Shows
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 128: Induction’s Immunizing StrategyIn this episode, Bruce explores his extended conversation with philosopher and inductivist Kieren, focusing on Kieren’s claim that Popper’s Critical Rationalism ultimately depends on induction.Bruce then makes a striking counter-claim: that Kieren’s entire argument amounts to stripping all substantive content from his “theory” of induction and turning it into an unfalsifiable concept—essentially a word game, a kind of argument-by-tautology designed to immunize the theory from criticism. Or put another way, Kieren is turning his theory into a concept because concepts are unfalsifiable.This leads Bruce into a...
2026-01-0658 minThe Theory of AnythingEpisode 127: Hofstadter vs Popper on ConceptsHere Bruce starts with Popper’s assertion that theories are 100x more valuable than concepts and compares it to Douglas Hofstadter’s ideas on creativity and consciousness. But if concepts matter so little, where do conjectures originate? Popper offers little on this point, yet Hofstadter’s view of the human mind as a system of self-referential feedback loops—able to bridge gaps that formal logic cannot—may provide a useful way to think about it.And while we’re at it, let’s poke at one of the CritRats’ sacred cows: is it actually the case that ob...
2025-12-3056 minThe Theory of AnythingEpisode 126: The Concept of ConceptsWhat is a concept? What is a theory? And was Karl Popper right when he said theories are “100 times more valuable” than concepts? But where do conjectures come from?We go over Popper's own writing about concepts and his explanation for why he feels they are less valuable than theories. Does this prove Bruce wrong from back in episode 112 where he claimed concepts are more valuable than words? What would Popper say?Support us on Patreon
2025-12-2337 minThe Theory of AnythingEpisode 124: Popper's Evolutionary Theory of Knowledgeaka "The Popper vs Campbell Beatdown!"At long last! The showdown you've all been waiting for! These two giants of epistemology meet in the ring and fight it out for dominance!Bruce continues his exploration of evolutionary epistemology, or the idea that all knowledge creation in nature is analogous to natural selection. Specifically, Bruce discusses how Karl Popper’s critical rationalism is—and is not—related to Donald Campbell’s concept of evolutionary epistemology, which it seems Popper mostly endorsed. But is Popper’s conjecture and refutation really the same as Campbell’s blind vari...
2025-12-091h 21The Theory of AnythingEpisode 123: Campbell vs Deutsch: Incremental vs Cosmic SignificanceBruce compares Donald Campbell’s evolutionary epistemology and David Deutsch’s ideas on infinite knowledge growth. What is knowledge growth? Is it a rare thing limited to only biological evolution and human ideas, as Deutsch seems to argue? (Does he argue that?) Or is it a ubiquitous process that happens all around us at all levels of nature as Campbell argues?Is knowledge created in human minds an incremental process, as Campbell might emphasize, based on blind variation and selection? Or as Deutsch might emphasize, is this a cosmically significant, open-ended process based on crea...
2025-12-0239 minThe Theory of AnythingEpisode 122: The Case Against Logical FallaciesIn this shorter episode Bruce takes a deep dive into logical fallacies. How useful are logical fallacies? Does pointing out a logical fallacy help correct errors? Does doing so make us more rational? Can we become more logical by avoiding ad hominem attacks, not straw-manning or appealing to authority, and avoiding slippery slopes? And is there a difference between a logical fallacy and a rational fallacy? If so, which is more important?Support us on Patreon
2025-11-251h 01The Theory of AnythingEpisode 121: BeliefsIn our previous episode covering Strevens' critique of Popper, we briefly touched on why Bruce believes it it a mistake for CritRats to say they don't believe in beliefs. This time Bruce takes a deep dive into beliefs -- and walks back his previous statement a bit. Do humans need beliefs? Are beliefs dangerous? What is the critical rationalist position on beliefs? What did Popper say? And can we even realistically live without beliefs?And along the way, Bruce criticizes "the disobedience criteria" as...
2025-11-182h 43The Theory of AnythingEpisode 120: Popper on TrialThis week Bruce puts Popper on trial. Specifically, through the lens of Michael Stevens’s book, The Knowledge Machine, which argues that science works because it follows the “iron law of explanation” where scientists must (at least in public) put aside philosophy, politics, and theology and only follow empirical evidence. Bruce asks, how compatible is this view with the epistemology of Karl Popper?And does Strevens' critique of Popper ring true? Or is it a strawman?
2025-11-111h 51The Theory of AnythingEpisode 116: The Knowledge MachineThis week Bruce take a deep critical rationalist dive into Michael Strevens’s book, The Knowledge Machine: How Irrationality Created Modern Science, which is an attempt to describe how science is a self-correcting system designed to create knowledge based on explanation. The book is somewhat critical of Popperian falsification, though the reading of Popper presented may be a superficial reading. Bruce describes how Strevens’s “iron rule of science” or the idea that we should settle science based on empirical tests overlaps with what Bruce calls “Popper’s ratchet,” or the idea th...
2025-09-162h 17The Theory of AnythingEpisode 115: Is Falsification Falsifiable?This week we consider: Is falsification falsifiable? Was Popper a “naive falsificationist”? Why do so many people think he was? (Including at least one of his own students!)Is falsification itself a philosophical theory that makes it immune from falsification? Does the Duhem-Quine problem, or the assertion that theory exist in an interwoven web of other theories, create a problem for falsification? What exactly is falsification anyhow? It's about showing that a theory is false, right? Right? Popper?Bruce cons...
2025-09-021h 55The Theory of AnythingEpisode 113: Evolution, Collective Minds, and Static SocietiesThis week Bruce takes a deep dive into anthropologist Joseph Henrich’s book: The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter.Bruce outlines Henrich's hypothesis that human evolution occurs at the level of culture as much as genes and that this collective mind may be far superior to any individual. Bruce considers ways this theory may or may not be consistent with David Deutsch’s ideas on static and dynamic societies. What we can learn about the details of life in a static society from...
2025-08-061h 30The Theory of AnythingEpisode 112: Words vs Concepts: Does 'Randomness' Exist?Bruce first explains the difference between arguing over concepts vs arguing over words. Then Bruce examines assertions about probability and randomness in the critical rationalist community. Why does David Deutsch insist that there is no such thing as 'randomness'? What does the many worlds interpretation really say about this? Is all 'randomness' really just pseudo-randomness? Is this really a conflict between concepts or just an argument over words?Support us on Patreon
2025-07-221h 12The Theory of AnythingEpisode 107: Was Popper a Fideist?Here we discuss fidesim and critical rationalism. Fideism has many definitions, but at least how we are thinking of it, it is the idea that something like faith has validity in the process of moving closer to truth through reason.Our starting point is a paper written by prominent Popperian Joseph Agassi about how William Bartley, another critical rationalist philosopher closely associated with Popper, had a falling out with Popper after he accused Popper of being a fideist, which Popper apparently did not consider a compliment. But was Bartley perhaps correct?
2025-05-131h 48The Theory of AnythingEpisode 106: Karl Popper and GodThis week we discuss a short interview with Karl Popper from 1969 where he discusses God and religion. Specifically, he makes a case for agnosticism, asserts that all men are religious, and discusses the problem of evil. We use this as a starting point to consider if we live in an inherently meaningful universe or one ruled by something like entropy. We discuss arguments for the former related to fine tuning, causation, and beauty.Bonus: Bruce proclaims himself one of those much hated Fideists! (A group disliked by both rationalists and religionists alike.)...
2025-04-291h 25The Theory of AnythingEpisode 105: Michael Levin's Unseen World of Cell CognitionThis week Bruce speaks about the work or Michael Levin, who is a biologist know for his work on cell cognition and collective intelligence or the idea that electrical signals between cells influence the formation of biological systems. His work has potentially massive implications in cancer research and other fields. Though rarely identified with 3rd way evolution, his work has more than a passing similarity to it. Like 3rd way evolutionists, he seeks to expand evolutionary theory beyond the alleged reductionism of a gene-centric or neo-Darwinian approach. Presumably, these bioelectric effects could be considered a kind of...
2025-04-081h 51The Theory of AnythingEpisode 104: 3rd Way Evolution vs the CriticsHow well do the collection of assertions called “3rd way evolution” stand up to criticism? Here, in our second of at least 3 episodes on this topic, Bruce considers the criticisms of Denis Noble and James Shapiro by YouTuber and evolutionary biologist Zach Hancock in his epic video on the subject. Perhaps the role of epigenetics is overstated, Lamarckism is not back, and neo-Darwinism is not dead after all.Support us on Patreon
2025-03-181h 57The Theory of AnythingEpisode 103: Neo-Darwinism vs Post-DarwinismThis week we discuss neo-Darwinism vs post-Darwinism. Neo-Darwinism meaning a gene centric view of evolution, which is also called the great synthesis since it unifies natural selection with genetics and paleontology and perhaps even human psychology. Post-Darwinism is a view that emphasizes factors outside random mutation, like epigenetics or the assertion that organisms and cells can alter their own genome in a beneficial way. Here Bruce specifically concentrates on the work of biologist James Shapiro’s critical look at Richard Dawkins’ neo-Darwinism.We consider, does it really make sense to see our bodies and minds as t...
2025-02-251h 53The Theory of AnythingEpisode 101: Wolfram, Rucker, and the Computational Nature of RealityBruce takes a deep dive into Stephen Wolfram’s ideas regarding computational universality, which may go further than the Church-Turing-Deutsch thesis in that Wolfram’s theories imply that all of nature could be simulated even by relatively simple systems, so even nature itself may be computational rather than something that can just be simulated on a turning machine or quantum computer. Stephen Wolfram is a renowned physicist, computer scientists, and entrepreneur. Bruce also talks about the related ideas on philosophy of computation promoted by Rudy Rucker, who is a mathematician, computer scientist, and science fict...
2025-01-142h 16The Theory of AnythingEpisode 100: Interview with David DeutschOur Christmas gift to you this year is episode 100: an interview with The Man (TM) himself!
Bruce stumbles over himself fan-boying as he asks all his burning (but geeky) questions about cosmology, the omega point, and probability. How do Deutsch and Tipler differ on optimistic end-time cosmology? Is the Omega point refuted by observation (Deutsch) or not (Tipler)? Does heat death contradict the principle of optimism? Is it a bummer? Does stochasticity really not exist? And is it rational to wear a mask during COVID? How do you apply epistemology to a question like that when you...
2024-12-232h 27The Theory of AnythingEpisode 99: Critical Rationalism and SolipsismAKA "David Deutsch DESTORYS the Simulation Hypothesis"
Bruce take a deep dive into solipsism in the form of the brain in a vat thought experiment, Nick Bostrom’s simulation hypothesis, and related ideas. Does the Church-Turing-Deutsch thesis suggest we could live in a simulation? What does critical rationalism say about these theories?
Support us on Patreon
2024-12-161h 31The Theory of AnythingEpisode 97: Karl Popper On Conservatism in Music (w/Chris Johansen)We take a deep dive into Karl Popper’s philosophical ideas about music that he outlines in four chapters in this intellectual autobiography Unended Quest:
“Music,”
Speculations about the Rise of Polyphonic Music,”
“Two Kinds of Music,” and
“Progressivism in Art, Especially in Music.”
We are joined by Peter’s brother, Chris Johansen, who is a straight-ahead jazz tenor saxophonist living in NYC.
We discuss how Popper’s ideas on classical music intersect with Chris’s ideas on jazz, as well as the role of conservatism in music. We examine how Popper’s thinking on music influenced his conce...
2024-11-121h 31The Theory of AnythingEpisode 96: Kenneth Stanley on the Pursuit of What’s InterestingHere we interview AI researcher Kenneth Stanley, who makes the case that in complex systems, pursing specific objectives can actually be counterproductive. Instead, whether in machine learning, business, science, education, or art, we should pursue what is interesting. It is in this search for novelty—fueled by curiosity—where innovation and open-ended knowledge creation occurs.
Get Ken's book!
Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective
Also:
Can Bruce find a counter example to Ken's thesis?
How does one 'detect novelty' using an algorithm?
Is creativity really a search algo...
2024-10-291h 28The Theory of AnythingEpisode 93: Philosophical Theories vs Bad ExplanationsCan philosophical theories be refuted? What is a bad explanation? Can all theories be made more empirical?
In search of an answer to these questions, Bruce takes a deep dive into what he believes is the correct way to apply “Popper’s ratchet” to metaphysical or philosophical theories. Along the way, Bruce puts forward a generalization of testability he calls “checkability” and explains why “vague-maning” our theories is “worse than dogmatism.”
2024-09-172h 07The Theory of AnythingEpisode 92: Popper on Philosophical TheoriesContinuing from episode 91, we continue our deep dive into Popper's Conjectures and Refutations Chapter 8 where Popper explains how to use his epistemology on philosophical theories that (by definition) can't be 'refuted'.
Despite agreeing with most of Popper's specific arguments, we offer some considerable criticisms to Popper's approach to criticizing philosophical theories -- particularly to Popper's criticisms of the theory of Determinism which is a 'best theory' by any fair standard but Popper (incorrectly) thought was false.
Bruce argues that Popper's approach in C&R Ch. 8 is problematic because it...
2024-09-031h 55The Theory of AnythingEpisode 91: The Critical Rationalist Case For Induction!?Forgive the clickbait title. The episode should probably actually be called "The (Lack of) Problem of Induction" because we primarily cover Popper's refutation of induction in C&R Chapter 8.
This episode starts our deep dive into answering the question "What is the difference between a good philosophical explanation and a bad explanation?"
To answer that question we go over Karl Popper's "On the Status of Science and of Metaphysics" from his book Conjectures and Refutations Chapter 8. In this chapter Popper first explains why he believes 'there is no such...
2024-08-201h 45The Theory of AnythingEpisode 88: The Myth of the ObjectiveHere Bruce reflects on AI researcher Kenneth Stanley’s assertion that setting specific, measurable goals may actually hinder discovery and innovation, which he writes about in his book, Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective. How does Stanley’s insight relate to critical rationalism, education, and life in general?
We cover topics including:
Why are objective sometimes misleading?
When are objectives appropriate and when are they misleading?
How did Stanley and his team discover the problems with objectives?
How does this relate to the problem of open-endedness?
How did he impl...
2024-06-251h 25The Theory of AnythingEpisode 87: Is the Universal Explainer Hypothesis Falsifiable?Is the universal explainer hypothesis falsifiable? How does the concept of universality relate to human minds? Is anything truly beyond human comprehension? And how would you frame universality as an interesting topic at a party?
This week we also feature a guest, Dan Gish, a fellow traveler Bruce has connected with on Twitter. Dan (on Twitter) had questions about if the incomprehensibility of LLMs refuted the universal explainer hypothesis. This was Bruce's attempt to give him an honest answer to Dan's questions.
Follow us on Twitter.
2024-06-112h 06
Increments#68 - Libertarianism IV: Political Issues (w/ Bruce Nielson)The final part in a series which has polarized the nation. We tackle -- alongside Bruce Nielson as always -- the remaining part of Scott's FAQ: Political Issues. Can the government get anything right? Has Scott strawmanned the libertarian argument in this section? Is libertarianism an economic theory, a political theory, a metaphysical theory, or a branch of physics? And what do Milton and Ludwig have to say about all this? Warning: we get a little meta with this one...
We discuss
Is the government effective at doing anything?
What's the use of thinking counterfactually?
Is...
2024-05-301h 50The Theory of AnythingEpisode 86: Fuzzy Categories, Essentialism, and Epistemology (Hofstadter Part 2)How do humans form 'fuzzy categories'? How does this all relate to essentialism? Is essentialism false? Or is it partially true? And how does this all relate to Critical Rationalism?
Picking up where we left off last week, Bruce gets
deeper into Douglas Hofstadter’s ideas on language and the mind and his assertion that “analogy-making lies at the heart of intelligence.”
Bruce considers how Hofstadter’s theories may be interwoven with ideas on language and cognition promoted by Steven Pinker in "How the Mind Works" along with, as usual, the epistemology of Karl Popper and David Deutsch...
2024-05-281h 42The Theory of AnythingEpisode 85: Critical Rationalism and Douglas Hofstadter (Part 1)This is the first of our two part series (that may or may not be released back-to-back) where Bruce delves into the work Douglas Hofstadter, specifically the book Surfaces and Essences. We consider what is the relationship—if there is any—between critical rationalism and Hofstadter's idea that analogy is a core mechanism of human cognition. Is it fair to criticize Hofstadter's ideas as being inductivism in disguise? Could something like what Hofstadter suggests (i.e. analogy) be central to human consciousness and creation of AGI?
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bnielson01
2024-05-141h 49
Increments#67 - Libertarianism III: Social Issues (w/ Bruce Nielson)Have you ever wanted to be more rich? Have you considered just working a bit harder? Welcome to part III of our libertarian series, where we discuss Part B: Social Issues of Scott Alexander's Anti-Libertarian FAQ, which critiques the libertarian view that if you're rich, you deserve it, and if you're poor, well, you deserve that too. As always, the estimable Bruce Nielson (@bnielson) helps guide is through the thorny wicket of libertarian thought.
We discuss
Do the poor deserve to be poor? Waddabout the rich?
Is dogmatism ever a good thing?
Is social mobility determined...
2024-05-091h 45The Theory of AnythingEpisode 84: Are Video Games Harmful to Children?Here we discuss a 1992 interview with David Deutsch where he makes the case that video games are inherently educational, not addictive, and that children should not be stopped from playing as much as they want. We contrast the view of humans, science, and knowledge promoted there by David Deutsch with the more pessimistic view of thinkers such as Jonathan Haidt today. Bruce and Peter reflect on their own mixed feelings on this issue both as critical rationalists and parents.
David Deutsch on video games:
https://takingchildrenseriously.com/video-games-a-unique-educational-environment/
Peter briefly quotes from this recent article...
2024-04-301h 27The Theory of AnythingEpisode 83: Popper's Second Axis (aka Bruce's Epistemology?)Bruce summarizes his (unique?) understanding of Karl Popper’s epistemology that (possibly?) straddles the line between orthodox and unorthodox and is Influenced both by Deutsch, more old school Popperians, and his own unique interpretation of critical rationalism.
Bruce claims that the key difference between regular "folk epistemology" (i.e. how humans reason without a correct understanding of epistemology) and "Popper's epistemology" (aka "Critical Rationalism" or the correct epistemology) is due to Popper's epistemology having a 'second axis' that regular folk epistemology entirely lacks. This 'second axis' is rooted in a choice to make your theories bold and risky by ma...
2024-04-152h 01The Theory of AnythingEpisode 82: Popper's RatchetIn an episode that may (or may not) be his magnum opus, Bruce introduces his term for Karl Popper’s idea that you are only allowed to solve problems with your (scientific) theory by making it more empirical, not less empirical.
Bruce makes the case that this is one of Karl Popper’s least appreciated ideas, as all of us are tempted by ad hoc saves that move our ideas in the direction of vagueness.
Bruce also considers where conjectures come from and if Popper thought there existed a scientific method.
2024-04-021h 53
Increments#65 - Libertarianism II: Economic Issues (w/ Bruce Nielson)Back at it again, as we coerce you into listening to Part 2 of our four part series on Libertarianism, with Mr. Bruce Nielson (@bnielson01). In this episode we cover the Economic Issues section of Scott Alexander's (non-aggressive and principled) non-libertarian FAQ, and discuss his four major economic critiques of the libertarian view that free and voluntary trade between consenting, informed, rational individuals is the best possible thing ever, with no downsides at all. Also, can we interest you in buying some wasps?
We discuss
Loose ends from last episode - coercion and the Non-Aggression Principle
What...
2024-03-281h 33The Theory of AnythingEpisode 81: Easy to Varyness vs Ad HocnessBruce sympathetically critiques David Deutsch’s concept of “easy to varyness” as a way to judge our explanations.
Are our best theories about reality truly hard to vary? Bruce makes the case that Popper’s concept of “ad hocness” may be a strangely interwoven concept.
