Robinson's Podcast

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7

Nick Bostrom is a Swedish philosopher who was most recently Professor at Oxford University, where he served as the founding Director of the Future of Humanity Institute. He is best known for his book Superintelligence (Oxford, 2014), which covers the dangers of artificial intelligence. In this episode, Robinson and Nick discuss his more recent book, Deep Utopia: Life and Meaning in a Solved World (Ideapress, 2024). More particularly, they discuss the alignment problem with artificial intelligence, the problem of utopia, how artificial intelligence—if it doesn’t make our world horrible—could make it wonderful, the future of technology, and how humans might adjust to a life without work.

Nick’s Website: https://nickbostrom.com

Deep Utopia: https://a.co/d/b8eHuhQ

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

02:50 From AI Dystopia to AI Utopia 

9:15 On Superintelligence and the Alignment Problem

17:48 The Problem of Utopia

21:14 What Are the Different Types of Utopia?

28:04 AI and the Purpose of Mathematics

38:59 What Technologies Can We Expect in an AI Utopia?

43:59 Philosophical Problems with Immortality

55:14 Are There Advanced Alien Civilizations Out There?

59:54 Why Don’t We Live in Utopia?

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. 

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7

Philip Goff is a professor of philosophy at Durham University in the United Kingdom, where he researches consciousness and the philosophy of mind. He is the best known proponent of a view about consciousness known as panpsychism, which takes mentality to be fundamental in the world rather than something that either emerges out of complex structures or exists parallel to physical objects (as an immaterial property of things like souls). In this episode, Robinson and Philip discuss the major camps in the debate over consciousness, including physicalism, dualism, and panpsychism, touching on both their strengths and weaknesses. They then turn to a few questions raised in Philip’s most recent book, Why? The Purpose of the Universe (Oxford, 2023), in which he seeks to find a middle ground between atheism and deism.

Why? The Purpose of the Universe: https://a.co/d/2cqj5Us

Philip’s Website: https://philipgoffphilosophy.com

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

04:41 Philip’s Interest in Consciousness

8:11 What Is Consciousness?

14:36 Is Consciousness a Spectrum? 

19:42 On Dualism About Consciousness

31:37 On Physicalism and the Mind

46:56 What Is Panpsychism?

53:27 The Best Arguments for Panpsychism

57:11 Panpsychism and the Combination Problem

1:02:20 On Panpsychism and Parapsychology

1:07:06 On Panpsychism and Free Will

1:13:04 On the Fine-Tuning Problem

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. 

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7

Vijay Prashad is a historian and journalist. He obtained his PhD in history at the University of Chicago and was most recently the George and Martha Kellner Chair in South Asian History at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Vijay is a Marxist, and much of his work and writing has been devoted to critiques of capitalism and colonialism, and this notably includes research on Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East. In this episode, Robinson and Vijay discuss the Israel-Palestine conflict as a problem of anti-semitism and colonialism, and touch on various other dimensions of the issue, such as how the war might end, Noam Chomsky’s contributions to the discussion, and the legitimacy of Palestine.

Tricontinental: https://thetricontinental.org/institutes/

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

04:20 Human Rights and the Crisis in Palestine

10:50 Decolonizing Palestine and the Problem of European Antisemitism

19:33 Is Israel a European Colonialist Enterprise?

31:06 Is Palestine a Legitimate Nation? 

43:14 On Noam Chomsky and a One-State Solution to Israel-Palestine

53:26 Communism, Israel-Palestine, and Dreams of Utopia

59:46 Is There a Practical Solution to the War in Gaza?

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. 

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7

Jeffrey Sachs is University Professor at Columbia University, where he serves as the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development. Before that, he taught at Harvard University for twenty years. Jeff is the author of numerous books, including three New York Times bestsellers. His latest is The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions (Columbia, 2020). In addition to his work as an economist on the cutting edge of sustainable development—including research on changes related to extreme poverty, climate change, and other national economic reforms—Jeff is an authority on geopolitics and international relations, with particular expertise on Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Palestine, and other currently contentious areas. In this episode, Jeff and Robinson discuss practical solutions to the war in Gaza, the geopolitics surrounding the conflict in Israel and Palestine, allegations of anti-semitism in American universities, the assassination of JFK, and the truth behind conspiracy theories.

The Ages of Globalization: https://a.co/d/34yO8HB

Jeff’s Website: https://www.jeffsachs.org

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

03:48 Was October 7th Justifiable?

05:35 Can the UN End the War in Palestine?

09:31 Is Israel an Apartheid State?

11:28 Is Israel Committing Genocide?

17:50 Is a Two-State Solution Right for Israel and Palestine?

21:14 What Is the Pathway to Ending the War in Gaza?

26:06 Did the CIA Assassinate JFK?

28:12 On the Legitimacy of Conspiracy Theories

32:59 Key Israeli and Palestinian Players for the War in Gaza

42:01 Biden, Putin, Xi Jinping, and the War in Israel

46:39 On Anti-Semitism in American Universities

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. 

