Robinson's Podcast
Robinson Erhardt
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Top 10 Robinson's Podcast Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Robinson's Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Robinson's Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Robinson's Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
154 - Richard Wolff: Karl Marx and the Myths of Marxism
Robinson's Podcast
10/15/23 • 101 min
Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. This is Richard’s second appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. In episode #127, he and Robinson discussed some of the most profound criticisms of capitalism. In this installment, they focus on Marx himself, including Karl Marx’s background, his most important views, what he wrote and didn’t write, and some of the common—and potentially devastating—criticisms of Marxism.
Richard’s Website: https://www.rdwolff.com
Economic Update: https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdate
The Sickness is the System: https://a.co/d/jf5w5wy
OUTLINE
00:00 In This Episode...
00:22 Introduction
03:55 Who Was Karl Marx?
32:15 Karl Marx, Armchair Intellectual?
37:40 Answering Karl Marx’s Critics
50:38 Is Karl Marx Responsible for the Communist Genocides?
01:14:09 Marxism and The World Economy of Today
01:17:53 Is Socialism a Monolith? Does Marxism Evolve?
01:25:13 On Marxism and Mass Death
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.
1 Listener
06/27/23 • 105 min
Kevin Dorst is a professor in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT. He works at the intersection between philosophy and social science, focusing on rationality. In this episode Kevin and Robinson discuss just this: They begin with classical theories of rationality and where they fall short before discussing instances where the empirical literature shows that humans do not reason rationally at all, touching on the gambler’s fallacy, sunk-cost reasoning, and the hindsight bias. They then move on to discuss the phenomenon of political polarization, which draws both on our capacity for rationality and irrationality. Make sure to check out Kevin’s Substack, Stranger Apologies.
Stranger Apologies: https://kevindorst.substack.com
Kevin’s Website: https://www.kevindorst.com
Kevin’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevin_dorst
OUTLINE
00:00 In This Episode...
01:02 Introduction
04:14 Rationality and Philosophy
15:14 Bayesian Reasoning
45:10 The Hindsight Bias
56:53 What is Bias?
01:04:03 The Gambler’s Fallacy
01:15:00 Sunk-Cost Reasoning
01:19:07 Political Polarization
01:40:12 Talking Through Disagreement
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.
1 Listener
08/02/23 • 109 min
David Pizarro is Professor of Psychology at Cornell University. While he teaches and publicly discusses a wide variety of material in the discipline, his primary research interest is in moral judgment. In this episode, Robinson and David discuss some of the conceptual underpinnings of moral psychology before turning to the research on praise, blame, social cognition, and the relationship between disgust and political affiliation. David is also the co-host of two podcasts, Very Bad Wizards with Tamler Sommers and Psych with Paul Bloom.
David’s Website: http://peezer.net
David’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/peez
Very Bad Wizards: https://verybadwizards.fireside.fm
Psych: https://psych.fireside.fm
OUTLINE
00:00 In This Episode...
00:39 Introduction
02:52 David’s Interest in Moral Psychology
06:42 Morality, Judgment, and Intuition in Psychology
30:40 Did Psychology Advance Too Fast
33:44 The Psychology of Praise and Blame
56:26 Why Do We Blame Objects and Robots?
01:10:09 Ostracism, Loneliness, and the Human Condition
01:14:27 The Psychology of Disgust
01:32:26 Disgust and Moral Judgement
01:40:10 Disgust Sensitivity and Political Affiliation
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.
1 Listener
217 - Leonard Susskind: String Theory, Fine-Tuning, and the Physics of the Multiverse
Robinson's Podcast
07/21/24 • 71 min
Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7
Leonard Susskind is Felix Bloch Professor of Physics at Stanford University. Among other accomplishments, he is among the fathers of such revolutionary concepts in physics as string theory, black hole complementarity, the holographic principle, and the string-theoretic landscape. It is this last concept that Robinson and Leonard discuss in this episode. More particularly, they address the fine-tuning problem—that so many of the constants in physics, such as the cosmological constant—appear to have been selected precisely to allow for human life, as if they were substantially different we would not exist. In answering this question they talk about string theory, dark energy, the Higgs boson, god and supernatural explanations, eternal inflation, the multiverse, the interpretations of quantum mechanics, the anthropic principle, alternative answers to the problem, and the future of research in the area. For more detail, read Leonard’s book on the topic, The Cosmic Landscape.
The Cosmic Landscape: https://a.co/d/j2njH7h
The Theoretical Minimum: https://theoreticalminimum.com
OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
04:03 A Parable About the Fine-Tuning Problem
09:58 String Theory and the Fine-Tuning Problem
18:04 The Problem of Dark Energy
25:05 Could Dark Energy Rip the Universe Apart?
