Robinson's Podcast

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.

Robert Plomin is MRC Research Professor of Behavioral Genetics at King’s College London. He has published over 800 papers, is among the hundred most cited psychologists of the twentieth century, and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his research, the best known of which is on twin studies and behavioral genetics. In this episode, Robinson and Robert discuss the distinction between molecular and quantitative genetics, how one researches the question of nature vs nurture, the extent to which genetics determines human behavior, the controversies about these lines of research, and what to expect in the next ten years of behavioral genetics. Robert’s most recent book is Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are (MIT, 2018). Blueprint: https://a.co/d/eqpK5dB OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:06 Introduction 03:22 An Interest in Behavioral Genetics 12:46 The Distinction Between Quantitative and Molecular Genetics 26:12 How Impactful is Genetics on Behavior? 33:25 Twins, Adoption, and Nature Versus Nurture 41:07 Some Remarkable Consequences of DNA Sequencing 50:43 Nazis, Intelligence, and the Controversy of Genetics Research 01:02:16 Is Intelligence Heritable? 01:15:51 The Generalist and Modular Models of Genes 01:21:50 Is Depression Genetically Determined? 01:31:22 What Is The Role of Nurture in Human Behavior? 01:39:08 What Behaviors and Traits are Heritable? 01:44:53 The Next Ten Years 01:52:47 Is Socioeconomic Status Heritable? 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.

Rebecca Goldstein is a philosopher and novelist. She received her Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University and studied with Thomas Nagel. She is a MacArthur Follow and was awarded the National Humanities Medal by Barack Obama. Rebecca is also an expert on Spinoza and Gödel, and has a whole bevy of other wide-ranging interests. In this episode, Robinson and Rebecca discuss her novel the Mind-Body Problem, atheism, Spinoza, and what makes life meaningful in a godless world. Rebecca’s most recent book is Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won’t Go Away (Pantheon, 2014). Rebecca’s Website: https://www.rebeccagoldstein.com Thirty-Six Arguments for the Existence of God: https://a.co/d/dAoDqbU Plato at the Googleplex: https://a.co/d/c1vvVaw OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:45 Introduction 02:40 Publishing a First Novel 14:01 Philosophy and Literature 22:11 From Judaism to Atheism 42:36 Arguments Against the Existence of God 01:02:45 On Spinoza 01:16:14 Mattering 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.

Ken Olum is Research Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Tufts University, where he works on exotic physics and topics in cosmology like cosmic strings, gravitational waves, anthropic reasoning, and inflation. In this episode, Robinson and Ken talk all about cosmic strings, which are spindly, hypothesized astronomical objects of intense mass and energy that may have been created in the earliest periods of the universe. OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:27 Introduction 03:00 Exotic Astrophysics and NANOGrav 16:19 What Are Cosmic Strings? 37:14 String Theory and the Multiverse 42:34 Details About Cosmic Strings 48:46 How Can We Detect Cosmic Strings? 01:00:03 Travel Within the Multiverse 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.

Joseph LeDoux is Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science, University Professor, Professor of Neural Science, Professor of Psychiatry, and Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at New York University, where he works in neuroscience and related areas. Though his career is expansive, one major focus of his research has been emotions in humans and other animals. He is also the frontman of The Amygdaloids. Joseph’s most recent book is The Four Realms of Existence: A New Theory of Being Human (Harvard, 2023). In this episode, Joseph and Robinson discuss psychoanalysis, the nature of biological life, how nervous systems evolved, and the relationship between consciousness and cognition. The Four Realms: https://a.co/d/2wrFGG2 Joseph’s Website: http://joseph-ledoux.com OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:06 Introduction 04:29 Thoughts on Psychoanalysis 17:05 The Four Realms of Human Existence 41:29 What Is Life? 48:10 What Are Nervous Systems and How Did They Evolve? 01:10:07 Cognition Substance-Neutral? 01:15:12 What Is Consciousness? 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.

Richard Haier is Professor Emeritus in the School of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, where he uses brain imagining and the tools of neuroscience to study learning, memory, and intelligence, and how they relate to brain function and structure. He is the editor-in-chief of the journal Intelligence. In this episode, Robinson and Rich discuss all things human intelligence, ranging from its controversies, the origin and current status of psychometric testing, the relationship between intelligence, brain structure, and function, the predictive power of IQ in career success and other areas, and whether or not it’s possible to increase one’s general intelligence. Rich’s most recent book is the second edition of his guide to neuroscience research and intelligence, The Neuroscience of Intelligence (Cambridge University Press, 2023). Richard’s Website: https://www.richardhaier.com The Neuroscience of Intelligence: https://a.co/d/c7aO9aK OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:06 Introduction 02:50 Intelligence, Psychometrics, and the Brain 12:01 The Controversy about Race and Intelligence Research 21:09 How Should We Define Human Intelligence? 26:36 On The Origin and Value of IQ Tests 32:16 Intelligence and Brain Structure 46:05 How Accurate Are Contemporary IQ Tests Like? 57:16 Are IQ Tests Racist? 01:03:47 Should We Abolish Standardized Tests? 01:13:34 Do IQ Tests Predict Career Success? 01:17:05 The Parieto-Frontal Integration Theory of Intelligence 01:34:25 Psychometric Tests and Human Intelligence 01:41:10 Group Differences and IQ 01:46:53 Can You Increase Your IQ? 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.

