Patterson in Pursuit

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Ep. 30 - Buddhism, the Self, and Boundaries | Dr. Janet Gyatso Nov 06, 2016

Show notes

Buddhist philosophy focuses on some of the most difficult questions in philosophy - what is the "self"? What is the self's relationship to consciousness? Are there meaningful boundaries in the universe, or is everything a mental construction?

To help me answer these questions, I'm joined by Dr. Janet Gyatso of Harvard University, who is the Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies.

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Gender, Sex, and Language Nov 03, 2016

Show notes

What's the difference between sex and gender? Is "being a woman" different than "identifying as a woman"?

I suspect that a great deal of controversy surrounding transgender people comes down to the way we use language. If we keep a sharp distinction between sex and gender, any tension resolves itself.

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Ep. 29 - Trump and Conservatism | Dr. Harvey Mansfield Oct 30, 2016

Show notes

Is the Trump phenomenon reactionary? Is it a cultural movement? What do conservatives think about Trump?

I'm joined by the distinguished Dr. Harvey Mansfield, who has been teaching political philosophy at Harvard for more than 50 years. He has a distinctive conservative voice, and he shares his analysis of the 2016 election.

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Ep. 28 - Questions for a Christian Theologian | Dr. Ian McFarland Oct 23, 2016

Show notes

I have basic questions about Christian theology - What is God? Who is Jesus? What's the connection between humans and God? What does it mean to be "saved"? Does Christianity imply dualism?

To find answers, I spoke with the theologian Dr. Ian McFarland at the University of Cambridge in England.

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All is One: The Logical Case for Mysticism Oct 20, 2016

Show notes

Where are the meaningful boundaries in reality? If there are none - if boundaries are a construction of the mind - then there is no difference between "self" and "not-self", or between "the perceiver" and "the perceived".

In this way, mystics claim that "all is one".

It's a beautiful idea, though I don't think it's quite accurate. Regardless, it needs to be rationally defended and grappled with.

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Ep. 27 - Intellectual Optimism | T.K. Coleman Oct 16, 2016

Show notes

It's no secret that I'm a curmudgeon. My rule of thumb is that "everybody is wrong about everything all the time." However, this extreme skepticism might be a methodological mistake. To challenge me, I'm joined by T.K. Coleman, who is one of the most positive thinkers around.

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Reparations for Slavery Oct 13, 2016

Show notes

Slavery was an injustice. Nobody disputes that. However, it's not clear that reparations will correct the injustice.

In my view, reparations have rhetorical power, but they will not fix the problem. In fact, they will cause additional injustice. Reparations are theft in the present to pay for theft in the past.

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Ep. 26 - Why I'm Not in Academia Oct 09, 2016

Show notes

The world of ideas is moving past academia. We're in the midst of it. More and more people are realizing that the "experts" aren't as knowledgeable as they've been told - and that formal credentialing doesn't guarantee you a job upon graduation.

The community of dissatisfied intellectuals is growing, and I want to be part of it. Let's build the community that we'd like to see.

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Steak and Certainty Oct 06, 2016

Show notes

Not all certainly true propositions are logically necessary. I discovered this several years ago while laying in bed, thinking about steak.

Who said philosophy should be confined to a classroom?

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Ep. 25 - Artificial Intelligence and Minds | Dr. Bram van Heuveln Oct 02, 2016

Show notes

Is the brain a computer? Do machines calculate the same way humans do? Can artificial intelligence ever be conscious?

What does it even mean to be "intelligent"?

To help me answer these questions, I spoke with Dr. Bram van Heuveln of RPI.

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