KOL461 | Haman Nature Hn 119: Atheism, Objectivism & Artificial Intelligence

Kinsella on Liberty Podcast: Episode 461. Related: God as Slaveowner; Conversations with Murphy This is my appearance on Adam Haman’s podcast and Youtube channel, Haman Nature (Haman Nature substack), episode HN 119, “Stephan Kinsella Expounds on Philosophy And The Life Well Lived” (recorded Feb. 6, 2025—just before the Tom Woods cruise). We discussed philosophy and rights; my legal and libertarian careers (see Adopting Liberty: The Stephan Kinsella Story), and so on. Shownotes, links, grok summary, and transcript below. https://youtu.be/Ekg5slP8xAg?si=6fNlmaeR6V7OMVEW Adam’s Shownotes Brilliant patent attorney, philosopher, legal theorist and libertarian anarchist Stephan Kinsella comes back on the show to take Adam to task for not defending atheism with enough vigor! 00:00 — Intro. Adam and Stephan reminisce about the Tom Woods Cruise! Also: proof that Stephan has a wife. 02:30 — Stephan's intellectual history about the "God issue". 11:30 — What is "sound epistemology" on this subject? What are good arguments for or against the existence of God? How should we think about the arguments of Thomas Aquinas et al? 19:55 — What is a good definition of "atheist"? How about "agnostic"? Plus more epistemology applied to metaphysical claims such as the existence of God. Also, our nature as humans is that we must act in the world even though we lack certainty and our knowledge is contextual. 32:38 — Adam asks Stephan: how would you react if you met a god-like being? Or Jesus Himself? A discussion of intellectual humility ensues. How does knowledge relate to human action? How do we acquire knowledge in the first place? Does this relate to AI? 47:09 — Adam admits he really doesn't know how anything works. Vinyl records are magic! 53:15 — Outro. It is agreed that Adam and Stephan are "the good atheists". Links George Smith, Atheism: The Case Against God Barry Smith, In Defense of Extreme (Fallibilistic) Apriorism On Peter Janich, see Handwerk und Mundwerk: Über das Herstellen von Wissen, Protophysics of Time, What Is Information?, Euclid's Heritage: Is Space Three-Dimensional?; and references/discussion in Hoppe on Falsificationism, Empiricism, and Apriorism and Protophysics and Hoppe, My Discovery of Human Action and of Mises as a Philosopher Hoppe, Economic Science and the Austrian Method David Kelley, Foundations of Knowledge lectures ——, The Evidence of the Senses: A Realist Theory of Perception Ayn Rand, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology Biographical: Alan D. Bergman, Adopting Liberty: The Stephan Kinsella Story (2025); various biographical pieces on my publications page From the messing-with-Adam section: Grok discussion of use of optical metrology to play an LP by taking a photograph with a smartphone (estimate: 2033) Grok answer to this prompt: Explain to Adam, who thinks this is all magic, how an LP records and plays sounds, what transducers are; and how modulation works, using some examples of carrier waves such as EM radio waves with both AM and FM, and laser light signals transmitted down fiber optic cables and using both analog modulation such as CATV signals and digital modulation such as for internet data; and how modems work. Grok answer to this prompt: Now explain to Adam what "holes" are, in electric current, compared to electrons, what the mass and nature of holes are, and why the convention is for electric current, and electrons, to have a negative symbol. Also explain why electrical engineers use i instead of j for the imaginary number sqrt(-2). Also take a stab at explaining what imaginary numbers really are and how they are useful for things like freguency, and how they are not really "imaginary," and what "complex" numbers are; and how if you imagine a 2D plane with real numbers on the horizontal axis and imaginary numbers on the vertical or Y axis, and how you can picture 1xi as a 90° move from 1 on the real or X axis up to i on the imaginary or Y axis, and thus the reason i squared = 1 is that it moves 90° from the vertical axis down to -1 on the real axis. Grok answer to this: Now give an argument to Stephan, who doesn't understand or appreciate poker, or chess for that matter, as to why being skilled at poker is even more impressive than being good at chess. Short Grok Summary Concise Summary of "Haman Nature" Episode with Stephan Kinsella YouTube Link: Haman Nature with Stephan Kinsella Date: April 21, 2025 (assumed) Duration: ~55 minutes Host: Adam Haman Guest: Stephan Kinsella Adam Haman and Stephan Kinsella discuss epistemology, atheism, theism, and human action, reacting to a prior episode on God and belief. Below is a concise summary in four ~10-15 minute segments with key discussion points. Segment 1: Intro and Stephan’s Journey (0:00–14:09) Intro: Adam recalls Tom