logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2014
1h 16m

Episode 52: Thought Experiments (Huh!) W...

Tamler Sommers & David Pizarro
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Jul 14
Episode 336: That Oceanic Feeling (Stanisław Lem's "Solaris")
David and Tamler tackle the first half of the VBW Madness topic tournament winner, Stanislaw Lem's science fiction masterpiece, Solaris, about a mysterious ocean planet that resists all attempts to understand and communicate with it. We talk about the epistemological obstacles th ... Show More
1h 35m
Jun 30
Episode 335: The Wright Stuff
The great Robert Wright returns to the podcast to talk about his new book The God Test: Artificial Intelligence and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning. We debate the magnitude of AI's potential impact, the natural selection analogy Bob presses in the book, and a whole lot more. Plus, a ... Show More
1h 30m
Jun 16
Episode 334: Let's Get Metaphysical
What are the legitimate ways to inquire about the nature of the universe? We have science, metaphysics, phenomenological inquiry, but what about mystical and meditative practices? David and Tamler talk about a paper that argues for allowing mystical insight into our broader searc ... Show More
1h 20m
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2021
Brain in a Vat
Have you considered that you might be a brain in a vat of liquid floating in a laboratory somewhere? How can you know that the world around you is real, not just a simulation being piped directly to your brain? In episode 30, Ellie and David unpack one of philosophy's favorite th ... Show More
52m 45s
Jul 2025
416: The Free Will Episode
Why do fish jump out of the water? What do I talk about in therapy? If the whole world quarantined itself for six weeks, would all viruses die out? If I want to donate to the TB cause, what is the best organization to do that with? Does a place without wind exist? Why does diet D ... Show More
42m 5s
Feb 2023
Ep. 310: Wittgenstein On World-Pictures (Part Two)
Concluding our discussion of On Certainty, with guest Chris Heath. We try one last time to get a handle on Wittgenstein's philosophy of science. How do people actually change their minds about fundamental beliefs? Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife ... Show More
44m 12s
Jul 2023
Episode #183 ... Is ChatGPT really intelligent?
Today we discuss ideas from John Searle and Noam Chomsky and consider several questions surrounding machine intelligence. Get more: Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis Philosophize This! Clips: https://www.youtube.com/@phil ... Show More
29m 33s
Dec 2023
People Always Reveal Themselves
<p>In this episode we run through a Reddit thread and a question from the listeners, in a thought-provoking conversation that will make you think. </p> <p>www.thewordaffairs.co.uk</p> <p>@thewordaffairs on Instagram and Tiktok</p> 
46m 29s
Nov 2025
Edouard Machery on Variations in Responses to Thought Experiments
Philosophers who use thought experiments often believe their own intutions in response to them are unviersal. But that's not always so. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Edouard Machery discusses his research on this topic, and some of his surprising conclusions. Th ... Show More
21m 36s
Dec 2017
#107 — Is Life Actually Worth Living?
<p class="p1">Sam Harris speaks with David Benatar about his philosophy of "anti-natalism." They discuss the asymmetry between the good and bad things in life, the ethics of existential risk, the moral landscape, the limits and paradoxes of introspection, the "experience machine" ... Show More
48m 55s
Mar 2018
132: Schrödinger's Floor
Why do we need constant mental stimuli? How do I clean my room? Can I still be friends with my ex's family? And more! Email us: hankandjohn@gmail.com patreon.com/dearhankandjohn Thank you to Audible for sponsoring this episode! Audible is offering listeners a free audiobook with ... Show More
49m 10s