Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

262 | Eric Schwitzgebel on the Weirdness of the World

Jan 15, 2024

01:20:09

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Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel discusses the weirdness of the world, including quantum mechanics, consciousness, living in a simulation, and the limitations of common sense. The chapter explores the uncertainty of perception, skepticism, and the nature of consciousness.

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Quick takeaways

Attempts to understand consciousness lead to bizarre and dubious conclusions, such as substance dualism, materialism, idealism, and compromise/rejection views.

Incorporating skepticism into our daily lives involves engaging in low-cost activities that would be enjoyable if we were in a dream, while recognizing the limit of our knowledge and accepting radical ignorance about the distant future.

The challenge lies in balancing small probabilities with high stakes in ethical and decision-making contexts, as well as measuring and comparing values in long-term perspectives.

Deep dives

The Bizarre World of Consciousness

Attempts to understand consciousness lead to bizarre and dubious conclusions. Substance dualism posits immaterial souls, materialism denies the existence of souls, idealism suggests only minds exist, and compromise/rejection views lead to multiple bizarre theses. For example, dualism raises the question of which entities have souls, with options like only humans, everything in the world, a sharp line between animals, or graded souls. Materialism also has its challenges, such as the possibility that complex entities like the United States could be conscious. These philosophical investigations demonstrate the inherent weirdness in grappling with consciousness.

Limits of Common Sense and Evolutionary Bias

01:25

Philosophical Toolkit for Dealing with Magnitude of Numbers

01:26

Imperfect Epistemic Grounds for Choosing Scientific Theories

01:29

Ethics Professors are not more ethical

01:14

Introduction

5min

Exploring the Weirdness of the World and Our Attempts to Understand It

3min

GPT-3 Experiment: DigiDan vs. Dennett

12min

Language Learning, Social Functionality, and the Weirdness of the World

2min

Exploring the Weirdness of the World

11min

Uncertainty of Perception and Grounded Skepticism

2min

Living in a Simulated Reality

22min

The Bizarre Nature of Consciousness

25min

Scientists and philosophers sometimes advocate pretty outrageous-sounding ideas about the fundamental nature of reality. (Arguably I have been guilty of this.) It shouldn't be surprising that reality, in regimes far away from our everyday experience, fails to conform to common sense. But it's also okay to maintain a bit of skepticism in the face of bizarre claims. Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel wants us to face up to the weirdness of the world. He claims that there are no non-weird ways to explain some of the most important features of reality, from quantum mechanics to consciousness.

Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/01/15/262-eric-schwitzgebel-on-the-weirdness-of-the-world/

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Eric Schwitzgebel received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside. He is the author of several books, including the new The Weirdness of the World.

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