Do Explain with Christofer Lövgren

Christofer and communicator Brett Hall speak about epistemological misconceptions in this episode of Do Explain. They discuss the nature of knowledge, morality, bayesianism, objectivism, free will and the self, meditation and empiricism, the fun criterion, probability, people being equally creative, autism, evolutionary psychology, incrementalism, and other related topics.Brett Hall is the host of 'ToKCast', a podcast largely devoted to the work of David Deutsch and the worldview as set out in both 'The Fabric of Reality' and 'The Beginning of Infinity'. Brett has spend most of his life at university gaining undergraduate degrees in the philosophy of science, the teaching of science and mathematics, English grammar, and also has a masters in Astronomy from Swinburne University where he completed projects in computational astrophysics. He has previously worked as a security guard/mall cop in Sydney Australia, a science communicator with the University of New South Wales, and more recently as an advisor to some global educational institutions where he has tried to incrementally undo the amount of coercion involved in teaching. He is currently working with entrepreneur and investor Naval Ravikant on a number of projects associated with promoting the worldview in 'The Beginning of Infinity'.Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tokcast/id1447087694https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/naval/id1454097755Website: http://www.bretthall.org/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToKTeacher Timestamps:(1:12) - The critical nature of knowledge(6:50) - Free will and problem-situations(13:27) - Interpretation of subjective experience(21:26) - Agency and responsibility(25:40) - The fun criterion(31:38) - When is probability useful?(34:47) - The inductive nature of Bayesianism(37:42) - Cultural resistance to the conjectural nature of knowledge(40:45) - A practical example of probability(43:49) - Autism, biology and universality(49:18) - Are some people more creative?(55:30) - Incrementalism in politicsSupport the podcast at:https://www.patreon.com/doexplain (monthly)https://ko-fi.com/doexplain (one-time)Find Christofer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/ReachChristofer

Christofer and writer Jake Orthwein speak about David Chapman's critiques of rationality and potential problems with Deutschian critical rationalism in this episode of Do Explain. They discuss their common adoration for Sam Harris, meaning, nebulosity and pattern, representational view of mind, concrete activity vs. abstract reasoning, realism, ontology and the world, affordances, and other related topics.Jake Orthwein is a writer and filmmaker based in Santa Monica, CA. He studied film and cognitive science at the University of Southern California and currently works as Director of Media for the Psychology of Technology Institute, an academic non-profit focused on improving research on the human-technology relationship. He is also a long term meditator. Twitter: https://twitter.com/JakeOrthweinTimestamps:(3:58) - Jake's intellectual backstory(6:58) - Optics and bias against Deutschian CR(11:02) - The Chapmanian worldview(14:29) - Pattern and nebulosity(19:49) - What is the problem Chapman tries to solve?(24:23) - The pseudo-problem of the meaning of life(27:08) - Subjectivity and objectivity(30:00) - Where Jake's views diverge from CR(33:30) - Conscious and unconscious ideas(37:17) - Abstract reasoning from concrete activity(41:57) - Top-down and bottom-up processes(46:07) - Ontology as a tool for how to relate to the world(48:19) - Is there a world separate from our perception?(52:25) - Ontological nebulosity vs. epistemological fallibilism(59:21) - Problem-ladenness(1:03:42) - What objectively makes a cup a cup?Support the podcast at:https://www.patreon.com/doexplain (monthly)https://ko-fi.com/doexplain (one-time)Find Christofer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/ReachChristofer

Christofer and communicator Brett Hall speak about the explanatory power of people in this episode of Do Explain. They discuss Brett's history, the double-slit experiment, wave-particle duality, quantum theory, fungibility and multiverses, computational and explanatory universality, why the brain must be a computer, optimism vs. pessimism, common epistemological mistakes, and other related topics.Brett Hall is the host of 'ToKCast', a podcast largely devoted to the work of David Deutsch and the worldview as set out in both 'The Fabric of Reality' and 'The Beginning of Infinity'. Brett has spend most of his life at university gaining undergraduate degrees in the philosophy of science, the teaching of science and mathematics, English grammar, and also has a masters in Astronomy from Swinburne University where he completed projects in computational astrophysics. He has previously worked as a security guard/mall cop in Sydney Australia, a science communicator with the University of New South Wales, and more recently as an advisor to some global educational institutions where he has tried to incrementally undo the amount of coercion involved in teaching. He is currently working with entrepreneur and investor Naval Ravikant on a number of projects associated with promoting the worldview in 'The Beginning of Infinity'.Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tokcast/id1447087694https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/naval/id1454097755Website: http://www.bretthall.org/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToKTeacher Timestamps:(2:32) - A brief history of Brett(10:52) - The thrill of understanding new ideas(13:40) - Thinking for oneself(18:31) - Quantum theory and logic(24:24) - Interpretations of quantum mechanics(29:56) - Quantum theory for dummies (40:20) - What is the multiverse?(46:31) - Determinism (51:10) - Could we have behaved differently if we rewound time?(55:11) - Different kinds of universality(1:03:13) - The brain is a computer(1:11:58) - Turing completeness(1:17:41) - Progressing as a society(1:23:39) - Alternatives to universality of computation Support the podcast at:https://www.patreon.com/doexplain (monthly)https://ko-fi.com/doexplain (one-time)Find Christofer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/ReachChristofer

