Robinson's Podcast

Robinson Erhardt
  • 4.7 (283)
  • Natural Sciences
  • Updated Weekly

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. https://linktr.ee/robinsonerhardt

  1. 1d ago

    285 - Richard Wolff & Michael Hudson: The Destruction of Modern Nations

    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 twelfth appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. Michael Hudson is Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City and President of the Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends. He researches domestic and international finance, the history of economics, and the role of debt in shaping class stratification, among many other topics. This is Michael’s eighth appearance on the show. In this episode, Robinson, Richard, and Michael discuss colonialism and the death of modern nations. More particularly, they discuss the evolution of capitalism toward socialism, whether colonialism has officially ended, Russia, China, Israel, Iran, Trump, Putin, and the United States. Richard’s latest book is Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024). Michael’s most recent book is Temples of Enterprise (ISLET, 2024).  Understanding Capitalism (Book): https://www.democracyatwork.info/understanding_capitalism Richard’s Website: https://www.rdwolff.com Economic Update: https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdate Michael’s Website: https://michael-hudson.com Temples of Enterprise: https://a.co/d/a3c53dm OUTLINE 00:00 Is Capitalism Evolving into Socialism? 07:20 Is Today the Post-Colonial Period? 18:10 How Colonialism Divided the World 28:54 China and the Revenge of Feudalism 41:06 Productive vs Unproductive Labor 49:24 Overcoming the “Discipline” of Academia 01:01:17 The Danger of Education 01:13:19 Will the United States Break Up? 01:21:22 Why the EU and NATO Will Break Up 01:29:15 Why Michael Believes the US Will Remain United 01:38:37 Trump’s Army and the Militarized Police 01:46:49 Is the US Turning into a Police State? 01:48:49 The Choice Before a Declining Empire Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

  2. Aug 1

    284 - Steve Keen: The Economics of Global Warfare

    Steve Keen is an economist and was most recently Head of the School of Economics, History and Politics at Kingston University in London. He has done research on a wide variety of topics, including Marxist economics, debt, complexity theory, and systems dynamics. In this episode, Steve and Robinson discuss his economic framework in relation to wars around the globe. More particularly, the discuss the importance of oil in the Iran War, the cold war with China, the war in Ukraine, and more. OUTLINE 00:00 The Crucial Importance of Oil in the Iran War 08:54 Systems Dynamics and Economics 14:22 How Much Inflation Will the Iran War Cause? 18:17 Will the Iran War Cause Famine? 28:56 Conspiracy and the Iran War 30:48 Tariffs and Trade Deficits 46:03 Will Trump’s Tariffs Bring Manufacturing Back to the United States 52:49 Steve’s Motivation 59:25 The Crucial Flaw in Marxism 01:12:43 Understanding the War in Ukraine’s Impact on Europe 01:16:38 On Putin’s Motivations in Ukraine 01:26:32 Understanding Trump through Narcissistic Personality Disorder 01:32:52 Trump and the Takeover of Venezuela 01:38:11 Economists Misunderstand Everything About China 01:53:01 Why Will China Survive Global Warming? 01:57:18 AI and the Future Economics of the World Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

  3. Jul 19

    283 - Timothy Snyder: Donald Trump and the End of America

    Timothy Snyder holds the inaugural Temerty Chair in Modern European History at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. Snyder’s work has appeared in forty languages and has received a number of prizes, including the Emerson Prize in the Humanities. Snyder was a Marshall Scholar at Oxford, has received the Carnegie and Guggenheim fellowships, and holds state orders from Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland. He is researching a family history of nationalism and finishing a philosophical book about freedom. In this episode, Robinson and Timothy discuss the future of the United States. More particularly, they delve into AI, rebellion, conspiracy theory, our relationship with Russia and Ukraine, Donald Trump, and more. Timothy’s most recent book is On Freedom (Crown, 2024). Timothy’s Website: https://timothysnyder.org On Freedom: https://timothysnyder.org/books/ OUTLINE 00:00 Will the United States Cease to Exist? 13:47 Is Trump Breaking the United States Apart? 21:09 Will AI Prevent Armed Rebellion Against the Government? 30:20 Trump, Conspiracy Theories, and the Politics of Small Numbers 39:46 Putin Does Not Think Ukraine Is Real 45:57 What Are Trump’s Soft Spots? 50:26 How Tim Organizes His Thought 57:59 Donald Trump and the Superloser Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