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7

Benny Morris is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Middle East Studies at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. He is among the most respected and influential historians on Israel and Palestine. Benny is perhaps best known for his work on the 1947-1948 civil war in Palestine and the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and for his book The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947-1948 (Cambridge, 1989). In this episode, Robinson and Benny discuss the Israel-Palestine conflict from a historical perspective, touching on the origin of the refugee crisis, the origin and justification of Israel, the legitimacy of Israeli military tactics, whether genocide is occurring in Palestine, whether Israel is an apartheid state, and more.

The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem: https://a.co/d/9pN2W7v

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

3:45 Muscular Judaism and the New Jew

8:53 The Nakba and the Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Crisis

16:18 How Many Palestinians Were Driven from Palestine?

22:32 Was Palestine Occupied Before the Establishment of Israel?

26:24 Did Zionists Invade Occupied Palestine

33:27 Was the Founding of Israel Justified?

39:49 Does Israel Have the Right to Exist?

43:56 Is Egypt Responsible for the Crisis in Gaza?

48:42 On Norman Finkelstein, Concentration Camps, and Hamas Rockets

51:48 Israel, Palestine, and Propaganda

54:09 On the Legitimacy of Palestinian and Arab Historians 

58:08 Does Israel Warn Palestinians Before Bombings?

1:00:59 Is Israel Committing Genocide Against Palestinians?

1:03:18 Is Israel an Apartheid State? 

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. 

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7

Sean Carroll is Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University and fractal faculty at the Santa Fe Institute. He is also host of Sean Carroll’s Mindscape, a terrific show (that influenced the birth of Robinson’s Podcast) about science, society, philosophy, culture, arts, and ideas. Daniel Dennett is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Tufts University, where he was co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies and the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy. He is one of the most recognized philosophers today, and has made major contributions to the philosophy of mind and biology, among other areas, and is known as one of the Four Horsemen of Atheism. Steven Pinker is Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He is an experimental cognitive psychologist, prominent public intellectual, and best-selling author who writes on language, mind, and human nature. This is Sean’s third appearance on the show. He was one of the guests—along with David Albert of Columbia University—on episode 106, which covers the Many-Worlds theory of quantum mechanics, entropy and Boltzmann Brains, and the fine-tuned universe. He was also on episode 118 with Slavoj Žižek on quantum physics, the multiverse, time travel, and a whole lot more. This is Dan’s second appearance on the show, as on episode 194 he and Robinson spoke about consciousness, free will, and the evolution of minds. Finally, Steve is returning for another centennial episode, as he and Robinson discussed rationality, enlightenment, and free speech on episode 100. But in this episode of Robinson’s Podcast (the two hundredth!), Sean, Dan, Steve, and Robinson discuss artificial intelligence, large language models, and whether or not they threaten democracy or even civilization itself, parapsychology and the laws of physics, panpsychism and consciousness, some of the philosophical lessons of Darwinian thought, and the relationship between science and philosophy. Dan’s latest book is I’ve Been Thinking (W. W. Norton, 2023), Steve’s latest book is Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters (Penguin, 2022), and Sean’s next book, Quanta and Fields: The Biggest Ideas in the Universe (Penguin, 2024), will be coming out on May 14, 2024. 

Sean’s Website: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com

Sean’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/seanmcarroll

Quanta and Fields (The Biggest Ideas in the Universe): https://a.co/d/gfMDLQo

Sean’s Paper on QFT and Supervenience: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2101.07884.pdf

I’ve Been Thinking: https://a.co/d/ahMEC0G

Steven’s Website: https://stevenpinker.com

Steven’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/sapinker

Rationality: https://a.co/d/9N2uFyr

Robinson’s Podcast #106 - David Albert & Sean Carroll: Quantum Theory, Boltzmann Brains, & The Fine-Tuned Universe: https://youtu.be/U6ZtmGIhIhU

Robinson’s Podcast #118 - Slavoj Žižek & Sean Carroll: Quantum Physics, the Multiverse, and Time Travel

Robinson’s Podcast #194 - Daniel Dennett: Consciousness, Free Will, and the Evolution of Minds: https://youtu.be/9bZcBh0qtKo

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:59 Introduction

6:11 Will Large Language Models End Civilization?

13:42 Are Large Language Models a Threat to Democracy?

22:53 Could AI Destroy the Job Market? 

28:14 On Parapsychology and the Violation of Physics

40:23 The Parable of the Bathtub

01:03:45 Physical Causation and the Law of Sufficient Reason

01:09:23 On Emergence and Real Patterns

01:14:48 Is Consciousness an Illusion?

01:27:13 The Darwinian Lesson

01:31:50 Does Physics Show that the Universe is Conscious?

1:44:36 What is Philosophy?

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. 