Christofer and psychiatrist Michael Golding speak about psychiatry in this episode of Do Explain. They discuss psychiatric diagnosis, physiology and psychology, capitalist vs. buddhist antidepressants, faulty error-correction in a mind, if psychiatry is explanationless, misconceptions about the field, effectiveness of different therapies and drugs, panic attacks, fear of dying, the importance of sleep, vagal nerve stimulation, and other related topics.Michael Golding is a Board Certified psychiatric physician with more than 20 years of experience treating psychiatrically disordered patients in back wards of psychiatric hospitals, in prisons, and in outpatient clinics. He has also been the Chief Psychiatrist of one of the largest prison system in the country. He completed psychiatric residency training at the University of North Carolina and completed a National Institure of Mental Health Fellowhip in Psychobiology and Psychopharmacology. He is an evolutionary epistemologist and loves the ideas of Charles Darwin, Karl Popper, and David Deutsch and is currently applying them to model knowledge growth in economic systems. He is also writing a book on psychiatric differential diagnosis to help the lay person understand the relationship between general medical and psychiatric practice.Twitter: https://twitter.com/mgoldingmdTimestamps:(3:12) - How does a psychiatrist diagnose a patient?(16:45) - Is psychiatry an explanationless field?(25:45) - Types of interference with the mind(35:33) - What is the best kind of therapy?(43:45) - Specific disorders and their treatments(52:25) - Fight or flight(59:50) - The role of sleepNotes on discussed topics provided by Michael: https://www.hopefordepression.org/about-us/depression-task-force/helen-s-mayberg/Stimulation of key sections of the brain helps with depression. Helen Mayberghttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16254997/Anterior Cingulate controls emotional and physical reactivity to stress. Hugo Critchley https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25549913/Alterations in sleep wake cycles, for example using light therapy, decreases need for sleep, improves physiology, and decreases depression. https://www.healthyplace.com/depression/depression-treatment/vagus-nerve-stimulation-vns-for-treating-depressionVagus Nerve Stimulation for treatment of refractory depression.https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/ten-points-to-remember/2020/03/30/12/17/takotsubo-syndromeTakotsubo SyndromeSupport the podcast at:https://www.patreon.com/doexplain (monthly)https://ko-fi.com/doexplain (one-time)Find Christofer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/ReachChristofer

Christofer and researcher Carlos De la Guardia speak about a knowledge-based view of the world and have a silly goose time in this episode of Do Explain. They discuss separating the art from the artist, morality, accents, humor, music, writing, how to think about making plans, memes, machine learning, AGI, and other related topics.Carlos De la Guardia is a researcher and musician, looking to make minds and make music. He’s also worked in robotics, data science, and longevity research.Twitter: https://twitter.com/dela3499Timestamps:(3:02) - Chris D'Elia and the Congratulations Cult(6:55) - Separating art from the artist(18:50) - Carlos' newsletter, 'Making minds and making progress'(27:05) - The universality of humor(34:55) - The power of music(49:23) - Writing and its uses(54:45) - How to apply principles of knowledge growth in daily life(56:56) Fallibilism and planning (1:07:56) - AGI research and memes(1:17:08) - Machine learning and other techniques(1:26:21) - Creating habits and schedules without self-coercion (1:30:50) - What do you disagree with other CritRats about the most?Support the podcast at:https://www.patreon.com/doexplain (monthly)https://ko-fi.com/doexplain (one-time)Find Christofer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/ReachChristofer

