Is the world composed of one thing or many things? Some thinkers believe that the universe is one object that our minds chop up into many pieces. I believe that the universe is many objects that our minds unify into one whole. It might seem abstract, but regardless of your conclusion, it's got big implications. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe...
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. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe...
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. If you appreciate the content and want to donate Bitcoin or Bitcoin Cash, you can u...
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?" Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe...
How well-justified are the insights of feminist philosophy? What is the metaphysical status of the patriarchy? Is there such a thing as a "biological difference" between men and women? This is my interview breakdown of Episode 51 - my conversation with Dr. Michelle Boulous-Walker of the University of Queensland. Let's just say: we disagree. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe...
Hegel is famous for being a difficult and controversial philosopher. His work comes up often in my conversations about paradox and contradiction - from those who argue that paradoxes can exist in the world. Or, even more strongly, from those argue that "the world is paradoxical." I don't know much about Hegel, so I've traveled to Atlanta to interview Dr. Donald Verene of Emory University, who specializes in Hegelian philosophy. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.subs...
The Silk Road case is filled to the brim with corruption, and the media has done a terrible job getting the facts out. Ross Ulbricht has been painted as a vicious kingpin, when in fact, he has no violence in his background, nor has he been charged with any violent crimes. New evidence keeps emerging that demonstrate Ross has been abused by the American legal system. My guest, Lyn Ulbricht, is the mother of Ross, and she shares some of this new evidence in our conversation. If you want to learn m...
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 Su...
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 Su...
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 St...
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/subs...
Do you see the world, or do you see your representation of the world? Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe
What's the purpose of meditation? What is the nature of the mind? What is the nature of the self? I got to ask these questions to a Buddhist monk while in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe
The most popular resolution to Zeno's paradoxes is to say, "Calculus solves it!" But, as I've written and spoken about before, the logic of calculus might be dubious. Can we really complete an infinite series? My guest this week is Dr. Michael Huemer, who has recently written a book called Approaching Infinity , where he claims that the modern theory of infinities do need to be revised - that calculus does not solve Zeno's paradoxes - and that we have to distinguish between completable and non-c...
What's more likely: a precise description of an ambiguous world, or an ambiguous description of a precise world? This is the modernist fallacy: to think that conceptual blurriness correctly describes a blurry world. To me, this is silly and irrational. Ambiguous theories are flawed; they aren't positive arguments for "true ambiguity". Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe...
Postmodernist philosophy is famous for being paradoxical. Claims like "the truth is that there is no truth" or "everything is relative" are popular - especially among academics. Many proponents are even OK with explicit contradictions in their worldview. To me, a contradiction is a demonstration of error, and not caring about intellectual consistency is a sign of dogmatism and irrationalism. But according to Dr. Stephen Hicks, that's because I have a certain psychological response to contradicti...
Tai Chi master gets beat up by an MMA fighter; Chinese think it was "disrespectful" to demonstrate the truth - the Tai Chi master's "expertise" was a sham. This kind of thing happens all the time in the martial arts and in the world of ideas. "Masters" and "experts" are frequently convinced of their own knowledge and superiority - allthewhile being deluded about the basics of their own subject matter. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe...
This is my interview breakdown of Episode 33 - my conversation with Dr. Jody Azzouni about the metaphysics of mathematics. The first half of our conversation was about existence, the nature of language, and whether we can say true things about objects that don't exist. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe
The economic principle is clear: you cannot borrow money indefinitely to pay your bills. Eventually, the bills come due. You can only delay the inevitable. This is a law of economics, and it applies to every country on earth, including the United States. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe
What are the fundamentals of Zen Buddhism? What is the purpose of meditation, or zazen? Is the philosophy or the practice of Buddhism more important? I asked these questions to Keiho Nishigaki, the head monk at the Nan'yoji temple outside of Osaka, Japan. He was kind enough to work me through the basics, in addition to giving me a guided Zen meditation session. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe...
How fundamental is the conflict between science and religion? Is it true that the history of the church is filled with anti-intellectualism and the suppression of scientific inquiry? Is religious fundamentalism to blame for the tension between science and religion? I've got my own suspicions about these questions, but I decided to ask Dr. Peter Harrison, who teaches History at the University of Queensland. He specializes in the topic of "Science versus Religion". Get full access to Steve Patters...
Rationalists are far too quick to dismiss anecdotes as being "non-scientific." They are also too quick to accept all official-looking "data" that comes from scientists - when, in fact, anecdotes might sometimes be more trustworthy than scientific data. On the other hand, many people are far too likely to accept the theoretical claims of anecdotal evidence - rather than accepting the data while remaining skeptical of any theoretical claims. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepa...
For thousands of years, people have ingested psychedelic drugs in order to alter their consciousness. They report having profound experiences - many of which are life-changing. But is this just simple delusion? Can you really learn important truths while on drugs? I think it's a grave mistake to dismiss the possibility out of hand. To help me answer, I'm joined by the World Wanderers: Ryan Ferguson and Amanda Kingsmith, who have traveled to more than 45 countries together. While in Peru, they bo...
Continuing the commentary on hierarchy from last week. Seeking status, wealth, and prestige - for their own sake - is not a recipe for happiness or human flourishing. It's a recipe for pettiness and division. Playing power games within a social pecking order is an attempt to compensate for a lack of self-confidence. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe...