Woods Cruise; Stephan confirms his wife’s existence (0:00–1:31). Context: Stephan responds to Adam’s talk with Bob Murphy on God and belief (1:32–3:10). Stephan’s Background: Raised Catholic in Louisiana, questioned hell, became atheist after reading Ayn Rand (3:11–9:06). Current Views: Tolerates religion’s cultural role but critiques theistic arguments; cites George Smith’s Atheism (9:07–12:07). Aquinas Critique: Rejects armchair logic (e.g., prime mover) for proving/disproving God due to limited cosmic knowledge (12:08–14:09). Segment 2: Epistemology and Definitions (14:10–27:00) Knowledge Sources: Stephan asserts knowledge comes from reason and evidence, not faith (14:10–17:39). Belief as Non-Volitional: You can’t choose beliefs (e.g., moon isn’t cheese) (17:40–20:00). Atheism Types: Passive (lacks belief) vs. active (believes no God); agnosticism as epistemological stance, not ambivalence (20:01–23:13). Contextual Certainty: Ayn Rand’s concept; God’s traits (omniscience, omnipotence) are contradictory; arbitrary claims (e.g., God) lack evidence (23:14–27:00). Segment 3: God’s Nature and Human Action (27:01–41:56) God’s Contradictions: Omniscience/omnipotence incompatible with action; weaker “God” (e.g., alien) possible but unevidenced (27:01–30:36). Hypothetical God Encounter: Stephan would assume a natural explanation, not divine (30:37–34:08). Intellectual Humility: Acknowledge fallibility but reject theistic exploitation of uncertainty (34:09–37:21). Knowledge and Action: Action requires contextual knowledge; Austrian economics (Mises, Hoppe) links action to reality (37:22–41:56). Segment 4: AI, Analog Systems, and Outro (41:57–54:54) AI and Embodiment: Intelligence needs physical interaction (e.g., Tesla vs. ChatGPT) (41:57–46:03). Wet vs. Digital Brains: Stephan argues digital systems can’t match analog “wet” brains; vinyl records as analogy (46:04–50:05). Vinyl “Magic”: Humorous tangent on records’ sound reproduction (50:06–53:14). Outro: Adam and Stephan as “good atheists”; support libertarian values in religion; contextual knowledge enables action in uncertainty (53:15–54:54). Key Takeaways: Knowledge is contextual, derived from reason/evidence; theistic claims lack support; humans act confidently with incomplete knowledge; religion has cultural value but not metaphysical truth. Stephan’s Links: stephankinsella.com, @NSKinsella . Longer Grok Summary Summary and Shownotes for "Haman Nature" Episode with Stephan Kinsella YouTube Link: Haman Nature with Stephan Kinsella Date: April 21, 2025 (assumed based on provided context) Duration: Approximately 55 minutes Host: Adam Haman Guest: Stephan Kinsella This episode features a conversation between Adam Haman and Stephan Kinsella, focusing on epistemology, atheism, theism, and human action in the context of knowledge and belief. The discussion is rooted in their reactions to a previous episode with Bob Murphy on God and belief, exploring intellectual humility, the nature of certainty, and how humans act in an uncertain world. The conversation is divided into four segments, each approximately 10-15 minutes, with timestamps for key topics. Segment 1: Introduction and Stephan’s Intellectual Journey (0:00–14:09) Summary: Adam introduces the episode, referencing the Tom Woods Cruise and his previous discussion with Bob Murphy on God and belief. Stephan shares his intellectual and religious background, detailing his upbringing as a devout Catholic in Louisiana, his questioning of religious doctrines (especially the concept of hell), and his eventual shift to atheism influenced by Ayn Rand’s philosophy. He critiques the literalist views of some religious groups and reflects on his growing tolerance for religion’s cultural value, despite rejecting theistic claims. Shownotes: 0:00–1:31: Intro and Tom Woods Cruise reminiscence; proof of Stephan’s wife. 1:32–3:10: Adam explains the episode’s context: Stephan’s reaction to the Bob Murphy discussion on God and belief. 3:11–9:06: Stephan’s intellectual history—raised Catholic, questioned hell, and became an atheist after reading Ayn Rand. 9:07–12:07: Stephan discusses his current views: tolerant of religion but critical of theistic arguments; references George Smith’s Atheism: The Case Against God. 12:08–14:09: Critique of Thomas Aquinas’s arguments (e.g., prime mover) and the limits of armchair logic in proving or disproving God. Key Quote: “I started doubting hell… and as soon as I did that, it all just fell apart like within five minutes in my mind.” (8:31) Segment 2: Epistemology and Defining Atheism/Agnosticism (14:10–27:00) Summary: The conversation shifts to epistemology, focusing on how knowledge is acquired and the validity of theistic claims. Stephan argues that knowledge comes from reason and evidence, rejecting faith as a third source. He discusses Ayn Rand’s concept of contextual certainty,