Robinson's Podcast - Robinson Erhardt

Latest Episodes:

141 - Norman Naimark: The History of Genocide Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

Norman Naimark is Robert & Florence McDonnell Professor of East European History at Stanford University. He is also Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution and the Institute of International Studies. He has worked on a wide array of topics related to the Cold War, genocide, communism, Hitler, Stalin, and more. In this episode, Robinson and Norman talk about the world history of genocide. After discussing just what constitutes genocide, they begin with the most distant reaches of prehistory—neanderthals and beyond—before moving up through biblical times, the Mongol conquest, the crusades, the colonial period, and more modern events.

Genocide: A World History: https://a.co/d/7o4tG25

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:55 Introduction

05:13 Norman’s Background

16:24 What’s an Archival Historian?

21:12 What is Genocide

35:59 Prehistoric and Biblical Genocide

48:20 Genghis Khan and the Mongolian Genocide

01:08:05 Were the Crusades Genocidal?

01:24:07 The Spanish Colonial Genocide

01:39:02 Race, Economics, and the Settler Genocides

01:48:02 The Genocides of Modernity

01:55:07 The Armenian Genocide

02:04:49 Is There a Genocide in Ukraine?

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.

140 - John Burgess: Realism in the Philosophy of Mathematics Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

John Burgess is John N. Woodhull Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University, where he works in mathematical and philosophical logic and the philosophy of mathematics. In this episode, Robinson and John discuss realism in the philosophy of mathematics, and while the nature of this question is itself disputed, it can be roughly described as concerning the extent to which we should be committed to the mind-independent truth of mathematical theorems, or to the existence of the objects they apparently describe. Robinson and John begin by addressing the nuances of this question, and they then turn to various developments in mathematics that have been historically associated with realism—set theory, in particular—as well as specific philosophical positions associated with realism (such as Platonism) and anti-realism (such as conventionalism). John’s most recent book is Set Theory (Cambridge, 2022).

Set Theory: https://a.co/d/cF305wf

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:22 Introduction

03:17 Mathematics or Philosophy?

08:06 What is Realism in the Philosophy of Mathematics?

14:11 Objectivity and Mathematics

24:34 What Is Set Theory?

47:29 Platonism and the Continuum Problem

01:15:42 Conventionalism

01:22:06 Finitism

01:31:17 A Cap on Infinity?

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

139 - Lawrence Summers: Economic Policy, Free Speech, and The Pursuit of Truth Sep 10, 2023

Show notes

Lawrence Summers is the President Emeritus and Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University. He also served as the 71st Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton Administration, as Director of the White House National Economic Council in the Obama Administration, and as the Chief Economist of the World Bank. In this episode, Robinson and Larry discuss two topics close to his heart and work. First, they talk about the relationship between economic research and economic policy, both at a broad, theoretical level and with respect to cases, such as the current problem of inflation and Larry’s own work on global investments in the education of women. Second, they explore free speech and the social function of the university, including its commitments to the pursuit of truth, the promotion of opportunity, and an increase in prosperity.

Larry’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/LHSummers

Larry’s Website: https://larrysummers.com/

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

01:06 Introduction

05:19 Theory, Research, and Policy in Economics

18:15 Using Research to Debunk Theory

23:00 Investing in Women’s Education

27:33 Free Speech at Harvard

34:52 Harvard and the Purpose of the University

38:17 Why Larry Ran Harvard

41:50 The STEM Revolution

54:03 Anti-Semitism in the University

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

138 - Konstantin Batygin: Planet Nine, Oumuamua, and the Death of Pluto Sep 08, 2023

Show notes

Konstantin Batygin is Professor of Planetary Science in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology, where he works on a wide variety of problems related to the formation and evolution of the solar system, the dynamical evolution of exoplanets, and physical processes that occur in planetary interiors and atmospheres. In this episode, Robinson and Konstantin discuss interstellar interlopers in our solar system, planet and satellite formation, the death of Pluto, Planet Nine, and the newest music from his band, The Seventh Season.