  4. Jul 12

    282 - Richard Wolff: China, Russia, Iran, and World War III

    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 eleventh appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. In this episode, Richard and Robinson discuss the ongoing war in Iran, as well as the war in Russia and Ukraine, our cold war with China, and the future possibilities of World War III. Richard’s latest book is Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024). Understanding Capitalism (Book): https://www.democracyatwork.info/understanding_capitalism Richard’s Website: https://www.rdwolff.com Economic Update: https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdate OUTLINE 00:00 China, Iran, and the Implosion of the West 13:00 The Irreconcilable Gulf Between Russia and the West 16:01 Europe’s Hard World War II Lesson 21:20 Europe’s Final Collapse Is Coming 28:42 How China Is Methodically Conquering the World 35:44 Russia’s Siberian Advantage 39:15 Marx, War, and Economic Decline 52:39 Why Iran Will Always Control the Strait of Hormuz 01:02:02 How the United States Already Failed in Iran 01:06:37  What the United States Can Learn from the Collapse of the British Empire 01:12:19 Why the War in Iran Will Not Lead to Nuclear War 01:14:44 John Mearsheimer’s Escalation Ladder and the Threat of Nuclear War in Russia 01:29:53 What Would World War Look Like in the 21st Century? 01:36:17 Donald Trump, The Isolator 01:41:40 The Sad Legacy of the League of Nations 01:51:04 Is World War III Inevitable?

  5. Jul 6

    281 - Michael Hudson: How Debt Destroys Empires

    Michael Hudson is Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City and President of the Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends. He researches domestic and international finance, the history of economics, and the role of debt in shaping class stratification, among many other topics. This is Michael’s Seventh appearance on the show. On past episodes, including with Richard Wolff, he and Robinson have neoliberalism, industrial capitalism, the rentier economy, Marxism, and the role of economics in political history. In this episode, Michael and Robinson talk about debt and the destruction of empires. Michael’s most recent book is Temples of Enterprise (ISLET, 2024).  Michael’s Website: https://michael-hudson.com Temples of Enterprise: https://a.co/d/a3c53dm OUTLINE 00:00 Keeping Governments Under Control 07:01 Understanding the Church 17:27 Why Debts Grow Too Fast to Be Paid 22:57 Understanding the BRICS 26:50 How Can Countries Get Rich? 32:47 Where Is the United States’ Debt Dragging Us? 46:26 Why Michael Hudson Is Not a Mainstream Economist 48:59 The Historical Approach to Economics 01:06:01 Controlling Governments Through Tax Policy 01:23:55 How Michael Researches 01:33:31 The Myth of Economic Rent 01:38:47 The United States’ Hereditary Oligarchy 01:41:04 Why the United States Can’t Go Bankrupt 01:44:42 Closing Thoughts Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

  6. Jun 29

    280 - David Albert & Jacob Barandes: Debating the Foundation of Quantum Mechanics

