68 episodes

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

Robinson's Podcast Robinson Erhardt

    • Science
    • 5.0 • 8 Ratings

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

    68 - Simon Blackburn: Moral Realism, Antirealism, and Quasirealism

    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. 

    • 1 hr 8 min
    67 - David Albert & Tim Maudlin: The Philosophical Foundations of Quantum Theory

    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.

    • 2 hr 9 min
    66 - Noam Chomsky: History and Philosophy of Linguistics

    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. 

    • 1 hr 4 min
    65 - Tania Lombrozo: Explanation and Human Psychology

    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.

    • 1 hr 25 min
    64 - Sarah Moss: Probabilistic Knowledge

    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.

    • 2 hr 31 min
    63 - Thomas Ryckman & Mark Wilson: The State of Analytic Philosophy

    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.

    • 1 hr 39 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
8 Ratings

8 Ratings

Mootownsnacker ,

Insightful conversations

Rich, thought-provoking conversations with academics from a variety of disciplines. I learn a lot from each episode.

Sir. HCE ,

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.

bigdogdad321 ,

Fun food

I love the food episodes but prefer to watch on YouTube for the video

Top Podcasts In Science

Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
Alie Ward
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Sam Harris
iHeartPodcasts
NPR

You Might Also Like

Tamler Sommers & David Pizarro
Edmonds and Warburton
Sam Harris
Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne
Sean Carroll | Wondery
The New York Times