47: Achille Varzi: Metaphysics, Ontology, & Nominalism

Achille Varzi is the John Dewey Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University and Bruno Kessler Honorary Professor at the University of Trento. He is a world-renowned metaphysicist and logician, and widely regarded as the greatest living mereologist. Yet despite all this Robinson asks Achille about his sleep habits, though afterward they discuss some more important philosophical questions: What is ontology? What is metaphysics, and how is it different from physics? After some tangents on nominalism and truthmakers, the conversation ends with a reflection on some of the late Saul Kripke’s contributions to philosophy.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/robinsonerhardt

Outline:

00:00 How Kangaroos Got Their Name

00:52 Introduction

4:54 Achille’s Start in Philosophy

11:24 Some Thoughts on Wittgenstein

16:57 Writing Philosophy in a Second Language

23:01 Achille’s Absurd Sleeping Habits

30:41 What is Metaphysics?

43:01 Distinguishing Physics From Metaphysics

50:48 Ontology, Metaphysics, and Truthmakers

01:23:37 Saul Kripke's Contributions to Philosophy

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.