Mindscape podcast by Sean Carroll
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 4 of 42 podcasts by recommenders
People recommend Mindscape for clear explanations of physics, philosophy and science, with varied guests. Caveat: one long Q&A ran heavily into politics and basketball.
People recommend Mindscape for clear explanations of physics, philosophy and science, with varied guests. Caveat: one long Q&A ran heavily into politics and basketball.
18 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 18
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 18 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
High quality, worth regular listens
“I go through chosen episodes from it regularly, and I can vouch for its quality.”
Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Sean Carroll explains the biggest ideas in the universe – Full Interview [video] (2025)” “I truly consider that podcast a gem of our culture.”
Comment from 13 Sep 2026 in “Sean Carroll explains the biggest ideas in the universe – Full Interview [video] (2025)” “Mindscape is one of the best podcasts out there.”
Comment from 21 Oct 2026 in “In Hilbert space, all things are quantumly possible” - Comment from 21 Oct 2026 in “In Hilbert space, all things are quantumly possible”
Explains complex topics clearly
“I really appreciate "complex topics in easy to understand terms" and look forward to checking this out.”
Comment from 13 Sep 2026 in “Sean Carroll explains the biggest ideas in the universe – Full Interview [video] (2025)” “He has a talent for explaining complex topics in easy to understand terms”
Comment from 13 Sep 2026 in “Sean Carroll explains the biggest ideas in the universe – Full Interview [video] (2025)” “Love the Mindscape podcast. It taught me everything I know about quantum physics”
Comment from 28 Jun 2026 in “Marfa Public Radio Puts You to Sleep” Specialist guests and varied topics
“Mostly the episodes are specific topics with a guest who's area of research/specialty is the topic”
Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Sean Carroll explains the biggest ideas in the universe – Full Interview [video] (2025)” “Mindscape is great, with lots of interesting guests and topics.”
Comment from 13 Sep 2026 in “Sean Carroll explains the biggest ideas in the universe – Full Interview [video] (2025)” “He focuses mostly on the topics that interest him and isn't averse to getting technical”
Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Sean Carroll explains the biggest ideas in the universe – Full Interview [video] (2025)”
Other podcasts people recommend
The four most recommended other podcasts, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarkesh Podcast | 29 | 8 | 78% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Oxide and Friends | 26 | 3 | 90% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Acquired podcast | 25 | 0 | 100% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Mindscape podcast by Sean CarrollThis page | 18 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Behind the Bastards podcast | 18 | 1 | 95% | 11 | — | Approved |
What people said
18 of the 21 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Mindscape is one of the best podcasts out there.”
“I love this podcast. The solo or very physics focused episodes go over my head sometimes but they're always a fun listen.”
“I go through chosen episodes from it regularly, and I can vouch for its quality.”
“it's my favorite podcast to listen to while falling asleep”
“He focuses mostly on the topics that interest him and isn't averse to getting technical”
“Mostly the episodes are specific topics with a guest who's area of research/specialty is the topic”
“I truly consider that podcast a gem of our culture.”
“The physics is great but for a 3 hour AMA it's about 51% politics and basketball.”
“I'm always looking forward to these especially”
“Mindscape is great, with lots of interesting guests and topics.”
“I really appreciate "complex topics in easy to understand terms" and look forward to checking this out.”
“He has a talent for explaining complex topics in easy to understand terms”
“Maybe listen to some Mindscape podcasts (Sean Caroll).”
“Love the Mindscape podcast. It taught me everything I know about quantum physics”
“Sean Carroll's Mindscape is my favourite.”
“To save others a search, here's the podcast with Wolfram.”
“There's a great discussion with Stephen Wolfram on the Sean Carroll podcast.”
“Sean Carroll’s Mindscape for physics, philosophy and science”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.