242 - Victor Davis Hanson: President Donald J. Trump and the Fate of the United States

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/robinsonerhardt⁠ 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. In this episode, Robinson and Michael discuss this last subject. They begin broadly, with how as an economist Michael even thinks of debt, and move on to questions concerning the rentier class, industrial capitalism usury, and neoliberalism, as well as Michael’s beliefs about what must be done to save the economy. Michael’s most recent book is The Collapse of Antiquity (ISLET, 2023). Michael’s Website: https://michael-hudson.com The Collapse of Antiquity: https://a.co/d/0TMt9Sh OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode 00:25 Introduction 02:55 Michael’s Background in Economics 09:48 How Does an Economist Think of Debt? 22:15 Why Are Rent and the “Rentier Class” Crucial to What’s Wrong with the Economy? 30:21 What Is Industrial Capitalism? 40:58 Why Is Usury So Prevalent in the United States? 46:17 What Is Neoliberal Ideology? 01:00:23 Is China A Good Example of Trickle-Down Economics? 01:03:52 How to Save the Economy from the Upper Class 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.

24 Dec 20231h 20min

Adam Gazzaley is David Dolby Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Physiology, and Psychiatry in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Adam works on developing new approaches to both assess and optimize human cognition, with particular attention to underutilized but high-potential tools like video games. In this episode, Robinson and Adam discuss the cognition crisis—why our brains seem to be under such duress in the modern age—and the structural features of the brain, as well as its plasticity, and how these things can be modified and optimized to deal with the current environment. Check out Adam’s book, The Distracted Mind (MIT, 2016). Adam’s Website: https://gazzaley.com The Distracted Mind: https://a.co/d/aZm8Reg OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:39 Introduction 03:09 Science and Medicine 07:29 What Is Brain Plasticity 11:17 What Is the Cognition Crisis? 31:48 Can Neuroscience Make Us Smarter? 43:17 Can Neuroscience Develop Technological Medicine? 54:45 On Medicinal Video Games 01:04:01 Why Doctors Might Prescribe Video Games For ADHD 01:23:49 Sleep Improvement 01:27:24 The Future of Medicinal Video Game Research 01:43:07 How We Can All Improve Cognitive Function 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.

22 Dec 20231h 49min

Chike Jeffers is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Dalhousie University, where he researches Africana philosophy, the philosophy of race, social and political philosophy, and ethics. Lucius Outlaw is Professor of Philosophy Emeritus and W. Alton Jones Chair Emeritus in the Philosophy Department at Vanderbilt University, where he researches African, Africana, continental, social, and political philosophy. Both Chike and Lou have written widely on African and Africana philosophy, which form the subject of this episode. More particularly, Robinson, Chike, and Lou discuss the origin of Africana philosophy in the diaspora, violence in Africana philosophy, and the role of aesthetics in the tradition. For background, check out Lou’s article on Africana Philosophy in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and Chike’s work with Peter Adamson and Jonardon Ganeri on the History of Indian and Africana Philosophy Podcast. History of Indian and Africana Philosophy Podcast: https://historyofphilosophy.net/series/africana-philosophy Africana Philosophy on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/africana/ OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode 00:52 Introduction 03:14 What Is Africana Philosophy? 30:16 Distinguishing African and Africana Philosophy 37:16 Violence in Africana Philosophy 01:04:44 Aesthetics and Africana Philosophy 01:28:17 Final Thoughts 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.

20 Dec 20231h 36min

Juan Maldacena is Carl P. Feinberg Professor in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study, where his work focuses on quantum gravity, string theory, and quantum field theories. In this episode, Robinson and Juan discuss the relationship between string theory and black holes, the holographic principle, and Juan’s groundbreaking paper on the AdS/CFT Correspondence. OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:48 Introduction 04:04 What Is the Purpose of String Theory? 16:35 Working at the IAS 17:55 String Theory and The Black Hole Information Paradox 41:19 Is Space Curved? 47:00 What is Conformal Field Theory? 50:24 String Theory and the AdS/CFT Correspondence 01:27:00 Quantizing Gravity 01:40:20 De Sitter Space Correspondences 01:56:36 Fine-Tuning and String Theory 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.