Sheldon Goldstein is Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at Rutgers University, where he researches mathematical physics, the foundations of quantum mechanics, and Bohmian Mechanics. He is also Board Member of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics, founded by fellow Robinson’s Podcast multiverse denizen, Tim Maudlin. In this episode, Robinson and Shelly discuss all things Bohmian mechanics, from the origins of pilot wave theory with de Broglie to its chief theoretical innovations and its relationship to philosophy, including some of the main objections to—and strengths of—the theory. Check out Shelly’s book on the subject, Bohmian Mechanics and Quantum Theory: An Appraisal (Springer, 1996). If you’re interested in the foundations of physics—which you absolutely should be—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. Shelly’s Website: https://sites.math.rutgers.edu/~oldstein/ Bohmian Mechanics and Quantum Theory: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-94-015-8715-0 The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:55 Introduction 06:40 Kripke and Quantum Logic 18:30 De Broglie and Pilot Wave Theory 23:38 What is Bohmian Mechanics? 43:55 Sociology and the Origin of Bohmian Mechanics 52:57 John Bell and Bohmian Mechanics 57:32 Realism and Bohmian Mechanics 01:12:39 Current Work on Bohmian Mechanics 01:22:10 What are the Criticisms of Bohmian 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.

Michael Graziano is Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Princeton University, where he and his lab research the brain basis of consciousness. Naturally, this is precisely what Michael and Robinson discuss in this episode. More particularly, they get into the philosophical question of what consciousness is, the roles of philosophy and science in answering the same, and whether or not there are deep, intractable issues here. Then they turn to Michael’s theory of consciousness—the Attention Schema Theory—in which consciousness is a way in which the brain models attention to better organize and monitor it. Michael’s most recent book is Rethinking Consciousness (W. W. Norton, 2019). Rethinking Consciousness: https://a.co/d/8euR1EL Graziano Lab: https://grazianolab.princeton.edu OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:55 Introduction 02:56 Getting Started in Consciousness 07:18 The Dialogue Between Science and Philosophy on Consciousness 13:05 What Are We Talking About When We Talk About Consciousness 25:38 What is Consciousness? 32:25 What Are Cognitive Models? 36:45 What Is The Meta-Problem of Consciousness? 48:24 How Does a Neuroscientist Think of Attention? 59:39 The Attention Schema Theory of Consciousness 01:17:46 Neural Correlates of Consciousness 01:28:47 Magical” Theories of Consciousness 01:35:03 Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness 01:43:44 Fiction and Music 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.

Una Stojnić is an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at Princeton University, where she works in the philosophy of language, formal semantics and pragmatics of natural language, and philosophical logic. In this episode, Robinson and Una discuss three of her projects. First, they talk about linguistic conventions, and how language consists of more than just the words we might find in a dictionary. Second, they talk abut slurs and pejoratives, and how philosophers have attempted to determine just what it is that makes them offensive. Finally they talk about a problem with word individuation—just how much can our spelling or pronunciation of a word vary from its canonical spelling or pronunciation and still be that same word? Una’s latest book is Context and Coherence: The Logic and Grammar of Prominence (Oxford, 2021). Una’s Website: https://www.unastojnic.com Context and Coherence: https://a.co/d/0wjOoaM OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:51 Introduction 03:04 An Interest in Language 07:31 A Problem with Word Individuation 11:52 Context Sensitivity and Linguistic Convention 30:07 Word Individuation and Speaker Intentions 45:30 Slurs and Pejoratives 01:01:55 An Articulation Account of Slurs 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.

David Wallace is Mellon Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. Before that, he obtained PhDs in both physics and philosophy at Oxford. David works mainly in the philosophy of physics, and is best known for his development and defense of the Everett—or Many-Worlds—interpretation of quantum mechanics. In this episode, Robinson and David talk all about Many-Worlds, including its history, how it relates to the broader question of realism in the philosophy of science, its strong points, and some potential problems, such as how to account for probability in the multiverse. David’s book on the subject is The Emergent Multiverse (Oxford, 2014). The Emergent Multiverse: https://a.co/d/3GOSC3a OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:18 Introduction 03:38 From Physics to Philosophy 12:54 Realism and the Measurement Problem in Quantum Mechanics 25:14 Hugh Everett and the Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics 48:56 Bryce DeWitt 51:33 How Does the Many Worlds Theory of Quantum Mechanics Work? 01:02:22 Are There Problems with the Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics? 01:10:58 How Many Worlds Are There in the Multiverse? 01:21:54 How Can We Make Sense of Probability in the Multiverse? 01:43:44 Is The Multiverse Too Absurd to Believe In? 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.

Robert Stickgold is Professor of Pyschiatry at Harvard Medical School, where he researches sleep and dreams from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. In this episode, Bob and Robinson discuss the role of sleep in memory processing and emotional regulation, how sleep deprivation affects performance, and the evolutionary purpose and function of dreams. OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:17 Introduction 03:06 Why Study Sleep? 12:04 How Does the Brain Process Different Types of Memories? 20:45 How Does Sleep Affect Memory Processing? 33:10 How Does Sleep Deprivation Affect Memory Processing? 50:58 What Is The Connection Between Sleep and Emotions 01:09:03 How Do PTSD, Autism, and Schizophrenia Affect Sleep 01:32:00 An Interest in Dreams 01:34:05 Was Freud Wrong About Dreams? 02:03:29 On Hypnogogic Dreams 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.

Anubav Vasudevan is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Chicago, where he works in formal epistemology and the history of logic, though he has published in a number of other areas. This is Anubav’s second appearance on the show. In episode #81, he and Robinson discussed mathematics, physics, and the history of logic. In this episode, they talk about the wonderfully bizarre metaphysics of the renowned pragmatist and logician Charles Sanders Peirce. OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:18 Introduction 04:54 The History of Logic 19:39 Who Was Charles Sanders Peirce? 37:04 The Problem of the Single Trial 48:35 Finding Our Coherent Philosophical Selves 54:32 Charles Peirce’s Bizarre Metaphysics 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.

