
Patterson in Pursuit
Philosophy in the real world. Interviewing intellectuals across the globe. Grappling with the biggest ideas. stevepatterson.substack.com
Latest episodes

Sep 8, 2019 • 1h 3min
Ep. 99 - Non-Rationality and Psychedelics | Dr. Bernardo Kastrup
Do logic and rationality have limits? Are there ways to "get outside" of rational thinking? Do altered states caused by psychedelics provide true insight about the world, or are they illusory? These are the questions I discuss with Dr. Bernardo Kastrup, who shares some of his personal experiments and insights gained psychedelic drugs. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Sep 1, 2019 • 1h 39min
Ep. 98 - "A Consciousness-Only Ontology" | Dr. Bernardo Kastrup
Is everything ultimately mental? Do we need a theory of a physical world at all? Dr. Bernardo Kastrup joins me again to talk about idealism. This time, we go into great detail, both put our ideas to the test, and the result was one of my favorite interviews ever. I end up asking Bernardo some of the most difficult questions in philosophy. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Aug 22, 2019 • 26min
Understanding God as Nature or the Universe
Finally, after investigating for more than 20 years, I have a concept of God I can rationally grasp. The idea is one of the oldest in existence, and it turns baroque theological claims into true and important insights. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Aug 2, 2019 • 26min
Solving the Interaction Problem
Dualism is an attractive philosophy with an Achilles' heel. Dualists since Descartes have never given a good answer to the problem of interaction. Finally, I think I've got one. I have a working resolution to the problem of interaction that I call a theory of indirect interaction, which allows effective interaction between objects in different ontological categories. Original article here: http://steve-patterson.com/mind-body-dualism-solving-problem-interaction/ Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

May 19, 2019 • 16min
There Are No Objective Definitions
Lots of confusion is caused by the nature of language. This is a narration of the article "There Are No Objective Definitions", which you can read here: http://steve-patterson.com/there-are-no-objective-definitions/ Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Apr 21, 2019 • 57min
Ep. 97 - Math Heresy: Ultrafinitism | Dr. Doron Zeilberger
Dr. Doron Zeilberger is the Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at Rutgers University. He's also a math heretic who thoroughly rejects the orthodox conceptions of infinity in modern mathematics. So we got along quite well. We had a fantastic conversation covering a wide range of topics, including set theory, calculus and limits, pi, irrational numbers like the square root of two, real analysis, and Godel's Incompleteness Theorems. If you're interested in the philosophy of mathematics, this is a must-listen. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Apr 7, 2019 • 1h 46min
Ep. 96 - Truth and Postmodernism | Breakdown of Thaddeus Russell Interview
The most requested interview breakdown ever - my conversation with Thaddeus Russell about the postmodern theory of truth. Fun episode! Can we know that experience is happening? If somebody denies that they know, is it possible to convince them? Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 24, 2019 • 1h 11min
Ep. 95 - The Highest IQ in America | Christopher Langan
Christopher Langan, an independent intellectual with the highest IQ in America, shares his intriguing insights. He critiques modern academia, likening it to a prison that stifles individuality and intellectual freedom. The conversation navigates his Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe (CTMU), exploring the intersections of philosophy and reality. He also discusses the rise of independent intellectualism and the impact of digital culture on knowledge production, raising profound questions about the nature of intelligence and our understanding of reality.

Sep 2, 2018 • 7h 15min
Ep. 94 - A Satoshi Nakamoto Story | Phil "Scronty" Wilson
Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? If you've been in the Bitcoin world for a while, you know that's the last question you should try to answer. However, I've recently come across a story that I find quite plausible, written by Phil Wilson (aka Scronty). Phil documents the thinking-process behind the Bitcoin invention, in addition to providing many historical details around the creation of Bitcoin. His story also explains the perplexing existence of Craig Wright. It's the only narrative that implies Craig is both a) Part of the Satoshi team, and b) largely fraudulent, at the same time. It explains how Craig was able to convince notable people like Gavin Andreson of being Satoshi, while also explaining his extremely poor writing and communication skills. It also fits the facts of Satoshi's extremely careful Op Sec - though not in the way you might think. The story isn't perfect - and Phil admits as much - but taken together, his story is the best I've heard, and worthy of 7 hours of interviewing. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Jun 28, 2018 • 59min
Ep. 93 - Abortion, Natural Rights, and Evictionism | Dr. Walter Block
My conversation with Dr. Walter Block about abortion and natural rights, which is one of the trickiest issues in any political philosophy, libertarianism included. He's the creator of a theory called "evictionism," which tries to take a middle ground between pro-life and pro-choice positions. In my analysis, it's a reasonable compromise. I cannot think of any principled objections from the pro-choice side, and though a pro-lifer might have objections, the core of Block's argument is pro-life at heart and in the long run could result in the universal protection of pre-birth humans. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe