logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
1 h

Ep 204: David Deutsch’s ”The Fabric of R...

Brett Hall
About this episode

This is really "episode 0" but not quite because we do indeed get to some readings and unpackings of the chapter. But in the overall scheme, that forms a minor part of a longer introduction to the "common sense" understanding of time and then to some relativity (of simultaneity) and reflections on the work of other physicists and popularisers.

 

Note clips from "The Lord of the Rings" and "Spaceballs" movies are owned by their respective copyright holders.

Up next
Jul 21
Ep 243: In praise of ignorance - the podcast. With Liberty Fitz-Claridge
This episode is a reading of and reflection upon more writing by David Deutsch - an article you can find at https://takingchildrenseriously.com/in-praise-of-ignorance/ Joining me is philosopher and language educator Liberty Fitz-Claridge. Liberty holds Master Degrees in both Phil ... Show More
1h 36m
Jul 11
Ep 242: Is religion worth preserving?
Woke is a rejection of the truth, the good, the beautiful. Is the best response a return to traditional religion? Are some dogmas worth defending? 
17m 36s
May 29
Ep 241: AI 2027 Reaction Part 5: Summary and Conclusions
A summary of some arguments made in the previous 4 parts, and a conclusion to my evaluation of https://ai-2027.com I refer to Daniel Kokotajlo's paper which contained an earlier set of predictions made in 2021 about the 5 years leading to 2026 which is found here https://www.less ... Show More
42m 18s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2014
Episode #037 ... Leibniz pt. 1 - A Million Points of Light
On this episode of the podcast, we begin our discussion of Gottfried Leibniz. First, we find out what important invention created a riff between Leibniz and Isaac Newton. Next, we learn about Leibniz’s theory of Monads (which are basically the atoms of the spirit world), and how ... Show More
32 m
Aug 2021
Ep. 276: Hegel on Perception (Part One)
On The Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), ch. 1 "Sense Certainty" and ch. 2 "Perception." We walk through the first step in considering Hegel's dialectical analysis of theories of knowledge. Sense-certainty claims that we have direct access to sensory particulars which can act as fo ... Show More
58m 6s
Aug 2021
Ep. 277: Hegel on Our Understanding of Physics (Part One)
On The Phenomenology of Spirit, ch. 3, "Force and the Understanding." What is "force" as physics describes it? And scientific law? Do these terms denote objects in the world, or models for how we describe the world? Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if ... Show More
53m 53s
Sep 2019
Leonard Susskind: Quantum Mechanics, String Theory, and Black Holes
Leonard Susskind is a professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University, and founding director of the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics. He is widely regarded as one of the fathers of string theory and in general as one of the greatest physicists of our time both a ... Show More
57m 40s
Oct 2014
Episode #039 ... The Limits of Empiricism
On this episode of the podcast, we explore the idea of reality and how our senses prevent us from perceiving its true nature. First, we launch a smear campaign against human eyes and their limitations. Next, we discuss the difference between deductive reasoning (the kind you see ... Show More
26m 57s
Oct 2023
253 | David Deutsch on Science, Complexity, and Explanation
David Deutsch is one of the most creative scientific thinkers working today, who has as a goal to understand and explain the natural world as best we can. He was a pioneer in quantum computing, and has long been an advocate of the Everett interpretation of quantum theory. He is a ... Show More
1h 42m
Jan 2024
How to Keep Time: Time Tips From the Universe
Time can feel like a subjective experience—different at different points in our lives. It’s also a real, measurable thing. The universe may be too big to fully comprehend, but what we do know could help inform the ways we approach our understanding of ourselves, our purpose, and ... Show More
36m 24s
Feb 2021
#238 — How to Build a Universe
Sam Harris speaks with Frank Wilczek about the fundamental nature of reality. They discuss the difference between science and non-science, the role of intuition in science, the nature of time, the prospect that possibility is an illusion, the current limits of quantum mechanics, ... Show More
59m 13s
Sep 2021
About time, part 1: Newton's exploding clock
Most of us think of time as something that divides neatly into seconds, minutes and hours, in a way that’s as regular and predictable at the farthest reaches of the cosmos as it is in our kitchens. But scientists and philosophers have discovered that time has some weird tricks up ... Show More
28m 27s
Sep 2020
#124 – Stephen Wolfram: Fundamental Theory of Physics, Life, and the Universe
Stephen Wolfram is a computer scientist, mathematician, and theoretical physicist. This is our second conversation on the podcast. Please check out our sponsors to get a discount and to support this podcast: – SimpliSafe: https://simplisafe.com/lex – Sun Basket, use code LEX: htt ... Show More
4h 24m