    David Albert is the Frederick E. Woodbridge Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University, director of the Philosophical Foundations of Physics program at Columbia, and a faculty member of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. Jacob Barandes is Senior Preceptor in Physics at Harvard University, where he works widely across the philosophy of physics, with focuses on the foundations of quantum mechanics, the philosophy of spacetime, and the metaphysics of laws. In this episode, Robinson, Jacob, and David discuss Jacob’s novel Indivisibility Approach to quantum mechanics. After beginning with an introduction from David, the conversation touches on the measurement problem, completeness, scientific realism, the purpose of physics, and more. If you’re interested in the foundations of physics, then please check out the JBI, which is devoted to providing a home for research and education in this important area. Any donations are immensely helpful at this early stage in the institute’s life. Jacob’s Website: https://www.jacobbarandes.com A Guess at the Riddle: https://a.co/d/6qcsidl The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org OUTLINE 00:00 The Problem with the Wave Function 05:30 The Indivisibility Approach 17:28 What Is Indivisibility? 25:13 The Measurement Problem 32:18 The Incompleteness of Jacob’s Theory 42:20 Completing the Theory 47:12 Realism in Quantum Mechanics 01:03:13 The Fundamental Task of Physics 01:10:57 The Structure of the Indivisibility Theory 01;22:26 Summarizing and Calculating 01:40:01 The Game of Fundamental Physics 01:46:31 Can Bohmian Mechanics Work? 01:56:26 A Version Including David’s Theory 02:04:49 What Is the Wave Function? 02:15:33 Where We’ve Ended Up Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

  7. Jun 14

    279 - Paul Davies: The Second Quantum Mechanics Revolution

    Paul Davies is a theoretical physicist and Regents’ Professor at Arizona State University. Paul works on quantum mechanics, astrophysics, and cosmology, with emphasis on the origin and early stages of the universe, the quantum properties of black holes and the nature of time. He is interested in the nature and origin of life – including extraterrestrial life – beyond Earth, and in complex systems. In this episode of Robinson’s Podcast, Paul and Robinson discuss the second revolution in quantum mechanics. Among other things, they dig into the origin of quantum theory, how we should interpret it, various quarks of quantum physics, such as teleportation and entanglement, quantum computing, and more. Paul’s recent book is Quantum 2.0 (Pelican, 2025). Quantum 2.0: https://a.co/d/0ckzsWav OUTLINE 00:00 Why Quantum Mechanics? 11:59 How Should We Interpret Quantum Mechanics? 22:22 Complexity and Quantum Theory 30:59 What Will Be the Next Quantum Revolution? 39:59 The Next Generation of Quantum Technology? 49:47 Can Quantum Teleportation Move Macroscopic Objects? 52:47 Supercomputers vs Quantum Computers 01:04:16 The Fine-Tuning Problem? 01:12:37 Do We Have a Scientific Theory of Life? Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

  8. May 31

    278 - Priyamvada Natarajan: The Mystery of Dark Matter

    Priyamvada Natarajan is the Joseph S. and Sophia S. Fruton Professor of Astronomy and Professor of Physics at Yale University, where she is also the Chair of Astronomy. Priya researches broadly across astrophysics and cosmology; some topics she has worked on include gravitational lensing, black hole physics, the philosophy of science, and dark matter. In this conversation, Priya and Robinson largely stick to the latter. They discuss her interest in cosmology writ large, as well as how the scientific community tackles the unknown. Priya’s most recent book is Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas that Reveal the Cosmos (Yale, 2016). Mapping the Heavens: https://a.co/d/02HPcMB1 OUTLINE 00:00 A Paradox of Cosmology 06:16 Investigating Invisibilia 11:25 The Sociology of Astrophysics 16:52 Phenomenology in Physics 19:47 What Is the Mystery of Dark Matter? 29:07 The Problem of Dark Energy 36:38 Models and Simulations 46:17 Modifying the Standard Model to Explain Dark Matter 58:20 The Crisis in Dark Matter 01:12:22 Alternative Explanations of Dark Matter 01:19:51 Fine-Tuning and the Multiverse 01:25:24 Black Holes Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

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About

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. https://linktr.ee/robinsonerhardt

Information

  • Creator
    Robinson Erhardt
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    287
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Robinson Erhardt
  • Show Website
    Robinson's Podcast

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