Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchMetaphysical Vertigo (Borges's "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius")
Episode 154
In the famous words of the idealist philosopher George Berkeley, "To exist is to be perceived." Our ideas and perceptions are the fundamental objects…
7 years, 9 months ago
Progress in Psychology: A Reply to BootyBootyFartFart
Episode 153
David dies for science's sins and addresses the failed replication of one of his studies (conducted with three former VBW guests) by the Many Labs Pr…
7 years, 9 months ago
Ruthlessness, Public and Private
Episode 152
Tamler and David continue their Nagel-gazing by discussing another essay from Mortal Questions: "Ruthlessness in Public Life." Why do we treat the im…
7 years, 10 months ago
Viddy Well, My Listeners (Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange")
Episode 151
There was me, that is Tamler, and my droog, that is David, and we sat in our living rooms on Skype trying to make up our rassoodocks what Stanley Kub…
7 years, 10 months ago
Paul Bloom Insisted That We Talk About Sex Robots
Episode 150
What better way to celebrate our 150th episode than to bring back our favorite guest – Paul Bloom! We riff on a series of topics: the new "grievance …
7 years, 11 months ago
Death, Immortality, and Porn (Intuition) Pumps
Episode 149
Is living forever a good thing? Could we maintain our values and personal attachments throughout eternity? Would we be motivated to accomplish anythi…
7 years, 11 months ago
Am I Wrong?
Episode 148
Tamler wades into a Twitter controversy about Serena Williams - could this be his fast-track pass into the IDW? And since we're talking about that, w…
8 years ago
Effective Altruism and Moral Uncertainty (with The One True Scotsman, Will MacAskill)
Episode 147
Oxford philosophy professor Will MacAskill joins us to talk about effective altruism, moral uncertainty, and why you shouldn't eat your grandmother (…
8 years ago
Sore Losers (Does Sports Make Us Unhappy?)
Episode 146
Is being a sports fan irrational? Does it lead to more suffering than happiness? David and Tamler discuss a recent study that suggests the answer is …
8 years, 1 month ago
Lost in Borges' Garden
Episode 145
David and Tamler go deep into Borges' labyrinth to discuss the fascinating, multi-dimensional story "The Garden of Forking Paths." What is the underl…
8 years, 1 month ago