33:11 God, String Theory, and the Illusion of Intelligent Design
42:51 On the String-Theoretic Landscape
48:54 The Eternal Inflation of the Universe
55:07 What Determines the Physics of the Multiverse?
01:02:09 On the Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics
01:05:50 On the Future of String Theory and Fine-Tuning
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, and everyone in-between.
1 Listener
07/30/23 • 117 min
Julian Barbour is a physicist working in the foundations of physics and quantum gravity, with a special interest in time and the history of science. In this episode, Julian and Robinson discuss thermodynamics and the arrows of time, including a new theory of time developed by Julian and his collaborators, which is laid out in his book, The Janus Point: A New Theory of Time. If you’re interested in the foundations of physics—which you absolutely should be—then please check out the John Bell Institute (Julian is an Honorary Fellow at the JBI), which is devoted to providing a home for research and education in this important area. At this early stage any donations are immensely helpful.
Julian’s Website: http://platonia.com/index.html
The Janus Point: https://a.co/d/4NVOGqq
A History of Thermodynamics: http://platonia.com/A_History_of_Thermodynamics.pdf
Quantum without Quantum: https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.13335
The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org
OUTLINE
00:00 In This Episode...
00:56 Introduction
04:42 Julian’s Interest in Time
07:27 Time’s Arrows
23:34 The Problem of Time-Reversal Symmetry
25:54 A Potted Overview of Entropy and Thermodynamics
38:21 Entropy and Time’s Arrow
52:32 The Janus Point and a New Theory of Time
01:07:00 Intuition and The Janus Point
01:21:21 Entropy and Entaxy
01:26:00 Cosmic Inflation and Its Problems
01:44:05 Quantum Mechanics without the Wave Function
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.
1 Listener
94 - Alva Noë: Art, Philosophy, and The Entanglement
Robinson's Podcast
05/26/23 • 93 min
Alva Noë is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, where he researches the philosophy of mind—primarily focusing on perception and consciousness—and the philosophy of art. In this episode, Robinson and Alva discuss the latter, for while Alva is already the author of two books in the area—Strange Tools: Art and Human Nature (Farrar Strauss and Giroux, 2015) and Look: Dispatches from the Art World (Oxford, 2021)—June 23, 2023 will mark the release of a new work, The Entanglement: How Art and Philosophy Make Us What We Are (Princeton University Press). Robinson and Alva touch on topics from all three works, including the interrelationship between art, philosophy, phenomenology, and neuroscience.
Alva’s Website: http://www.alvanoe.com
Alva’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/alvanoe
OUTLINE
00:00 In This Episode...
00:38 Introduction
04:08 Mind and Art
10:05 Knowledge and Making
18:39 Attention and Rembrandt
31:28 Viewer and Creator
41:29 Art as a Philosophical Practice
47:00 Neuroscience
57:09 The Entanglement
01:17:15 Phenomenology, Art, and Analytic Philosophy
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.
164 - Geoffrey West: Complexity Theory and The Scaling Laws of Biology
Robinson's Podcast
11/08/23 • 128 min
Geoffrey West is Shannan Distinguished Professor and Past President at the Santa Fe Institute. He is a theoretical physicist who has worked broadly on topics related to elementary particles and their cosmological implications. Among other topics, he has also worked on complexity theory, scaling laws in biology, and how they can be applied in other areas, such as cities and problems involving global sustainability. This is precisely what Robinson and Geoffrey discuss in this episode, with particular reference to his recent book, Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies (Penguin, 2017).
Scale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ05syiaUxg
OUTLINE
00:00 In This Episode...
00:25 Introduction
02:21 Complexity and the Santa Fe Institute
22:14 What Are Emergent Phenomena?
34:18 What is Complexity Theory?
45:51 Why Do All Animals Have the Same Number of Heartbeats in a Lifetime
01:11:43 Does Complexity Theory Tell Us How to Live Longer
01:22:49 Why Don’t Cities Die Like Organisms Do?
01:59:40 The Pandemic and the Increasing Pace of Life
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.
21 - Haim Gaifman: What is Philosophy? What is Mathematics?
Robinson's Podcast
10/03/22 • 86 min
Haim Gaifman is a philosopher and mathematician. He teaches at Columbia University in New York City. In this episode Haim answers two questions of Robinson’s: What is philosophy? What is mathematics?
