MeaningofLife.tv

MeaningofLife.tv episodes:

• 11.29.2021

  Kant Stop Critiquin' (Aryeh Cohen-Wade & David Ottlinger)

  A bizarre Washington Post column about critical theory and Immanuel Kant ... Why has Kant become a bogeyman? ... How contingent is the history of philosophy? ... Relativism vs. rationalism ... What Kant meant by...

  
• 11.24.2021

  The Dharma of Bob 8: A Cosmic View of Our Situation (Robert Wright & Josh Summers)

  What part of secular-guru space (if any) does Bob occupy? ... On the origin of Bob’s theses (by means of natural selection) ... The mind-boggling mystery of consciousness ... Could evolution have a larger purpose? ......

  
• 09.21.2021

  The Dharma of Bob 7: Cognitive Bias and Conflict (Robert Wright & Josh Summers)

  Remembering Michael Brooks ... The existential stakes of enlightenment ... Overcoming the affective dimension of cognitive bias ... Bringing broader awareness to the concept of cognitive bias ... Cognitive bias and the roots of...

  
• 09.15.2021

  Saving Anti-Wokeness from Itself (David Ottlinger & Cathy Young)

  A plea to the weary to return to the Woke Wars ... Who is James Lindsay? ... Lindsay's book, Cynical Theories ... Lindsay's other critiques of wokeness ... The religion of wokeness, the religion of anti-wokeness...

  
• 09.14.2021

  Contesting Determinism (Robert Wright & Oliver Burkeman)

  Oliver's new book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals ... Oliver outlines “compatibilism,” the idea that free will and determinism can coexist ... Bob: Everyone should be a free will agnostic ... The occasionally dramatic consequences...

  
• 09.07.2021

  The Trouble with Quantum Mechanics (Robert Wright & John Horgan)

  John's recent bout of fever-induced hallucinations ... Does math actually help you understand QM? ... What experiments in QM have and have not verified ... John: All interpretations of QM are bad ... What...

  
• 08.25.2021

  Debating the Sexual Psychology of Men and Women (Robert Wright & Agustín Fuentes)

  Disavowing the naturalistic fallacy ... Why “sex” may not mean what you think it means ... Did evolution make women “choosier” about sex partners than men? ... Haggling over the price of sperm and eggs ...

  
• 08.05.2021

  Consolations of Physics (John Horgan & Sabine Hossenfelder)

  Sabine inspires John's quantum experiment ... Sabine previews her book-in-progress ... Isn't quantum mechanics non-deterministic? ... Is consciousness conserved? ... John and Sabine tangle over free will ... Physics creationism ... Will quantum mechanics...

  
• 08.04.2021

  Time Management for Mortals (Robert Wright & Oliver Burkeman)

  Oliver’s new book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals ... Why is it so hard to accept the limits of our productivity? ... Prioritizing mindfully ... Heideggerian time management ... Finding value in even...

  
• 07.06.2021

  The Dharma of Bob 6: The Explain/Excuse Conflation (Robert Wright & Josh Summers)

  Josh's aversion to the term "guru" ... Explaining the explain/excuse conflation ... The (possible) evolutionary origins of (biased) arguing ... Are humans mismatched to their modern environment? ... Building strengths vs. addressing deficiencies ......

  
• 06.08.2021

  Should Darwin Be Cancelled? (Robert Wright & Agustín Fuentes)

  Agustín on what he was and wasn’t saying in his controversial Science piece on Darwin ... What is biological anthropology? ... What social media critiques of Agustín’s editorial missed ... Untangling Darwin’s attitudes toward race and...

  
• 06.07.2021

  Quantum Mechanics and the Quest for Final Knowledge (John Horgan & Philip Ball)

  Will science ever absorb the arts and humanities? ... Why Phil wrote a book about quantum mechanics ... Knowing quantum math doesn’t necessarily help ... Is "information” the key to quantum mechanics? ... What quantum computing...

  
• 05.27.2021

  Thinking in Tongues (Nikita Petrov & David Poleski)

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• 05.25.2021

  Saving the World One Podcast at a Time (Robert Wright & Rob Wiblin)

  Defining effective altruism ... Rob explains the meaning of ‘80,000 Hours’ ... Should young people dedicate their careers to fighting climate change? ... The Apocalypse Aversion Project ... How cognitive biases fuel tribalism ... Bob:...

  
• 05.11.2021

  The Dharma of Bob 5: Mindful Defiance (Robert Wright & Josh Summers)

  Josh tries to help Bob retool his meditation practice ... Identifying the purpose of your practice ... What to do when your mind wanders ... Tuning your mind ... The Four Rs ... Can...

  
• 05.05.2021

  Despite Our Best Intentions (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

  The value of defying your tribe ... Egocentric bias and attribution error ... The thin line between between courage and acting like an asshole ... Why do we punish people for unintentional transgressions? ... To understand...