Konstantin’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/kbatygin

Konstantin’s Website: https://www.konstantinbatygin.com/

The Seventh Season: https://theseventhseason.band/

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:37 Introduction

03:56 Konstantin’s Background

07:53 Was Oumuamua an Alien Spacecraft?

16:17 Planetesimals, Planet Formation, and the Size of the Solar System

25:15 Are there Extrasolar Objects in our Solar System?

35:06 How do Planets Form?

48:54 Is Our Solar System Falling Apart?

54:46 How Do Moons Form?

01:04:20 The Complexity of the Outer Solar System

01:07:12 The Death of Pluto

01:17:21 What and Where Is Planet Nine?

01:41:59 The Seventh Season

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

137 - Joyce Carol Oates: Craft in Fiction and Poetry Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

Joyce Carol Oates is the Rogers S. Berlind ’52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities at Princeton University with the Program in Creative Writing. She is among the most widely-recognized and respected writers of our time, and has written in a wide variety of media and genres, from poetry and fiction in the former category to horror and Gothic in the latter. Her work has also been adapted into various other media, from plays to film. Joyce is the recipient of two O. Henry Awards and the National Book Award, among many others. In this conversation, Robinson and Joyce talk about various dimensions of fiction and poetry. Their discussion largely centers on technique and form, and touches on the work of James Joyce, Stephen Crane, Vladimir Nabokov, and Edgar Allan Poe, in addition to Joyce’s own novels and short stories.

Errata: In the section marked “Edgar Allan Poe and James Joyce”, Joyce says “Blazes Boylan” when she intends to refer to Buck Mulligan.

Joyce’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoyceCarolOates

Joyce’s Substack: https://joycecaroloates.substack.com

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:55 Introduction

05:39 On Stephen Crane and The Bitter Heart

31:22 Literature as a Distillation of Life

42:53 Repetition and other Techniques

53:07 Edgar Allan Poe and James Joyce

01:08:14 Stephen Crane’s Many Red Devils

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

136 - Andrew Strominger: String Theory, Black Holes, and Extra Dimensions Sep 03, 2023

Show notes

Andrew Strominger is Gwill E. York Professor of Physics and Director of the Center for the Fundamental Laws of Nature at Harvard University, where he works on some of the deepest questions in physics, including black holes and the unification of quantum field theory and general relativity in the form of string theory. In this episode, Robinson and Andy discuss the basics of string theory, including its unifying role in physics, its application to outstanding and once-intractable problems of black holes, and the conceptual difficulties of thinking about higher-dimensional spaces.

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:32 Introduction

05:03 Andy’s Entry into String Theory

20:49 The Irreconcilable Clash between General Relativity and Quantum Field Theory

47:02 String Theory, Fine-Tuning, and the Anthropic Principle

59:20 The Basics of String Theory

01:12:50 String Theory and the Reductionist Program of Physics

01:27:25 When Will We Observe the Strings of String Theory?

01:43:45 How Many Dimensions are There in String Theory?

02:12:50 Aesthetics in String Theory

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

135 - Thomas Hertog: Stephen Hawking, Cosmology, and the Origin of Time Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

Thomas Hertog is Professor and Head of Theoretical Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at KU Leuven in Belgium. He was a doctoral student and close collaborator of Stephen Hawking. In this episode, Robinson and Thomas discuss his recent book, On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking’s Final Theory. More particularly they discuss his collaboration with Stephen Hawking Hawking’s work on black holes, and the three stages of his cosmological research, which culminated in his final theory, which Thomas worked on with him, called Top-Down Cosmology.

On the Origin of Time: https://a.co/d/ihrMoCZ

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:53 Introduction

04:19 Thomas’s Entry into Physics

05:49 What Was It Like to Work with Stephen Hawking?

