Edward Witten - What are Breakthroughs in Science?

Make a donation to Closer To Truth to help us continue exploring the world's deepest questions without the need for paywalls: https://shorturl.at/OnyRq What is the nature of scientific breakthroughs? What are common characteristics among all the sciences? What are specific signs of breakthroughs in physics and biology? Breakthroughs as new ways of thinking, new systems of thought, new perspectives for seeing the world. What distinguishes breakthroughs from normal good science? What drives breakthroughs? How is science driven by breakthroughs? Free access to Closer to Truth's library of 5,000 videos: http://bit.ly/376lkKN Support the show with Closer To Truth merchandise: https://bit.ly/3P2ogje Watch more interviews on breakthroughs in science: https://bit.ly/42mpZGe Edward Witten is an American theoretical physicist and the Charles Simonyi Professor in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study. Register for free at CTT.com for subscriber-only exclusives: https://bit.ly/3He94Ns Closer to Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.