Geoffrey West is Shannan Distinguished Professor and Past President at the Santa Fe Institute. He is a theoretical physicist who has worked broadly on topics related to elementary particles and their cosmological implications. Among other topics, he has also worked on complexity theory, scaling laws in biology, and how they can be applied in other areas, such as cities and problems involving global sustainability. This is precisely what Robinson and Geoffrey discuss in this episode, with particular reference to his recent book, Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies (Penguin, 2017). Scale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ05syiaUxg OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:25 Introduction 02:21 Complexity and the Santa Fe Institute 22:14 What Are Emergent Phenomena? 34:18 What is Complexity Theory? 45:51 Why Do All Animals Have the Same Number of Heartbeats in a Lifetime 01:11:43 Does Complexity Theory Tell Us How to Live Longer 01:22:49 Why Don’t Cities Die Like Organisms Do? 01:59:40 The Pandemic and the Increasing Pace of Life 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.

Daniel Levitin is Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Neuroscience at McGill University and Founding Dean of Arts & Humanities at Minerva University. He is also a record producer, musician, and writer. In this episode, Robinson and Daniel discuss one of his best-selling books, This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession (Penguin, 2006), as well as some of the songs on his two albums, Turnaround (2020) and Sex & Math (2021). More particularly, they talk about whether a neurological understanding of the mind and music reduces or increases one’s appreciation for music, how the brain processes complex music, whether music is evolved, why we get songs stuck in our head, and why some sounds are more pleasing than others. Daniel’s Website: https://www.daniellevitin.com This Is Your Brain On Music: https://a.co/d/fDxIvxd Sex & Math: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/daniellevitin/sex--math OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:56 Introduction 03:05 Music, Awe, and Neuroscience 11:12 Neuroscience and Songwriting 17:10 Why Can the Brain Easily Process Complex Music? 34:59 Why Do We Get Songs Stuck in Our Heads? 41:12 Why Do We Prefer Some Musical Time Signatures and Sounds to Others? 58:02 What Gives Some Musicians the IT Factor? 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.

Tim Palmer is Royal Society Research Professor in Climate Physics at the University of Oxford, where he is a Senior Fellow at the Oxford Martin Institute and a Professorial Fellow at Jesus College. Tim works on the predictability and dynamics of weather and climate, including extreme events, and is well known within the field for developing probabilistic ensemble forecasting techniques. In this episode, Robinson and Tim discuss his recent book, The Primacy of Doubt: From Quantum Physics to Climate Change, How the Science of Uncertainty Can Help Us Understand Our Chaotic World (2022). More particularly, they talk about black holes and the holographic principle, the foundations of quantum mechanics, meteorology and probabilistic forecasting, chaos theory and consciousness, and the problem of climate change. The Primacy of Doubt: https://a.co/d/dL8JfTn OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:37 Introduction 02:37 From Physics to Meteorology 13:17 Black Holes and the Holographic Principle 35:09 What Is the Butterfly Effect? 43:31 Why Is Weather Chaotic and What Can We Do About It? 01:09:34 Can Principles of Meteorology Be Applied to the Problems of Consciousness and Free Will? 01:30:55 Chaos Theory and Climate Change 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.

James Owen Weatherall is Professor of Logic and the Philosophy of Science and Department Chair at the University of California, Irvine, where he is also a member of the Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Science, the Center for Cosmology, and the Jack W. Peltason Center for the Study of Democracy. Jim is a physicist, mathematician, and philosopher, and works broadly on the mathematical and conceptual foundations of classical and quantum field theories, as well as the philosophy of science more generally, though he has plenty of other interests, such as model building in finance. In this episode, Robinson and Jim discuss nothingness and the physics of the void, beginning with the debate between Leibniz and Newton on the nature of space, moving through the revolution ushered in by Einstein’s special and general relativity, and ending with the quantum vacuum state. Jim’s Website: http://jamesowenweatherall.com Void: https://a.co/d/eEwbGCh OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:49 Introduction 03:04 MFA, PhD, PhD 06:04 Physics and Metaphysics 16:00 Newton, Leibniz, and the Debate Over Absolute Space 39:32 How Did Einstein Change Our Understanding of Space? 01:03:28 How Does Quantum Theory Change Our Classical Picture of the World 01:14:15 Fields and the Quantum Mechanics of the Void 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.

David Friedman is Professor Emeritus at the Santa Clara University School of Law. While he was trained as a physicist, David is best known for his work in economics, and particularly his defense of anarcho-capitalism, a political philosophy that advocates for a free-market system unhampered by government. In this episode, Robinson and David discuss some criticisms of current economic systems, the varieties of anarchism, David’s arguments for anarcho-capitalism, and one of his fascinating hobbies, anachronism. David’s Website: http://www.daviddfriedman.com David’s Substack: https://daviddfriedman.substack.com The Machinery of Freedom: https://a.co/d/iKpTQYK OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:17 Introduction 02:55 Physics to Economics 09:35 What is Anarchism? 16:09 Is Government an Agency of Legitimized Coercion? 27:41 Could Anarchy Be More Efficient than Government? 37:52 What Are Moral Facts? 44:46 Was John Rawls a Quack? 48:44 What Are Moral Facts? 56:07 How Much Should We Trust the Government? 01:02:05 Can Governments Prevent Climate Change? 01:13:18 Could We Privatize Police? 01:30:11 Would Anarchy Lead to Wealth Inequality? 01:40:08 Will the United States Ever Become Anarchic? 01:46:26 Anachronism 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.

Erik Verlinde is Professor of Physics in the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam, where he specializes in quantum gravity and string theory, black holes, and cosmology. In this episode, Erik and Robinson discuss his studies with the Nobel laureate Gerard ’t Hooft, black holes, the holographic principle, string theory, entropic gravity, and dark matter. OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:51 Introduction 02:16 Studying with Gerard ‘t Hooft 13:33 How Do Black Holes Connect Quantum Theory and General Relativity? 20:57 Why Are Black Holes the Most Symmetric Objects in the Universe 24:10 How Do You Measure a Black Hole’s Entropy? 30:32 What Is The Holographic Principle in Physics? 44:17 What is String Theory and What Does It Teach Us About Black Holes? 01:04:49 What Is Entropic Gravity? 01:24:09 What’s the Connection Between String Theory and Quantum Mechanics? 01:29:33 Entropic Gravity and General Relativity 01:40:32 Does Entropic Gravity Explain Dark Matter? 01:47:50 The Present and Future of Emergent Gravity 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.

