Robinson's Podcast

Sara Imari Walker is Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, where she is Deputy Director of the Beyond Center. Sara is an astrobiologist and theoretical physicist, with research interests in the origins of life, artificial life, life and detection on other worlds. In this episode, Robinson and Sara discuss the physics that makes life possible. More particularly, they discuss assembly theory, the growing field of astrobiology, the difficulties of defining life, and where we are most likely to find aliens. Sara’s latest book is Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life’s Emergence (Riverhead Books, 2024).

Life as No One Knows It: https://a.co/d/2fdKa2e

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

00:35 The Connection Between Physics and Biology

07:15 Philosophy and the Origin of Life

10:03 Is the Selfish Gene Theory Wrong?

22:17 On Her Work with Lee Cronin

38:47 Experiments To Discover the Origin of Life

48:52 What Is Assembly Theory?

01:00:42 Are Boltzmann Brains Possible?

01:05:53 The Paradox of Defining Life

01:31:10 Is Life a Vague Concept?

01:38:13 Where Are All the Aliens?

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

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

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Slavoj Žižek is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London, visiting professor at New York University, and a senior researcher at the University of Ljubljana’s Department of Philosophy. This is Slavoj’s fifth appearance on the show. On episode 109, he and Robinson discussed wokeness and psychoanalysis. On episode 118, he, Sean Carroll, and Robinson discussed quantum physics, the multiverse, and time travel. And on episode 206 he, Lee Smolin, and Robinson discussed quantum physics. In episode 212, Robinson and Slavoj talk about ancient philosophy, god, communism, quantum mechanics, and psychoanalysis. In this episode, they discuss current political events, marxism, quantum mechanics, and artificial intelligence. Slavoj’s upcoming book is Quantum History: A New Materialist Philosophy (Bloomsbury, 2025).
Quantum History: https://a.co/d/7WFcAGi

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OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

01:07 Marxism and Quantum Mechanics

07:34 Why We Aren’t Pessimistic Enough

16:29 The Wisdom of the First Philosopher

29:27 The Assassination of Charlie Kirk

38:10 On Curtis Yarvin

49:23 The Naivety of Pete Hegseth

51:06 The Contradiction in American Fascism

57:43 Could a Coup Overthrow Trump?

01:04:17 The Utter Shamelessness of Today’s Society

01:14:15 The Danger of the Disappearing Left

01:18:06 AI Is a Tool of Authoritarian Suppression

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

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

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Tyler Cowen is the Holbert L. Harris Chair of Economics at George Mason University and serves as chairman and faculty director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. A dedicated writer and communicator of economic ideas, Tyler is the author of several bestselling books and is widely published in academic journals and the popular media. In this episode, Robinson and Tyler discuss the economics of artificial intelligence. More particularly, they touch on whether AI will destroy humanity, how it will affect employment, whether there will no longer be a place for art in the marketplace, and more. Tyler’s latest book is Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World (St. Martin’s Press, 2022).

Marginal Revolution: https://marginalrevolution.com

Tyler’s X: https://x.com/tylercowen

Talent: https://a.co/d/ftqNWcn

OUTLINE

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:03 What is State-Capacity Libertarianism?

00:04:32 Should Government Regulate AI?

00:05:54 Is AI an Existential Threat to Humanity?

00:07:33 The Fallacy of Mood Affiliation

00:11:11 AI Music and the Velvet Sundown

00:15:03 Is AI Ending America’s Great Stagnation?

00:19:45 How Will Top-Tier AI Cognition Impact the Labor Market?

00:30:17 How Will AI Transform Education?

00:42:15 Does AI Doom Human-Generated Research?

00:45:21 Why Is AI Taking Off So Slowly?

00:48:39 Does AI Mean the End of Lawyers?

00:51:41 Is Harvard Just a Dating Hack in the World of AI?

00:54:53 Does AI Help or End Social Mobility?

00:57:03 How We Should Write When AI Is Reading It All?

01:02:24 Will AI Enable Us to Eat All We Want?

