Conversations with Coleman

Latest Episodes:

Reparations and the Legacy of BLM with The GoodFellows Jun 02, 2023

Show notes

This episode is actually my appearance on the Goodfellows podcast, which is run by the Hoover Institution. They asked me about the reparations proposal that was recently put forward in California. They also asked me about the legacy of Black Lives Matter. We talk about the 1619 Project. We talk about color blindness and a post-racial society. Finally, they went on to ask me what advice I would give to young black kids today.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

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Evolution, Intergenerational Trauma, and Gender with Jerry Coyne May 26, 2023

Show notes

My guest today is Jerry Coyne. Jerry is an evolutionary biologist and geneticist. He received his PhD from Harvard in 1978, after which he served as a professor at the University of Chicago in the Department of Ecology and Evolution for over two decades. His seminal work is on the speciation of fruit flies. Jerry is also the author of two books, including "Why Evolution Is True", which is also the name of his blog, and "Faith Versus Fact".

In this episode, we talk about the tension between evolution and the biblical origin story. Jerry goes over the basics of the theory of evolution by natural selection. We talk about sexual selection. We talk about the teaching of intelligent design in schools and how that compares to the battle over CRT in schools today. We dicuss the attack on evolutionary psychology from the political left. We discuss epi genetics and the concept of intergenerational trauma. We talk about how humanity has evolved genetically in recent history and the consequences of birth rate differences between different groups of people. We talk about gender dysphoria and gender ideology. Finally, we go on to talk about the unanswered questions that remain in the field of evolutionary biology.

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Is Whiteness Killing Us? with Dr. Jonathan Metzl May 19, 2023

Show notes

My guest today is Dr. Jonathan Metzl. Jonathan is a psychiatrist and author and a professor of sociology at Vanderbilt University. He's written several books including "The Protest Psychosis", "Prozac on the Couch", "Against Health" and the topic of today's conversation, "Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America's Heartland", which received the Robert F. Kennedy award for nonfiction.

In "Dying of Whiteness", Jonathan argues that GOP policies like cutting education funds, cutting taxes, opposing Obamacare, and opposing gun control are hurting the life expectancy of America's white population. In other words, hurting the very people who support these policies most. He also argues that support for these policies policies stems from racial resentment, a feeling of resentment towards minorities among white people. As you'll hear in the discussion, I don't agree that whiteness and racial resentment are the best explanations for why the median Republican supports these policies. And I also think that concepts like "whiteness", and "blackness" are toxic. I think people understandably hear these words as attacks on their racial identities, which they can't control. And so I think we should just rid the discourse of these words. Jonathan obviously disagrees and we talk about that in the episode.

That said, there are some smaller claims I agreed with Jonathan like the fact that the easy availability of guns in this country has made suicide easier for people, especially for the very population that opposes gun control laws. Some of his other claims about the effect of cutting school budgets on life expectancy, I found to be poorly supported. And you'll hear me press him on that towards the middle of the episode. In general, I found that there was some distance between the tone of his book and the positions he was willing to defend in the room. And I don't know exactly how to handle situations like that, as an interviewer. Do I just talk to the person I'm meeting in the room? Or do I hold people accountable to the precise claims that they made in the book? I don't really know. Anyway, I'm grateful to Jonathan for coming on the podcast and I hope you all enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

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Is Psychology a Fake Science? with Paul Bloom May 12, 2023

Show notes

My guest today is Paul Bloom. Paul Bloom is a renowned psychologist, professor and author currently teaching at Yale University and University of Toronto. He's published many books including "Descartes' Baby", "How Pleasure Works", "Just Babies", "Against Empathy", "The Sweet Spot", and the topic of today's conversation, "Psych: The Story of the Human Mind".

In this episode, we'll be discussing a broad summary of the field and findings of psychology, touching on its various branches and exploring the complexities of human behavior. We talk about whether psychology is a real science. We talk about the reality of the unconscious mind. We talk about the legacy of Freud, the advantages of self-delusion, the hard problem of consciousness, artificial intelligence and its implication for rival theories of human language and for the future of art. We talk about the potential dangers of AI misalignment, the definition of intelligence, nature versus nurture and much more. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.