Sheldon Solomon is Professor of Psychology at Skidmore College. He is best known for developing terror management theory with Tom Pyszczynski and Jeff Greenberg, which explores human psychology and mortality. In this episode, Robinson and Sheldon discuss Ernest Becker’s groundbreaking book The Denial of Death, how it influenced him and his collaborators, and how they have studied—with the tools of contemporary social psychology—how humans are affected by their sense of mortality. The Worm at the Core: https://a.co/d/7p05yA6 OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:51 Introduction 03:33 Discovering Ernest Becker 08:29 What Is Self-Esteem? 19:04 Freud and the Denial of Death 27:20 Man and the Heroic Journey 46:41 Where Was Becker Wrong? 54:44 What Is Terror Management Theory? 01:06:26 Children’s Fear of Death 01:10:23 A History of Death Denial 01:14:19 Possible Criticisms 01:18:00 A Prescriptive Dimension to Death Denial 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.

David Albert is the Frederick E. Woodbridge Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University and one of the world’s most respected philosophers of physics. He is also the director of the Philosophical Foundations of Physics program at Columbia and a faculty member of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. This is David’s fifth (!) appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. He appeared on episode #23 with Justin Clarke-Doane on metaethics and absolute space, episode #30 on the philosophy of time, episode #67 with Tim Maudlin on the foundations of quantum theory, and episode #106 with Sean Carroll on Many-Worlds and fine-tuning. In this episode, Robinson and David discuss his new book, A Guess at the Riddle: Essays on the Physical Underpinnings of Quantum Mechanics (Harvard, 2023), and the metaphysics of quantum mechanics. If you’re interested in the foundations of physics—which you absolutely should be—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. A Guess at the Riddle: https://a.co/d/6qcsidl The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:56 Introduction 05:12 On The Metaphysics of Quantum Mechanics 30:24 The Complex Origins of Antirealism in Quantum Physics 37:29 Instrumentalism and String Theory 45:31 The Amazing History of Locality in Physics 01:22:38 Quantum Mechanics as Experimental Metaphysics 01:26:27 What Is Wave-Function Realism in the Foundations of 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.

Fay Dowker is Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London, where she works broadly on quantum gravity, and more particularly on an approach called causal set theory that takes the most basic pieces of the universe to be atoms of spacetime. In this episode, Robinson and Fay begin by discussing her studies with Stephen Hawking and their work on wormholes before turning to quantum gravity and causal set theory. Fay is also a faculty member at the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. If you’re interested in the foundations of physics—which you absolutely should be—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. The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:50 Introduction 04:49 How Do Physicists Think of Wormholes? 15:56 Stephen Hawking, Philosophy, and Quantum Gravity 26:00 Causal Set Theory and The Problem of Quantum Gravity 43:45 What is the Path Integral? 54:43 Is Spacetime Discrete? 57:40 Causal Set Theory and Black Holes 01:14:27 Lorentz Symmetry, Non-Locality, and Phenomenology in Causal Set 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.

Tony Padilla is Professor of Physics in the School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Nottingham, where he is the Associate Director of the new Nottingham Centre of Gravity. Tony works in cosmology, quantum gravity, and related areas. He is also a host of the YouTube channel Numberphile, and the author of Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them: A Cosmic Quest from Zero to Infinity (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2022). In this episode, Robinson and Tony discuss some of these fantastic numbers. They begin with the question of how numbers relate to physics and the world more generally before turning to Graham’s Number, Tree(3), and the question of whether or not we have doppelgängers elsewhere in the universe. Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them: https://a.co/d/jiLCOJe Numberphile: https://www.youtube.com/@numberphile OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:13 Introduction 02:57 Tony’s Interest in Numbers 07:51 Are Numbers Parts of the Physical World? 20:12 Do We Have Doppelgängers Elsewhere in the Universe? 54:16 What is Graham’s Number? 01:03:22 Tree(3) 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.

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 second appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. In episode #127, he and Robinson discussed some of the most profound criticisms of capitalism. In this installment, they focus on Marx himself, including Karl Marx’s background, his most important views, what he wrote and didn’t write, and some of the common—and potentially devastating—criticisms of Marxism. 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… 00:22 Introduction 03:55 Who Was Karl Marx? 32:15 Karl Marx, Armchair Intellectual? 37:40 Answering Karl Marx’s Critics 50:38 Is Karl Marx Responsible for the Communist Genocides? 01:14:09 Marxism and The World Economy of Today 01:17:53 Is Socialism a Monolith? Does Marxism Evolve? 01:25:13 On Marxism and Mass Death 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.

Alan Stern is a planetary scientist, space program executive, aerospace consultant, and author. He leads NASA’s 880 million dollar New Horizons mission, which explored Pluto and its moons before heading deeper into the Kuiper Belt that surrounds the solar system. In 2007 and 2008, Alan was also NASA’s chief of space and Earth science programs. In this episode, Robinson and Alan talk all about Pluto and how Earth got there through New Horizons. They begin by discussing whether or not Pluto should be classified as a planet, before turning to the logistics of flying to Pluto and then what the New Horizons probe discovered there. Alan’s book, Chasing New Horizons (Picador, 2018) details the story of the groundbreaking mission. Alan’s Website: https://alanstern.space Chasing New Horizons: https://a.co/d/gwvun3e OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:56 Introduction 02:46 Why Planets? 08:23 Is Pluto a Planet? 22:19 New Horizons’ Journey to Pluto 30:14 NASA’s Flyby-Then-Probe Model 37:20 What Did NASA’s New Horizons Mission Learn About Pluto? 50:11 New Horizons After Pluto and Beyond 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.

