
68 episodes

Robinson's Podcast Robinson Erhardt
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5.0 • 8 Ratings
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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
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68 - Simon Blackburn: Moral Realism, Antirealism, and Quasirealism
Simon Blackburn was Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge and Edna J. Koury Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Though he has worked in many areas of philosophy, he is best known for his contributions to metaethics and the philosophy of language. Simon and Robinson discuss the distinction between ethics and metaethics before primarily focusing on the latter, where they explore the concept of realism. Simon’s latest books are Lust and Mirror, Mirror.
OUTLINE:
4:31 Simon’s History with Metaethics
8:20 Distinguishing Ethics and Metaethics
12:57 On Moral Realism
39:42 Frege and the True
43:57 Moral Quasi-realism
54:52 Moral Quasi-realism and Living a Good 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. -
67 - David Albert & Tim Maudlin: The Philosophical Foundations of Quantum Theory
David Albert is the Frederick E. Woodbridge Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University, where he directs the Philosophical Foundations of Physics program. Tim Maudlin is Professor of Philosophy at NYU. Both David and Tim are renowned as leading philosophers of physics, though their work extends beyond that to the philosophy of science and metaphysics. David is a prior guest (episodes 23 and 30) of Robinson’s Podcast, as is Tim (episode 46). David, Tim, and Robinson discuss the foundations of quantum theory, beginning with its historical motivation, tracking through some important concepts—superposition and the measurement problem—and then exploring some of its philosophical aspects (such as determinism, realism, the potential for backward causation, and more).
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
OUTLINE:
00:00 In This Episode…
00:17 Introduction
2:51 What Motivated the Development of Quantum Theory?
7:05 Superposition and the Measurement Problem
31:42 John Bell’s Theory of Local Beables
44:30 Formalism and Interpretation in Quantum Theory
51:52 The Einstein-Podoksky-Rosen Argument
58:26 On “Interpretations” of Quantum Theory
1:11:17 The Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber Theory of Spontaneous Collapse
1:16:19 The Many Worlds Theory
1:30:46 Determinism
1:46:29 Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory
1:48:28 Realism
1:52:15 Monism and Entanglement
1:58:19 Backward Causation
2:04:32 An Experiment to Further Foundations
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. -
66 - Noam Chomsky: History and Philosophy of Linguistics
Noam Chomsky is Professor of Linguistics Emeritus at MIT and Laureate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Arizona. He not only counts as among the most influential linguists of all time, but he has played a major role in the development of twentieth and twenty-first century philosophy, cognitive science, and political theory. Noam and Robinson talk about some of the major topics in modern linguistics, ranging from generative and universal grammar to innateness hypotheses and the current limitations of large language models for studying human linguistic faculties. There are also philosophical dimensions to the conversation, as Noam touches on his time with Nelson Goodman, Hilary Putnam, and W. V. O. Quine, while other concerns—such as the indeterminacy of reference and the relationship between thought and language—recur throughout the discussion.
OUTLINE:
00:00 In This Episode…
00:27 Introduction
8:32 Noam’s Entry into Linguistics
11:03 Ferdinand de Saussure and Twentieth Century Linguistics
23:04 The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
26:00 Thoughts on Language and Behaviorism
35:24 Innateness Hypotheses in Linguistics
42:00 Innateness and Universal Grammar
46:02 Limitations of Large Language Models
48:42 Impossible Languages and What Linguists Study
1:00:10 Historical Shifts in Linguistics
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. -
65 - Tania Lombrozo: Explanation and Human Psychology
Tania Lombrozo is Arthur W. Marks ’19 Professor of Psychology at Princeton University, where she directs the Concepts & Cognition Lab. Before that, she did her undergraduate work at Stanford University (!), her graduate work at Harvard University, and then taught at the University of California, Berkeley. Robinson and Tania discuss her work on explanation. Among other things, they touch on our intuitions about what makes explanations good, what makes certain observations seem to demand explanation, some of the differences between religious and scientific explanations, and how we reason about morally charged situations. Keep up with Tania’s work through:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaniaLombrozo
Tania’s Website: https://psych.princeton.edu/people/tania-lombrozo
The Concepts & Cognition Lab: https://cognition.princeton.edu
OUTLINE:
00:00 Introduction
2:23 From Philosophy to Psychology
8:03:39 Tania’s Interest in Learning and Explanation
11:28 Experiments to Test Our Intuitions About Explanation
16:16 Our Intuitions About What Makes a Good Explanation
27:06 Explanation-Based Processes
29:30 What Demands Explanation?