Along the way we get deeper into whether Popperian epistemology is best seen as an attitude or a methodology.
2024-03-192h 14
Increments#64 - Libertarianism I: Intro and Moral Issues (w/ Bruce Nielson)Liberty! Freedom! Coercion! Taxes are theft! The State is The Enemy! Bitcoin! Crypto! Down with the central banks! Let's all return to the Gold Standard!
Have you encountered such phrases in the wild? Confused, perhaps, as to why an afternoon beer with a friend become an extended diatribe against John Maynard Kaynes? Us too, which is why we're diving into the ideological source of such views: Libertarianism.
Welcome to Part 1 of a four part series where we, with Bruce Nielson (@bnielson01) as our battle-hardened guide, dive into Scott Alexander's non-libertarian FAQ. Ought George help, or...
2024-03-071h 52The Theory of AnythingEpisode 80: Knowledge vs. Simul-KnowledgeBruce wraps up his epic 6 part series on knowledge and the 'two sources hypothesis' (i.e. Deutsch's theory that all 'knowledge' comes from only two sources: Biological evolution and human minds).
What happens if we take all the non-two sources examples of 'adapted information that cause itself to remain so' (e.g. the walking robot, the immune system, trade secrets, animal learning, animal memes, etc.) and give them their own theory distinct from the theory of 'knowledge'? Sort of like a theory of "a simulacrum of knowledge" (to uses Deutsch's own term) or "Simul-Knowledge"...
2024-03-041h 44The Theory of AnythingEpisode 79: Perspiration vs InspirationIs human creativity algorithmic? What is the difference between an Inspiration and a perspiration algorithm? Can mechanical processes ever create knowledge? What is the relationship between creativity and explanation? If we had the 'inspiration' algorithm today, would it use perspiration? Here Bruce continues his exploration of these issues and more.
2024-02-261h 31The Theory of AnythingEpisode 77: Counter Examples To Deutsch's Theory of Knowledge?Bruce continues to consider what our best theories tell us about knowledge. Is there something special (or even physically different) about the knowledge created by nature through biological evolution and human minds (i.e. the 'two sources hypothesis')? How should we think about knowledge created in human minds that could take us to the moon and beyond or divert an asteroid? Is it physically different from the kind of adapted information created by animals or the immune system? Or does it merely a broader and deeper search for solutions?
Along the way, he delves into machine learning...
2024-02-121h 35The Theory of AnythingEpisode 76: The Constructor Theory of KnowledgeIn the previous episode, Bruce pointed out an apparent contradiction between Deutsch's criteria for knowledge as 'adapted information that causes itself to remain so' and his example of the 'walking robot algorithm' which is a case of adapted information causing itself to remain so but that Deutsch doesn't consider to be knowledge.
This time we consider if we can eliminate the 'walking robot algorithm' from being considered 'knowledge' using Deutsch's and Marletto's Constructor Theory of Knowledge.
Does the Constructor Theory of Knowledge save the 'two sources hypothesis'? (i.e. the hypothesis that there are only...
2024-02-051h 18
Increments#62 (Bonus) - The Principle of Optimism (Vaden on the Theory of Anything Podcast)Vaden has selfishly gone on vacation with his family, leaving beloved listeners to fend for themselves in the wide world of epistemological confusion. To repair some of the damage, we're releasing an episode of The Theory of Anything Podcast from last June in which Vaden contributed to a roundtable discussion on the principle of optimism. Featuring Bruce Nielson, Peter Johansen, Sam Kuypers, Hervé Eulacia, Micah Redding, Bill Rugolsky, and Daniel Buchfink. Enjoy!
From The Theory of Anything Podcast description: Are all evils due to a lack of knowledge? Are all interesting problems soluble? ALL the problems, really?!?! A...
2024-02-012h 45The Theory of AnythingEpisode 75: Deutsch's Theory of Knowledge: The Walking RobotWhat is the “two sources hypothesis,” or the idea that there exist only two sources of knowledge in the known universe: Darwinian natural selection and human minds? Does a “genetic programming algorithm” used to make a robot walk create knowledge?
Thus begins our deep dive into Deutsch's Theory of Knowledge and particularly his "Two Source Hypothesis."
Bruce hints that this is leading towards an investigation into the difference between a non-testable (or philosophical) explanation and a bad explanation as our series on knowledge continues.
2024-01-291h 09The Theory of AnythingEpisode 74: The Problem of Open-EndednessWhat is the “problem of open-endedness”? Bruce explores how what might sound like an esoteric machine-learning issue may actually be interwoven with our deepest theories on evolution, human consciousness, and knowledge creation.
Also included: Bruce's guide to how NOT to argue with a Creationist.
References:
Kenneth Stanley's article: "Open-endedness: The last grand challenge you’ve never heard of"
The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch
Probably Approximately Correct: Nature's Algorithms for Learning and Prospering in a Complex World by Leslie Valiant
2024-01-151h 28
Increments#60 - Creativity and Computational Universality (with Bruce Nielson)Today we [finally] have on someone who actually knows what they're actually talking about: Mr. Bruce Nielson of the excellent Theory of Anything Podcast. We bring him on to straighten us out on the topics of creativity, machine intelligence, Turing machines, and computational universality - We build upon our previous conversation way back in Ask Us Anything I: Computation and Creativity, and suggest listening to that episode first.
Go follow Bruce on twitter (https://twitter.com/bnielson01) and check out his Theory of Anything Podcast here.
(Also Vaden's audio was acting up a bit in...
2024-01-041h 58The Theory of AnythingEpisode 68: Caldwell's "Clarifying Popper"Bruce Caldwell (a scholar interested in Popper and Hayek) wrote a long paper in the Journal of Economic Literature (March 1991) called 'Clarifying Popper'. In this episode, Bruce Nielson summarizes and discusses Caldwell’s paper on how Popper’s ideas could be applied to economics. How well did Bruce Caldwell do in his goal of clarifying Popper's epistemology?
Out next episode is another interview with Brian Boutwell and we discuss this paper a few times. So this summary will help those that don't have access to it.
Copy of Bruce Caldwell's "Clarifying Popper"
2023-10-3051 minThe Theory of AnythingEpisode 65: Causality, Time, and Free WillWhat did David Deutsch get right and wrong in chapter 11, “Time: The First Quantum Concept,” from his first book, Fabric of Reality? Is the flow of time real or an illusion? What does it mean to have free will in a deterministic world? And what are the implications of Bruce’s “Turing world within a Turing world” thought experiment?
2023-09-181h 58The Theory of AnythingEpisode 60: Learning, Work, and Art in the Age of ChatGPTWe interview Bruce’s nephew, Brendon Nielson, who is a well-known electronic music artist under the name Dvddy. We discuss how he uses AI as a tool to create music and how this technology is changing how we work and learn. Could AI liberate us from menial labor and education? Along the way, Cameo makes an AI-generated comic book about David Deutsch.