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

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Reid Hoffman is the co-founder of LinkedIn, Manas AI, and Inflection AI. As an investor at Greylock, he is one of the leading figures in the tech industry, working at the forefront of AI development. In this episode, Reid and Robinson talk all about the future of AI. They begin by covering the worst case scenario—doomsday—and why Reid is optimistic about our chances. From there, they turn to how AI could help us cure cancer, replace therapists, enable us to be more powerful agents, and make our lives better. Reid’s most recent book is Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future (2025).

Reid’s Website: https://www.reidhoffman.org

Superagency: https://a.co/d/hdSZeCY

OUTLINE

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:09 Why Won’t AI Destroy Humanity?

00:06:39 Will AI Be Good or Bad for Employment?

00:08:20 On Optimism

00:10:10 It Isn’t Inevitable that AI Will Wipe Out Human Life

00:19:03 How to Align AI with Human Interests

00:24:40 Reid’s Interest in Friendship

00:32:13 Why AI Can’t be Our Friends

00:36:33 Could AI Replace Therapists?

00:45:18 Using AI to Cure Cancer

00:52:04 Will AI Extinguish Humanity with a Virus?

01:00:02 How Will AI Make Us More Powerful Agents?

01:07:06 Will Academia Be Revolutionized by AI?

01:15:10 Are You an AI Native?

01:17:36 How to Invest in AI

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

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Support our sponsor, FarmKind, to fix factory farming: https://www.farmkind.giving

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Kenneth Roth is the Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor at the Princeton School for Public and International Affairs. Until August 2022, he served for nearly three decades as the executive director of Human Rights Watch. In this episode, Robinson and Ken discuss his work with HRW and what he has been doing since. More particularly, they get into the details of how HRW operated, how shaming tactics can be deployed against figures like Putin, Trump, and Orban, Israel and Palestine, the relationship between genocide and ethnic cleansing, and more. For more, read Ken’s recent book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments (Knopf, 2025).

Righting Wrongs: https://a.co/d/gHkbmmw

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

00:00:53 Why Human Rights?

00:08:23 How Does Human Rights Watch Work?

00:14:04 Can Putin or Orban Be Shamed?

00:21:14 Can Trump Be Shamed into Standing Up to Putin?

00:26:53 Libya, Gaddafi, and Forcing the Release of Political Prisoners

00:29:14 Fighting the Dreaded M23 Rebel Group in Congo

00:31:56 Why Governments Always Violate Human Rights

00:33:57 Is Torture Ever Justified?

00:38:21 Facts and Investigations

00:46:27 Verifying Starvation and Famine in Gaza

00:51:29 Can Netanyahu Be Shamed?

00:58:24 Genocide vs. Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine

01:04:16 The United States’ Biggest Human Rights Violations

01:09:24 Sudan: The World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis

Support our sponsor, FarmKind, to fix factory farming: https://www.farmkind.giving

The code “ROBINSON” will increase your donation by 50% with a bump from large donors.

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. This is Richard’s ninth  appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. In this episode, Richard and Robinson discuss the tariffs that President Donald Trump would like to place on goods imported from around the world. More particularly, they cover the real problems America is facing that Trump has to solve, the connection to Russia, China, and the BRICS, Elon Musk and electric vehicles, and more. Richard’s latest book is Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024).

Understanding Capitalism (Book): https://www.democracyatwork.info/understanding_capitalism

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

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

OUTLINE

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:07 Is Trump’s Tariff Plan Nuts?

00:06:31 Is the United States Unsustainable?

00:15:33 Can Tariffs Solve America’s Debt Problems?

00:19:17 Tesla’s Electric Vehicle Tariff War on China

00:25:19 The Declining American Empire

00:32:53 Exposing the Myths About Trump’s Tariffs

00:44:55 The Empty Promises of American Politics

00:53:54 Why DC Doesn’t Have Representation in Congress

01:00:22 The Bizarre Alliance Between Israel and the United States

01:04:48 Why Russia Is Exempt from Trump’s Tariffs

01:13:48 Are Israel and the United States “Winning” Against Gaza?

