The Uncertainty Podcast

Miles K. Donahue

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PHILOSOPHY
UPDATED WEEKLY

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

13 HR AGO

#70 Why Humans Believe in God - Daniel Wolne

Prof. Daniel Wolne explains historical theories of religion with special focus on Sigmund Freud's speculation that religious belief arises from a projection of a father figure onto the universe. We then dive into contemporary theories arising from the cognitive science of religion: theory of mind, hyperactive agency detection devices, and social function theories. Check out video of our discussion on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:51 Explanation vs. theory of religion 00:07:26 Methodological naturalism 00:16:48 What is "religion"? 00:27:44 Sigmund Freud - Is religion just projection of a father figure? 00:39:42 What about non-theistic religions? 00:42:09 Is religion the response to fear of death? 00:45:22 Cognitive science of religion 00:50:52 Hyperactive Agency Detection Device (HADD) 01:06:06 What is religion's social function? 01:11:56 Does cognitive science undermine religious belief? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

1h 23m
30 JAN

#69 Two Oxford Students Tackle a Philosophical Smorgasbord | Amos Wollen

Isn't "smorgasbord" a great word? Amos Wollen, my friend and fellow Oxford graduate student, joins me to debate his novel argument for the compatibility of God's love and an eternal Hell, a theodicy involving our consenting to suffering prior to our births, a case for the Baha'i faith, a fine-tuning argument from beauty, and the real reason that I take so many bathroom breaks. Check out the video of the debate on YouTube. Amos has a great Substack that you should absolutely read. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:50 A new argument for Hell 39:43 A pre-existence theodicy 01:04:52 A fine-tuning argument from beauty 01:25:02 A case for the Baha'i faith Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

1h 56m
22 JAN

#68 Is Morality Real? - Michael Huemer vs. Matt Lutz

Two philosophers come together to debate the question of whether objective, mind-independent moral facts exist. Mike says yes, Matt says no. They discuss whether we can ever have reason to go against our desires, whether beliefs about morality make any difference to our behavior, how we know things about the world, and the relevance of intuitions. Check out the video of the debate on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:45 Dr. Matt Lutz opening statement 00:11:49 Dr. Michael Huemer opening statement 00:24:43 Do moral obligations involve impossible kinds of reasons? 00:41:40 Can the error theorist make sense of doing something against one’s desires? 00:56:08 If moral facts disappeared, would we live our lives differently? 01:14:34 What’s wrong with intuition as a ground for moral knowledge? 01:29:05 How do we know logical and mathematical truths? 01:35:46 Dr. Matt Lutz closing statement 01:36:54 Dr. Dr. Michael Huemer closing statement Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

1h 42m
15 JAN

#67 Is Consciousness Physical? - Emerson Green

Emerson Green walks through three powerful objections to attempts to reduce consciousness to the brain: phenomenal transparency, philosophical zombies, and vagueness.Check out Emerson's YouTube channel. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:05 What are you a YouTuber? 00:19:08 Objection #1 - Phenomenal transparency 00:29:22 Why physicalism cannot tolerate transparency 00:32:31 What if consciousness is translucent? 00:38:36 Maybe there are no mental states at all 00:49:52 Objection #2 - Philosophical zombies 01:00:57 Different types of conceivability 01:12:29 What about modal skepticism? 01:17:32 Objection #3 - Vagueness 01:24:40 When do we go from non-conscious to conscious? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

1h 30m
8 JAN

#66 It's Okay to be Gay (and Christian) - Randal Rauser

Dr. Randal Rauser and I explore the arguments of his new book, The Wideness of the Sea: How to be Evangelical and Gay-Affirming, wherein he offers a four-part case for including a gay-affirming perspective within the fold of Christian orthodoxy: scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:12 The tale of Eugene Peterson 00:04:45 What is evangelical Christianity? 00:09:10 Affirming vs. non-affirming perspectives 00:14:55 Why do evangelicals care so much about gay relationships? 00:24:19 Argument #1: The Bible 00:40:25 Leviticus 20:13 - "If a man..." 00:45:10 Romans 1:26-27 - "God gave them over..." 00:50:05 Argument #2: Reason 00:51:11 William Lane Craig's case against homosexuality 00:54:22 Against natural law? 00:58:32 Argument #3: Tradition 01:07:28 Argument #4: Experience Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

1h 12m
1 JAN

#65 The U.S. Is Increasingly Unsafe for Trans People - Talia Mae Bettcher

Talia Mae Bettcher explains why she has come to a dismal view of the United States as a home for trans people, details the Trump administration's recent policy changes targeting trans individuals, and debates the merits of a biological understanding of sex and gender. Check out Talia's latest book, Beyond Personhood: An Essay in Trans Philosophy. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:05 Why do you feel unsafe in the U.S.? 00:06:27 How did the U.S. get here? 00:12:01 Has your religious upbringing informed your work today? 00:17:13 Methodology and biological theories of gender 00:24:17 What is trans philosophy? 00:28:37 Can a traditionalist engage in trans philosophy? 00:33:03 Answering Matt Walsh: what is a woman? 00:46:44 Circular definitions of gender 00:49:13 Trans people can be mistaken in their gender identity 00:54:57 Trans woman and prison placement 01:07:47 Is "it's complicated" a cop-out? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

1h 11m
23/12/2025

#64 What If God Is Evil? - Stephen Law

Stephen Law, professor of philosophy at Oxford, discusses his "evil god challenge" to theists: prove that God is not perfectly evil. That challenge, we will see, is surprisingly difficult to meet. Check out Stephen's paper outlining the evil-god challenge, as well as Mooney and Hendricks paper critiquing the challenge. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Do please follow me ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:06 The evil-god challenge 00:11:03 The versions of the challenge 00:17:02 Does the moral argument break the parallel? 00:24:28 Skeptical theism will not undercut the challenge 00:34:07 Does skeptical theism lead to skepticism about everything? 00:46:30 The neutral-god challenge 00:53:13 Theodicies won't undercut the challenge, either 00:59:39 Would Jesus' resurrection break the parallel? 01:07:57 Is an evil god logically incoherent? 01:16:47 What are you most uncertain about? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

1h 20m
19/12/2025

#63 Does Mind-Brain Harmony Point to God? - Graham Oppy vs. Brian Cutter

Graham Oppy and Brian Cutter join me to debate philosophy's newest argument for God: the argument from psychophysical harmony. We talk about epistemic probability versus metaphysical possibility, the relevance of thought-experiments to determining possibility, whether mental states are identical to brain states, and what we ought to infer if we found John 3:16 in binary code in the digits of pi. Check out Cutter and Crummet's paper defending the psycho-physical harmony argument, my previous interviews with Graham and Brian. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Feel free to follow me ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:34 Cutter opening statement 00:18:14 Oppy opening statement 00:27:59 Moderated discussion 01:48:33 Cutter closing statement 01:50:07 Oppy closing statement Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

1h 51m

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

Creator

Miles K. Donahue
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

69
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Miles Donahue
Show Website

The Uncertainty Podcast

Philosophy

Philosophy

Every two weeks