2023-07-031h 37The Theory of AnythingEpisode 59: The Principle of Optimism (Round Table Discussion)A deep dive into David Deutsch’s “principle of optimism” featuring Sam Kuypers, Vaden Masrani, Hervé Eulacia, Micah Redding, Bill Rugolsky, and Daniel Buchfink. (Plus, of course, Peter and Bruce).
Are all evils due to a lack of knowledge? Are all interesting problems soluble? ALL the problems, really?!?! And what exactly is meant by interesting?
Also, should “good guys” ignore the precautionary principle, and do they always win? What is the difference between cynicism, pessimism, and skepticism? And why is pessimism so attractive to so many humans?
2023-06-122h 45
Bird Banter with Boreal BruceVisitor Centre Grand Opening!Boreal Bruce expertly conducts interviews with distinguished guests, supporters, and organizers during the grand opening of the Hillardton Marsh Visitor Centre. Additionally, immerse yourself in the captivating sounds from the bird banding table, where seasoned bird bander Rae Xamin takes the stage.Guests:Kate BelmoreStacy UtasSue NielsenMark MiltonEthan QuintonBird Bander:Rae XaminRecorded and Edited by Benjamin MacPherson
2023-06-1141 min
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 58: Deutsch's "Creative Blocks": A Decade LaterBack in 2012, David Deutsch wrote an article called "Creative Blocks: How Close are we to Creating Artificial Intelligence?" This article inspired Bruce to go back to school and study Artificial Intelligence and get a Master's degree in the field.
A decade later, a lot has changed in the field of AI, and the field has never seemed so exciting. But are we really any closer to the goal of true universal intelligence?
We take a look back at the article and assess it from the vantage point of what we know now, a decade later...
2023-05-222h 02
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 57: Quantum Immortality / Quantum TormentDoes every one of us live forever in the multiverse? Is death a solvable problem? What is “quantum suicide”? Is quantum torment a concern? Does every fantastical thing we can imagine occur somewhere in the multiverse? What are “Harry Potter universes? Are we Boltzmann brains? Bruce, Cameo, and Peter consider these questions in this week’s episode.
Image from jupiterimages on Freeimages.com
2023-05-011h 03
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 54: Computational and Explanatory Universality (IQ part 2)In this episode, we continue our discussion of Dwarkesh Patel's article "Contra David Deutsch on AI" compared to Brett Hall's tweet on IQ theory. This time we concentrate on criticisms of Patel's Hardware+Scaling hypothesis. To Patel's credit, he admits that his hypothesis is problematic.
Then Peter asks Bruce about why Brett Hall believes explanatory universality implies 'equal intellectual capacity'. Bruce gives a steelmanned version of Brett's theory that takes us through an explanation of what explanatory universality is and how it relates to computational universality and the Turing Principle.
2023-03-132h 09
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 48: Genetics and Universality (part 2): How Our Genes Coerce UsHow do we square genetically influenced mental disorders with the theory of explanatory universality?
In a previous episode, Tracy asked Bruce how to reconcile her experience with mental disorders, like narcissism, with the idea of Universal Explainers. This is part 2 of that discussion.
In the last episode, Bruce introduced the idea that emotions and feelings aren't the same as ideas and go back to an earlier point in our evolutionary history. The genes then use our feelings to try to coerce us or encourage us via pleasures and pain.
Bruce completes his list o...
2022-07-121h 42The Theory of AnythingEpisode 47: Genetics and Universality (part 1): How Our Genes Influence UsHow do we square genetically influenced mental disorders with the theory of explanatory universality?
In our last episode, Tracy asked Bruce how to reconcile her experience with mental disorders, like narcissism, with the idea of Universal Explainers. In this episode, Bruce does his best to tease out an answer. (While admitting that we can't answer her entirely--yet.)
In "The Beginning of Infinity", David Deutsch offers some solid criticisms of current experiments to determine how much of a personality trait is 'heritable.' This has led some of his fans to take his ideas to some e...
2022-06-271h 41The Theory of AnythingEpisode 44: Clarifying David Deutsch's Views of "Knowledge"Bruce had a chance to talk to David Deutsch and ask him questions about his views of knowledge to clarify if he disagreed with Popper and Campbell about what is considered knowledge. Bruce took notes and in this episode reports back on what he learned.
2022-05-091h 17
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 42: Popper without Refutation & Resolving the Problems of Refutation (part 2)Over the years Bruce collected a series of 'problems' with the Popperian concept of refutation. Or so he thought. A chance encounter with Popper scholar Danny Frederick led to him re-evaluating Popper's writings and realizing that Popper sometimes uses terms (such as 'refutation', 'falsification', and even 'theory') in idiosyncratic ways that aren't quite how most people would understand those terms. This leads to both Popper's opponent and fans alike sometimes misreading him. It turns out that the 'problems of refutation' that many philosophers cite as disproof of Popper are actually due to misunderstanding Popper due to his specialized vocabulary.
2022-03-281h 44
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 41: The Problems of Refutation & Popper Without Refutation (part 1)Over the years Bruce collected a series of 'problems' with the Popperian concept of refutation. Or so he thought. A chance encounter with Popper scholar Danny Frederick led to him re-evaluating Popper's writings and realizing that Popper sometimes uses terms (such as 'refutation', 'falsification', and even 'theory') in idiosyncratic ways that aren't quite how most people would understand those terms. This leads to both Popper's opponent and fans alike sometimes misreading him. It turns out that the 'problems of refutation' that many philosophers cite as disproof of Popper are actually due to misunderstanding Popper due to his specialized vocabulary.
2022-03-131h 08
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 40: Byrne vs Deutsch on Animal IntelligenceIn this (mostly) standalone episode, we cover how Deutsch and Byrne each interpret Byrne's theory differently. Deutsch emphasizes the micro-level actions and gestures of great apes and the clear lack of understanding of what each gesture does. Byrne emphasizes the macro-level and the flexible intelligence required to come up with a program of action to accomplish a novel goal. Byrne's theory of 'animal insight' makes specific testable claims. To Byrne, great apes (especially Chimps) can 'think.' His theory says that animal insight was a necessary precursor to human insight and that humans utilize both kinds. If he's right...
2022-02-141h 13
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 39: Byrne's Methodology for Discovering Animal Insight (part 3)Richard Byrne has spent his whole career trying to determine when animals learned to 'think.' We discuss Richard Byrne's methodology for determining which animals have what he calls 'insight' (the ability to utilize mental models) and why his methodology is awesomely Popperian. Then we go over many examples of animal behavior that can't be explained via genetic programming or trial-and-error learning. We also compare machine learning and animal intelligence and why animal intelligence is beyond our current machine learning capabilities.
