Science

Sean Carroll Claims Empty Space Has Properties That Disqualify It as Nothing

StarTalk Radio · Physics & Philosophy with Sean Carroll · June 5, 2026

StarTalk Radio

Physics & Philosophy with Sean Carroll

"It's not nothingness. It has— there's a way it could have been different. It's different than 4-dimensional empty space."

Physicist Sean Carroll argued on StarTalk that even empty space cannot be considered true nothingness because it possesses inherent properties like dimensionality and obeys laws of physics. This philosophical stance challenges common assumptions about what qualifies as nothing versus something, asserting that the question of why there is something rather than nothing may not have a meaningful answer.

About this episode

On this episode of StarTalk Radio, host Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice were joined by physicist Sean Carroll, the Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, for a Cosmic Queries session focused on physics and philosophy. Carroll, known for his Mindscape podcast and work on quantum mechanics, spacetime, and cosmology, fielded questions from Patreon supporters on some of the deepest problems in modern physics. The conversation opened with Carroll's explanation of quantum entanglement and the many-worlds interpretation, which proposes that every quantum measurement outcome manifests in a separate, inaccessible parallel universe. Moving to cosmological questions, Carroll presented his theory that the Big Bang was not the beginning of the universe but one event in an eternal cosmos driven by quantum fluctuations, with a symmetric temporal structure where entropy increases in both future and past directions. The discussion turned philosophical when addressing the fine-tuning argument for God's existence, which Carroll called the best yet fundamentally flawed theological argument, noting that an omnipotent creator would not need specific physical conditions to create life. On the question of nothingness versus something, Carroll challenged the notion that empty space qualifies as nothing, arguing it possesses properties like dimensionality and obeys physical laws. The episode also explored neuroscience, with Carroll explaining how the brain constructs a delayed present moment rather than perceiving real-time reality, operating on a 40-50 millisecond delay to synchronize sensory inputs. Throughout, Tyson and Nice pressed Carroll to clarify these counterintuitive concepts, with Nice providing comedic reactions to the mind-bending implications of quantum mechanics and cosmology.

Key takeaways

Carroll proposed the Big Bang was not the beginning but one event in an eternal universe driven by quantum fluctuations in empty space.
Many-worlds interpretation suggests every quantum measurement creates parallel universes where all possible outcomes occur but remain mutually inaccessible.
Carroll argued fine-tuning is the best argument for God yet remains terrible because an omnipotent creator would not need specific physical conditions.
Empty space cannot be considered nothing because it possesses properties like dimensionality and obeys laws of physics, Carroll contends.
Human brains construct perceived present moments with a 40-50 millisecond delay, synchronizing sensory inputs and fabricating missing information.
Early universe smoothness was one part in 100,000, with gravity amplifying these ripples into today's cosmic structure of voids and galaxy clusters.
Carroll holds joint appointments at Johns Hopkins and the Santa Fe Institute, focusing on foundational questions at the intersection of physics and philosophy.