Robinson's Podcast

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. 

David Albert and Barry Loewer discuss the Mentaculus, their joint project on probability, determinism, and more. They explore subjective and objective perspectives on probability, the relationship between microscopic and macroscopic descriptions of the world, time's arrows, the measurement problem in quantum mechanics, and the influence of evaluating counterfactuals on free will and agency.

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 Tim Maudlin is Professor of Philosophy at NYU and Founder and Director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. Sheldon Goldstein is Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at Rutgers University, where he researches mathematical physics, the foundations of quantum mechanics, and Bohmian Mechanics. He is also Board Member of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics, and this is his second appearance on the show. In episode 170, he and Robinson discussed Bohmian Mechanics. On the other hand, this is Tim’s fifth appearance on the show. Tim was also a guest on episode 46 (laws of nature, space, and free will), episode 67 with David Albert (the foundations of quantum mechanics), episode 115 with Craig Callender (the philosophy of time), and episode 142 on Bell’s inequality and the philosophy of science. In this episode, Robinson, Tim, and Shelly discuss the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, the Many-Worlds theory, spontaneous collapse theories, Bohmian mechanics, and emergent relativity. If you’re interested in the foundations of physics—which you absolutely should be—then please check out the JBI, which is devoted to providing a home for research and education in this important area. Any donations are immensely helpful at this early stage in the institute’s life. Tim’s Website: www.tim-maudlin.site Shelly’s Website: https://sites.math.rutgers.edu/~oldstein/ The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:22 Introduction 03:04 Is Copenhagen the Dominant Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics? 20:12 On the Most Promising Theories of Quantum Mechanics 34:46 Are There 0-Dimensional Quantum Objects? 41:03 On Spontaneous Wave Function Collapse in Quantum Mechanics 47:56 Bohmian Mechanics and Determinism 51:34 What is Bohmian Mechanics? 1:10:33 Is There a Fundamental Theory of Quantum Mechanics 1:18:45What Is Emergent Relativity? 1:31:01 What Are the Problems with Bohmian 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. 

Michael Levin, Biology Professor at Tufts University and faculty at Harvard, discusses the nature of cognition, working with Daniel Dennett, defining robots, a new class of robot called Anthrobot, and moral obligations to biological robots.

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 Jenann Ismael is the William H. Miller III Professor of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, where she researches the philosophy of physics, science, mind, and metaphysics. In this episode, Robinson and Jenann discuss the role of self-reference in physics, the arrows of time, interpretations of quantum mechanics, and free will. Jenann’s latest book is Time: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2021). Jenann’s Website: https://www.jenanni.com Time: A Very Short Introduction: https://a.co/d/8fRtXFZ How Physics Makes Us Free: https://a.co/d/9OdFJ12 OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode 00:23 Introduction 02:21 Jenann’s Entry into Philosophy of Physics 8:26 Self-Reference and the Universe 21:54 The Real-World Problem of Self-Reference 32:51 The Mentaculus 57:01 Interference and Self-Reference 1:01:55 Interference and Quantum Measurement 1:06:12 On Self-Reference and the Many-Worlds Theory of Quantum Mechanics 1:17:13 On Determinism and Free Will 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. 

Jim Al-Khalili, a theoretical physicist and author from the University of Surrey, delves into the intriguing world of quantum biology. He explains how animals like the European Robin navigate using quantum mechanics, shedding light on concepts like quantum tunneling and decoherence. The discussion also touches on the connection between quantum phenomena and biological processes, as well as how these might influence evolution. Al-Khalili's insights provide a fascinating bridge between the realms of physics and the complexities of life.