Links:
Richard Byrne's book Evolving Insight: How it is we can think about why things h...
2022-01-241h 29
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 38: Animal Learning and Popper's Epistemology (part 2)Karl Popper has a radical theory of 'dualistic evolution' where behavior had to evolve first before physical evolutionary changes could be taken advantage of. As part of his theory, Popper pointed out that an animal's ability to learn would be paramount to making evolution work at all -- similar to the Baldwin effect discussed in the last episode, but now for physical adaptions. This means evolution would have had intense pressure to evolve learning algorithms early in the evolutionary tree.
As it turns out, Richard Byrne's work largely corroborates Popper's theory of dualistic evolution. Nearly all animals s...
2022-01-031h 32
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 37: Animal Intelligence and Knowledge Creation (part 1)How intelligent are animals?
In this episode, we introduce our series on animal intelligence rooted primarily in the research of Richard Byrne. Richard Byrne (mentioned in Beginning of Infinity) is a first-class Popperian researcher (though he doesn't realize it).
We first talk about how Bruce got interested in this subject after reading Fabric of Reality (but before reading Beginning of Infinity) and how animal intelligence is at once beyond anything we know how to program but also unbelievably unintelligent at times. We consider how the Pseudo-Deutsch Theory of Knowledge has misled the Deutsch fan community...
2021-12-131h 31The Theory of AnythingEpisode 36: Failure is an Option!In this episode, we discuss the value of failure and how businesses have yet to fully embrace the Popperian notion that we learn from our failures, so we should want to fail more, not less.
2021-11-291h 08
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 35: Physics and Relationalism: An Interview with Julian BarbourSadia, in her four episodes on unsolved problems in physics (first episode here), was clearly heavily inspired by the work of Julian Barbour. So we invited Julian to join us for an episode and got a chance to ask him questions about his theories. Julian is a world-renowned physicist and author of several books on physics including The Janus Point, The End of Time, and The Discovery of Dynamics. His theories include a challenge to the prevailing theory of entropy (i.e. heat death) and even hint at possible apparent teleology in cosmology (in this case a tendency towards n...
2021-11-151h 54
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 34: Alpha Go and CreativityWhen Alpha Go beat Lee Sedol, the world Go champion, it came up with creative new moves never previously seen before and even invented a whole new style of play unknown to humans. IBM's Deep Blue, the champion chess algorithm, failed to do either of these. What was the difference?
In this podcast, we review Alpha Go the Movie. Warning: Spoilers abound! Please go watch the movie first! This is an excellent movie.
Bruce (using his admittedly thin knowledge of reinforcement learning) explains how Alpha Go works (using the m...
2021-11-011h 15The Theory of AnythingEpisode 33: Unsolved Problems in Physics Part 4 - Possible Solutions and CriticismsWe wrap up our discussion with Sadia Naeem covering possible solutions and criticisms of those solutions.
2021-10-181h 09The Theory of AnythingEpisode 32: Unsolved Problems in Physics Part 3 - Symmetry and NoveltySadia Naeem continues the discussion about unsolved problems in physics. This time we talk about (among many other things) symmetry and novelty.
2021-10-041h 27The Theory of AnythingEpisode 31: Unsolved Problems in Physics Part 2 - Clocks, Blocks, and EternalismSadia Naeem joins us again, this time to explain clocks, block universes, and eternalism.
2021-09-201h 07The Theory of AnythingEpisode 30: Unsolved Problems in Physics Part 1 - The Mystery of TimeSadia Naeem joins us to discuss her own research and musings into the problems and mystery presented by time.
2021-09-061h 10
Rapid Idea ImprovementEpisode 100 - Bruce Nielson on the 4 strands of "The Fabric of Reality" (book by David Deutsch)Bruce Nielson (@bnielson01) explains the 4 strands of the Fabric of Reality by David Deutsch (@DavidDeutschOxf)
The 4 strands contain our 4 deepest theories about reality:
The theory of evolution - (specifically the neo-Darwinian theory of evolution / Richard Dawkins refinement of Darwinian theory of evolution): how life evolves, how we can explain how species look like and behave, and how they came to look the way they look
The theory of epistemology - (specifically Karl Poppers epistemology of critical rationalism): the theory about knowledge. What it is, how is grows, how we use knowledge etc etc
Quantum theory (specifically...
2021-08-301h 29
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 29: The Marvel[ous] TV ShowsIn this episode Cameo, Tracy, and Bruce geek out over how good the Marvel TV shows are and how much they really get right. Spoilers abound, so be warned.
2021-08-2358 min
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 28: Reinforcement Learning and Q-LearningReinforcement Learning is a machine learning algorithm that is a 'general purpose learner' (with certain important caveats). It generated a lot of excitement with its stunning victory of Alpha Go against Lee Sedol the world Go champion.
In this podcast, we go over the theory of reinforcement learning and how it works to solve any Markov Decision Problem (MDP).
This episode will be particularly useful for Georgia Tech OMSCS students taking classes that deal with Reinforcement Learning (ML4T, ML, RL) as we briefly explain the mathematics of how it works and show some simple exam...
2021-08-091h 23
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 27: Chiara Marletto and Constructor TheoryIn this episode, we interview Chiara Marletto about her recent book The Science of Can and Can't: A Physicist's Journey Through the Land of Counterfactuals as well as discussing Constructor Theory in general and how it might help us form a new mode of explanation in physics. We ask her some tough questions about constructor theory and she fields the questions very well.
For those interested in q-numbers vs real numbers, see Sam Kupyer's lecture on our Youtube channel.
Follow us on Twitter.
Check out our blog.
2021-07-261h 28
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 26: Is Universal Darwinism the Sole Source of Knowledge Creation?Donald Campbell made the bold prediction that all expansions of knowledge will be found to require the Universal Darwinism algorithm of variation and selection. In this episode, we're going to test that prediction and see if it holds up against what we currently know about Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
For example, does (apparent) knowledge created by Gradient Descent require variation and selection? Or is it really and truly inductive? Or does it just fail to create knowledge at all despite clearly creating improvements?
Ultimately, we'll find that Machine Lear...
2021-07-121h 24
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 25: Universal Darwinism - Does Artificial Intelligence Create Knowledge?In The Beginning of Infinity, David Deutsch claimed that no existing evolutionary algorithm has yet created knowledge. But Karl Popper and Donald Campbell beg to differ and have argued that knowledge-creating evolutionary algorithms are ubiquitous, common, and easy to implement. Who is right?
In this episode, we look at both arguments and assess them using Popper's epistemology. And along the way, we'll define the minimum requirements for an evolutionary algorithm (aka Universal Darwinism), explore what knowledge-creation is and then, finally, we'll attempt to answer the question of whether or not existing Artificial Intelligence algorithms c...
