian Cox is actually starting to show age. Turns out that he's in fact NOT immortal 😔
Holy shit. I had no idea he was 55 years old already. I would have guessed late 30's at the most.
Once the aging process kicks in, it really moves quickly.
When one stands on the cliff edge that lies between what we do know, and what we don't, one has to ready to be brave, jump out, and fly.
This is really important. I was 'academic' - understanding and memorising the basics, then proving that I had learnt what other people had discovered - learn and churn. I was also 'clever' - I could fix stuff and work out how to do stuff. I was also 'sporty'. But, I never had 'that' kind of intelligence, brilliance, or ability.
I became a teacher and being blessed with a good childhood memory, I could remember the difficulties I had faced. I knew the stepping stones to understanding, because I had used them. So, I could guide others, many of whom were far more gifted than I.
I was absolutely rubbish at teaching symmetry, or map-reading/scale. I had never experienced a problem with it. It had always been 'obvious' - how can't you see it? And this is the problem that 'really intelligent' people have (not me) when trying to convey meaning to others.
This is the problem clever people - sparkies, plumbers, carpenters, fitters, lorry drivers - have, too. They can't train people who 'just don't have it'. As for sports - "They will never be a ... as long as they have a hole in their...".
Brilliant people should stick to being boffins, artisans and athletes. They are usually rubbish at teaching.
There those who do but can't teach who then claim that teachers teach but can't do. There are also those who can do AND teach and they are worth their weight in gold.
And of course there are those who can't do or teach.
I was the opposite of you: I was poor from a traditional academic standpoint (more due to lack of interest than ability), but give me a problem or scientific concept to unravel and I will knock it out the park. I think I agree with you that too often we confuse academia with intelligence, and I suspect the ‘sweet spot’ (if we are to evolve) is how to properly challenge people rather than how to ‘properly’ teach people….
@@anathardayaldar Geniuses who are great teachers are a rare breed indeed. They set the world alight.
I'd be happy if I have created a few sparks!
@@MrArchie800 Sadly, education has become very much a 'one size fits all' and yet, it fits fewer and fewer people.
The National Curriculum - jump through hoops, with constant testing - has stifled creativity, piled on pressure and left no time to think and do.
I left.
Feynman was a good teacher
I was all over Burke, Sagan, Brunowski,Cousteau et al at a very early age...what an extraordinary place we live on and look out from.
I fell in love with the book Cosmos. I used to walk around with it as kid like it was the Bible. Dr. Sagan's way of communicating cosmology and science was amazing and a huge influence on me as a kid... to have a inquisitive mind and investigate the world around us.
COSMOS got me started. When I heard Sagan talk about Eratosthenes and the circumference of the earth it blew my mind how you could take reason and a couple bits of information and scale it up to the distance around the earth. I have since sought out things that can be determined with the least evidence possible. Like the magic trick with 10 coins and you turn your back and let someone flip any two coins as many times as they want and cover one and you turn back and tell them what is under their hand. You only needed 1 bit of information before you turned your back.
I need new glasses, or a bigger phone... from the thumbnail I thought this was going to be Brian Cox plays LA Noire 😅
Great interview though, could listen to him talk for hours.
Even my Mum loved Carl Sagan but I think it was more his voice as she didn't really understand a lot of the science. His Cosmos series was extraordinary for the time when the only 'Space' program (at least what I can recall) was Patrick Moore's The Sky at Night.
Plato wrote a GREAT book called 'the Theaetetus of Plato'. I was a mathematics postgraduate. I studied a whole bunch from mathsy maths to theoretical physics,and I recently dropped out. In mythird year of my undergrad I took a Greek Philosophy module, we spent the whole semester studying this Socratic dialogue, 'the Theaetetus. This class, and this book, helped me form my perspective on what knowledge is to me. PS psychedelics also helped.
Lewis Carrolls’ book on mathematical logic helped me look at so many things differently not just maths
Great, another druggy.
@@ninersix2790 Not all drugs are evil good sir, especially if regulated
@@ninersix2790 I’m not any old druggy mate, I’m the worst kind. I’m the rob my bedridden mother of her only pain meds type druggy, I’m the shake your hand rob your house kind of druggy, I’m the rob your phone sell it for a tenner type druggy. The tweaker, the no sleeper, the peace preacher!
Lol. nah mate, drugs are beyond good and evil. Get serious, leap past those resentments, if it is a conversation you desire.
@@n0body550
Exactly
there is use ( to open the mind)
And abuse