Is your existence improbable? Or inevitable? Exploring universalism with Arnold Zuboff

Is your existence improbable? Or inevitable? Exploring universalism with Arnold Zuboff

Many view the fact that they are here, experiencing the world, as something insanely improbable... but what if it were instead entirely inevitable? The philosopher Arnold Zuboff walks us through a mind-bending argument, which he calls universalism (aka open individualism), where the improbability of your existence vanishes. It doesn’t matter which sperm met which egg, or how your ancestors got together, or how anything at all in the past unfolded, because wherever there is first-person experience, there is the same “I." Zuboff’s new book "Finding Myself: Beyond the False Boundaries of Personal Identity" features a foreword by Thomas Nagel (author of “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?”), who says that many will view the claim as “incredible, even outrageous” — but says it is too well argued to be ignored and an "important contribution." We discuss why Zuboff sees universalism as resolving many of the core quandaries of consciousness that are puzzled over, and why he's entirely certain it's the right view. Other topics include: how universalism ties into views of a multiverse and the anthropic principle; how it ties into ideas of religion and a higher power, and more. If you’ve ever lain awake at night wrestling with the sheer weirdness of being alive at all, you’ll want to listen to this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episoder(205)

MK Ultra fact vs. fiction: Exaggerated claims of mind control and Manchurian candidates | with Stephen Kinzer

MK Ultra fact vs. fiction: Exaggerated claims of mind control and Manchurian candidates | with Stephen Kinzer

Did MK Ultra actually accomplish anything impressive in brainwashing- and mind-control-related areas? Did the US government, as some people claim, create "Manchurian candidates," who would kill on com...

31 Mar 51min

From body language bullshit to behavior science, with Vincent Denault

From body language bullshit to behavior science, with Vincent Denault

Vincent Denault once believed he was learning how to read people’s hidden thoughts through analyzing body language. As a young lawyer in Quebec, he attended behavior analysis and “synergology” trainin...

12 Mar 1h 6min

Con man Chase Hughes' military record versus his grandiose claims

Con man Chase Hughes' military record versus his grandiose claims

How does someone who makes wildly grandiose claims about mind control, interrogation mastery, neuroscience credentials, and secret military psychology operations gain more than 1.5 million YouTube sub...

3 Mar 1h 29min

Epstein Hysteria! Moral panic and dumb overreactions from Kyle Kulinski, others

Epstein Hysteria! Moral panic and dumb overreactions from Kyle Kulinski, others

The Epstein files release has resulted in many people seeming to lose their minds: engaging in moral panic, having hysterical overreactions, filtering for worst-case interpretations of ambiguous data,...

26 Feb 29min

Waco negotiator Gary Noesner shares tips on de-escalation and reading behavior

Waco negotiator Gary Noesner shares tips on de-escalation and reading behavior

What actually works to avoid violent outcomes when someone is armed, emotional, and on the edge? I talk with former FBI chief hostage negotiator Gary Noesner, author of Stalling for Time, about the ps...

13 Feb 1h 3min

Pro negotiator discusses the “power of nice” and reading body language | with Andres Lares

Pro negotiator discusses the “power of nice” and reading body language | with Andres Lares

What actually makes negotiations work—and why do so many “tough” tactics backfire? In this episode, Zach talks with professional negotiator Andres Lares about why the most effective deals rarely come ...

9 Feb 1h 6min

FBI agent discusses interrogation tactics, body language, the lie detector, and more

FBI agent discusses interrogation tactics, body language, the lie detector, and more

A talk with Eric Robinson, a recently retired Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and former pastor, about what actually works in real-world interrogations—and what doesn’t. Drawing on 24 years in t...

31 Jan 1h 24min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
stopp-verden
popradet
fotballpodden-2
nokon-ma-ga
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-gukild-johaug
det-store-bildet
rss-ness
hanna-de-heldige
aftenbla-bla
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik
frokostshowet-pa-p5
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk