#29 - Stephen Wolfram: College, Avoiding CS, and Building a Computational Universe

Stephen Wolfram is sane in a way most people are crazy. In this episode of the UIUC Talkshow, we delve into the mind of one of the most brilliant and accomplished thinkers of our time, Stephen Wolfram. At the age of 15, he published his first scientific paper and received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Caltech by age 20. Wolfram is the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research, the company behind the revolutionary Mathematica, Wolfram Alpha (the revolutionary computational search engine), Wolfram Language, and the new Wolfram Physics project. He is also the author of several books, including 'A New Kind of Science'. Wolfram shares his unique perspective on the world of education, discussing what he would study in college today, the importance of self-teaching, and why he believes physics is the ultimate college major. He also delves into the challenges of being a professor and the role of intuition in learning. Wolfram talks about his educational journey, having dropped out of college twice and getting his Ph.D. under Richard Feynman. In this fascinating conversation, Wolfram challenges traditional notions of education, encouraging independent thinking. We also discuss the overrated nature of computer science, and why Wolfram recommends avoiding computer science to do Computational X. He also delves into his thoughts on the machinery of education and how to teach people to think critically. Wolfram also offers insights into the inner workings of his thought process and his personal ideology and musings on the possibilities of alien technology. Throughout the interview, Stephen's passion and curiosity shine through as he shares his ideas on the future of technology, the concept of the Ruliad, and the implications of alien intelligence on our understanding of the world. He also shares his thoughts on the overrated and underrated aspects of the world, including the Nobel Prize, Apple, and the "Elon Musk College Theory." This interview is a must-watch for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, science, and education. Join us as we inquire into the mind of one of the most brilliant minds of our time and gain valuable insights into the future of our world. This is the UIUC Talkshow and this is our conversation with Stephen Wolfram. EPISODE LINKS: Stephen Wolfram's Website: https://www.stephenwolfram.com/ Stephen Wolfram's Writing: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/ Stephen Wolfram's Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephen_wolfram Wolfram's Physics Project: https://www.wolframphysics.org/ Wolfram Summer School: https://education.wolfram.com/summer-school Wolfram's Livestreaming: @WolframResearch OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 0:50 - What Would Wolfram Study in College Today? 4:03 - Don't Study Computer Science 7:40 - Teach Yourself 9:05 - Physics: The Ultimate College Major 10:40 - Should you go to College? 15:52 - How to Approach College? 16:48 - Computer Science is Overrated 22:16 - School teaches a small portion of the world 24:05 - Being a Professor 26:23 - Anything deep enough is interesting 27:43 - Education isn't about thinking 30:25 - How do you teach people to think? 37:40 - NPC Theory and Pivoting 40:12 - Livestreaming 42:26 - The Machinery of Education 48:07 - Knowledge is invented and someone has to do it 49:28 - Why Learn History? 53:56 - Intuition & Paradigm 59:20 - Quantum mechanics 1:03:32 - No one thinks about the foundations 1:06:15 - Id