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7

Lawrence Krauss is a theoretical physicist who has taught at Yale, Arizona State University, and Case Western, and is the founder of ASU’s Origins Project. He is a prominent public intellectual and best-selling author, and has written about the origins of the universe, atheism, and many other topics. He is also the host of the Origins Podcast. In this episode, Robinson and Lawrence have a wide-ranging conversation about the current state of physics—and whether or not there is a crisis—the potential shortcomings of string theory, whether or not the world is a hologram, arguments for the existence of god, and the role of science in ethics. Lawrence’s most recent book is The Edge of Knowledge (Post Hill Press, 2023).

Lawrence’s Website: https://lawrencemkrauss.com

The Edge of Knowledge: https://a.co/d/6tIrJzy

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

04:04 Theory versus Experiment

10:13 Is There a Crisis in Physics? 

22:43 On the State of Quantum Gravity

25:40 What’s Wrong with String Theory?

40:58 Cormac McCarthy

50:22 Is the World a Hologram?

1:02:14 God and the Fine-Tuned Universe

1:19:33 Does Science Help Us with Morality?

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.

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7

Michael Hudson is Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City and President of the Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends. He researches domestic and international finance, the history of economics, and the role of debt in shaping class stratification, among many other topics. Michael was also a guest on episode 180, where he and Robinson discussed neoliberalism, industrial capitalism, and the rentier economy. In this episode we continue the discussion, focusing on his book Killing the Host (ISLET, 2015). More particularly, they discuss the rhythm of debt and economic crashes, the role of history in the study of economics, the history of debt cancellation, Marxism, economic parasites, and how to heal ailing economies. Michael’s most recent book is The Collapse of Antiquity (ISLET, 2023).

Michael’s Website: https://michael-hudson.com

The Collapse of Antiquity: https://a.co/d/0TMt9Sh

Killing the Host: https://a.co/d/fG2wD19

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

02:29 The Rhythm of Debt and Economic Crashes

8:27 The Role of History in Economic Thought

17:09 The Fascinating History of Debt Cancellation 

25:52 Aristotle, Plato, and The Cancellation of Debt

31:49 Ancient Greece and the Cancellation of Debt

41:10 The Problems with Today’s Neoliberal Economics

45:29 On Karl Marx and Marxism

47:21 The Lord’s Prayer, Christianity, and Debt Cancellation

56:34 FIRE and Economic Parasites

1:07:13 How Does Wall Street Parasitize the Government?

1:09:57 Are We Hosts for Economic Parasites?

1:19:32 What’s Wrong With Austerity Measures for Economic Crashes?

1:21:39 Preventing Economic Parasites from Sucking the Country Dry

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. 

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7

Martha Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, with appointments in the Department of Philosophy and the Law School. Martha is among the most recognized philosophers today. Over the course of her career, she has made numerous major contributions to ancient philosophy, ethics, political philosophy, the philosophy of law, and other areas. Martha’s most recent book is Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility (Simon & Schuster, 2023). In this episode, Robinson and Martha discuss some of her contributions to animal ethics both in philosophy and law. More particularly, they touch on philosophical conceptions of justice, various approaches to animal ethics—such as utilitarianism and Kantianism—the Capabilities Approach to freedom and justice, and how people ought to think about eating meat.

Justice for Animals: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JPHCKLJ

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

02:08 Martha’s Interest in Justice for Animals

8:15 Justice and Flourishing Lives

16:31 Recognizing Injustice for Animals

29:54 What Is the Scala Naturae?

42:28 Utilitarianism

52:28 The Capabilities Approach 

1:15:39 Is Meat-Eating Ever Ethical?

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. 

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7

Stephen Wolfram is the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research, and the creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha, and the Wolfram Language. He received his PhD in theoretical physics from Caltech when he was twenty years old. In addition to his work at the helm of Wolfram Research, he writes and researches widely across computer science, physics, mathematics, and more. This is Stephen’s second appearance on the show. In episode 102, he and Robinson discussed artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, and the philosophy of math. In this episode, however, they turn to the Ruliad—the entangled limited of computability—and Stephen’s search for the fundamental theory of physics. Along the way, they talk about the philosophy of science, abstract and concrete objects, and quantum mechanics.

A Project to Find the Fundamental Theory of Physics: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0917YZDNF?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_Z7EPANZC9JVQR0HP2E1D

The Concept of the Ruliad: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2021/11/the-concept-of-the-ruliad/#:~:text=November%2010%2C%202021-,The%20Entangled%20Limit%20of%20Everything,arisen%20from%20our%20Physics%20Project.

Stephen’s Website: https://www.stephenwolfram.com

Stephen’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephen_wolfram

Wolfram Research on YouTube: https://a.co/d/aADrGGh

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

03:44 How Did Stephen Wolfram Discover the Ruliad? 

34:22 The Axiomatic Revolution in Physics 

46:37 Is the Ruliad a Theory or an Object? 

1:10:01 How Big is the Space of Alien Minds? 

1:18:25 Is the Universe an Abstract Object? 

1:31:43 What Is Quantum Mechanics? 

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.