Patterson in Pursuit

Latest Episodes:

The Fashionable Thinkers Sep 21, 2017

Show notes

Many thinkers are more concern with how their ideas look, rather than how accurate they are. They want to appear intelligent, rather than have true beliefs. I call them the "fashionable thinkers," and this is my rant against them.

I've noticed many common traits among fashionable thinkers. Have you?

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Ep. 75 - Do We Perceive Reality? | Dr. Donald Hoffman Sep 17, 2017

Show notes

Do we see reality as it is? Or, are we stuck inside our own mental representations of the world?

My guest this week is Dr. Donald Hoffman, who believes that there's a 0% chance that we accurately perceive the world. He believes that mental phenomena - consciousness, experience, qualia - is the real stuff that makes up the world, not physical objects.

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How to Deal with Alien Abductions and Bigfoot Sightings Sep 14, 2017

Show notes

It's tempting to dismiss anybody who claims they've been abducted by aliens or seen Bigfoot in the forest. However, simple dismissal might not be the most rational response.

Extreme cases can actually help us understand the relationship between the mind and the world? What exactly do these people see/experience, and how can we know?

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Ep. 74 - Race and American Politics | T.K. Coleman Sep 10, 2017

Show notes

Part four of my conversation about race with TK Coleman. In this episode, we talk about the intersection of race, politics, and economics in America.

It's impossible to understand how the world works without understanding economics, and once you grasp the fundamentals, economics will change your worldview - especially your political theory.

TK understands economics and has a political solution that everybody should be able to agree on. We don't have to argue about the extent of racism anymore; we can agree on a solution, regardless of the severity of the problem.

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Unifying the Plural into the Simple Sep 07, 2017

Show notes

Is the world composed of one thing or many things?

Some thinkers believe that the universe is one object that our minds chop up into many pieces.

I believe that the universe is many objects that our minds unify into one whole.

It might seem abstract, but regardless of your conclusion, it's got big implications.

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Ep. 73 - Race, Culture, and Judgments | T.K. Coleman Sep 03, 2017

Show notes

Is it racist to notice cultural differences among groups? Can we make judgments about those differences?

Without a doubt, race is one of the most taboo subjects to talk about in America.

To help me grapple with these sticky questions, I'm talking with T.K. Coleman. We spoke in episodes 40 and 41 about race relations, and we continue the conversation today.

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Ep. 72 - The Real Story Behind Bitcoin Cash | Ryan X. Charles Aug 27, 2017

Show notes

This is the craziest time in Bitcoin's history, and it's mired in confusion and misinformation. To help give some context, I'm joined by a long time Bitcoiner and entrepreneur Ryan X. Charles, who is the CEO and co-founder of Yours.

He breaks down some of the facts and history surrounding the network split and creation of Bitcoin Cash.

If you're interested in Bitcoin at all, you'll want to listen to this episode. If you appreciate the content and want to donate Bitcoin or Bitcoin Cash, you can use this address:

1A3oPBkXU156c3NKqWpNdGfTizc8JAgwKZ

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Ep. 71 - Meditation and the Absence of Self | Oren J. Sofer Aug 20, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, I'm joined by Oren Sofer to talk about meditation and philosophy. We start by laying out the basics of meditation - what's going on, internally and externally - and then we get into some of the deeper questions in metaphysics like:

"What is the mind?","What is the self?", "Do observations require an observer?"

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Ep. 70 - Should Feminism and Philosophy Mix? | Interview Breakdown Aug 14, 2017

Show notes

How well-justified are the insights of feminist philosophy? What is the metaphysical status of the patriarchy? Is there such a thing as a "biological difference" between men and women?

This is my interview breakdown of Episode 51 - my conversation with Dr. Michelle Boulous-Walker of the University of Queensland.

Let's just say: we disagree.

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Ep. 69 - Hegel and Paradox | Dr. Donald Verene Aug 06, 2017

Show notes

Hegel is famous for being a difficult and controversial philosopher. His work comes up often in my conversations about paradox and contradiction - from those who argue that paradoxes can exist in the world.

Or, even more strongly, from those argue that "the world is paradoxical."

I don't know much about Hegel, so I've traveled to Atlanta to interview Dr. Donald Verene of Emory University, who specializes in Hegelian philosophy.

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