38:33 Religious and Scientific Explanation?
40:51 What Makes a Good Answer?
43:59 Marr’s Levels of Explanation
48:36 Tania’s Work with Neuroscientists
54:05 More on Explanations in Science and Religion
1:00:58 Moral Reasoning and Explanation
1:07:28 Can Science Explain the Human Mind?
1:12:57 Philosophy and Psychology
1:16:39 Psychology in Tania’s 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. -
64 - Sarah Moss: Probabilistic Knowledge
Sarah Moss is the William Wilhartz Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Law by courtesy at the University of Michigan. She works primarily in epistemology and the philosophy of language, though in the case of this conversation her work has an important bearing on legal philosophy. Robinson and Sarah talk about her book Probabilistic Knowledge, which argues that you can know something that you believe even if you do not believe it fully, and as she quite aptly points out, “The central theses of the book have significant consequences for social and political questions concerning racial profiling, statistical evidence, and legal standards of proof,” all of which are discussed in this episode. Robinson and Sarah begin by introducing the concept of probabilistic belief before turning to Sarah’s argument in favor of probabilistic knowledge. They then turn to some applications of her work to outstanding puzzles in philosophy and law. Keep up with Sarah on her website, http://www-personal.umich.edu/~ssmoss/, and check out Probabilistic Knowledge on Amazon, https://a.co/d/iobL8iZ.
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
OUTLINE:
00:00 Introduction
3:58 Math and Epistemology
7:35 What is Probabilistic Belief?
11:22 Sarah, David Lewis, and Robert Stalnaker
28:26 Credence and Probabilistic Belief
33:40 Are All Beliefs Probabilistic?
56:57 Probabilistic Knowledge and Racial Profiling
1:20:25 Probabilistic Knowledge and Transformative Experience
1:29:30 Statistical Evidence and Legal Proof
1:48:39 Pragmatic Encroachment on Legal Proceedings
2:04:07 Is Belief a Strong or a Weak Attitude?
2:12:39 The Preface Paradox
2:21:06 Probabilistic Knowledge and the Newcomb Problem
2:27:18 Probabilistic Knowledge and the Philosophy of Action
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. -
63 - Thomas Ryckman & Mark Wilson: The State of Analytic Philosophy
Thomas Ryckman is Professor of Philosophy at Stanford University, where he works on the philosophy of physics. Mark Wilson is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh, where he works at the intersection of the philosophy of math and physics on the one side and metaphysics and the philosophy of language on the other. Tom, Mark, and Robinson discuss the present state of analytic philosophy, the dominant tradition in the United States, including some potential obstacles and important ideas of the twentieth century that have been forgotten.
OUTLINE:
00:00 Introduction
2:07 Tom and Mark’s Friendship
9:46 Problems with Contemporary Analytic Philosophy
15:18 Hertz and a Metaphysical Notion of Force
18:04 Thoughts on Wittgenstein
20:40 Mark and the French Structuralists
29:41 The Single Greatest Problem Confronting Analytic Philosophy Today
37:45 Some Thoughts on Grounding
1:02:40 Mach, Duhem, Hertz, and Analytic Philosophy
1:14:26 A Historical Overemphasis on Logic
1:29:54 Final Thoughts on the Current State of Academic Philosophy
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.
Customer Reviews
Insightful conversations
Rich, thought-provoking conversations with academics from a variety of disciplines. I learn a lot from each episode.
Enthralling
Very versatile show, I especially enjoy the philosophy episodes. The host brings a unique perspective into interviewing and conversing with acclaimed academics. I specifically recommend the episode with David Albert and Justin’s Clarke-Doane.
Fun food
I love the food episodes but prefer to watch on YouTube for the video