Robinson's Podcast

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

Jim Al-Khalili holds a University of Surrey Distinguished Chair in physics and a university chair in the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Surrey, where he is a theoretical physicist, author, and broadcaster. In this episode, Robinson and Jim talk about the fundamentals of quantum biology, including what it is, how some animals—like Robinson’s namesake, the Robin—take advantage of quantum mechanics, how exotic phenomena like quantum tunneling fit into the biological world, and how quantum mechanics relates to the arrow of time. Jim’s latest book is The Joy of Science (Princeton, 2022).

The Joy of Science: https://amzn.eu/d/hREAipW

Jim’s Website: https://jimal-khalili.com

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode

00:37 Introduction

03:02 What Is Quantum Biology?

17:00 How Do Robins Use Quantum Mechanics?

26:42 Where Does Quantum Tunneling Fit into Biology?

34:16 What is Quantum Decoherence?

40:03 Jim on His Preferred Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

43:18 Quantum Mechanics and the Arrow of Time

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

Brian Leiter is Karl N. Llewellyn Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Chicago Law School, founder and Director of Chicago’s Center for Law, Philosophy & Human Values, and is best known in the philosophical world for his work on Nietzsche and legal philosophy. He is the founding editor of the Routledge Philosophers book series, Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Law, and Philosophical Gourmet Report, which is the canonical—as well as extremely helpful and illuminating—ranking of philosophy departments and PhD programs in the English-speaking world. He also maintains the world’s most popular philosophy blog, Leiter Reports. Brian was also a guest on episode 97, where he and Robinson discussed Karl Marx, ideology, and historical materialism, but in this episode they talk about Friedrich Nietzsche’s moral psychology and his criticism of morality. Among the topics they discuss are The Genealogy of Morals, The Gay Science, moral realism and anti-realism, moral psychology, and Nietzsche’s thoughts on free will. Brian’s latest book is Moral Psychology with Nietzsche (Oxford, 2021).

Brian’s Website: https://www.brianleiter.net

Brian’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianLeiter

Leiter Reports: https://leiterreports.typepad.com

Moral Psychology with Nietzsche: https://a.co/d/3dJZBeZ

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:04 Introduction

02:14 Who Was Friedrich Nietzsche?

10:50 Naturalism in Nietzsche’s Moral Psychology

20:24 Nietzsche and the Death of God

28:36 Nietzsche and Moral Anti-Realism

40:32 Did Nietzsche Believe in Free Will?

47:43  Nietzsche and the Genealogy of Morals

01:11:50 The Main Takeaways from Nietzsche’s Moral 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

Neil Shubin is Robert R. Bensley Distinguished Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago. In addition to actively leading research expeditions across the globe, Neil runs the Shubin Lab, where genetic, kinematic, and paleontologic work combine to investigate some of the major transitions in evolution. In this episode, Robinson and Neil discuss some of these transitions, including the importance of the Devonian and Triassic Periods, how fish moved from water to land, and how early terrestrial environments accommodated them. Neil’s most recent book is Some Assembly Required: Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, from Ancient Fossils to DNA (Random House, 2020). 

The Shubin Lab: https://shubinlab.uchicago.edu

Neil’s Twitter: https://shubinlab.uchicago.edu

Some Assembly Required: https://a.co/d/dnZMuSl

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:39 Introduction

03:25 What Is Evolutionary Biology? 

12:59 On The importance of the Devonian Period

20:39 Searching Antarctica for Fish Fossils

31:50 How Did Fish Become People? 

54:43 Genetics and Kinematics

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

Larry Keith is the Head of Conservation and Keeper of the National Gallery of London, where he preserves and maintains some of the world’s most precious works of art, including paintings by Leonardo, Caravaggio, and Rubens. In this episode, Robinson and Larry discuss what goes into a conservator’s appraisal of an artwork, some of the tools and techniques of the job, and how Larry has treated a number of famous paintings, such as Leonardo’s Virgin of the Rocks and Caravaggio’s The Boy and a Lizard.

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

01:08 Introduction

03:19 Piere Menard and Borges

11:01 Conserving Da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks

23:28 What Goes into Conserving a Renaissance Masterpiece?

51:00 Conserving Caravaggio’s Masterpieces

01:17:32 On Authorship and Paul Rubens’ Drunken Silenus

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://www.patreon.com/robinsonerhardt

Jon Butterworth is Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at University College London, where he works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland. In this episode, Robinson and Jon discuss his work on the standard model of particle physics, it’s connection to quantum theory, life at the LHC, the search for the Higgs Boson, and its role in physics as we know it and going forward. Jon’s book on the Higgs boson is Most Wanted Particle: The Inside Story of the Hunt for the Higgs, the Heart of the Future of Physics (The Experiment, 2016).

Most Wanted Particle: https://a.co/d/02B0H5C

00:00 Pre-Roll

00:16 Introduction

03:01 Jon’s Interest in Physics

10:02 What Is the Standard Model of Particle Physics?

19:31 How Does Quantum Theory Fit into the Standard Model? 

25:28 How Does the Large Hadron Collider Work? 