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Multiverse of Madness with David Deutsch May 09, 2023

Show notes

My guest today is David Deutsch. David is a renowned physicist and philosopher, best known for his work on quantum computation and his contributions to the field of quantum mechanics. He's a fellow of the Royal Society and a visiting professor of physics at the University of Oxford. David has written two books called "The Fabric of Reality" and "The Beginning of Infinity"

In this episode, we talk about the purpose of science. We discuss the concept of an explanation and its crucial role in the scientific process. We examine the famous double-slit experiment. We discuss rival interpretations of quantum mechanics and what they imply about the nature of reality. We also talk about progress in physics and advances in artificial intelligence.

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Debating Race and Incarceration with Vincent Lloyd May 05, 2023

Show notes

My guest today is Vincent Lloyd. Vincent is a professor at Villanova University where he directed the Black Studies Program, leads workshops on anti-racism and transformative justice, and has published books on anti-black racism, including "Black Dignity: The Struggle against Domination". Now, Vincent is one of those rare guests with whom I have profound disagreements on the topic of race, but who's actually willing to have the conversation, which I'm very grateful for.

Vincent came to my attention because of a stunning essay he wrote about his experience teaching a summer course on racism at the Telluride Association. He'll tell the full story in the podcast, but essentially his class was destroyed from within by a single hyper-woke person. It's a crazy story and I think it shocked him, and forced him to reckon with the anti-dialogue pro intimidation component of the campus far left. In any event, Vincent and I begin by talking about this strange experience of having his class imploded, and then we move on to debate our substantive disagreements about racism, police violence, race versus class, whether prisons are necessary, and much more.

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Science and Spirituality with Robert Wright Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

My guest today is Robert Wright. Robert is an author and journalist whose work has spanned a variety of topics from evolutionary psychology and game theory to the nature of consciousness and the role of mindfulness meditation in society. He's the author of many best-selling books, including "The Moral Animal", ''Nonzero'', and ''Why Buddhism is True''.

In today's conversation, we explore the intersection of science, spirituality, and ethics, as well as how Robert's work can help us navigate the increasingly complex landscape of modern society. We also discuss the power of mindfulness and meditation, fostering personal growth and promoting a more compassionate and connected world.

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The Genius Behind Titania McGrath with Andrew Doyle Apr 21, 2023

Show notes

My guest today is Andrew Doyle. Andrew is a British comedian, writer, and political commentator. He's best known for creating and writing the satirical character Titania McGrath, a fictional social justice warrior who parodies extreme progressive activism.

Doyle is also a frequent contributor to The Spectator, Spiked, and many other publications, where he writes on topics related to free speech, political correctness, and social justice. He's also written several books including "Woke: A Guide to Social Justice" which he wrote in character as Titania and "Free Speech And Why It Matters" which he wrote as himself. In addition to his work as a writer, Doyle has also performed a stand-up comedy and appeared on various TV and radio programs in the UK.

This was a really fun and wide-ranging conversation about a bunch of different topics, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

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Dating, Gender, & Virtue Signaling with Sarah Haider & Meghan Daum Apr 14, 2023

Show notes

My guests today are Sarah Hader and Meghan Daum, who co-host the podcast called "A Special Place in Hell". Sarah, Meghan, and I talk about the difficulty of dating in New York City when you have heterodox politics.

I talk about how the death of my mother influenced my attitude toward science and alternative medicine. We talk about social contagion and gender dysphoria. We talk about Sarah Hader's origin story as an ex-Muslim. We talk about Meghan's origin story as a hater of phoniness. We talk about Robin Hansen's great book, "The Elephant in the Brain", and the evolutionary logic of virtue signaling. We talk about split-brain patients, the bad incentives facing public intellectuals, lab leaks, and much more.

I really recommend you all check out their podcast called A Special Place in Hell. If you like what I'm doing here, then you're probably going to like what they're doing over there.

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DEBATE: Is The Democratic Party Too Far Left? Apr 07, 2023

Show notes

On the 21st of March, I participated in an Intelligence Squared debate against Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza and Congressman Jamaal Bowman. The motion of the debate was: "Has the Democratic Party gone too far left?" So the Political scientist Ruy Teixeira and I argued in the affirmative while Alicia and Jamal argued the negative.

Now this debate was frustrating for me at times and I think you'll hear exactly when those times are. However, overall I'm really glad that I did it and I hope you enjoy it.

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