Geraint F. Lewis is Professor of Astrophysics at the Sydney Institute for Astronomy in the University of Sydney’s School of Physics. While the focus of his research is on dark matter and energy, Geraint has written about and worked on many topics in cosmology and astrophysics more generally. In this episode, Robinson and Geraint discuss the question of fine-tuning: Our universe seems extremely well-suited for life, and with just the slightest variations in physics life as we know it would not exist. In what ways does the universe appear finely tuned, and how should we account for this? Geraint’s Website: https://www.geraintflewis.com A Fortunate Universe: https://a.co/d/aLKIcG5 OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:34 Introduction 2:59 The Bigger Questions 05:40 Was the Earth Designed for Humans? 10:33 Fine-Tuning and the Standard Model of Particle Physics 18:40 What Is the Anthropic Principle? 28:46 Is the Weak Nuclear Force Necessary For Life? 36:36 Are The Strong and Electromagnetic Forces Necessary for Life? 52:52 The Higgs Boson and Fine-Tuning 59:23 Is Gravity Necessary for Life? 01:03:10 Fine-Tuning and the Multiverse 01:14:03 Entropy and Fine-Tuning 01:37:54 Dark Energy, Dark Matter, and Fine-Tuning 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.

Michael Levin is a Distinguished Professor in the Biology Department at Tufts University, where he holds the Vannevar Bush endowed Chair, and he is also associate faculty at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. Michael and the Levin Lab work at the intersection of biology, artificial life, bioengineering, synthetic morphology, and cognitive science. In this episode, Michael and Robinson discuss what it means—if anything determinate—to be intelligent and to be alive before turning to the various fascinating ways collective intelligence arises at all levels of the spectrum, from microbes to synthetic chimaeras, which all adaptively solve complex problems using sophisticated cognition. The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org/ OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:55 Introduction 03:38 Michael’s Research Program 05:48 What Is Intelligence? 23:26 Does It Mean Anything to be Alive? 34:50 What Is Morphogenesis? 53:20 Slime Molds, Exploding Planaria Brains, and Intercellular Communication 01:11:48 Why Is Synthetic Life Useful in the Lab? 01:27:48 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.

John Mather is a Senior Astrophysicist in the Observational Cosmology Laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He was the recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics for his role as Principle Investigator for the Far IR Absolute Spectrophotometer on COBE, which observed the cosmic microwave background and helped support the big bang theory of the origin of the universe. John has also worked on many other projects for NASA, including the James Webb Space Telescope. In this episode, Robinson and John discuss the big bang and the cosmic microwave background before detailing the COBE satellite, its extraordinary findings, and the work that led to winning the Nobel Prize. The Very First Light: https://a.co/d/6iaWMOK OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:35 Introduction 02:56 John’s Scientific Background 12:50 Where Did the Big Bang Theory Come From 22:28 The Electromagnetic Spectrum 27:48 John’s Thesis and the Road to COBE 42:57 Designing the Nobel-Winning COBE Satellite 01:05:38 Some Further Background 01:08:08 The Cosmic Microwave Background and the Nobel Prize 01:35:52 John’s More Recent 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.

Jonathan Lear is the John U. Nef Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Philosophy and at the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. He is also a practicing psychoanalyst. Jonathan’s work focuses on understanding the human psyche both through philosophy—with an emphasis on Aristotle and the ancients—and psychoanalysis. In this episode, Jonathan and Robinson discuss three pinnacles of psychoanalysis: free association, the unconscious, and transference. Jonathan’s most recent book is Wisdom Won From Illness: Essays in Philosophy and Psychoanalysis (Harvard, 2017). Jonathan’s Website: https://home.uchicago.edu/~jlear/ Wisdom Won From Illness: https://a.co/d/hxkokCz OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:50 Introduction 03:28 Philosophy and Psychoanalysis 12:29 What Is The Fundamental Rule of Psychoanalysis? 20:02 On Slavoj Žižek and Free Association 25:26 Following Freud 37:55 Transference and Changing One’s Mind 49:22 How the Analyst Listens 01:09:40 Analysis and Contradiction 01:25:44 Dreams and Free-Association 01:34:42 Transference 01:55:12 Who Is Psychoanalysis For? 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.

Lee Smolin is a founding and senior faculty member at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He is best known for contributions to quantum gravity as a co-inventor of loop quantum gravity and deformed special relativity. Beyond his work in other areas of physics, Lee has written a number of best-selling books, the most recent of which is Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution: The Search for What Lies Beyond the Quantum (Penguin, 2019). In this episode, Robinson and Lee discuss one of the main tenets that has characterized his work over the past decades: Realism. They first talk about realism in quantum mechanics before moving on to Lee’s version of radical presentism, in which only what is occurring in the immediate present can be said to exist, before finishing the main body of their conversation with mathematics and its relation to both physics and cosmology. The episode ends with brief digressions on biology and living with Parkinson’s disease. Lee is also an Honorary Fellow of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. If you’re interested in the foundations of physics—which you absolutely should be—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. Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution: https://a.co/d/7GHcebp The Singular Universe and the Unreality of Time: https://a.co/d/hZqLT59 Lee’s Website: https://leesmolin.com The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org/home 00:00 In This Episode… 00:47 Introduction 05:03 From Dropping Out of High School to Physics 10:42 Many-Worlds, Bohmian Mechanics, and Realism in Quantum Theory 29:18 Realism and the Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics 33:00 Uniting Quantum Mechanics and Cosmology 45:43 Working with Roberto Mangabeira Unger 55:10 The Singular Existence of the Universe 01:05:29 Lee’s Interest in Biology 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.