44:39 On The Theory Behind the Higgs Boson 

56:45 Is the Higgs Boson the God Particle?

58:50 How Does The Higgs Boson Work (For Dummies)?

01:02:22 Where Does Mass Come From in the Universe? 

01:11:01 The Higgs Boson, Quantum Gravity, and Meta-Stability

01:25:28 Life at the LHC

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://www.patreon.com/robinsonerhardt⁠

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. In this episode, Robinson and Michael discuss this last subject. They begin broadly, with how as an economist Michael even thinks of debt, and move on to questions concerning the rentier class, industrial capitalism usury, and neoliberalism, as well as Michael’s beliefs about what must be done to save the economy. 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

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode

00:25 Introduction

02:55 Michael’s Background in Economics

09:48 How Does an Economist Think of Debt?

22:15 Why Are Rent and the “Rentier Class” Crucial to What’s Wrong with the Economy?

30:21 What Is Industrial Capitalism?

40:58 Why Is Usury So Prevalent in the United States?

46:17 What Is Neoliberal Ideology?

01:00:23 Is China A Good Example of Trickle-Down Economics?

01:03:52 How to Save the Economy from the Upper Class

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. 

Adam Gazzaley is David Dolby Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Physiology, and Psychiatry in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Adam works on developing new approaches to both assess and optimize human cognition, with particular attention to underutilized but high-potential tools like video games. In this episode, Robinson and Adam discuss the cognition crisis—why our brains seem to be under such duress in the modern age—and the structural features of the brain, as well as its plasticity, and how these things can be modified and optimized to deal with the current environment. Check out Adam’s book, The Distracted Mind (MIT, 2016).

Adam’s Website: https://gazzaley.com

The Distracted Mind: https://a.co/d/aZm8Reg

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:39 Introduction

03:09 Science and Medicine

07:29 What Is Brain Plasticity

11:17 What Is the Cognition Crisis?

31:48 Can Neuroscience Make Us Smarter?

43:17 Can Neuroscience Develop Technological Medicine?

54:45 On Medicinal Video Games

01:04:01 Why Doctors Might Prescribe Video Games For ADHD

01:23:49 Sleep Improvement

01:27:24 The Future of Medicinal Video Game Research

01:43:07 How We Can All Improve Cognitive Function

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. 

Chike Jeffers is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Dalhousie University, where he researches Africana philosophy, the philosophy of race, social and political philosophy, and ethics. Lucius Outlaw is Professor of Philosophy Emeritus and W. Alton Jones Chair Emeritus in the Philosophy Department at Vanderbilt University, where he researches African, Africana, continental, social, and political philosophy. Both Chike and Lou have written widely on African and Africana philosophy, which form the subject of this episode. More particularly, Robinson, Chike, and Lou discuss the origin of Africana philosophy in the diaspora, violence in Africana philosophy, and the role of aesthetics in the tradition. For background, check out Lou’s article on Africana Philosophy in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and Chike’s work with Peter Adamson and Jonardon Ganeri on the History of Indian and Africana Philosophy Podcast.

History of Indian and Africana Philosophy Podcast: https://historyofphilosophy.net/series/africana-philosophy

Africana Philosophy on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/africana/

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode

00:52 Introduction

03:14 What Is Africana Philosophy?

30:16 Distinguishing African and Africana Philosophy

37:16 Violence in Africana Philosophy

01:04:44 Aesthetics and Africana Philosophy

01:28:17 Final Thoughts

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. 

Juan Maldacena is Carl P. Feinberg Professor in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study, where his work focuses on quantum gravity, string theory, and quantum field theories. In this episode, Robinson and Juan discuss the relationship between string theory and black holes, the holographic principle, and Juan’s groundbreaking paper on the AdS/CFT Correspondence.

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:48 Introduction

04:04 What Is the Purpose of String Theory?

16:35 Working at the IAS

17:55 String Theory and The Black Hole Information Paradox

41:19 Is Space Curved?

47:00 What is Conformal Field Theory?

50:24 String Theory and the AdS/CFT Correspondence

01:27:00 Quantizing Gravity

01:40:20 De Sitter Space Correspondences

01:56:36 Fine-Tuning and String Theory

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.

Brian Little is Research Professor in the Department of Psychology at Cambridge University, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus at Carleton, and a Senior Fellow at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is well known for his work on personality psychology and his development of personal project analysis. In this episode, Brian and Robinson discuss the Big Five personality traits, how psychologists measure them, what their predictive power is, and how personal projects give us a new dimension for understanding ourselves. Brian’s latest book is Who Are You, Really? The Surprising Puzzle of Personality (Simon & Schuster, 2017).

Who Are You, Really?: https://a.co/d/cp4QRuE

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:57 Introduction

02:53 An Interest in Personality

10:30 The Origin of The Big Five Personality Traits

20:51 What Are The Big Five Traits?

44:37 How Do Psychologists Measure Personality?

58:06 Is Personality Inherited?

01:07:13 What Is the Ideogenic Self?

01:16:09 What Are Personal Projects in Psychology?

01:31:14 Can We Change Our Personalities?

01:42:21 Managing Our Personal Projects

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.