Christofer and motivational coach Matt Goldenberg speak about heaven vs. enlightenment-oriented motivation and demonstrate some emotional processing centered around memory reconsolidation theory in this episode of Do Explain. They also discuss the difference between unconditional and conditional love, and other related topics.Matt Goldenberg is a coach and teacher at http://ProcrastinationPlaybook.net, where he teaches people how to process their emotions and develop positive and consistent motivation systems. He can also be found at Twitter: @mattgoldenberg. [NOTE: The second half of the emotional processing-session ended up being edited by Matt and released on his two podcasts, 'Pure Transformation' and 'Transformational Perspectives' instead.]Support the podcast at:https://www.patreon.com/doexplain (monthly)https://ko-fi.com/doexplain (one-time)Find Christofer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/ReachChristofer

Christofer and motivational coach Matt Goldenberg speak about how to overcome procrastination and build non-coercive motivation systems in this episode of Do Explain. They discuss the mechanism of procrastination, coercive vs. non-coercive motivation, why most productivity systems fail, why self-love matters, practical tips and exercises, Memory Reconsolidation Theory, shadowwork, how to stay motivated during Covid-19, and other related topics.Matt Goldenberg is a coach and teacher at http://ProcrastinationPlaybook.net, where he teaches people how to process their emotions and develop positive and consistent motivation systems. He can also be found at Twitter: @mattgoldenberg. Timestamps:(4:30) - Matt's story (14:15) - What are the root causes of procrastination?(17:00) - The philosophical and practical implications of non-coercion(32:00) - Why coercion leads to inconsistent motivation(40:00) - How to create self-love exercise(49:00) - How to transition from self-loathing to self-love exercise(58:00) - How to generate motivation exercise(1:10:25) - Are people naturally productive?(1:22:00) - What is memory reconsolidation? The root of emotional transformation(1:34:52) - Basic tools for emotional transformation(1:38:00) - Bodywork and somatic processing(1:41:30) - The role of grieving in emotional processing.(1:44:41) - What is shadow work?(1:49:22) - Are all desires for violence and sexual deviance the result of trauma?(1:51:52) - What causes procrastination?(1:52:20) - How do you prioritize between projects?(1:54:20) - How do you motivate yourself when working from home during quarantine?(1:57:11) - How do you think about long-term planning?(1:59:20) - How does overthinking relate to non-coercion?(2:01:20) - How do you balance the 'inside-out' and 'outside-in' approaches to self-improvement?Support the podcast at:https://www.patreon.com/doexplain (monthly)https://ko-fi.com/doexplain (one-time)Find Christofer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/ReachChristofer

Christofer, Matt Guttman and Sam Kuypers speak about whether it makes sense to talk about free will in a fully deterministic universe in this episode of Do Explain. Matt argues 'no', Sam argues 'yes'. Matt Guttman is a software engineer and analyst in Chicago, Illinois. He holds degrees in philosophy, business management, English literature, and education, and have an active and intriguing online presence on Twitter, @RealtimeAI.Sam Kuypers, known as Crit_Rat on Twitter, is a DPhil student in physics at the University of Oxford. He researches foundational issues in quantum theory and, besides physics, is mainly interested in the philosophy of science, as his twitter-handle suggests (@Crit_Rat).Support the podcast at:https://www.patreon.com/doexplain (monthly)https://ko-fi.com/doexplain (one-time)Find Christofer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/ReachChristofer

Christofer and software engineer Matt Guttman answer questions from Twitter in this episode of Do Explain. They discuss animal consciousness, the substrate independence of epistemology, morality and sentience, suffering, Panpsychism, Taoism, Buddhism, the illusion of self, how rich is too rich, death, and other related topics. Matt Guttman is a software engineer and analyst in Chicago, Illinois. He holds degrees in philosophy, business management, English literature, and education, and have an active and intriguing online presence on Twitter, @RealtimeAI.Support the podcast at:https://www.patreon.com/doexplain (monthly)https://ko-fi.com/doexplain (one-time)Find Christofer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/ReachChristofer

Christofer and software engineer Matt Guttman speak about philosophy of mind and different levels of explanations, in this episode of Do Explain. They discuss the hard problem of consciousness, objective morality, determinism and prediction, reductionism, the reality of abstractions, epiphenomenalism, free will, the predictability of the growth knowledge, meaning, and other related topics.Matt Guttman is a software engineer and analyst in Chicago, Illinois. He holds degrees in philosophy, business management, English literature, and education, and have an active and intriguing online presence on Twitter, @RealtimeAI.Support the podcast at:https://www.patreon.com/doexplain (monthly)https://ko-fi.com/doexplain (one-time)Find Christofer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/ReachChristofer