Episodes

  • Scott Soames: Truth, Philosophy of Language and Saul Kripke #10

    Scott Soames: Truth, Philosophy of Language and Saul Kripke #10

    · Back to the Stone Age

    Scott Soames is a professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California.

    His website: https://dornsife.usc.edu/scottsoames/

    Find Back to the Stone Age on:

    YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZrhMJ5eusE_ACw6Ec3TqCbvDVZ6HP809&si=WhVnrLLAUuYW-AnySpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pT8MUeR8bskcsuu8gmUGKApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/back-to-the-stone-age/id1741219288

    Outline

    00:34 - What Is Meaning?

    05:10 - How Do Words Refer To Things?

    10:37 - Language And Logic

    19:06 - Relativity Of Truth

    22:26 - Truth Without Humans

    24:00 - Possible Worlds Semantics

    36:14 - Kripke's Contribution To Philosophy Of Language

    42:02 - Soames' Cognitive Content

    48:40 - Consequences Of Soames' View: Propositions

    54:18 - Living Philosophically

    59:19 - What Are The Limits Of Language?

    01:14:32 - Are You Scared Of Not Finding Answers?

    01:15:50 - Mental Changes To Embrace New Views

    01:19:35 - Lack Of Experimental Validation In Philosophy

    01:21:22 - Technology And Philosophy

    01:24:20 - Most Pressing Philosophical Issue

    01:26:11 - Which Philosopher Best Understood The Human Condition?

    01:32:36 - Does Pursuing Philosophy Make You A Better Person?

    01:34:00 - Final Questions and Conclusion

    Enjoy Back to the Stone Age!

  • John L. Bell: Philosophy of Mathematics, Axiom of Choice, Continuum and Consciousness #9

    John L. Bell: Philosophy of Mathematics, Axiom of Choice, Continuum and Consciousness #9

    · Back to the Stone Age

    John is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario. You can find his website here: https://publish.uwo.ca/~jbell/

    Find Back to the Stone Age on:

    YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZrhMJ5eusE_ACw6Ec3TqCbvDVZ6HP809&si=WhVnrLLAUuYW-AnySpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pT8MUeR8bskcsuu8gmUGKApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/back-to-the-stone-age/id1741219288

    Outline

    00:41 - John's introduction

    08:35 - Is The Universe Mathematical in Nature?

    25:50 - Limitations of Language in Philosophical Enquiries

    31:20 - Mathematical Constructivism

    41:07 - Implications of Constructivism and Intuitionist Logic

    48:54 - Nature of Mathematical Truths

    01:05:45 - The Axiom of Choice

    01:37:20 - The Nature of The Continuum

    01:50:43 - Relationship between Mathematics, Physics, Philosophy

    02:03:14 - The Nature of Consciousness

    02:23:03 - 1000-years After- Nap Question

    02:29:00 - Conclusion

    Enjoy Back to the Stone Age!

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  • Thomas Van Riet: String Theory, Extra Dimensions, The Landscape and Swampland #8

    Thomas Van Riet: String Theory, Extra Dimensions, The Landscape and Swampland #8

    · Back to the Stone Age

    Thomas is a professor of Physics at KU Leuven (https://shorturl.at/IVa8S).

    He's on Twitter: https://x.com/ThomasVanRiet2

    Find Back to the Stone Age on:

    YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZrhMJ5eusE_ACw6Ec3TqCbvDVZ6HP809&si=WhVnrLLAUuYW-AnySpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pT8MUeR8bskcsuu8gmUGKApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/back-to-the-stone-age/id1741219288

    Outline

    00:24 - General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics

    11:50 - String Theory

    21:41 - Singularities in String Theory

    37:47 - Extra Dimensions in String Theory

    48:30 - The Landscape and The Swampland

    58:36 - Fine Tuning of the Universe

    01:16:20 - The Most Beautiful Concept in Physics

    01:20:00 - Final Thoughts and Conclusion

    Hope you enjoy it, this is Back to the Stone Age!

  • Andrea Caputo: The Standard Model of Particle Physics and Current Limitations #7

    Andrea Caputo: The Standard Model of Particle Physics and Current Limitations #7

    · Back to the Stone Age

    Andrea is a theoretical physicist and he works on Dark Matter and Particle Physics.

    He was awarded the ERC (European Research Council) Starting Grant.

    Andrea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-caputo-ph-d-2475999b/?locale=en_US

    Seeing my interviews from one year ago is a bit cringe, but I'm working on it 😜 Hope you like it anyway!

    Find Back to the Stone Age on:

    YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZrhMJ5eusE_ACw6Ec3TqCbvDVZ6HP809&si=WhVnrLLAUuYW-AnySpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pT8MUeR8bskcsuu8gmUGKApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/back-to-the-stone-age/id1741219288

    Outline

    01:10 - The Standard Model

    03:09 - Gravity and the Standard Model

    06:30 - String theory and accelerators

    13:47 - The Hierarchy problem

    22:54 - Supersymmetry

    26:12 - ΛCDM model and the Standard Model

    34:08 - Dark Matter candidates

    41:20 - Inflation and the Standard Model

    49:00 - Extra dimensions

    52:07 - The Baryon Asymmetry problem

    57:58 - Neutrinos' mass problem

    01:06:13 - The CP problem

    01:16:24 - The parameters of the Standard Model

    01:20:33 - Is mathematics invented or discovered?

    01:23:07 - Final thoughts and conclusion

    Enjoy Back to the Stone Age!

  • K. Brad Wray: Philosophy of Science, Epistemology, Thomas Kuhn, and Scientific Realism #6

    K. Brad Wray: Philosophy of Science, Epistemology, Thomas Kuhn, and Scientific Realism #6

    · Back to the Stone Age

    Do you like philosophising? Then this conversation is for YOU! 🫵🏻

    Brad Wray (https://shorturl.at/gY9Oh) is Associate Professor at Aarhus University, and together we tackle deep philosophical questions.

    Find Back to the Stone Age on:

    YouTube: https://shorturl.at/c5a37Spotify: https://shorturl.at/11x47Apple Podcast: https://shorturl.at/pFRCC

    Outline

    00:35 - Philosophy of Science

    01:17 - Definition of knowledge

    01:52 - How do scientific discoveries shape our understanding of reality?

    02:26 - Metaphysics

    09:56 - God in Philosophy

    11:41 - Limitation of human knowledge

    13:52 - Theory of everything

    19:45 - How is knowledge acquired?

    29:24 - Role of epistemic communities for knowledge acquisition

    34:40 - Disruptive science and increase of scientific papers

    46:03 - Academic vs technological development

    51:38 - Artificial intelligence and technology

    01:00:44 - Collaborating with other researchers

    01:04:15 - Thomas Kuhn

    01:06:02 - Paradigm in science

    01:13:30 - Kuhn cycle

    01:20:19 - Revolutionising paradigm shifts: Copernican revolution and Plate tectonics

    01:32:15 - Incommensurability in scientific revolutions

    01:40:18 - Planck's principle

    01:45:55 - Role of theories in understanding reality

    01:52:11 - Is scientific progress linear?

    01:52:55 - Scientific realism

    01:58:25 - Antirealist perspective

    02:05:40 - Death

    02:09:25 - Nuclear weapons

    02:16:27 - Conclusion

    Enjoy Back to the Stone Age!

  • Daniel Ruberman: Mathematics, Topology and Manifolds #5

    Daniel Ruberman: Mathematics, Topology and Manifolds #5

    · Back to the Stone Age

    Here is a conversation I've had with Daniel Ruberman, Professor of Mathematics.

    Daniel's website: https://people.brandeis.edu/~ruberman/

    Find Back to the Stone Age on:

    YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZrhMJ5eusE_ACw6Ec3TqCbvDVZ6HP809&si=WhVnrLLAUuYW-AnySpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pT8MUeR8bskcsuu8gmUGKApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/back-to-the-stone-age/id1741219288

    Outline

    00:16 - Is math invented or discovered?

    05:30 - Mathematics and the physical world

    28:02 - Topology

    38:00 - Manifolds and smooth manifolds

    52:31 - Higher dimensions and low-dimensional topology

    01:04:39 - Intuition about 4th dimension

    01:24:01 - Gauge theories

    01:38:02 - Knots and manifolds

    01:44:33 - Applications of knot theory and topology

    01:50:28 - Infinity

    01:56:38 - Final thoughts

    Enjoy Back to the Stone Age!

  • Gimmy Tomaselli: Physics, Mathematics, The Universe and Fundamental Thoughts #4

    Gimmy Tomaselli: Physics, Mathematics, The Universe and Fundamental Thoughts #4

    · Back to the Stone Age

    Some fundamental questions today with Gimmy, PhD student at GRAPPA doing research in black holes, gravitational-wave astronomy, and dark matter.

    Gimmy is soon going to the Institute of Advanced Study of Princeton for a postdoc!