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. Yascha has written five books, the most recent of which is The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time (Penguin, 2023). In this episode, Robinson and Yascha talk about this latest work. They begin by discussing the interrelationship between political theory, political science, and political philosophy before moving on to the role of equality in the politics on the left over the past hundred years. Then they turn to the rise of identity politics, its dangers, and how we can avoid what Yascha refers to as “the identity trap.” The Identity Trap: https://a.co/d/jh6IZIR Yascha’s Website: https://www.yaschamounk.com OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:32 Introduction 04:48 Distinguishing Political Theory, Science, and Philosophy 12:02 Why Focus on the Left Rather than the Right? 27:33 The History of Equality on the Left 32:38The Origin of Identity Politics 44:19 Universalism and Cultural Marxism 50:48 How Did Identity Politics Spread So Fast? 58:16 Do Identity Politics Conflict with Psychology? 01:12:00 How Do We Escape Identity Politics? 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.

Christopher E. Mason is Professor of Computational Genomics in Computational Biomedicine in the Institute for Computational Biomedicine and Professor of Neuroscience in the Brain and Mind Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine. Igor Tulchinsky is the founder, chairman, and CEO of WorldQuant, a global quantitative asset management firm. Together, they lead a joint project between Cornell Medicine and WorldQuant, the WorldQuant Initiative for Quantitative Prediction, which seeks to marry the expertise of financial prediction and analysis with genetic and medical research to improve and deploy new methods of preventive medicine. In this episode, Robinson, Chris, and Igor discuss their recent book, The Age of Prediction (MIT, 2023), and how our rapidly improving technology, data collection, and predictive algorithms are changing the world in innumerable ways, ranging from smart weapons in the military to solving crime and measuring job performance. Errata: In the introduction, Robinson says that this is episode 140, but due to a scheduling error the episode was released as episode 146. The Age of Prediction: https://a.co/d/3VAg0KD OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:10 Introduction 03:33 WorldQuant and Cornell Medicine 10:39 The Age of Prediction 15:51 Financial Prediction 19:44 Autonomous Drones and AI 28:38 Insurance and Prediction 33:35 Job Performance and Hiring 40:30 Using Genetics to Predict and Solve Crime 52:38 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.

Deirdre McCloskey is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Economics and of History and Professor Emerita of English and of Communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is also Isaiah Berlin Chair in Liberal Thought at the Cato Institute. Over the span of her career, Deirdre has written on economic theory, history, rhetoric, feminism, ethics, law, and more. In this episode, she and Robinson discuss her political philosophy—classical liberalism. They begin by discussing her training before delving into liberalism’s roots in the eighteen and nineteenth centuries as a celebration of freedom of speech and innovation, as well as its doctrine of equality under the law. They then compare it to competing views, such as conservatism, and address common criticisms of classical liberalism, such as its alleged inability to respond to crises like global warming or that the free market will concentrate wealth in the hands of a few. Why Liberalism Works: https://a.co/d/hvUAtnk Deirdre’s Website: https://www.deirdremccloskey.com OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:59 Introduction 04:09 Deirdre’s Background in Economics 17:36 What is Classical Liberalism? 33:28 The Beginning of Liberalism 51:50 The Great Enrichment 01:05:43 Free Speech 01:17:31 Conservatism and Libertarianism 01:28:36 Criticisms of Liberalism 01:43:00 Climate Change and the Free Market 01:49:57 Liberalism and Queers 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.

Carl Wieman is Cheriton Family Professor, Professor of Physics, and Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University and winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics for the production and observation of the first Bose-Einstein condensate. In addition to his extensive work in atomic and optical physics, Carl has pioneered the use of experimental techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of various teaching strategies for physics and other sciences. He also served as Associate Director for Science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. This episode constitutes a deep dive in two directions. First, Robinson and Carl discuss the trajectory of his career and research and how it led to his work on Bose-Einstein condensates that won the Nobel Prize. Then they turn to science education, including what’s wrong with it and how it can be improved. Improving How Universities Teach Science: https://a.co/d/5HA980y OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:02 Introduction 03:41 Getting into Physics 10:03 What is Parity Violation in Physics 16:38 How Can A Laser Trap and Cool Atoms? 25:48 What is Spin? 35:59 What is a Bose-Einstein Condensate? 45:11 The Experiment 52:57 Applications of BECs 57:22 Getting Into Education Research 01:04:43 The Science Education Initiative 01:19:31 Implementing Education Initiatives 01:25:31 What Makes for Effective Teaching? 01:31:40 Equity in Education 01:36:15 Teacher Evaluation 01:43:09 Steps of Restructuring 01:42:40 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.

Andrew Knoll is the Fisher Professor of Natural History in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. Andy’s work straddles the line between the early evolution of life on Earth and our planet’s environmental history. He has written numerous books on these subjects, most recently A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters (Custom House). In this episode, Robinson and Andy discuss when and how life arose on earth—and, just as importantly, what and how we know about it. Then they turn to some related topics, such as the diversity of microbial life on Earth and how it shaped our environment. They finish off with the possibility of life on Mars, as Andy was part of NASA’s MER mission to Mars, which examined the soil and geology of Mars’s surface through two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. A Brief History of Earth: https://a.co/d/dLrMhVz OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:51 Introduction 03:23 On Walt Whitman and The Learn’d Astronomer 11:36 Big Numbers Concerning Life and the Age of the Universe 29:47 On The Earliest Life on Earth 46:29 How Did Life Begin? 58:21 How Far Back Can We Trace Humans on the Tree of Life? 01:08:42 The Diversity of Microbial Life 01:19:43 The Branching of the Tree of Life 01:24:08 How Did Microbes Shape Our Atmosphere? 01:34:48 What Does Martian Soil Tell Us About The Life That Might Be Found There? 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.

Tim Maudlin is Professor of Philosophy at NYU and Founder and Director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. Tim is renowned as one of the leading philosophers of physics, and he also works in the philosophy of science and metaphysics. This is Tim’s fourth appearance on the show. Tim was also a guest on episode 46 (laws of nature, space, and free will), episode 67 with David Albert (the foundations of quantum mechanics), and episode 115 with Craig Callender (the philosophy of time). In this episode, Robinson and Tim dig into some of the crucial developments in the philosophy of science that took place during the 20th century. Then they move on to John Bell and the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. If you’re interested in the foundations of physics—which you absolutely should be—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 In This Episode… 00:41 Introduction 04:56 What’s the Point of Philosophy of Science? 10:38 Carnap and Logical Positivism 26:30 Thomas Kuhn and the Structure of Scientific Revolutions 42:52 What is Scientific Realism? 01:02:44 Instrumentalism and Scientific Anti-Realism 01:06:08 Who Was John Bell? 01:20:15 Einstein, Quantum Mechanics, and Bell’s Inequality 01:45:34 The John Bell Institute 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.

Norman Naimark is Robert & Florence McDonnell Professor of East European History at Stanford University. He is also Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution and the Institute of International Studies. He has worked on a wide array of topics related to the Cold War, genocide, communism, Hitler, Stalin, and more. In this episode, Robinson and Norman talk about the world history of genocide. After discussing just what constitutes genocide, they begin with the most distant reaches of prehistory—neanderthals and beyond—before moving up through biblical times, the Mongol conquest, the crusades, the colonial period, and more modern events. Genocide: A World History: https://a.co/d/7o4tG25 OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:55 Introduction 05:13 Norman’s Background 16:24 What’s an Archival Historian? 21:12 What is Genocide 35:59 Prehistoric and Biblical Genocide 48:20 Genghis Khan and the Mongolian Genocide 01:08:05 Were the Crusades Genocidal? 01:24:07 The Spanish Colonial Genocide 01:39:02 Race, Economics, and the Settler Genocides 01:48:02 The Genocides of Modernity 01:55:07 The Armenian Genocide 02:04:49 Is There a Genocide in Ukraine? 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.

John Burgess is John N. Woodhull Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University, where he works in mathematical and philosophical logic and the philosophy of mathematics. In this episode, Robinson and John discuss realism in the philosophy of mathematics, and while the nature of this question is itself disputed, it can be roughly described as concerning the extent to which we should be committed to the mind-independent truth of mathematical theorems, or to the existence of the objects they apparently describe. Robinson and John begin by addressing the nuances of this question, and they then turn to various developments in mathematics that have been historically associated with realism—set theory, in particular—as well as specific philosophical positions associated with realism (such as Platonism) and anti-realism (such as conventionalism). John’s most recent book is Set Theory (Cambridge, 2022). Set Theory: https://a.co/d/cF305wf OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:22 Introduction 03:17 Mathematics or Philosophy? 08:06 What is Realism in the Philosophy of Mathematics? 14:11 Objectivity and Mathematics 24:34 What Is Set Theory? 47:29 Platonism and the Continuum Problem 01:15:42 Conventionalism 01:22:06 Finitism 01:31:17 A Cap on Infinity? 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.

Lawrence Summers is the President Emeritus and Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University. He also served as the 71st Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton Administration, as Director of the White House National Economic Council in the Obama Administration, and as the Chief Economist of the World Bank. In this episode, Robinson and Larry discuss two topics close to his heart and work. First, they talk about the relationship between economic research and economic policy, both at a broad, theoretical level and with respect to cases, such as the current problem of inflation and Larry’s own work on global investments in the education of women. Second, they explore free speech and the social function of the university, including its commitments to the pursuit of truth, the promotion of opportunity, and an increase in prosperity. Larry’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/LHSummers Larry’s Website: https://larrysummers.com/ OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:06 Introduction 05:19 Theory, Research, and Policy in Economics 18:15 Using Research to Debunk Theory 23:00 Investing in Women’s Education 27:33 Free Speech at Harvard 34:52 Harvard and the Purpose of the University 38:17 Why Larry Ran Harvard 41:50 The STEM Revolution 54:03 Anti-Semitism in the University 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.

Konstantin Batygin is Professor of Planetary Science in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology, where he works on a wide variety of problems related to the formation and evolution of the solar system, the dynamical evolution of exoplanets, and physical processes that occur in planetary interiors and atmospheres. In this episode, Robinson and Konstantin discuss interstellar interlopers in our solar system, planet and satellite formation, the death of Pluto, Planet Nine, and the newest music from his band, The Seventh Season. Konstantin’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/kbatygin Konstantin’s Website: https://www.konstantinbatygin.com/ The Seventh Season: https://theseventhseason.band/ OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:37 Introduction 03:56 Konstantin’s Background 07:53 Was Oumuamua an Alien Spacecraft? 16:17 Planetesimals, Planet Formation, and the Size of the Solar System 25:15 Are there Extrasolar Objects in our Solar System? 35:06 How do Planets Form? 48:54 Is Our Solar System Falling Apart? 54:46 How Do Moons Form? 01:04:20 The Complexity of the Outer Solar System 01:07:12 The Death of Pluto 01:17:21 What and Where Is Planet Nine? 01:41:59 The Seventh Season 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.

Joyce Carol Oates is the Rogers S. Berlind ’52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities at Princeton University with the Program in Creative Writing. She is among the most widely-recognized and respected writers of our time, and has written in a wide variety of media and genres, from poetry and fiction in the former category to horror and Gothic in the latter. Her work has also been adapted into various other media, from plays to film. Joyce is the recipient of two O. Henry Awards and the National Book Award, among many others. In this conversation, Robinson and Joyce talk about various dimensions of fiction and poetry. Their discussion largely centers on technique and form, and touches on the work of James Joyce, Stephen Crane, Vladimir Nabokov, and Edgar Allan Poe, in addition to Joyce’s own novels and short stories. Errata: In the section marked “Edgar Allan Poe and James Joyce”, Joyce says “Blazes Boylan” when she intends to refer to Buck Mulligan. Joyce’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoyceCarolOates Joyce’s Substack: https://joycecaroloates.substack.com OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:55 Introduction 05:39 On Stephen Crane and The Bitter Heart 31:22 Literature as a Distillation of Life 42:53 Repetition and other Techniques 53:07 Edgar Allan Poe and James Joyce 01:08:14 Stephen Crane’s Many Red Devils 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.