Instagram: @robinsonerhardt
TikTok: @robinsonerhardt
Twitch: @robinsonerhardt
06/16/23 • 117 min
Stephen Wolfram is the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research, and the creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha, and the Wolfram Language. He received his PhD in theoretical physics from Caltech when he was twenty years old. In addition to his work at the helm of Wolfram Research, he writes and researches widely across computer science, physics, mathematics, and more. Most recently, Stephen is the author of What Is ChatGPT Doing...and Why Does It Work? (2023). Robinson and Stephen begin by discussing just this, before moving on to some more theoretical questions about intelligence in general and artificial intelligence in particular. Then, after a long digression on the philosophy of mathematics and the foundations of computation, they turn to the ways in which ChatGPT may impact research in STEM fields and beyond.
What Is ChatGPT Doing...and Why Does It Work?: https://a.co/d/aADrGGh
Stephen’s Website: https://www.stephenwolfram.com
Stephen’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephen_wolfram
Wolfram Research on YouTube: https://a.co/d/aADrGGh
OUTLINE
00:00 In This Episode...
00:29 Introduction
03:42 How Does ChatGPT Work?
11:58 Does ChatGPT Pass the Turing Test?
34:33 Will Philosophy Be a Growth Industry?
41:02 Will Mathematicians be Replaced by Computers?
49:26 What is the Ruliad?
01:08:57 Philosophy of Mathematics?
01:32:54 LLMs and STEM
01:43:16 Returning to ChatGPT and AI
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.
230 - Richard Wolff: The Final Case Against Donald J. Trump
Robinson's Podcast
10/20/24 • 120 min
Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7
Robinson’s Fashion Empire: http://bit.ly/3XBKqO2
Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. This is Richard’s fifth appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. In episode #127, he and Robinson discussed some of the most profound criticisms of capitalism; in #154, they focused on the myths surrounding Marxism and Marx himself; in #190 they covered the Israel-Palestine conflict from a Marxist perspective; and in #222 they assess the end of the American Empire. In this episode, Richard and Robinson talk about the 2024 election. More particularly, they discuss the irrelevance of Donald Trump, both candidates’ economic policies, the Biden administration’s track record, Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, the promise of Kamala Harris, immigration, and the future of the United States. Richard’s latest book is Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024).
Understanding Capitalism (Book): https://www.democracyatwork.info/understanding_capitalism
Class Theory and History (Book): https://a.co/d/ht4trZN
Understanding the 2024 Elections (Article): https://asiatimes.com/2024/08/capitalism-mass-anger-and-2024-elections/
Richard’s Website: https://www.rdwolff.com
Economic Update: https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdate
OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
01:08 Is it Possible to Predict the Future?
07:51 The Irrelevance of Donald Trump
12:15 The United States vs The Savages
15:41 Does the Government Even Matter?
18:26 On Young Frankenstein and the Declining American Empire
20:49 On Richard’s Astounding Rhetorical Abilities
29:40 What Makes Donald Trump Great?
37:38 Was Trump Good for the Economy?
40:52 Did Trump Win the Economic War Against China?
43:46 Were Trump’s Tax Cuts Disastrous for Americans?
50:00 Why Won’t Trump Just Go Away?
52:29 Is Ukraine Doomed to Lose the Russian War?
54:26 On Private Versus State Capitalism (Or, American vs Russia)
1:00:21 Who Will be Left When America Crumbles?
1:05:04 How Can We Sum Up Biden’s Presidency?
1:13:14 What on Earth Should We Make of Kamala Harris
1:23:24 Donald Trump Versus Marxism
1:29:30 The Republican and Democratic War on Immigrants
1:37:38 Trump Vs Harris on Economics | Who Wins?
1:43:44 Trump Vs Harris on Russia, Ukraine, Israel, & Palestine
1:50:37 Trump, Harris, and the War on Data
1:55:10 On Richard Wolff, the Man, and Donald Trump
1:57:43 Will Trump or Harris Win 2024?
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, historians, economists, and everyone in-between.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Robinson's Podcast have?
Robinson's Podcast currently has 245 episodes available.
What topics does Robinson's Podcast cover?
The podcast is about Natural Sciences, Podcasts and Science.
What is the most popular episode on Robinson's Podcast?
The episode title '154 - Richard Wolff: Karl Marx and the Myths of Marxism' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Robinson's Podcast?
The average episode length on Robinson's Podcast is 98 minutes.
How often are episodes of Robinson's Podcast released?
Episodes of Robinson's Podcast are typically released every 3 days.
When was the first episode of Robinson's Podcast?
The first episode of Robinson's Podcast was released on Jul 26, 2022.
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