    Gimmy's website: https://gimmytomas.github.io/index.html

    Find Back to the Stone Age on:

    YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZrhMJ5eusE_ACw6Ec3TqCbvDVZ6HP809&si=WhVnrLLAUuYW-AnySpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pT8MUeR8bskcsuu8gmUGKApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/back-to-the-stone-age/id1741219288

    Outline

    00:32 - Is math invented or discovered?

    06:40 - Are paradoxes intrinsic to our reality?

    11:20 - String theory and mathematics

    16:53 - Theories of everything

    24:00 - Reconciling gravity and quantum mechanics

    30:00 - Understanding the origin of the Big Bang

    37:05 - Time

    46:52 - Is time fundamental or emergent?

    52:18 - Time and space swap inside a black hole

    57:44 - Mental picture for spacetime curvature

    01:04:19 - Weirdness of quantum mechanics: entanglement

    01:07:00 - Schrödinger equation, probabilities, uncertainty principle

    01:15:16 - Is the wave function real?

    01:18:39 - “God” and death

    01:24:25 - Biological engineering of human life

    01:29:00 - Making sense of numbers in cosmology

    01:34:20 - Fine-tuning of nature

    01:40:26 - Inflationary multiverse and infinity

    01:51:45 - Artificial intelligence

    01:56:32 - Consciousness

    02:03:22 - Free will

    02:07:46 - James Webb Space Telescope

    02:13:08 - Final thoughts and conclusion

    Enjoy Back to the Stone Age!

  • Joel David Hamkins: Philosophy of Set Theory, Mathematics and Infinity #3

    Joel David Hamkins: Philosophy of Set Theory, Mathematics and Infinity #3

    · Back to the Stone Age

    Journey to the edge of reason with Professor Hamkins!

    Joel is a Professor of Philosophy and Mathematics at the University of Notre Dame. His research work spans Mathematical Logic and Set Theory.

    You can find him here:

    Personal website: https://jdh.hamkins.orgTwitter: https://twitter.com/JDHamkinsGoogle Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=MHLQDYQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

    Back to the Stone Age is on:

    YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZrhMJ5eusE_ACw6Ec3TqCbvDVZ6HP809&si=EHUZow_K4nlcWw8MSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pT8MUeR8bskcsuu8gmUGK?si=7f6f32052e9a4587Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/back-to-the-stone-age/id1741219288

    Outline

    00:00 - Introduction

    00:55 - Mathematician or philosopher?

    05:05 - Set Theory

    09:52 - Is mathematics invented or discovered?

    15:42 - Godel Incompleteness Theorem

    24:14 - Infinity: potential and actual infinity

    46:51 - Paradoxes on infinity

    55:56 - Penrose three world model: mathematical, physical, and platonic world

    01:00:21 - Mathematical reality

    01:08:34 - Transfinite numbers, cardinals and ordinals

    01:18:44 - The Absolute Infinity

    01:25:08 - Infinity and time

    01:30:57 - Irrational numbers, Alan Turing and computability

    01:40:00 - Cantor’s definition of Set

    01:43:40 - Cantor’s theorem

    01:54:00 - Continuum Hypothesis

    02:05:46 - Hostility of mathematician towards infinity

    02:11:39 - Law of excluded middle and infinity

    02:17:38 - Not finding answers to questions

    02:19:58 - Is there more than maths permeating reality?

    02:25:20 - AI and maths/physics

    02:31:51 - AI and consciousness

    02:36:36 - Most beautiful idea in mathematics and conclusion

  • Consciousness, Feelings and Human Life | Conversations with Friends: Greta #2

    Consciousness, Feelings and Human Life | Conversations with Friends: Greta #2

    · Back to the Stone Age

    Conversations with Friends: Greta Galluzzo.

    Greta is a Psychology master's student and she's on Erasmus here in Amsterdam.

    Find Back to the Stone Age on:

    YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZrhMJ5eusE_ACw6Ec3TqCbvDVZ6HP809&si=WhVnrLLAUuYW-AnySpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pT8MUeR8bskcsuu8gmUGKApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/back-to-the-stone-age/id1741219288

    Outline:

    00:32 - Consciousness

    06:32 - Animal consciousness and death

    11:22 - Intelligence and language

    17:18 - Empathy

    20:01 - Awareness

    22:35 - Mathematics

    32:40 - Predisposition to mathematics, nature or nurture

    35:20 - Acceptation of "limits" vs biological engineering to enhance human condition

    44:15 - Is consciousness good or bad

    47:06 - What is good and bad? Is there a universal ethics?

