The Uncertainty Podcast

Miles K. Donahue

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A philosophy Ph.D. student working his way, with the world's leading thinkers, through the problems of philosophy, religion, science, and the existential struggle with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - similar to Alex O'Connor, but more American. Who wants to come along for the ride? mileskdonahue.substack.com

22. Juli

#92 - A.I. Agents Are Here, and the Future Is Not Bright - Kevin Scharp

Philosopher Kevin Scharp discusses his experience working with A.I. agents, and what it portends for the future. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome.EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:10 What AI agents are 00:03:22 Why AI agents remain under the radar 00:06:07 Creating research-level AI agents 00:08:44 How AI agents work 00:11:06 Are AI agents conscious? 00:17:59 Have AI agents already achieved AGI? 00:21:40 Embodied agents and what comes next 00:24:57 Automation, unemployment, and social unrest 00:27:05 AI as an unprecedented capacity for harm 00:28:46 Could governance and AI rights slow development? 00:32:00 Has ChatGPT become less useful? 00:39:34 AI, human extinction, and theism 00:43:08 Does AI favor naturalism over theism? 00:46:35 How to live under existential uncertainty 00:49:31 Atheism, agnosticism, and changing your mind Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
12. Juli

#91 Philosophers Don't Want to Solve Philosophy (and other hot takes) - Lance S. Bush

Lance Bush returns to the channel to discuss the need for empirical research in philosophy, whether philosophers even want to find the answers to their questions, and, of course, phenomenal conservatism (which is true, btw). Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:12 Common mistakes in student writing 00:06:54 Brevity and writing as a craft 00:09:34 Why Lance pursued psychology over philosophy 00:13:58 Studying moral language empirically 00:20:03 What psychology reveals about philosophical practice 00:24:59 A pragmatic theory of meaning 00:31:22 Does philosophy differ from science? 00:43:37 Why philosophers disagree 00:47:40 Could philosophy ever be solved? 00:56:31 Bias and the David Enoch debate 01:00:31 Competing philosophical starting points 01:05:58 Heterodox views and accusations of contrarianism 01:08:43 Debate mistakes and the possibility of a rematch 01:11:46 Michael Huemer and future conversations 01:13:39 Phenomenal conservatism 01:16:22 Epistemic blank checks 01:20:03 Defeaters and the psychology of seemings 01:24:57 Pragmatism and philosophical goals Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
3. Juli

#90 A Heated Debate on Hell, Catholicism, and Fine-Tuning - Ethan Muse

Ethan Muse and I spar over the problem of evil, cosmic fine-tuning, infallible popes, and the doctrine of eternal conscious torment. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:44 Rutgers, philosophy, and Catholic apologetics 00:05:08 Ethan’s path into philosophy 00:09:52 The goal of doing philosophy 00:13:52 Ethan’s conversion to Catholicism 00:17:55 Doubts, confidence, and the problem of evil 00:23:45 Miracle evidence and outweighing evil 00:25:04 Fine-tuning and theism 00:28:48 Frequency data, design, and Bayesianism 00:33:43 Mini-verses and apparent design 00:38:20 What fine-tuning means 00:41:04 Apparent design and fragile harmony 00:46:38 The infrared bullseye analogy 00:51:29 Design, stalking horses, and naturalism 00:59:56 Priors, bare theism, and Bayesian machinery 01:04:53 Papal infallibility and alleged counterexamples 01:11:36 Eternal hell and Catholic doctrine 01:19:46 Moral intuition against eternal torment 01:22:42 Saints, sin, and moral authority 01:30:12 Moral progress and Catholic tradition 01:32:57 Moral disagreement and final thoughts Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
25. Juni

#89 Michael Huemer's New Argument for Atheism

Michael Huemer, philosopher at U.C. Boulder, joins me for a wide-ranging discussion of arguments for and against the existence of God, with special focus on his new argument for atheism: the impossibility of an infinite God. Check out Mike’s book, Knowledge, Value, and Reality: A Mostly Common Sense Guide to Philosophy. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:42 Huemer’s research on consciousness 00:05:42 Could LLMs be conscious? 00:08:11 Physicalism and consciousness 00:14:36 Why physicalism became so popular 00:17:16 Metaphysics and scientific evidence 00:21:01 Could God be empirically detected? 00:23:37 Why Huemer is agnostic 00:25:48 Philip Goff’s limited God 00:27:23 Can a limited God explain evil? 00:36:03 Divine psychology and skeptical theism 00:38:37 Can theism make predictions? 00:46:54 Scientific confirmation and theistic arguments 00:51:59 Which theistic arguments fail? 00:53:14 The ontological argument 00:58:06 The modal ontological argument 01:01:03 Necessary beings and modal intuitions 01:07:23 The Kalam cosmological argument 01:08:54 Could time have a beginning? 01:12:22 Can God create time? 01:18:22 Cosmology and the Big Bang 01:23:48 Actual and potential infinities 01:26:00 Huemer’s new argument for atheism 01:29:28 Divine infinity and omniscience Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
11. Juni