01:24:25 How Wealth Now Controls the United States

01:27:52 On The Impending Economic Downturn in the United States

01:31:47 How Trump is Turning Allies into Enemies

01:37:12 America’s Terrible Healthcare

01:42:25 Who Really Rules America?

01:57:04 How Should Trump Solve America’s Real Problems?

02:04:39 What America Can Learn from Britain’s Collapse

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

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Carl Hart is Mamie Phipps Clark Professor of Psychology at Columbia University, where he researches the behavioral and neuropharmacological effects of psychoactive drugs in humans. In this wide-ranging conversation, Robinson and Carl discuss drugs from many different angles, touching on the neuroscience of addiction, the opioid crisis, drugs’ connections to poverty, the roles they can play in a creative life, and more. Carl’s most recent book is Drug Use for Grown-Ups (2021, Penguin).

Drug Use for Grown-Ups: https://a.co/d/efgXuJK

OUTLINE

00:00:49 Introduction

00:03:14 What Is a Drug?

00:14:58 DARE and Drug Education

00:26:07 Rodrigo Duterte and the Drug War in the Philippines

00:39:25 Studying Drugs in the Lab

00:49:07 Does Addiction Change the Brain?

00:58:12 On the Opioid Crisis

01:10:42 How Should We Solve the Opioid Crisis?

01:14:01 What Is the Connection Between Drugs and Poverty?

01:18:21 How Do Drugs Affect the Brain?

01:28:27 How Can Drugs Improve Your Creativity?

01:36:04 Should Science Inform Drug Policy?

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

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where is also a student in the Law School.

Tim Maudlin is Professor of Philosophy at NYU and Founder and Director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. This is Tim’s eighth appearance on the show. His second to  last appeared on episode 246 for a masterclass on Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, explaining it from the ground up and elucidating some common misconceptions. In this episode Tim returns for a discussion of the philosophy of time. More particularly, Tim and Robinson discuss black holes, fundamentality, simultaneity, time’s flow, rate, and limits, connections to physics, time travel, and more. If you’re interested in the foundations of physics, then please check out the JBI, which is devoted to providing a home for research and education in this important area. Any donations are immensely helpful at this early stage in the institute’s life.

Tim’s Website: www.tim-maudlin.site

The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org

OUTLINE

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:01 “What Is” Questions

00:06:09 Everyday Misconceptions About Simultaneity

00:15:12 The Relativity of Duration

00:20:19 Is Time Fundamental?

00:28:55 Does Time Exist at Quantum Scales?

00:40:19 Is Quantum Mechanics Complete?

00:50:16 What Is Time-Reversal Invariance?

01:01:01 Parity Violations

01:11:46 What Is Metaphysics?

01:22:16 Does Time Have A Rate of Passage?

01:25:02 Does Time Flow?

01:27:04 What Does Time Really Measure?

01:29:15 Is There a Limit to How Accurately Clocks Can Measure Time?

01:33:06 Is Time Continuous or Discrete?

01:36:36 On Zeno’s Paradoxes of Motion

01:44:08 Is Time Discrete?

01:51:14 Did Time Have a Beginning?

02:02:41 Stephen Hawking on Time

02:05:39 David Albert’s Past Hypothesis

02:14:13 The Debate Between Presentism and Eternalism

02:23:16 Lee Smolin’s Black Hole Theory

02:24:46 A Shortcoming of the Standard Model

02:26:05 Arrival Time and Time of Flight

02:34:51 Arrival Time Experiments and Bell’s Inequality

02:46:07 The Black Hole Information Paradox

02:56:27 Is Time Travel Back to the Dinosaurs Possible?

02:58:34 A Rant on Aliens

03:03:35 The John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics

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

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where is also a student in the Law School.