  
• 04.27.2021

  Circling the Elephant (Robert Wright & John Thatamanil)

  John’s new book, Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity ... John’s early religious sensibility ... The Advaita Vedanta tradition in Hinduism ... Grappling with the human predicament ... Approaches to ultimate reality...

  
• 04.12.2021

  Science, Fiction, and the Mind-Body Problem (John Horgan & Erik Hoel)

  Erik's new novel, The Revelations ... How Erik became a writer and a neuroscientist ... Erik defends integrated information theory ... The agnosticism of the novelist ... Should the mind-body problem have a single solutions?...

  
• 04.07.2021

  DMT and Plato's Cave (Nikita Petrov & John Horgan)

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• 03.23.2021

  The Dharma of Bob 4: Averting the Apocalypse (Robert Wright & Josh Summers)

  Who you callin' bodhisattva? ... Outlining the Apocalypse Aversion Project ... How meditation can make us better global citizens ... Why we need “cognitive crampons” ... Transcend and include ... The varieties of meditative...

  
• 03.22.2021

  Steven Pinker, the Unabomber, Quantum Physics, and DMT (Nikita Petrov & John Horgan)

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• 03.08.2021

  Explaining Quantum Mechanics (John Horgan & Tim Maudlin)

  Why Tim became a philosopher ... John gets entangled in superposition ... Tim explains Bell’s Theorem with diagrams ... Tim rejects shutting up and calculating ... Will quantum computers lead to a better quantum theory? ...

  
• 03.02.2021

  Kant’s Transcendental Philosophy (Robert Wright & David Ottlinger)

  Distinguishing between the numinous and the noumenal ... Kant’s religious vision ... The Copernican revolution in philosophy ... What, if anything, does the Buddhist idea of emptiness have to do with Kant? ... The transcendental...

  
• 02.23.2021

  Ten Keys to Reality (Robert Wright & Frank Wilczek)

  What got Frank his Nobel Prize ... Frank's new book, Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality ... Solving the mystery of dark matter ... Can quantum physics make sense? ... Frank: Mind emerges from matter, not the...

  
• 02.22.2021

  (What If) Ideas Are Alive (Nikita Petrov & John Horgan)

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• 02.18.2021

  Questioning the Practice of Grading in Schools (Robert Gressis & Kevin Currie-Knight)

  Rob and Kevin make small talk ... Kevin describes and laments the grade economy ... What's the relationship between grades and learning? ... Bryan Caplan's "The Case Against Education" and how it has traumatized Rob ......

  
• 02.10.2021

  Free Speech and Academic Freedom in 2020 (Daniel Kaufman & David Ottlinger)

  A new home for Sophia ... The (latest) defenestration of Kathleen Stock ... How sincere are pro-trans rights public intellectuals? ... Justin Weinberg's essay on the Kathleen Stock incident ... David: "It's the squishy middles...

  
• 02.01.2021

  Quantum Mechanics and “Reality” (John Horgan & Adam Becker)

  Do you need math to grok quantum mechanics? ... Adam's quibble with Nils Bohr ... Explaining David Bohm’s pilot-wave model ... Defending the many-worlds hypothesis ... Are quantum mechanics and consciousness entangled? ... Will science...

  
• 01.26.2021

  The Dharma of Bob 3: Cognitive Biases (Robert Wright & Josh Summers)

  Continuing “the Dharma of Bob” ... The evolutionary logic of cognitive biases ... Attribution error, or why your enemies seem so damn evil ... Zero-sum biases in a non-zero-sum world ... Bob fixes social media ...

  
• 01.18.2021

  Introducing Psychopolitica (John Horgan & Nikita Petrov)

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• 01.06.2021

  Spooky Action at a Distance (John Horgan & George Musser)

  Is spacetime obsolete? ... Quantum spookiness explained! ... Black holes and the big bang are spooky too. ... What preceded space and time? ... Is physics just poetry with math? ... George’s next book: how...

  
• 01.04.2021

  The Cultural Contradictions of Conservatism (Daniel Kaufman & Kevin Currie-Knight)

  Kevin's book, Education in the Marketplace ... Dan and Kevin's concern for Coleman Hughes' intellectual freedom ... How young is too young for movement conservatism? ... What was the Intellectual Dark Web? ... The IDW's...

  
• 12.28.2020

  Quantum Mechanics and Other Mysteries (John Horgan & Amanda Gefter)

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• 12.23.2020

  Is Philosophy of Religion Still Necessary? (Daniel Kaufman & Megan Fritts)

  Megan: philosophy of religion shouldn't focus on "proofs for God" ... Determining rational grounds for supernaturalism ... Why Dan rejects epistemic foundationalism ... Megan's Christian agnosticism, Dan's Jewish atheism ... Wittgenstein's engagement with philosophy...