#88 Can There be Evidence for God? | Eight Philosophers Debate

Is it even possible to have empirical evidence for God's existence? What if the stars realigned to spell out "I exist! Sincerely, God." Wouldn't THAT count as evidence for God? It seems that the answer is yes. But then, various objections to arguments for God seem to imply that even this extravagant, awesome evidence for God would not be any evidence whatsoever for theism. To many philosophers, that implication implies that these objections prove too much, and must therefore fail. In this debate, eight philosophers go head-to-head over these fascinating questions. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:10 Miles Donahue’s opening statement 00:07:46 Brian Cutter’s opening statement 00:13:16 Noah McKay’s opening statement 00:18:30 Travis Dumsday’s opening statement 00:23:30 Paul Draper’s opening statement 00:29:15 Alex Malpass’s opening statement 00:35:18 Nathan Bray’s opening statement 00:40:41 Kevin Scharp’s opening statement 00:47:15 Miles Donahue’s cross-examination 01:03:22 Alex Malpass’s cross-examination 01:20:15 Brian Cutter’s cross-examination 01:33:41 Nathan Bray’s cross-examination 01:49:03 Paul Draper’s cross-examination 02:01:21 Travis Dumsday’s cross-examination 02:10:54 Kevin Scharp’s cross-examination 02:24:49 Noah McKay’s cross-examination Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
4. Juni

#87 Yes, You Can be Gay and Christian - Matthew Vines

Matthew Vines, author of God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships, joins me to discuss the revised version of this now classic texts. Has Matt has changed his mind on any major issues? What, in the end, would Matt conclude if he determined that the Bible did prohibit same-sex relationships? Listen to find out! Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:05 What changed in God and the Gay Christian 00:03:28 Endnotes, footnotes, and writing for different audiences 00:05:02 How Matthew Vines’s views have changed 00:05:51 Romans 1 and female same-sex relations 00:07:48 Arsenokoitai, Malakoi, and Paul’s meaning 00:10:22 Same-sex marriage in the biblical world 00:13:45 To whom is the book written? 00:15:06 Expressive individualism and affirming theology 00:19:37 How the American church has changed 00:20:23 Affirming churches without guardrails 00:25:45 Conservative backlash and slippery slopes 00:27:55 Being between Christian and queer spaces 00:29:11 Queer theory, polyamory, and sexual orientation 00:30:55 Transgender Christians and biblical interpretation 00:34:48 Gender dysphoria, transition, and Christian ethics 00:39:08 What if the Bible prohibited same-sex marriage? 00:49:44 Moral intuition, inerrancy, and Jesus 01:00:05 Biblical authority, inspiration, and inerrancy 01:08:21 Where evangelical churches may be headed Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
28. Mai

#86 From Toad Venom to Jesus: Cross-Examining Philip Goff

I discuss and debate the merits of drug-induced experiences for one's religious beliefs, the difference panpsychism makes, the distinction between God's essence and energies, and giant purple platypuses floating over New York City. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:32 What is 5-MeO-DMT? 00:02:07 Why Philip Goff tried toad venom 00:05:02 What the experience was like 00:07:13 Can you experience yourself not existing? 00:13:00 Was ego death terrifying? 00:17:03 William Lane Craig’s reaction 00:19:57 What is a structureless claim? 00:22:52 The content of mystical experience 00:25:39 Does 5-MeO-DMT support panpsychism? 00:33:15 Why trust a drug-induced experience? 00:40:08 Experience versus interpretation 00:43:54 Is Goff projecting panpsychism onto the experience? 00:46:03 What would defeat the experience? 00:51:25 How does this fit with Christianity? 00:57:19 Divine essence, energies, and simplicity 01:04:19 Why Christianity specifically? 01:08:26 Why not deism or another religion? 01:14:23 Does Goff believe in an afterlife? 01:16:43 Near-death experiences and consciousness 01:18:37 What is Goff most uncertain of? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
21. Mai

#85 What Is a Woman? - Talia Mae Bettcher And Tomas Bogardus

Talia Mae Bettcher and Tomas Bogardus join me to debate the question, "What is a woman?". Is gender biologically grounded, socially constructed, or something else entirely? If you're looking for a cordial and substantive exchange from two thinkers who fundamentally disagree on these issues, look no further. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:17 Bogardus opening statement 00:02:03 Dictionaries and ordinary usage 00:03:41 The ambiguity view 00:07:09 The resistant concept of woman 00:08:12 Circularity and self-identification 00:11:23 The relevance objection to ambiguity 00:13:47 Non-human men and women 00:16:17 Bettcher opening statement 00:18:29 Woman as a philosophical question 00:19:44 Folk concepts and biological definitions 00:22:13 Folk concepts vs. theoretical concepts 00:24:45 Adult, human, and female 00:28:14 Open discussion begins 00:28:57 Bettcher on the ambiguity thesis 00:30:28 Family resemblance and trans womanhood 00:35:16 Political concepts and same-sex marriage 00:52:25 Are folk concepts biological? 00:57:47 Souls, bodies, and female identity 01:04:31 Twin Earth, Superman, and non-human men 01:13:13 Stone lions, Batman, and conceptual analysis 01:26:44 The husbandry argument 01:29:44 Sex, function, and biology 01:34:35 Why the question matters 01:39:44 Closing statements Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

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A philosophy Ph.D. student working his way, with the world's leading thinkers, through the problems of philosophy, religion, science, and the existential struggle with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - similar to Alex O'Connor, but more American. Who wants to come along for the ride? mileskdonahue.substack.com

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Miles K. Donahue
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2024 - 2026
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The Uncertainty Podcast