Patterson in Pursuit

Latest Episodes:

Charlie Hebdo as an Excuse to Take Selfies Feb 16, 2017

Show notes

I can't help but notice the West's reaction to the Charlie Hebdo massacre. It's so abstract.

If I were to be cynical, I'd say that people's reactions are fake. They don't really care about the tragedy; they care about social signaling to their peers.

Original article here: http://steve-patterson.com/charlie-hebdo-excuse-take-selfies/

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Ep. 44 - SJWs, the Left, and Academia | Dr. Jamie Whyte Feb 12, 2017

Show notes

Great show this week covering the social justice warrior phenomenon - the origins, causes, and damage that could be created if these people gain political power. We also talk about the liberalisation of New Zealand during the 80's, "trickle-down ideologies", and the impact of relativism in higher ed.

My guest is Dr. Jamie Whyte, who has a background in philosophy, studied at Cambridge, and saw first-hand the popularity of irrationalism within the academic system.

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Ep. 43 - Indigenous Beliefs of New Zealand | Dr. Hirini Kaa Feb 05, 2017

Show notes

What were the indigenous beliefs of the Māori people of New Zealand? How did they view the world? How did they react when met with the first Christian settlers?

I'm joined by Dr. Hirini Kaa to help me answer these questions. We talk about the Maori worldview, history, religion, and impact of colonialism on New Zealand's indigenous people.

Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Ep. 42 - Truth and Paraconsistent Logic Jan 29, 2017

Show notes

What is truth? Can we know anything about it? Is truth about propositions, or is it about the world?

Can a proposition be true and false at the same time? What about the infamous liar's paradox?

My guest this week thinks that logical contradictions are unavoidable - but also that they aren't as big a deal as classical logicians make them out to be. I think contradictions are a very big deal, so naturally, we have a great discussion.

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Ep. 41 - Race Relations, Part II | T.K. Coleman Jan 26, 2017

Show notes

This is Part II of the conversation I had with T.K. Coleman about race relations in the United States. We continue talking about the importance of intention versus action - focusing on people feelings versus focusing on their behavior.

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Ep. 40 - Race Relations | T.K. Coleman Jan 22, 2017

Show notes

A timely interview on the subject of race in America. Ideas matter, and some of them matter urgently. This is one of those topics where respectful, honest, and reasonable conversation is in high demand and short supply.

I hope my guest T.K. Coleman will spend a few more episodes diving into the subject with me, because we only scratched the surface here.

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Why I Am Not a Physicalist Jan 19, 2017

Show notes

The theory of physicalism does not fully explain all the phenomena that I experience. The toolbox of concepts must expand.

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Ep. 39 - Theism without the OmniGod | Dr. John Bishop Jan 15, 2017

Show notes

Omnipotent. Omniscient. Omnibenevolent. These are the descriptions that theists often give when talking about God. But are they the only conceptions of God that are possible?

My guest today is Dr. John Bishop, who has written about non-standard conceptions of theism. We talk about his criticisms of the OmniGod, in addition to some fundamental concepts about faith and belief.

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Ep. 38 - The Post-Truth Era | Dr. Robert Nola Jan 08, 2017

Show notes

Do we live in a post-truth world? What does that term even mean?

I'm joined by Dr. Robert Nola, who has been teaching at the University of Auckland for almost half a century. We discuss fundamental questions about truth, talk about what "post-truth" means, and also cover the methodology of "faith" in the philosophy of religion.

Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Ep. 37 - Free Will, Causality, and Pluralism | Dr. Mario De Caro Jan 01, 2017

Show notes

What is the cause of somebody's stroke? Is it the laws of physics? The mechanics of biology? Or perhaps it's caused by the choices that they made? Is it all of the above?

My guest today is Dr. Mario De Caro, who has an interesting answer to these questions. He is a metaphysical pluralist, who believes in multiple categories of existence and causation, each of which is not reducible to the other.

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