  
• 12.21.2020

  The Decline of Great Philosophers (Daniel Kaufman & Robert Gressis)

  Robert's essay, "The Philosophy Rapture" ... What counts as "relevant" philosophy? ... Philosophy's "dirty insider game" ... Why are great philosophers overrepresented at elite universities? ... Generational decline, intellectual and attitudinal ...

  
• 12.16.2020

  The Quantum Astrologer's Handbook (John Horgan & Michael Brooks)

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• 12.14.2020

  How to Make a Comic Book (Daniel Kaufman & Milton Lawson)

  The new issue of Milton's comic book, Thompson Heller: Detective Interstellar ... Christopher Hitchens' influence on Milton's comic ... The anxieties of robot personhood ... The economic determinants of comic book production ... How a...

  
• 12.09.2020

  Justifying Our Beliefs (Daniel Kaufman & Joshua Rasmussen)

  Joshua’s views on basic beliefs ... How do we get from experience to justified belief? ... The connection between knowledge and awareness ... Is Dan actually a foundationalist? ... Where the chain of warrant ends...

  
• 12.08.2020

  Evolution and Purpose (Robert Wright & Massimo Pigliucci)

  Could evolution have a higher purpose? ... The value of (some) untestable hypotheses ... What zombies can (and can’t) teach us about consciousness ... Evolutionary teleology vs. evolutionary teleonomy ... Why does evolution produce...

  
• 12.01.2020

  The Dharma of Bob 2: Nonzero (Robert Wright & Josh Summers)

  Continuing the exploration of "the Dharma of Bob" ... Bob: There is no good alternative to global community ... Defining non-zero-sumness ... How genetic "selfishness" led to altruism ... The psychology of tribalism ......

  
• 11.19.2020

  Lesser Evils (Daniel Kaufman & Kevin Currie-Knight)

  Why Kevin chose not to vote ... The two-party system vs. a multiparty parliamentary system ... Dan accuses Kevin of not confronting what the election was about ... Is Kevin acting like a spoiled brat?...

  
• 11.06.2020

  Debating Standpoint Theory (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)

  The origins of "standpoint theory" ... Are Dan and Crispin white? ... Defining standpoint theory ... Dan: Standpoint theory presents an irrefutable hypothesis ... Crispin: "All knowledge is from some standpoint" ... Dan: There is...

  
• 11.03.2020

  The Dharma of Bob: The Logos (Robert Wright & Josh Summers)

  Philo of Alexandria, seminal Logos theorist ... Bob: Teleology is perfectly compatible with a scientific worldview ... A logic shaping the unfolding of life ... How Jordan Peterson understands the Logos ... Does order flow...

  
• 11.01.2020

  The Innovation Delusion (John Horgan & Lee Vinsel)

  Lee’s new book, The Innovation Delusion ... Is progress real? ... Lee’s critique of the documentary The Social Dilemma ... The necessity and dangers of “expertise” ... John’s problems with Buddhism ...

  
• 10.14.2020

  Just Faith (Robert Wright & Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons)

  Guthrie's new book, Just Faith: Reclaiming Progressive Christianity ... Guthrie's personal faith journey ... The tradition of liberal Protestantism ... Human sexuality and evangelicalism ... Guthrie sees a liberatory counternarrative in Scripture ... What drives...

  
• 10.07.2020

  Who Is Entitled? (Daniel Kaufman & Robert Gressis)

  A review of Kate Manne's book Entitled sparks an online philosophy feud ... Is America systematically misogynistic? ... How Twitter incentivizes bad behavior ... The professional norms around book reviewing ... Dan sees...

  
• 10.01.2020

  Social Media and Cognitive Empathy (Robert Wright & Josh Summers)

  Applying cognitive empathy to the Supreme Court vacancy fight ... The danger of runaway retaliation ... Reviewing The Social Dilemma, a new documentary critical of social media ... Enhance your online stature by vilifying the other...

  
• 09.22.2020

  The Microfoundations of Marxism (Robert Gressis & Jaime Edwards)

  Jaime explains how Marx understood ideology ... Our tendency to get facts wrong in a self-serving way ... Cognitive biases that lead the working class astray ... Why do we have reason? ... "Thank...

  
• 09.15.2020

  Persons, Minds, and Thingy Things (Daniel Kaufman & Joshua Rasmussen)

  How can there be persons? ... Against hypostatic ontological commitment ... Things vs. thingy things ... Mind over matter, or vice versa? ... Are there minds? Dan isn't sure. ... Have philosophers gone...

  
• 09.08.2020

  Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World (Robert Wright & Sharon Salzberg)

  How Sharon became one of the first Americans to study Buddhism in India ... Sharon's new book, Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World ... Does meditation seal you off from the world? ... Mindfully...