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

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 Stephen Wolfram is the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research, and the creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha, and the Wolfram Language. He received his PhD in theoretical physics from Caltech when he was twenty years old. In addition to his work at the helm of Wolfram Research, he writes and researches widely across computer science, physics, mathematics, and more. This is Stephen’s second appearance on the show. In episode 102, he and Robinson discussed artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, and the philosophy of math. In this episode, however, they turn to the Ruliad—the entangled limited of computability—and Stephen’s search for the fundamental theory of physics. Along the way, they talk about the philosophy of science, abstract and concrete objects, and quantum mechanics. A Project to Find the Fundamental Theory of Physics: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0917YZDNF?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_Z7EPANZC9JVQR0HP2E1D The Concept of the Ruliad: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2021/11/the-concept-of-the-ruliad/#:~:text=November%2010%2C%202021-,The%20Entangled%20Limit%20of%20Everything,arisen%20from%20our%20Physics%20Project. Stephen’s Website: https://www.stephenwolfram.com Stephen’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephen_wolfram Wolfram Research on YouTube: https://a.co/d/aADrGGh OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 03:44 How Did Stephen Wolfram Discover the Ruliad?  34:22 The Axiomatic Revolution in Physics  46:37 Is the Ruliad a Theory or an Object?  1:10:01 How Big is the Space of Alien Minds?  1:18:25 Is the Universe an Abstract Object?  1:31:43 What Is Quantum Mechanics?  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.

26 Feb 20241h 52min

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 Brian Keating is the Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Physics at the Center for Astrophysics & Space Sciences at UC San Diego, host of the Into the Impossible Podcast, an expert on the cosmic microwave background, and the author of a number of books.  Robinson and Brian discuss the expansion and inflation of the universe, the relationship between theory and experiment in cosmology, gravitational waves, Brian’s brainchild the BICEP experiment, and a lot more. Brian’s most recent book is Into the Impossible (2021), which is a distillation of many of his conversations with Nobel Laureates and other brilliant thinkers. Brian’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1  Into the Impossible Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/into-the-impossible  Brian’s Mailing List: briankeating.com/list OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:02 Introduction 03:30 Brian the Builder 10:59 The Theory of Cosmological Expansion? 27:08 The Origins of Inflation 34:15 On Theory and Experiment in Astrophysics 44:27 On Gravitational Waves and Inflation 1:01:40 BICEP Tech Specs 1:14:54 What Did BICEP Find? 1:29:26 The Simons Array 1:32:50 On Eric Weinstein’s Theory of Everything 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.

19 Feb 20241h 39min

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 Daniel Dennett is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Tufts University, where he was co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies and the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy. He is one of the most recognized philosophers today, and has made major contributions to the philosophy of mind and biology, among other areas, and is known as one of the Four Horsemen of Atheism. Dan’s latest book is I’ve Been Thinking (W. W. Norton, 2023), though much of what he and Robinson discuss comes from his earlier book, From Bacteria to Bach and Back (W. W. Norton, 2017). More particularly, they talk about the origin of life and reasons, the evolution of music, Robert Sapolsky and free will, famous thought experiments in the philosophy of mind, the origin of consciousness, and the relationship between mind and language. I’ve Been Thinking: https://a.co/d/ahMEC0G From Bacteria to Bach and Back: https://a.co/d/htcrcn7 OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:54 Introduction 3:51 Where Am I?  11:00 The Origin of Life as the Origin of Reasons  16:42 On Music and Philosophy 23:13 Is Music Evolved? 26:52 What are Replicators and How Do they Figure in Natural Selection? 33:32 On Robert Sapolsky and Free Will 47:50 On Free Will and the Justice System 59:55 On Sean Carroll, Free Will, and Intuition Pumps 1:09:49 On the Chinese Room 1:13:14 On Mary in the White Room 1:18:18 Why Would Aliens Be Excited to Discover Clam Rakes?  1:21:58 What Is Homuncular Functionalism? 1:30:11 How Do Brains Make Minds? 1:38:59 Are There Pathological Memes?  1:47:19 Where Does Consciousness Come From? 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 Feb 20241h 50min

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 Robert Sapolsky is John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor and Professor of Biology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery at Stanford University. He’s also a best-selling author and one of the leading voices in the current—and enduring—debate over free will. In this conversation, Robinson and Robert discuss his latest book, Determined (Penguin, 2023), and the many arguments it contains against free will, and how, if we don’t have it, we ought to change many of our social institutions, like the carceral system, that operate on the assumption that people are free, morally responsible agents.  Determined: https://a.co/d/g7n5fPj OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:34 Introduction 3:08 Turtles and the Illusion of Free Will 9:35 The Neuroscience of Denial 12:55 What Is Free Will and Why Don’t We Have It? 21:08 What Is Physical Determinism? 23:15 Chaos Theory, Complexity, and Free Will 34:08 Quantum Bullshit  39:53 Quantum Mechanics and Free Will  47:59 Does Consciousness Give Us Free Will? 58:12 Fear, Disgust, and Free Will 1:05:46 What Primatology Tells Us About Free Will 1:08:09 The Limbic System and Free Will 1:13:14 Does Testosterone Undermine Free Will? 1:19:45 How Does the Womb Determine Who We Are? 1:24:32 How Is Free Will Connected to Weight Loss?  1:31:05 How Does Skepticism About Free Will Impact Behavior?  1:36:51 If There Is No Free Will, What Should We Do With Prisons?  1:45:32 What Is Funishment? 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.

