Drug prohibition causes more harm than good – that’s the argument from libertarians like Dr. Jeff Miron of Harvard. He analyzes the topic from both an economic and practical standpoint.
In this episode, we also discuss the role of government in providing a social safety net. Can private charity do a better job than public charity? Jeff thinks so, and I agree with him.
I cover my new book Square One: The Foundations of Knowledge. Truth is discoverable. It’s about time somebody made the case for it.
Pick up a copy on Amazon. Or, you can also get a free copy by supporting on Patreon.
What are numbers? What are concepts? Do they exist, or do we just act like they exist?
I’m joined by Dr. Jody Azzouni of Tufts University. He’s a philosopher who has been arguing for nominalism for years – the idea that numbers and abstract objects don’t exist at all.
His position is a wonderful contrast to the previous interviews I’ve done on this topic, where the guests have been Platonists. My own views sit in-between nominalism and Platonism.
I think abstract objects exist, but they do not exist in a Platonic realm. They exist in our minds. When we stop thinking about them, they stop existing.
If consciousness can’t be explained within the conceptual toolbox of physicalism, then what’s an alternative theory? Are we stuck with dualism?
This is my breakdown of the interview with Professor Bram about consciousness, machine intelligence, and the implications of rejecting reductive physicalism.
Since recorded history, people have been talking about “religious” or “spiritual” experiences. It’s a shame that intellectuals are no longer able to discuss them openly. It’s become taboo.
Fortunately, my guest doesn’t care about taboos, and he shares some details about his own religious experiences, and I do as well.
We’re not the only intellectuals with these experiences, and it’s about time we start talking about it. The ideas are too important to leave unexamined.
Buddhist philosophy focuses on some of the most difficult questions in philosophy – what is the “self”? What is the self’s relationship to consciousness? Are there meaningful boundaries in the universe, or is everything a mental construction?
To help me answer these questions, I’m joined by Dr. Janet Gyatso of Harvard University, who is the professor of Buddhist studies.