Patterson in Pursuit

My conversation with Oscar Martin, a Catholic priest in Panama City, Panama. We cover many topics - the church, the sacraments, faith, love, hierarchy, and community. I don't know much about Catholicism, so this is my attempt to try to discover some of the basics. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Patrick Byrne is known as the founder and CEO of Overstock.com. However, few people know that he also has a PhD in Philosophy from Stanford. In this interview, we talk about ethics - both business and personal. He shares some of his most fundamental values in life. We also cover his analysis of the "social justice" phenomenon. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

JP Sears is known for his "ultra-spiritual" satirical videos. However, he's not just a satirist. Turns out, he's actually a serious life-coach with interesting ideas who actually believes many of the things he satirizes. In this interview, we talk about his worldview and ideas about spirituality and religion, and I share some of my thoughts on the subject. If you can sort through the dirt and dogma, there is truth to be found in the spiritual side of life. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Science has flaws. We must discover and acknowledge them if we want to avoid dogmatic thinking. Too many people dismiss skepticism about the rigor of modern science as “anti-intellectual.” They overlook serious problems with the scientific method in practice. I am joined this week by Brian Earp, the author of the excellent article "The Unbearable Asymmetry of B******t" Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

It's easy to dismiss any insights while gained in an altered state as "crazy". But there might be more going on. Drugs seem to make people naturally more philosophic; they shake you from your regular framework, which might be what people need in order to grasp the truth from a new direction. But of course, drug use comes with its own risks. I've seen too many people whose wires have crossed after taking a few too many magic mushrooms. Use at your own risk. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Are there exceptions to the so-called "non-aggression principle," which says that it is never justified to initiate force against a peaceful person? In some circumstances, could it be justified to use physical force on somebody that doesn't consent? What qualifies as "consent" in the first place? This is part 1 of my breakdown of Episode 50 - my conversation with Stephan Kinsella. In the future, I'll release a second breakdown of our conversation about argumentation ethics. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Ambiguity is part of language. Words do not have objective definitions; they mean whatever you want them to mean. You don't hear or see words - you hear sounds and see blobs of color that qualify as "words" by your own conceptual criteria. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

What if a technology existed that allowed anybody in the world to trade with anybody else in the world - whatever they want, whenever they want, and without permission from anybody else. What would the world look like? What would the political and economic implications be? That technology is currently being created, and my very own brother has co-founded a company to develop it. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

100% of the space that we experience is space within our representation of the world. Does that imply space is only in our heads? Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

Should Ayn Rand be taken seriously? She created a philosophy called "Objectivism", but until recent years, it hasn't been gotten much attention from professional philosophers. How does Objectivism answer basic questions in epistemology and metaphysics? To help me learn, I've invited Dr. David Kelley to come on the show. He's the founder of the Atlas Society and has been promoting Objectivism for more than 25 years. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe