Category: Podcast

Can the whole be greater than the sum of its parts? Does consciousness require that we split the world between mind and body? Can free will exist in a naturalistic worldview?

Dr. David Kelley joins me on this episode to give his Objectivist perspective on these questions. As Dr. Kelley explains, many ideas in Objectivism are heavily influenced by Aristotelean thinking.

Guest’s Website

Topics Discussed:

03:48 Mind and Matter – Are they separate?
13:22 Is consciousness emergent?
23:33 Do capacities exist independent of the mind?
26:03 Free Will
30:48 Mysticism and The Ghost in the Machine
38:09 Concepts and Concept Formation
40:28 Do things exist independently from minds?
46:21 How are living and dying different from the position of atoms changing?
47:55 Can physical phenomena be explained in terms of their parts rather than the whole?

                                           

Do we see reality as it is? Or, are we stuck inside our own mental representations of the world?

My guest this week is Dr. Donald Hoffman, who believes that there’s a 0% chance that we accurately perceive the world. He believes that mental phenomena – consciousness, experience, qualia – is the real stuff that makes up the world, not physical objects.

Guest’s Website

Dr. Hoffman’s TED Talk

Topics Discussed:

2:22 Do we see reality as it is? What do we actually perceive?
5:43 Perception and Natural Selection – Are true perceptions fitter perceptions?
10:02 Are true perceptions disadvantageous?
23:15 Do space and time necessarily not exist?
27:30 Evolutionary fitness of our conceptual system
37:11 Are math and logic fundamental?
41:11 What actually exists?
43:43 What are conscious agents? What is and is not conscious? Is everything conscious?
51:07 Where is the starting point?
59:36 Where does this theory go? To what end/use?

                                           

Part four of my conversation about race with TK Coleman. In this episode, we talk about the intersection of race, politics, and economics in America.

It’s impossible to understand how the world works without understanding economics, and once you grasp the fundamentals, economics will change your worldview – especially your political theory.

TK understands economics and has a political solution that everybody should be able to agree on. We don’t have to argue about the extent of racism anymore; we can agree on a solution, regardless of the severity of the problem.

To listen to our previous conversations, check out:

Part 1 here

Part 2 here

Part 3 here

Guest’s Website

                                           

Is it racist to notice cultural differences among groups? Can we make judgments about those differences?

Without a doubt, race is one of the most taboo subjects to talk about in America.

To help me grapple with these sticky questions, I’m talking with T.K. Coleman. We spoke in episodes 40 and 41 about race relations, and we continue the conversation today.

Guest’s Website

                                           

This is the craziest time in Bitcoin’s history, and it’s mired in confusion and misinformation. To help give some context, I’m joined by a long time Bitcoiner and entrepreneur Ryan X. Charles, who is the CEO and co-founder of Yours.

He breaks down some of the facts and history surrounding the network split and creation of Bitcoin Cash. If you’re interested in Bitcoin at all, you’ll want to listen to this episode.

Guest’s Website

What’s the Big Deal About Bitcoin? 

                                           

In this episode, I’m joined by Oren Sofer to talk about meditation and philosophy. We start by laying out the basics of meditation – what’s going on, internally and externally – and then we get into some of the deeper questions in metaphysics like, “What is the mind?”, “What is the self?”, “Do observations require an observer?”

Guest’s Website

Free Trial of Meditation App: http://steve-patterson.com/meditate

Topics Discussed:

3:10 What is Meditation?

8:57 Advanced vs Novice Experiences in Meditation

13:30 Training the Mind and Insights to be Gained

19:15 Why Can Meditation Feel Stressful?

29:26 Importance of Relaxation

34:05 Existential Dread and Unfamiliarity of Experience

37:05 What is the Mind? What is the self?

41:01 Is there an Observer?

47:05 In What Way does the Self Exist?

50:19 Why do we have this Sense of Self?

59:23 Is Meditation Supposed to Teach Us There is No Self?