Robinson's Podcast - Robinson Erhardt

Latest Episodes:

131 - Tal Ben-Shahar: What Is Happiness? Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

Tal Ben-Shahar did his undergraduate and graduate work at Harvard, where he later lectured on positive psychology and taught the most popular course in the university’s history. He is now a speaker and writer who focuses on happiness. In this episode, Robinson and Tal discuss the field of Happiness Studies, which Tal has been developing for half a decade. They discuss the origin of happiness studies with Aristotle before moving on to how various academic disciplines like philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, and anthropology can teach us about happiness in different ways. They finish with some practical insight on how to improve one’s quality of life.

Tal’s Website: https://talbenshahar.com/

Tal’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/TalBenShahar

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:50 Introduction

02:43 Tal and Happiness Studies

10:26 Aristotle and the Beginning of Happiness Studies

14:02 What is Happiness?

28:58 Different Approaches to Happiness

37:00 What Can Anthropology Teach Us About Happiness?

46:29 Capitalism, Communism, and Happiness

53:04 Advice for Being Happy

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.

130 - Donald Hoffman: The Illusion of Reality Aug 20, 2023

Show notes

Donald Hoffman is Professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, where he also has joint appointments in the Department of Philosophy, the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, and the School of Computer Science. Don has worked on a number of problems in his career, including human facial attractiveness, the mind-body problem, the evolution of perception, and even vehicle lighting. In this episode, Robinson and Don discuss his latest book, The Case Against Reality, which argues that human perception did not evolve to see the world as it really is, but in fact what we perceive is a world of icons that, in analogy to a computer desktop, bears no resemblance to what is going on in the objective space beyond our senses.

The Case Against Reality: https://a.co/d/9kxeOI8

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:19 Introduction

04:03 Why Don Thinks We Don’t Perceive Reality

07:55 Do We Interact with Reality Like an iPhone?

13:28 Vitalism and the Mystery of Consciousness

26:55 An Anecdote About Chomsky

30:00 Consciousness and Cutting the Brain in Half

41:20 Can Science Explain Consciousness?

49:15 How Beauty Disguises Reality

01:02:02 What is Veridical Perception?

01:10:13 The Battle Between Truth, Fitness, and Reality

01:31:16 Exploring the FBT Theorem

01:41:56 What is the Interface Theory of Perception?

01:47:10 Illusory Blue Jeans to Make Your Butt Look Good

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

129 - Jeremi Suri: The Impossibility of the American Presidency Aug 18, 2023

Show notes

Jeremi Suri holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is Professor of History in the Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Jeremi’s selection of topics in his work is sprawling, but he writes largely on modern and contemporary politics and foreign policy. In this episode, Robinson and Jeremi discuss the American presidency and how it has shifted over the past two hundred and fifty years to become an impossible position with impossible demands and expectations. Their conversation focuses on five presidents—George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy—though they also touch on Barrack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden.

Jeremi’s Website: https://www.jeremisuri.net

The Impossible Presidency: https://a.co/d/1mOgm7Q

Civil War by Other Means: https://a.co/d/19i6Jq1

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode

01:02 Introduction

05:17 What Are the Historian’s Skills?

15:54 Jeremi’s Background

18:58 Did Washington and Trump Have the Same Job?

25:23 How to Measure the Success of a President?

35:11 What Made Washington Great?

55:40 Was Andrew Jackson Actually a Great President?

01:07:29 How Abraham Lincoln Doomed the Presidency

01:17:20 Theodore Roosevelt and Military Imperialism

01:26:38 Was Franklin Roosevelt the Last Great President?

01:37:38 Why Did JFK Fail as President?

01:42:19 What is Obama’s Legacy?

01:48:08 Was Donald Trump the End of the Presidency?

01:55:06 Jeremi’s Advice for a Future President

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

128 - Clara Sousa-Silva: Exoplanets, Astrobiology, and the Search For Alien Life Aug 16, 2023

Show notes

Clara Sousa-Silva is a professor of physics at Bard College, where she is a quantum astrochemist and molecular astrophysicist. The focus of Clara’s work is on investigating the interaction of particular molecules with light so that they can be detected on exoplanets, where, in addition to giving us atmospheric information, these chemicals may indicate the existence of life. In this episode, Robinson and Clara discuss her research on a specific molecule—phosphine—which may play a key role in identifying planets that are home to aliens, including some that may be very close to earth.

Clara’s Website: https://clarasousasilva.com

Clara’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrPhosphine

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

01:15 Introduction

03:46 Clara’s Interest in Astrophysics

14:08 What Is Phosphine?

27:15 A Stinky Gas and the Search for Aliens

38:37 Have We Encountered Aliens?

45:33 Aliens and Phosphine

50:46 The Daily Work of a Quantum Astrophysicist and Astrobiologist

01:00:36 Are There Aliens on Venus?

01:19:26 Finding Life Outside the Solar System

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

127 - Richard Wolff: What’s Wrong with Capitalism? Aug 13, 2023

Show notes

Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. In this episode, Robinson and Richard discuss his criticisms of capitalism. They begin with why mainstream economists dismiss Marx and then move on to the basics of economics, the problems of our capitalist system, and the myriad social issues we face today.

Richard’s Website: https://www.rdwolff.com

Economic Update: https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdate

The Sickness is the System: https://a.co/d/jf5w5wy

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:26 Introduction

02:41 Why Do Economists Ignore Marx?

15:34 What is Economics?

22:50 Capitalism and What’s Wrong With It

56:12 What Are the Main Problems of Capitalism?

01:03:14 Psychoanalysis and Marxism

01:08:25 The Microproblems of Capitalism

01:18:57 The Social Consequences of Capitalism

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

126 - Michael Strevens: Scientific Explanation & Methodology and The Knowledge Machine Aug 11, 2023

Show notes

Michael Strevens is Professor of Philosophy at New York University, where he works across the philosophy of science and the philosophical applications of cognitive science. In this episode, Robinson and Michael talk about his recent book, The Knowledge Machine, which explores how irrationality shaped the Scientific Revolution. Along the way, they discuss the great debate over the nature of the scientific method—including appearances from Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn—how explanations function in science, and what roles religion, aesthetics, and other factors distinct from concrete evidence should play in scientific thought.

Michael’s Website: http://www.strevens.org

The Knowledge Machine: https://a.co/d/0hmHDCm

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:51 Introduction

03:42 The Knowledge Machine

14:23 What is the Scientific Method?

21:28 Kuhn and the Scientific Method

30:41 Sociology and the Scientific Method

32:40 Reasoning, Evidence, and Prejudice

47:30 The Iron Rule of Explanation

57:09 The Irrationality of Scientific Thought

01:03:57 Newton, Bacon, and the Scientific Revolution

01:12:13 An Attack on Science?

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

125 - Bas van Fraassen: Realism, Thomas Kuhn, and the Semantic Approach in Philosophy of Science Aug 09, 2023

Show notes

Bas van Fraassen is the McCosh Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Princeton University and a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at San Francisco State University. In addition to being one of the most recognized philosophers of science working today—he received the Philosophy of Science Association’s inaugural Hempel Award—he has also worked in epistemology and logic. In this episode, Bas and Robinson discuss a major shift in the philosophy of science in the second half of the twentieth century from the view of the logical positivists, who had a formal, mathematical approach, to philosophers who adopted the semantic approach, which more closely aligned with how working scientists viewed and experienced the field. Some other issues touched on include scientific realism, Thomas Kuhn and The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, and interpretations of quantum mechanics.

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:51 Introduction

03:47 An Interest in the Philosophy of Science

06:44 Logical Positivism

19:56 What is Scientific Realism?

30:56 Kuhn and The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

39:13 The Semantic Approach

54:49 The Quantum Mechanics Interpretation Wars

01:08:12 Mathematical Models

01:12:31 Epistemology

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

124 - Jay McClelland: Deep Learning, Neural Networks, and Artificial Intelligence Aug 06, 2023

Show notes

Jay McClelland is Lucie Stern Professor in the Department of Psychology at Stanford University, where he is also Director of the Center for Mind, Brain, Computation and Technology. Along with other towering figures like Geoffrey Hinton, Jay is considered one of the fathers of artificial intelligence. In this episode, Robinson and Jay discuss some of his main interests in and contributions to the field, including his work on parallel distributed processing with David Rumelhart, the relationship between neural networks and the brain, and just what developments are necessary for artificial intelligence to replicate the thinking of the greatest human scientists and engineers.

Parallel Distributed Processing: https://a.co/d/aELzYx2

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:30 Introduction

02:55 Jay’s Beginnings in Psychology

07:46 What Is Parallel Distributed Processing?

24:21 Cognitive Phenomena and Neural Networks

37:27 Fodor and Pylyshyn on Neural Networks

52:10 Affective Reasoning

55:52 Advancing AI to Compete with Scientists

01:10:02 What Distinguishes AI From Our Greatest Thinkers?

01:14:15 AI and Mathematical Cognition

01:18:47 Macrostructure and Microstructure

01:43:32 Final Thoughts

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

123 - Paul Boghossian: The Sokal Hoax, The A Priori, and Moral Facts Aug 04, 2023

Show notes

Paul Boghossian is Silver Professor of Philosophy at New York University, where he is also Chair of the Philosophy Department. Paul has worked in a wide variety of areas within philosophy, including epistemology and the philosophy of language, mind, and logic respectively. Robinson and Paul discuss the sociological relationship between physics and philosophy, the Sokal Hoax, philosophy in public life, the role of the a priori and a posteriori distinction in metaphysics, logic, and epistemology, and the nature of moral facts. For more detail on the latter, check out Paul’s book with Timothy Williamson, Debating The A Priori (Oxford, 2020).

Debating The A Priori: https://a.co/d/diNADPx

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:32 Introduction

04:33 Physics and Philosophy

17:12 The Sokal Hoax

26:52 Distinguishing the A Priori and A Posteriori

31:59 Does The A Priori/A Posteriori Distinction Hold Water?

48:07 Clarifying the Distinction

53:51 Debating the A Priori with Timothy Williamson

01:03:11 Are There Moral Facts?

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

122 - David Pizarro: Moral Psychology, Praise & Blame, Disgust & Politics Aug 02, 2023

Show notes

David Pizarro is Professor of Psychology at Cornell University. While he teaches and publicly discusses a wide variety of material in the discipline, his primary research interest is in moral judgment. In this episode, Robinson and David discuss some of the conceptual underpinnings of moral psychology before turning to the research on praise, blame, social cognition, and the relationship between disgust and political affiliation. David is also the co-host of two podcasts, Very Bad Wizards with Tamler Sommers and Psych with Paul Bloom.

David’s Website: http://peezer.net

David’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/peez

Very Bad Wizards: https://verybadwizards.fireside.fm

Psych: https://psych.fireside.fm

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:39 Introduction

02:52 David’s Interest in Moral Psychology

06:42 Morality, Judgment, and Intuition in Psychology

30:40 Did Psychology Advance Too Fast

33:44 The Psychology of Praise and Blame

56:26 Why Do We Blame Objects and Robots?