2021-06-2855 min
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 24: What is Artificial Intelligence?The popular media confuses Artificial Intelligence and Artificial General Intelligence. All the progress is in the first while all the interest is in the second. But what is Artificial Intelligence? In this episode, we explain the umbrella term and its subfields. Plus we introduce how Artificial Intelligence actually ties to all four of David Deutsch's four strands. That makes it an exciting field all of its own even though it's not a path to AGI.
Youtube video with optional visuals
2021-06-1456 minThe Theory of AnythingEpisode 23: Many Worlds Quantum MechanicsMany Worlds Quantum Mechanics is the only current explanation we have of quantum physics. Yet most scientists today still prefer to not have an explanation at all rather than accept it.
Sam Kuypers joins us to discuss his paper "Everettian relative states in the Heisenberg picture" that he co-authored with David Deutsch. He explains why the Heisenberg picture of quantum physics lends itself naturally to a local many worlds view of quantum physics.
Also, we discuss if King Arthur could possibly be both real and fictional at the same ti...
2021-05-311h 12The Theory of AnythingEpisode 22: Avoiding Self Coercion Through Intuitive Eating"Intuitive Eating (A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach)" by RDN Evelyn Tribole and RDN Elyse Resch is a book about how to use the natural signals in your body instead of a self coercive diet. It's a strong example of what David Deutsch calls "The Fun Criteria" where you align the implicit information in your mind and body rather than coerce yourself because 'you know it's what's best.' Julene Nielson joins us to compare her experience with dieting vs the Intuitive Eating program.
Also, we discuss the fact that recipes are hard-to-vary yet also parochial.
2021-05-1751 minThe Theory of AnythingEpisode 21: Evolution Outside the GenomeIn this episode, we discuss how the work of Michael Levine intersects with the work of Raymond and Denise Noble's as well as Donald Campbell's. Levine recently did a TED talk on how the bioelectrical system between the cells is itself an evolutionary error correction process that determines the phenotype. This is a strong example of both Campbell's 'hierarchy of evolution' and the Noble's "purposiveness" in evolution where one level of the evolutionary hierarchy can cause levels below to teleologically evolve towards a purpose. The Noble's claim this refutes the classical formulation of Neo-Darwinism which they say is gene-centric...
2021-05-0356 minThe Theory of AnythingEpisode 20: Command and Control Business LeadershipOur discussion with Bart Vanderhaegen finishes with a discussion about why businesses prefer to tell their employees what to do and why this is preferred to chaos. Yet if they want to survive in the modern era, this is no longer the best way to lead your company because it doesn't lead to knowledge creation.
We also discuss the difference between a good and a bad compromise as well as male and female stereotypes in business. And should math tests be timed? Or is that just sexist? Enquiring minds want to know.
2021-04-151h 07The Theory of AnythingEpisode 19: Why Don't Businesses Emphasize Error Correction?Bruce, Cameo, and Bart Vanderhaegen continue their conversation about implementing Karl Popper's theory of knowledge in a work environment. In this episode, Bart continues to explain his company's process. We also discuss why Karl Popper's philosophy is so little known and why, even when good error correction processes come along (like Agile Development), it's more an accident than intentional when Popperian epistemology gets worked into the business environment.
And, for the first time ever, I discuss "Neo-Popperian" epistemology. Is that even really a thing?
If you are enjoying this sh...
2021-04-011h 36The Theory of AnythingEpisode 18: Idea Development through Error CorrectionBruce and Cameo talk to Bart Vanderhaegen about how his consulting company, Pactify, implements Karl Popper's epistemology in a work environment. His process involves generating new ideas at any level of the organization and then developing those ideas via error correction until they solve the problem in an optimal way.
If you are enjoying this show, please retweet us and give us a 5-Star Review.
Follow us on Twitter
2021-03-151h 03The Theory of AnythingEpisode 17: Shiri's Scissor: Polarization and PoliticsPolitical polarization is dangerously on the rise. People feel uncomfortable speaking out so they seek comfortable echo chambers that reinforce their views, making them even less capable of interacting with alternative opinions.
In this episode Cameo and Bruce talk about the fictional story "Shiri's Scissor" which is about a machine learning algorithm that creates polarization. When the algorithm accidentally escapes into the wild it polarizes the nation and starts to destroy it. The story strikes all too close to reality at times due to the role machine learning played in creating our polarized environment on social media a...
2021-03-011h 15
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 16: Radical Candor - How to Give Effective CriticismKarl Popper's philosophy is often heavily associated with the concept of "criticism." But most people don't react well to criticism. Why is that? Should you just give criticism whether people want to hear it or not?
Kim Scott's book "Radical Candor" answers this question with some surprising answers. In part 1 we went over the motivations for and basic framework for Scott's approach. In this episode, we get into the details of how to set up a culture of criticism that will be actually effective.
Follow us on Twitter
Youtube version with optional visuals...
2021-02-151h 00
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 15: Radical Candor - Giving Criticism In a Business EnvironmentKarl Popper's philosophy is often summarized as "Conjecture and Refutation." It's also heavily associated with the concept of "criticism." But most people don't react well to criticism. Why is that? Should you just give criticism whether people want to hear it or not?
Kim Scott's book "Radical Candor" answers this question with some surprising answers. She argues that the most effective kind of criticism is compassionate criticism and that the way to create a culture of criticism is to start with simply seeking it yourself from your subordinates. Her "Radical Candor" framework lays out an approach for h...
2021-02-0155 min
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 14: Theories of Artificial General IntelligenceBruce and Cameo are joined by Dennis Hackethal, Ella Hoeppner, and Thatchaphol Saranurak as we discuss Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
In part 3, each of the guests talks about their own theories about Artificial General Intelligence and where they are taking their research.
If you are enjoying this show, please retweet us and give us a 5-Star Review.
Follow us on Twitter
Link to "Evolution is exponentially more powerful with frequency-dependent selection" paper.
2021-01-1728 min
The Theory of AnythingSpecial Edition: Theory of Anything Hosts David DeutschThis was recorded during the 24 hr. transcontinental Popperian ZOOM Meet 'n Greet of January 9th-10th, 2021 organized by OurKarlPopper.net. Bruce was asked to host a session with the subject of David Deutsch and how he brought a whole new generation to Karl Popper's philosophy. But at the last minute, we found out David Deutsch himself was attending. So we redid our plans to allow people to ask him questions.
Follow us on Twitter
Youtube version with video
Check out our blog.
2021-01-111h 44
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 13: Objections to Artificial General IntelligenceBruce and Cameo are joined by Dennis Hackethal, Ella Hoeppner, and Thatchaphol Saranurak as we discuss Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
In part 2, among other things, we discuss various objections people make to AGI and why they can't be correct due to the existence of universality. We also discuss what a "Universal Explainer" is and if it is possible to create a quantum "oracle machine" which is a computer that can compute things that the Turning machine can't.