09:46 Stephen Hawking and the Death of Philosophy

16:42 What is Cosmological Inflation

23:28 The Big Bang, Fine-Tuning, and the Anthropic Principle

41:15 On Penrose, Hawking, Black Holes, and the Big Bang

01:01:27 Stephen Hawking’s Final Theory of Top-Down Cosmology

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

134 - Christopher Capozzola: Uncle Sam, the Draft, and Vigilantes in World War I Aug 30, 2023

Show notes

Christopher Capozzola is Professor of History and MacVicar Faculty Fellow at MIT, where he works on the history of citizenship, war, and the military in modern American history. In this episode, Robinson and Chris discuss his first book, Uncle Sam Wants You: World War I and the Making of the Modern American Citizen (Oxford, 2008). More particularly, they talk about the background of the famous Uncle Sam “I Want You!” image and its status as a piece of propaganda, how it functioned in the United States during World War I, the domestic reception and consequences of the draft, and how patriotism resulted in violent vigilante justice. Chris’s latest book is Bound by War: How the United States and the Philippines Built America’s First Pacific Century.

Uncle Sam Wants You: https://a.co/d/gBodfCL

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

01:04 Introduction

03:50 History as Narrative

08:01 Teaching History at MIT

12:21 Chris’s Interest in American History

14:42 The Origin and Purpose of Uncle Sam

32:48 Political Obligation and the Draft in World War I

45:06 History and Unwritten Facts

50:07 Draft Dodgers, Conscientious Objectors, and Vigilantes in WWI

01:04:35 Historians, Philosophers, and Political Obligation

01:16:50 How World War I Was Caused by Bad Leaders

01:23:01 Free Speech During and After the War

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

133 - Ian Hutchinson: Plasma Physics & The Compatibility of Science and Religion Aug 27, 2023

Show notes

Ian Hutchinson is Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering in he Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT. He works in both plasma physics and nuclear physics and also writes on the philosophy of science and the compatibility of Christianity and science. In this episode, Ian and Robinson begin by discussing his work in plasma and nuclear physics, touching on space exploration, nuclear fusion, and the containment of superheated plasma. Then they turn to Ian’s religious beliefs and his understanding of how science and christianity are not only compatible, but complementary. Ian’s latest book is Can a Scientist Believe in Miracles?: An MIT Professor Answers Questions on God and Science.

Ian’s Website: https://www-internal.psfc.mit.edu/~hutch/

Can a Scientist Believe in Miracles?: https://a.co/d/2Vi2wKk

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

01:03 Introduction

06:15 Is There a Crisis in Plasma Physics?

19:19 What Is the Fourth Phase of Matter?

33:24 Plasma, Astrophysics, and Space Exploration

45:49 What Are Nuclear Fission and Fusion?

55:25 How Does Nuclear Fusion Work?

01:02:34 How Viable is Nuclear Fusion as a Clean Power Source?

01:19:03 Why MIT Nuclear Physicist Ian Hutchinson Believes in God

01:34:08 How Can Science be Compatible with Christian Miracles?

01:43:22 How an MIT Physicist Reads the Book of Genesis

01:49:11 The Perils of Scientism

01:58:59 Do Science and Religion Complement Each Other?

02:04:02 How Religion Informs Ian’s Work as a Plasma Physicist

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

132 - Jonathan Shedler: Freud, Psychoanalysis, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Aug 25, 2023

Show notes

Jonathan Shedler is Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco and a faculty member at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis. He is a psychologist and psychotherapist. In this episode, Robinson and Jonathan discuss the clinical side of psychoanalytic theory. They begin by describing just how different contemporary practice is from its beginnings with Freud a hundred years ago, before detailing how psychodynamic therapy compares to other forms of treatment for mental illness.

Jonathan’s Website: https://jonathanshedler.com/

Jonathan’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonathanshedler

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:36 Introduction

04:11 Disambiguating Psychoanalysis

16:22 What Is The Distinction Between Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy?

32:01 Free-Association and Transference in Psychotherapy

49:05 Dream Interpretation in Psychotherapy

59:37 The Five Psychodynamic Theories

01:07:36 Is Psychodynamic Therapy Effective?

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com