    49:55 - Are humans good or bad?

    52:12 - Happiness, suffering and altruism

    01:10:47 - Being and feeling alive and dreaming state

    01:23:19 - Greta's meaning of life

    01:27:00 - Conclusion

    Enjoy Back to the Stone Age!

  • Geetanjali Sethi: Dark Energy Models and Cosmology #2

    Geetanjali Sethi: Dark Energy Models and Cosmology #2

    · Back to the Stone Age

    Geetanjali is Associate Professor at St. Stephen’s College. She has a PhD in Cosmology from Delhi University. She's working on the Variable Chaplygin Gas model of dark energy.

    Reach out to her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geetanjali-sethi-a7b201aa/?originalSubdomain=in

    Find her research work on Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EK8KFB0AAAAJ

    Back to the Stone Age is on:

    - YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZrhMJ5eusE_ACw6Ec3TqCbvDVZ6HP809&si=WhVnrLLAUuYW-Any

    - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pT8MUeR8bskcsuu8gmUGK

    - Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/back-to-the-stone-age/id1741219288

    Outline

    00:00 - Introduction

    00:15 - Energy

    02:53 - Dark matter and dark energy

    10:15 - Dark energy as expansion of the universe

    12:11 - Energy of empty space

    17:08 - Heisenberg uncertainty principle

    21:54 - Why dark energy has constant energy density

    26:35 - Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker cosmological model

    33:58 - Quintessence, modified gravity models

    39:08 - Variable Chaplygin Gas model

    39:40 - Cosmic fluid

    43:34 - Differences with other models

    48:19 - Fine-tuning in nature

    53:31 - Combination of dark matter and dark energy

    56:09 - Dependency of observations for the future of the universe

    58:40 - Most interesting fact about the cosmos

    59:24 - Making sense of enormous distances

    01:05:42 - Will the universe expand forever?

    01:11:38 - AI and science

    01:13:01 - Limitations of human brain

    01:17:45 - Conclusion

  • Addictions, Dopamine, Boredom,

    Addictions, Dopamine, Boredom, "God" and Godliness | Conversations with Friends: Florens #1

    · Back to the Stone Age

    Conversations with Friends: Florens van der Moezel

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/florens-van-der-moezel-a657a0276/

    Find Back to the Stone Age on:

    YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZrhMJ5eusE_ACw6Ec3TqCbvDVZ6HP809&si=WhVnrLLAUuYW-AnySpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pT8MUeR8bskcsuu8gmUGKApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/back-to-the-stone-age/id1741219288

    Thanks to our sponsor Maryse Moerel (Florens' mother) for the chairs, table and car!

    Outline:

    00:00 - Introduction

    01:10 - Alcohol

    04:39 - Mental state under addiction

    07:10 - Intoxicants, drugs and gambling

    10:38 - Short-term rewards: smartphone, social media and dopamine

    14:40 - Lack of commitment and shorter attention span

    16:30 - Boredom

    20:28 - Fleeing boredom

    22:27 - Reasons for dopamine recalibration

    25:53 - Alteration of the reward system

    30:04 - Being present in the moment

    35:35 - Why are people not interested in knowing

    40:18 - Lack of passion and drive

    45:03 - Consumeristic society and overwhelming information

    50:39 - Is the Universe a One or a Many?

    54:47 - Conversations with God

    58:36 - What is God? Jesus, Muhammad, Siddhartha and godliness

    01:06:40 - God, math and human language

    01:08:19 - Godel Incompleteness Theorem and relation to irrational belief

    01:13:05 - Higher forms of understanding

    01:19:25 - Why are people not connected to their godliness

    01:26:23 - Advice to listeners

    01:29:25 - Conclusion

  • Nick Van Remortel: CMBR, Standard Model, Gravitational Waves #1

    Nick Van Remortel: CMBR, Standard Model, Gravitational Waves #1

    · Back to the Stone Age

    Nick Van Remortel is a professor of physics at the University of Antwerp, find him on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-van-remortel-83a16373/

    Outline:

    00:00 - Introduction

    00:36 - Cosmic microwave background radiation

    25:10 - Size of the universe and infinity

    30:20 - Expansion of the universe

    40:45 - The standard model

    01:02:30 - Greater purpose of fine-tuning and randomness

    01:11:39 - Gravitational waves

    01:18:10 - Principle of detection of gravitational waves

    01:29:47 - Experimental effort of detection

    01:32:29 - Information from gravitational waves

    01:39:27 - Einstein Telescope

    01:44:06 - Deep thoughts and conclusion