2021-01-1029 min
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 12: Artificial Intelligence vs Artificial General IntelligenceIn the last episode, we showed that Artificial General Intelligence was possible according to the laws of physics. This episode is part 1 of a 3-part panel discussion among computer scientists interested in AGI. Bruce and Cameo are joined by Dennis Hackethal, Ella Hoeppner, and Thatchaphol Saranurak -- all interested in both AGI and Karl Popper's epistemology and believe Popper's theories can shed light on how to discover AGI.
In part 1, we discuss how AI (Artificial Intelligence) differs from AGI (Artificial General Intelligence).
2021-01-0337 min
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 11: The Turing Principle and Artificial General IntelligencePart 3 of our series on Computational Theory. Using the theory we've built up, we now prove that Artificial General Intelligence is possible due to what is called "The Turing Principle" which is the most profound philosophical implication of Computational Theory.
Plus Cameo asks Bruce about how religious people look at these theories.
Youtube version with optional visuals
Note: Due to the nature of these Computational theory episodes, it might be helpful to see the Youtube visuals.
2020-12-271h 07
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 10: What Use is Computational Theory?In the last episode, we gave you the basic theory. Now we're going to show you how Computational Theory is actually used in real life. We'll discuss the various computational classes that exist and one special class in particular: NP-Complete. Using reducibility (as discussed in the previous episode) we can prove that this is a universal class of problems. This provides us evidence (but not a proof!) that many algorithms are too slow to be tractable (i.e. return a result in a useful amount of time.) Finally, we'll discuss the startling fact that some problems can't be computed...
2020-12-2041 min
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 9: Introduction to Computational TheoryComputational Theory is possibly the most underrated of all scientific theories. In fact, most scientists think of it as a branch of mathematics rather than what it really is, a branch of physics. Computational Theory is the science of what the laws of physics allow you to compute. As such, it is one of David Deutsch's "4 Strands" which are the 4 most important scientific theories we have.
In this episode, Bruce and Cameo cover the bare minimum of Computational Theory that you'll need to be able to understand the profound philosophical implications of the theory. In...
2020-12-1347 min
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 8: The Disneyfication of Star WarsUnlike the universally acclaimed Marvel movies, Disney has struggled to turn their Purchase of the Star Wars franchise into the powerhouse they were hoping for. Why is there such strong split opinions on these movies? What did Disney do well and what did they get wrong?
We argue that good art is hard-to-vary, so it's easy to get something wrong that detracts from the overall movie. The recent Disney Star Wars movies aren't bad movies, but they aren't great Star Wars. We discuss how the movies slowly departed from the myth creation stories they st...
2020-10-1152 minThe Theory of AnythingEpisode 7: Lies, Damn Lies, and StatisticsHave you heard the old joke about how there are liar, damn liars, and then there are statisticians? In this episode, Cameo and Bruce discuss how statistics are widely used -- and misused -- in society.
Most people miss that statistics aren't really primarily used for true probabilities but instead are used as a way to mimic our lack of knowledge. Statistics, as a field, is often the study of ignorance, not straight probabilities. What are the ramifications of that? Find out in this episode.
If you enjoy this podcast, please give us...
2020-07-0546 min
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 6: Dancing the Ancient FormsWhat's it like to leave your home, your family, and your country and go to a whole new land and culture -- possibly never to return home again? What challenges would you have to overcome? How much help would you receive? How would you blend your culture with the new one you just moved to?
What's it like to dance 2000-year-old ancient forms as a way to express your culture's ancient myths?
Sarika Nayak and her family left India for their careers and then started a family here. They didn't originally intend to put down per...
2020-06-2958 min
The Theory of AnythingEpisode 5: The Avengers, Time Travel, and The Deutsch Proposition"Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck scale, which then triggers the Deutsch Proposition. Can we agree on that?" asks Tony Stark.
What the heck is he talking about? And who is Deutsch?
Tony Stark is referring to David Deutsch, of course; a world-famous quantum physicist that is the father of Quantum Computational Theory and the inspiration for many of the ideas in this podcast. Among Deutsch's theories is one on time travel, believe it or not. See https://rb.gy/w5yqvj
In this podcast, we discuss Deutsch's actual theories on time travel and...
2020-06-2255 minThe Theory of AnythingEpisode 4: What Makes a Good Explanation?The postmoderns were wrong! Knowledge can progress, despite uncertainty!
What makes a good explanation vs a bad explanation? You probably intuitively recognize when an explanation is bad, but do you know why you prefer one explanation over another? Just what exactly is wrong with "because I said so" or "fairies did it"?
In Episode 3 Bruce and Cameo finally solved the problem of how we can make progress in knowledge despite our lack of certainty using Karl Popper's Theory of Knowledge. In this episode, we finally ask what makes a good explanation vs a bad explanation...
2020-05-091h 15The Theory of AnythingEpisode 3: The Popper-Deutsch SolutionIn Episode 2 we asked the hard question "Does Science Work?" and discussed all the seemingly insurmountable problems a correct "Scientific Method" must solve.
Bruce and Cameo now discuss the proposed solution to the problem using the Theory of Knowledge (epistemology) of Karl Popper as modified and explained by David Deutsch.
This is part 3 of our 4 part series covering the Theory of Knowledge of Karl Popper as interpreted by physicist David Deutsch. Bruce explains this epistemology to Cameo and Carey, who are hearing it for the first time as we record. Will they agree with it or w...
2020-04-3053 minThe Theory of AnythingEpisode 2: Is the Scientific Method Wrong?The "Scientific Method" (as taught in schools anyhow) is actually wrong!
Bruce, Cameo, and Carey continue their discussion about the Theory of Knowledge (i.e. Epistemology) and discuss the challenges any such theory must address. To many (Postmoderns) the problems even seem insurmountable and seem to undermine all of science.
This is part 2 of our 4 part series covering the Theory of Knowledge of Karl Popper as interpreted by physicist David Deutsch. Bruce explains this epistemology to Cameo and Carey, who are hearing it for the first time as we record. Will they agree with it or w...
2020-04-2140 minThe Theory of AnythingEpisode 1: We Don't Need No Stinkin' ExpertsBruce, Cameo, and Carey start their new podcast with a bang by offending experts everywhere and making sure that no one with a political opinion about Climate Change will want to listen to their podcast.
This is part 1 of our 4 part series covering the Theory of Knowledge of Karl Popper as interpreted by physicist David Deutsch. Bruce explains this epistemology to Cameo and Carey, who are hearing it for the first time as we record. Will they agree with it or will they think it's a bunch of baloney? Find out by downloading this podcast and making su...
2020-03-0135 min