Andrew Strominger is Gwill E. York Professor of Physics and Director of the Center for the Fundamental Laws of Nature at Harvard University, where he works on some of the deepest questions in physics, including black holes and the unification of quantum field theory and general relativity in the form of string theory. In this episode, Robinson and Andy discuss the basics of string theory, including its unifying role in physics, its application to outstanding and once-intractable problems of black holes, and the conceptual difficulties of thinking about higher-dimensional spaces. OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:32 Introduction 05:03 Andy’s Entry into String Theory 20:49 The Irreconcilable Clash between General Relativity and Quantum Field Theory 47:02 String Theory, Fine-Tuning, and the Anthropic Principle 59:20 The Basics of String Theory 01:12:50 String Theory and the Reductionist Program of Physics 01:27:25 When Will We Observe the Strings of String Theory? 01:43:45 How Many Dimensions are There in String Theory? 02:12:50 Aesthetics in 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.

Thomas Hertog is Professor and Head of Theoretical Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at KU Leuven in Belgium. He was a doctoral student and close collaborator of Stephen Hawking. In this episode, Robinson and Thomas discuss his recent book, On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking’s Final Theory. More particularly they discuss his collaboration with Stephen Hawking Hawking’s work on black holes, and the three stages of his cosmological research, which culminated in his final theory, which Thomas worked on with him, called Top-Down Cosmology. On the Origin of Time: https://a.co/d/ihrMoCZ OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:53 Introduction 04:19 Thomas’s Entry into Physics 05:49 What Was It Like to Work with Stephen Hawking? 09:46 Stephen Hawking and the Death of Philosophy 16:42 What is Cosmological Inflation 23:28 The Big Bang, Fine-Tuning, and the Anthropic Principle 41:15 On Penrose, Hawking, Black Holes, and the Big Bang 01:01:27 Stephen Hawking’s Final Theory of Top-Down Cosmology 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.

Christopher Capozzola is Professor of History and MacVicar Faculty Fellow at MIT, where he works on the history of citizenship, war, and the military in modern American history. In this episode, Robinson and Chris discuss his first book, Uncle Sam Wants You: World War I and the Making of the Modern American Citizen (Oxford, 2008). More particularly, they talk about the background of the famous Uncle Sam “I Want You!” image and its status as a piece of propaganda, how it functioned in the United States during World War I, the domestic reception and consequences of the draft, and how patriotism resulted in violent vigilante justice. Chris’s latest book is Bound by War: How the United States and the Philippines Built America’s First Pacific Century. Uncle Sam Wants You: https://a.co/d/gBodfCL OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:04 Introduction 03:50 History as Narrative 08:01 Teaching History at MIT 12:21 Chris’s Interest in American History 14:42 The Origin and Purpose of Uncle Sam 32:48 Political Obligation and the Draft in World War I 45:06 History and Unwritten Facts 50:07 Draft Dodgers, Conscientious Objectors, and Vigilantes in WWI 01:04:35 Historians, Philosophers, and Political Obligation 01:16:50 How World War I Was Caused by Bad Leaders 01:23:01 Free Speech During and After the War 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.

Ian Hutchinson is Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering in he Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT. He works in both plasma physics and nuclear physics and also writes on the philosophy of science and the compatibility of Christianity and science. In this episode, Ian and Robinson begin by discussing his work in plasma and nuclear physics, touching on space exploration, nuclear fusion, and the containment of superheated plasma. Then they turn to Ian’s religious beliefs and his understanding of how science and christianity are not only compatible, but complementary. Ian’s latest book is Can a Scientist Believe in Miracles?: An MIT Professor Answers Questions on God and Science. Ian’s Website: https://www-internal.psfc.mit.edu/~hutch/ Can a Scientist Believe in Miracles?: https://a.co/d/2Vi2wKk OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:03 Introduction 06:15 Is There a Crisis in Plasma Physics? 19:19 What Is the Fourth Phase of Matter? 33:24 Plasma, Astrophysics, and Space Exploration 45:49 What Are Nuclear Fission and Fusion? 55:25 How Does Nuclear Fusion Work? 01:02:34 How Viable is Nuclear Fusion as a Clean Power Source? 01:19:03 Why MIT Nuclear Physicist Ian Hutchinson Believes in God 01:34:08 How Can Science be Compatible with Christian Miracles? 01:43:22 How an MIT Physicist Reads the Book of Genesis 01:49:11 The Perils of Scientism 01:58:59 Do Science and Religion Complement Each Other? 02:04:02 How Religion Informs Ian’s Work as a Plasma Physicist 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.

Jonathan Shedler is Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco and a faculty member at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis. He is a psychologist and psychotherapist. In this episode, Robinson and Jonathan discuss the clinical side of psychoanalytic theory. They begin by describing just how different contemporary practice is from its beginnings with Freud a hundred years ago, before detailing how psychodynamic therapy compares to other forms of treatment for mental illness. Jonathan’s Website: https://jonathanshedler.com/ Jonathan’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonathanshedler OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:36 Introduction 04:11 Disambiguating Psychoanalysis 16:22 What Is The Distinction Between Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy? 32:01 Free-Association and Transference in Psychotherapy 49:05 Dream Interpretation in Psychotherapy 59:37 The Five Psychodynamic Theories 01:07:36 Is Psychodynamic Therapy Effective? 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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.