17 Dec 20232h 2min

Brian Little is Research Professor in the Department of Psychology at Cambridge University, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus at Carleton, and a Senior Fellow at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is well known for his work on personality psychology and his development of personal project analysis. In this episode, Brian and Robinson discuss the Big Five personality traits, how psychologists measure them, what their predictive power is, and how personal projects give us a new dimension for understanding ourselves. Brian’s latest book is Who Are You, Really? The Surprising Puzzle of Personality (Simon & Schuster, 2017). Who Are You, Really?: https://a.co/d/cp4QRuE OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:57 Introduction 02:53 An Interest in Personality 10:30 The Origin of The Big Five Personality Traits 20:51 What Are The Big Five Traits? 44:37 How Do Psychologists Measure Personality? 58:06 Is Personality Inherited? 01:07:13 What Is the Ideogenic Self? 01:16:09 What Are Personal Projects in Psychology? 01:31:14 Can We Change Our Personalities? 01:42:21 Managing Our Personal Projects 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.

13 Dec 20231h 48min

Robert Plomin is MRC Research Professor of Behavioral Genetics at King’s College London. He has published over 800 papers, is among the hundred most cited psychologists of the twentieth century, and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his research, the best known of which is on twin studies and behavioral genetics. In this episode, Robinson and Robert discuss the distinction between molecular and quantitative genetics, how one researches the question of nature vs nurture, the extent to which genetics determines human behavior, the controversies about these lines of research, and what to expect in the next ten years of behavioral genetics. Robert’s most recent book is Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are (MIT, 2018). Blueprint: https://a.co/d/eqpK5dB OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:06 Introduction 03:22 An Interest in Behavioral Genetics 12:46 The Distinction Between Quantitative and Molecular Genetics 26:12 How Impactful is Genetics on Behavior? 33:25 Twins, Adoption, and Nature Versus Nurture 41:07 Some Remarkable Consequences of DNA Sequencing 50:43 Nazis, Intelligence, and the Controversy of Genetics Research 01:02:16 Is Intelligence Heritable? 01:15:51 The Generalist and Modular Models of Genes 01:21:50 Is Depression Genetically Determined? 01:31:22 What Is The Role of Nurture in Human Behavior? 01:39:08 What Behaviors and Traits are Heritable? 01:44:53 The Next Ten Years 01:52:47 Is Socioeconomic Status Heritable? 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.

12 Dec 20232h 3min

Rebecca Goldstein is a philosopher and novelist. She received her Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University and studied with Thomas Nagel. She is a MacArthur Follow and was awarded the National Humanities Medal by Barack Obama. Rebecca is also an expert on Spinoza and Gödel, and has a whole bevy of other wide-ranging interests. In this episode, Robinson and Rebecca discuss her novel the Mind-Body Problem, atheism, Spinoza, and what makes life meaningful in a godless world. Rebecca’s most recent book is Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won’t Go Away (Pantheon, 2014). Rebecca’s Website: https://www.rebeccagoldstein.com Thirty-Six Arguments for the Existence of God: https://a.co/d/dAoDqbU Plato at the Googleplex: https://a.co/d/c1vvVaw OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:45 Introduction 02:40 Publishing a First Novel 14:01 Philosophy and Literature 22:11 From Judaism to Atheism 42:36 Arguments Against the Existence of God 01:02:45 On Spinoza 01:16:14 Mattering 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.

6 Dec 20231h 24min

Ken Olum is Research Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Tufts University, where he works on exotic physics and topics in cosmology like cosmic strings, gravitational waves, anthropic reasoning, and inflation. In this episode, Robinson and Ken talk all about cosmic strings, which are spindly, hypothesized astronomical objects of intense mass and energy that may have been created in the earliest periods of the universe. OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:27 Introduction 03:00  Exotic Astrophysics and NANOGrav 16:19  What Are Cosmic Strings? 37:14 String Theory and the Multiverse 42:34 Details About Cosmic Strings 48:46 How Can We Detect Cosmic Strings? 01:00:03 Travel Within the Multiverse 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.

2 Dec 20231h 4min