logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2022
1h 5m

Ep 153: ”Induction” under Objectivist Ep...

Brett Hall
About this episode

This is in response to a paper by Objectivist scholar Thomas Miovas Jr who operates a website about Objectivism here: https://www.appliedphilosophyonline.com. The relevant paper can be found here:

https://www.appliedphilosophyonline.com/induction-in-philosophy-and-the-special-sciences.html?fbclid=IwAR2cNLVGxyguM5R2TXaYe3OVclhw34lAdIKN0Mp13zTLK-J8dPMmnfNVlOs

In this episode I discuss induction broadly speaking, the objectivist usage of the term and Thomas Miovas attempts to salvage the word despite noticing issues with it as it is typically formulated. This leads to a comparison between Rand's style of philosophy - especially epistemology and it's tendency towards abstractions and Karl Popper's far more practical and concrete problem centred approach. Herein I look at how theory-laden any observation is - like simply observing how the sky can be blue. What does "The sky is blue" mean? Is there a sky? Is the air blue? What is scattering? Popper's vision of how knowledge is constructed accounts for this complex notion of our minds coming to solve such problems: Rand's on the other hand is left grappling with why we do not "observe the facts of reality" as she, and other objectivists such as Thomas Miovas, claim we can.

Up next
Sep 22
Ep 247: The Farthest Reaches Part 3
Chapters and Timestamps 00:07 Chapter 10 Explanatory Universality and Ethnicity 24:51 Chapter 11 Explanatory Universality and Multiculturalism 37:47 Chapter 12 Explanatory Universality and Mental Illness. 
47m 19s
Sep 16
Ep 246: The Farthest Reaches Part 2
Chapters and Timestamps: 00:06 Chapter 5 Explanatory Universality, Psychology and IQ 03:30 Chapter 6 Explanatory Universality and Adopting Culture 11:47 Chapter 7: Explanatory Universality and IQ Part 2 17:10 Chapter 8 Explanatory Universality and the “trans” issue. 27:35 Chapter ... Show More
56m 26s
Sep 12
Ep 245: The Farthest Reaches (Part 1)
Chapters 1 to 4 of a multi-chapter series about the reach of what I argue is one of the most important lessons to learn in order to solve many pressing problems: explanatory universality. This podcast provides an explanation that "explanatory universality" is an idea of such dept ... Show More
44m 43s
Recommended Episodes
May 2015
Episode #057 ... Kant pt. 2 - The Actual Introduction
On this episode of the podcast we continue our discussion of Kant, this time focusing on his contributions to the debate between rationalism and empiricism . We begin by reviewing the major points of contention between the rationalists and empiricists regarding how we arrive at k ... Show More
23m 6s
Dec 2021
How to navigate the hidden gems of philosophy | Maria Balaska
Is there a connection between philosophy and psychoanalysis? A place for discussing children in philosophy? Listen to find out.Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesPsychoanalysis and philosophy share a deep interest in what it means t ... Show More
18m 25s
Jul 2023
Torin Alter, "The Matter of Consciousness: From the Knowledge Argument to Russellian Monism" (Oxford UP, 2023)
Frank Jackson’s "Knowledge Argument" introduced the philosophical world to Mary the brilliant neuroscientist, who knows everything there is to know about the physical world while living in a completely black and white environment. Yet she seems to learn something new when she lea ... Show More
1h 8m
Nov 2021
Rationalism 2.0: Kant’s philosophy of geometry
Kant developed a philosophy of geometry that explained how geometry can be both knowable in pure thought and applicable to physical reality. Namely, because geometry is built into not only our minds but also the way in which we perceive the world. In this way, Kant solved the app ... Show More
30 m
Oct 2020
The Maths of Life | Silvia Jonas
Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesHow can mathematical models inform our understanding of the world? And how can we explain overwhelming experiences? This week, philosopher Silvia Jonas investigates how mathematics shapes the way i ... Show More
16m 28s
Mar 2022
Panpsychism vs physics | Philip Goff
How does panpsychism clash with fundamental physics? Does it? Can we find a theory that supports science AND philosophy to finally explain consciousness?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesIn this episode Philip Goff responds to rece ... Show More
26m 11s
Feb 2021
Immanuel Kant's "What is Enlightenment?"
In this short episode, I explain Immanuel Kant's "What is Enlightenment?" If you want to support me, you can do that with these links: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theoryandphilosophy paypal.me/theoryphilosophy IG: @theory_and_philosophy 
9m 26s
Mar 2015
Nick Turnbull, ‘Michel Meyer’s Problematology: Questioning and Society” (Bloomsbury, 2014)
To be human is to question. This act of questioning is the essence of philosophy, as it allows ontology and epistemology to exist. For example, to understand what it is to be we must first ask the question of what it is to be. This insight, of the primacy of questioning, is at th ... Show More
52m 16s
Apr 2024
Immanuel Kant, Prolegomena - Pure Concepts Of The Understanding - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant's work, The Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics. Specifically it focuses on his discussion in the Second Part Of The Transcendental Problem: How Is Pure Natural Science Possible? Specifically this ... Show More
14m 13s
May 2024
The mystery of emergence | Suchitra Sebastian, Philip Goff, Hilary Lawson
Is complexity a cop-out?Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesFrom consciousness to free will, and even life itself, it has become commonplace for philosophers and neuroscientists to explain some of the most puzzling phenomena in th ... Show More
49m 11s