Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
Cause and effect may seem omnipresent in our everyday lives, but in quantum mechanics – and by extension, contemporary philosophy – it’s a notion that’s riddled with controversy. In this video from the interview series Closer to Truth, Barry Loewer, a professor of philosophy at Rutgers University, discusses why Bertrand Russell believed causation was an outdated notion that had no place in modern thought. Countering Russell, Loewer details his own view that causation can and should be rescued from the dustbin of physics history, including why his name for the concept takes inspiration from a Coen brothers character.
Video by Closer to Truth
video
Physics
Groundbreaking visualisations show how the world of the nucleus gives rise to our own
10 minutes
video
Earth science and climate
There’s a ‘climate bomb’ ticking beneath the Arctic ice. How can we prepare?
8 minutes
video
Political philosophy
The radical activist couple who fought for social change in the courtroom
21 minutes
video
Physics
To change the way you see the Moon, view it from the Sun’s perspective
5 minutes
video
Ecology and environmental sciences
GPS tracking reveals stunning insights into the patterns of migratory birds
6 minutes
video
Human rights and justice
Can providing humanitarian aid be illegal? A troubling case from the US-Mexico border
17 minutes
video
Space exploration
The rarely told story of the fruit flies, primates and canines that preceded us in space
12 minutes
video
Neuroscience
This intricate map of a fruit fly brain could signal a revolution in neuroscience
2 minutes
video
Information and communication
Coverage of the ‘balloon boy’ hoax forms a withering indictment of for-profit news
17 minutes