Robinson's Podcast

Tim Maudlin is Professor of Philosophy at NYU and Founder and Director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. Jacob Barandes is Senior Preceptor in Physics at Harvard University, where he works widely across the philosophy of physics, with focuses on the foundations of quantum mechanics, the philosophy of spacetime, and the metaphysics of laws. In this episode, Robinson, Tim, and Jacob discuss Jacob’s novel approach to quantum mechanics, which he calls the “Indivisible Approach”. More particularly, they discuss the problems at the core of quantum mechanics, the ontology of the theory, causality and quantum phenomena, probability, and more. If you’re interested in the foundations of physics, then please check out the JBI, which is devoted to providing a home for research and education in this important area. Any donations are immensely helpful at this early stage in the institute’s life.

Tim’s Website: www.tim-maudlin.site

The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org

Jacob’s Website: https://www.jacobbarandes.com

The Stochastic-Quantum Correspondence: https://philosophyofphysics.lse.ac.uk/articles/10.31389/pop.186

Historical Debates over the Physical Reality of the Wave Function: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.09397

Pilot-Wave Theories as Hidden Markov Models: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.10569

OUTLINE
00:21 The Problems at the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics
13:00 More on the Problems
26:09 Is the Wave Function a Real Thing?
32:48 Causation, Correlation, and Quantum Mechanics
42:03 Terminological Issues
44:34 Causal Models and the Markov Condition
01:00:57 Can Time Exist Without Change?
01:15:00 On Time and Change
01:30:38 Newtonian Mechanics and the Markov Condition
1:45:00 More on Newtonian Mechanics
2:00:00 More on the Markov Condition
02:17:49 Tim’s Response
02:28:18 Philosophy and Physics
02:32:38 More on Probability
02:42:13 Probability and the Double Slit Experiment
 02:59:42 Why Tim Remains Puzzled

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Scott Aaronson is the Schlumberger Centennial Chair of Computer Science at The University of Texas at Austin, and director of its Quantum Information Center. He researches the capabilities and limits of quantum computers, and computational complexity theory more generally. For the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years, he was on leave to work at OpenAI on the theoretical foundations of AI safety. In this episode of Robinson’s Podcast, Scott answers a host of questions about the basics of quantum computing. He and Robinson discuss the physics- and computer science elements of the field, how it connects to the foundations of quantum mechanics, the biggest myths about quantum computing, and whether quantum computers will every actually be built.

Scott’s Blog: https://scottaaronson.blog

OUTLINE
00:00 Scott’s Interest in Quantum Computing
07:10 Distinguishing the Physics from the Computer Science
14:43 What Is Quantum Computation?
39:41 The Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics
53:31 Quantum Information
55:54 Prime Factorization
01:03:19 The Biggest Myths About Quantum Computing
01:14:06 Can Quantum Computers Actually Be Built?

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Jeffrey Pfeffer is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University where he has taught since 1979. He is the author or co-author of 16 books. Dr. Pfeffer received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University and his Ph.D. from Stanford. In this episode, Robinson and Jeffrey discuss the field of organizational behavior. More particularly, they talk about the aims and methods of the field, some of its subjects—such as power and influence—and case studies. Jeffrey’s latest book is the 7 Rules of Power (Holt, 2022). 

7 Rules of Power: https://a.co/d/58WWhiC

OUTLINE
OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
05:46 Understanding Vs Implementation
11:42 The Seven Principles of Influence
19:33 Evolutionary Biology
20:49 How Self-Interest Rules Organizations
29:37 Power and the Prevalence of Conspiracies
33:53 Jeffrey Epstein and the Laws of Power
42:55 The Administration of Health Benefits
49:16 How Jeffrey’s Research Has Influenced His Behavior
59:06 The Price of Power

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Lee Cronin is Regius Chair of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow. Among his many pursuits are the digitization of chemistry, the discovery of alien life, and the creation of artificial life. Lee was most recently on the show for episode 264, in which he and Robinson and Lee discussed astrobiology, the chemistry of life as we know it, and the controversies surrounding artificial intelligence. In this follow-up conversation, they focused primarily on artificial intelligence, aliens, and assembly theory.

Lee’s Website: https://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/cronin/

Lee’s Twitter: https://x.com/leecronin

OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
01:01 AI or Aliens?
02:46 What Is Intelligence?
13:57 Are Autonomous Vehicles Intelligent?
21:39 Assembly Theory and the Origin of Life
28:23 Is ChatGPT Intelligent?
34:12 What Would Genuine Artificial Intelligence Really Look Like?
41:13 Are “AI Skills” Just Product Placement?
49:45 Are AI Actually Intelligent “Agents”?
56:21 Concluding Thoughts
59:16 Will Aliens Be Biological?
01:00:01 How Common Are Aliens in the Universe?
01:05:51 How Will Aliens Search for Life on Earth?
01:12:58 The Chemistry of Minds
01:17:10 The Biggest Myths About Aliens

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Annaka Harris is the New York Times bestselling author of CONSCIOUS: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind and writer and producer of the audio documentary series, LIGHTS ON. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Nautilus Magazine, the Journal of Consciousness Studies, and IAI Magazine. She is also an editor and consultant for science writers, specializing in neuroscience and physics. In this episode, Robinson and Annaka discuss panpsychism and the case that consciousness is fundamental. More particularly, they talk about complexity and emergence, the relationship between consciousness and physics, and artificial intelligence.

Lights On: https://a.co/d/cy8YTpd

Conscious: https://a.co/d/3uFZ2Jq

Annaka’s Website: https://annakaharris.com

OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
00:52 Annaka’s Obsession with Consciousness
06:09 How Should We Define Consciousness?
13:06 Why the Complexity Might Not Explain Consciousness
25:30 Is Consciousness Emergent or Fundamental?
29:45 Are Fundamentalia Conscious?
45:18 How Can Consciousness Solve Deep Problems of Physics?
52:14 Consciousness and Quantum Entanglement
01:00:11 Consciousness and the Many Worlds Theory of Quantum Mechanics
01:10:50 What Does an Electron Feel?
01:13:41 AI and Consciousness
01:22:42 Science and the Fundamentality of Consciousness

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.