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 Brian Leiter is Karl N. Llewellyn Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Chicago Law School, founder and Director of Chicago’s Center for Law, Philosophy & Human Values, and is best known in the philosophical world for his work on Nietzsche and legal philosophy. He is the founding editor of the Routledge Philosophers book series, Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Law, and Philosophical Gourmet Report, which is the canonical—as well as extremely helpful and illuminating—ranking of philosophy departments and PhD programs in the English-speaking world. He also maintains the world’s most popular philosophy blog, Leiter Reports. Brian was also a guest on episode 97, where he and Robinson discussed Karl Marx, ideology, and historical materialism, but in this episode they talk about Friedrich Nietzsche’s moral psychology and his criticism of morality. Among the topics they discuss are The Genealogy of Morals, The Gay Science, moral realism and anti-realism, moral psychology, and Nietzsche’s thoughts on free will. Brian’s latest book is Moral Psychology with Nietzsche (Oxford, 2021). Brian’s Website: https://www.brianleiter.net Brian’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianLeiter Leiter Reports: https://leiterreports.typepad.com Moral Psychology with Nietzsche: https://a.co/d/3dJZBeZ OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:04 Introduction 02:14 Who Was Friedrich Nietzsche? 10:50 Naturalism in Nietzsche’s Moral Psychology 20:24 Nietzsche and the Death of God 28:36 Nietzsche and Moral Anti-Realism 40:32 Did Nietzsche Believe in Free Will? 47:43  Nietzsche and the Genealogy of Morals 01:11:50 The Main Takeaways from Nietzsche’s Moral Philosophy 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. 

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 Neil Shubin is Robert R. Bensley Distinguished Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago. In addition to actively leading research expeditions across the globe, Neil runs the Shubin Lab, where genetic, kinematic, and paleontologic work combine to investigate some of the major transitions in evolution. In this episode, Robinson and Neil discuss some of these transitions, including the importance of the Devonian and Triassic Periods, how fish moved from water to land, and how early terrestrial environments accommodated them. Neil’s most recent book is Some Assembly Required: Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, from Ancient Fossils to DNA (Random House, 2020).  The Shubin Lab: https://shubinlab.uchicago.edu Neil’s Twitter: https://shubinlab.uchicago.edu Some Assembly Required: https://a.co/d/dnZMuSl OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:39 Introduction 03:25 What Is Evolutionary Biology?  12:59 On The importance of the Devonian Period 20:39 Searching Antarctica for Fish Fossils 31:50 How Did Fish Become People?  54:43 Genetics and Kinematics 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. 

Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7 Larry Keith is the Head of Conservation and Keeper of the National Gallery of London, where he preserves and maintains some of the world’s most precious works of art, including paintings by Leonardo, Caravaggio, and Rubens. In this episode, Robinson and Larry discuss what goes into a conservator’s appraisal of an artwork, some of the tools and techniques of the job, and how Larry has treated a number of famous paintings, such as Leonardo’s Virgin of the Rocks and Caravaggio’s The Boy and a Lizard. OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:08 Introduction 03:19 Piere Menard and Borges 11:01 Conserving Da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks 23:28 What Goes into Conserving a Renaissance Masterpiece? 51:00 Conserving Caravaggio’s Masterpieces 01:17:32 On Authorship and Paul Rubens’ Drunken Silenus 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. 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/robinsonerhardt Jon Butterworth is Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at University College London, where he works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland. In this episode, Robinson and Jon discuss his work on the standard model of particle physics, it’s connection to quantum theory, life at the LHC, the search for the Higgs Boson, and its role in physics as we know it and going forward. Jon’s book on the Higgs boson is Most Wanted Particle: The Inside Story of the Hunt for the Higgs, the Heart of the Future of Physics (The Experiment, 2016). Most Wanted Particle: https://a.co/d/02B0H5C 00:00 Pre-Roll 00:16 Introduction 03:01 Jon’s Interest in Physics 10:02 What Is the Standard Model of Particle Physics? 19:31 How Does Quantum Theory Fit into the Standard Model?  25:28 How Does the Large Hadron Collider Work?  44:39 On The Theory Behind the Higgs Boson  56:45 Is the Higgs Boson the God Particle? 58:50 How Does The Higgs Boson Work (For Dummies)? 01:02:22 Where Does Mass Come From in the Universe?  01:11:01 The Higgs Boson, Quantum Gravity, and Meta-Stability 01:25:28 Life at the LHC 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.