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. This is Michael’s fifth appearance on the show. He was also a guest on episode 180, where he and Robinson discussed neoliberalism, industrial capitalism, and the rentier economy, and on episode 198, where they discussed Marxism, economic parasites, and contemporary debt cancellation. He has also joined with Richard Wolff. In this episode, Michael and Robinson discuss how the Crusades shaped the future of economics, the role of economics in political history, the current budget of the Republicans, problems with social security, the effects of AI on economics, and more. Michael’s most recent book is Temples of Enterprise (ISLET, 2024). 

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

Temples of Enterprise: https://a.co/d/a3c53dm

OUTLINE

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:37 Why Historians Missed How the Crusades Shapes Economics

00:10:39 What Motivated the Crusades?

00:20:09 The Problem of Financing Wars

00:29:23 How The Roman Catholic Church Invented Financial Interest

00:40:08 Importing Jewish Merchants to England

00:45:12 The Intolerance of the Catholic Church

00:48:51 The Origin of Roman Catholic Indulgences

00:58:39 Using Indulgences to Finance the Crusades

01:05:54 Neglecting the Role of Economics in Political History

01:15:43 Finance as the Central Planning Power of Governments

01:18:17 What’s Wrong with the Republicans’ Budget?

01:19:48 The Dark Problem with Social Security

01:26:40 The Conflict Between Finance and Democracy

01:37:19 How the 1 Percent Don’t Contribute to the Economy

01:38:40 How Will AI Impact the Future of Economics?

01:45:55 How Will AI Affect Unemployment Rates?

01:54:18 Will the 1 Percent Need People in an AI Future

01:58:32 How Will AI Affect the Future of Academia?

02:08:59 Papal Financial Control vs The IMF

02:19:37 How the Government Favors the Creditor over the Debtor

02:23:42 The Difference Between the Chinese and American Economies

02:32:37 Global Warming’s Devastating Effects on the Economy

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

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University.

In this special episode, Robinson and Karl Zheng Wang co-host at the Yale US-China Forum. Return guests from the show include Slavoj Žižek, Richard Wolff, and Yascha Mounk. Slavoj Žižek is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London, visiting professor at New York University, and a senior researcher at the University of Ljubljana’s Department of Philosophy. 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. Yascha Mounk is a Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University. He is also a Contributing Editor at the Atlantic, a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and the host of The Good Fight podcast. Yannis Varoufakis is a Greek economist and politician, and current Secretary-General of the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025. Robin Visser is Professor in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she researches modern Chinese and Sinophone literatures, urban cultural studies, and environmental studies. Pei Wang is Professor in the Chinese History and Culture Program at the University of Hong Kong, where she specializes in comparative philosophy, psychoanalysis, and more. Daniel Mattingly is Professor in the Department of Political Science at Yale University, where he studies the domestic and international politics of authoritarian regimes, with a focus on China.  

OUTLINE

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:46 The Future of Europe and China

00:10:40 There Is No Such Thing as Trade Wars, They Are All Class Wars

00:15:50 How Wall Street’s Failures Fueled the Rise of Tech

00:20:02 Why Is There a New Cold War Between the US and China?

00:27:18 Why the United States Is Abandoning Democracy and Why China is Yannis Varoufakis’s Only Hope

00:29:26 Richard Wolff to Yannis Varoufakis: Are We Heading Toward Nuclear War with China?

00:35:58 How Class WARFARE Shaped the World Superpowers CLIP

00:41:01 Is China Capitalism’s Final Form?

00:52:03 Is There Any Way that China and the United Stated Could Avert Conflict?

00:59:16 Varoufakis to Wolff: Is a Tariff Hail Mary Trump’s Only Remaining Option?

01:03:39 Daniel Mattingly on China’s Sociopolitical Organization

01:08:39 How Does Xi Jinping Talk About Socialism?

01:13:47 Yascha Mounk on US-China Competition

01:22:36 Philosophy, Socialism, and Capitalism

01:48:40 Pei Wang on the Hero and Father in US-China Competition

01:54:31 Hero and Father Archetypes in Politics

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

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University.