7 Feb 20241h 53min

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 Norman Finkelstein received his PhD from the Princeton University Politics Department, and is best known for his indefatigable research on Israel and Palestine, which is what he and Robinson discuss in this episode of the show, marking the culmination of a three-installment mini-series on Israel and Palestine. In particular, they discuss the importance—or distraction—of ideology, whether Israel is ethnically cleansing Palestine, the message that October 7th sent to the Arab world, what Gaza has in common with the concentration camps of the Holocaust, Palestinian and Israeli psychology, and whether this conflict is going to be the end of humanity. Norman’s most recent book is I’ll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It! Heretical Thoughts on Identity Politics, Cancel Culture, and Academic Freedom (Sublation Media, 2023). Norman’s Website: https://www.normanfinkelstein.com I’ll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It!: https://a.co/d/hDDj9OK OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:43 Introduction 2:56 Poisonous Ideology and the Israel-Palestine Conflict 14:20 Zionism, Imperialism, and the Conquest of Palestine 24:34 Is Zionist Israeli Policy Ethnically Cleansing Palestine? 42:28 Is Gaza a Concentration Camp?  52:47 On Israel and the Leader of Hezbollah 1:01:36 Will Israel-Palestine Be the End of Humanity? 1:11:38 Does the Holocaust Justify Israel’s Response in Palestine?  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.

28 Jan 20241h 25min

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 Victor Davis Hanson is a renowned classicist, military historian, and political commentator. He is the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow in Residence in Classics and Military History at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Among numerous other awards, Victor was presented the National Humanities Medal in 2007. In this episode, which is the second in an installment of three considering different perspectives on the Israel-Palestine conflict, Robinson and Victor discuss his appraisal of the situation as a military historian, some of the contentious claims on both sides that are repeated in the media, how the conflict is discussed on college campuses, and how equality ought to be achieved. Victor was also a guest on episode #112, in which he and Robinson talked about Victor’s latest book, The Dying Citizen. Keep up with Victor on Twitter, through his website, and on his podcast, The Victor Davis Hanson Show.  Victor’s Website: https://victorhanson.com Victor’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/VDHanson The Victor Davis Hanson Show: https://art19.com/shows/the-victor-davis-hanson-show  The Dying Citizen: https://a.co/d/dPocUJg OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:26 Introduction 03:52 An Overview of the Israel-Palestine Conflict 13:40 Who Has the Right to the Territory of Israel-Palestine? 20:01 Do the Jewish People Need a State? 26:08 Israel-Palestine Activism on College Campuses 29:39 DEI on College Campuses 37:05 Is Israel Committing Genocide in Palestine? 51:05 Is Israel an Apartheid State? 55:47 On Equality in Israel versus Palestine 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.

21 Jan 20241h 2min

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 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 third appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. In episode #127, he and Robinson discussed some of the most profound criticisms of capitalism, and in #154 installment, they focused on the myths surrounding Marxism and Marx himself. In this episode, Richard and Robinson talk about the current—and enduring—Israel-Palestine conflict, with particular emphasis on how, with his Marxist training and background, Richard understands it from that perspective. Some particular questions discussed are how class figures into the conflict, whether ideology plays any pernicious roles, whether Israel should be considered a refugee state, why pro-Palestinian views are suppressed in the United States, and how Marx might have attempted to adjudicate the conflict. Richard’s Website: https://www.rdwolff.com Economic Update: https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdate OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:37 Introduction 04:19 Israel-Palestine and the Marxist Perspective  11:33 Is Israel a Colonial State or a Refugee State?  16:45 Some Important Marxist Distinctions in Israel and Palestine  25:09 Israel as a Project of Colonialist Capitalism  41:50 Ideology and the Perpetuation of the Israel-Palestine Disaster  01:01:03 Warfare and the Horrors of Israel-Palestine  01:07:43 The Suppression of Opposition to Israel in the United States  01:19:15 The Marxist Solution to the Israel-Palestine Conflict? 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 Jan 20241h 38min

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 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, as is the second guest. Barry Loewer is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers. Before that he did his PhD in philosophy at Stanford (!). Barry works largely in the philosophy of physics, the philosophy of science, and metaphysics. This is Barry’s second time on the show—in episode 83 he and Robinson discusses probability and laws of nature, both of which come up in this episode. This is David’s sixth (!) appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. He appeared on episode #23 with Justin Clarke-Doane on metaethics and absolute space, episode #30 on the philosophy of time, episode #67 with Tim Maudlin on the foundations of quantum theory, episode #106 with Sean Carroll on Many-Worlds and fine-tuning, and episode #157 on the metaphysics of quantum mechanics. In this episode, Robinson, Barry, and David talk about the Mentaculus, their joint project on the foundations of statistical mechanics, which provides a guide for how to think of and solve problems involving probability, determinism, free will, cosmology, time, and more. A book Barry, Brad Weslake, and Eric Winsberg have edited on essays concerning David’s book, Time and Chance, called The Probability Map of the Universe (Harvard, 2023), came out around this time last year, and the link is in the description. The Probability Map of the Universe: https://a.co/d/4XoYTMY A Guess at the Riddle: https://a.co/d/6qcsidl The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:41 Introduction 04:23 The Mentaculus 07:08 Chance, Probability, and Determinism 29:52 What Is the Mentaculus? 46:37 The Mentaculus, Thermodynamics, and Time’s Arrows 01:18:51 The Quantum Arrow of Time 01:30:34 On Tim Maudlin and the Arrow of Time 01:36:30 Can We Time Travel to the Future 01:44:22 Free Will and Statistical Mechanics 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 Jan 20241h 54min