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PODCAST

Patterson in Pursuit

Steve Patterson

Philosophy in the real world. Interviewing intellectuals across the globe. Grappling with the biggest ideas. stevepatterson.substack.com

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

7:45

Puerto Rico Has Gone Bankrupt

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/05/12

The economic principle is clear: you cannot borrow money indefinitely to pay your bills. Eventually, the bills come due. You can only delay the inevitable. This is a law of economics, and it applies to every country on earth, including the United States. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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33:09

Ep. 56 - Zen Buddhism | Keiho Nishigaki

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/05/09

What are the fundamentals of Zen Buddhism? What is the purpose of meditation, or zazen? Is the philosophy or the practice of Buddhism more important? I asked these questions to Keiho Nishigaki, the head monk at the Nan'yoji temple outside of Osaka, Japan. He was kind enough to work me through the basics, in addition to giving me a guided Zen meditation session. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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55:23

Ep. 55 - Are Science and Religion Incompatible? | Dr....

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/04/30

How fundamental is the conflict between science and religion? Is it true that the history of the church is filled with anti-intellectualism and the suppression of scientific inquiry? Is religious fundamentalism to blame for the tension between science and religion? I've got my own suspicions about these questions, but I decided to ask Dr. Peter Harrison, who teaches History at the University of Queensland. He specializes in the topic of "Science versus Religion". Get full access to Steve Patterson's

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19:39

Data versus Anecdotes: From Ghosts to Levaquin

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/04/28

Rationalists are far too quick to dismiss anecdotes as being "non-scientific." They are also too quick to accept all official-looking "data" that comes from scientists - when, in fact, anecdotes might sometimes be more trustworthy than scientific data. On the other hand, many people are far too likely to accept the theoretical claims of anecdotal evidence - rather than accepting the data while remaining skeptical of any theoretical claims. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at

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113:09

Ep. 54 - Psychedelic Experience: Ayahuasca | The...

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/04/23

For thousands of years, people have ingested psychedelic drugs in order to alter their consciousness. They report having profound experiences - many of which are life-changing. But is this just simple delusion? Can you really learn important truths while on drugs? I think it's a grave mistake to dismiss the possibility out of hand. To help me answer, I'm joined by the World Wanderers: Ryan Ferguson and Amanda Kingsmith, who have traveled to more than 45 countries together. While in Peru, they both

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10:09

The Social Hierarchy

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/04/20

Continuing the commentary on hierarchy from last week. Seeking status, wealth, and prestige - for their own sake - is not a recipe for happiness or human flourishing. It's a recipe for pettiness and division. Playing power games within a social pecking order is an attempt to compensate for a lack of self-confidence. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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42:01

Ep. 53 - One Year, 10 Countries | What I've Learned

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/04/15

A year ago, I started Patterson in Pursuit. Ten countries later, I want to share some thoughts about what I've learned. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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8:23

People Love Hierarchy

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/04/13

Regardless of where people fall on the social hierarchy, they like and reinforce the system. They seek camaraderie with other people in social classes - even if they're in the bottom class. This is a difficult part of human psychology for me to deal with. For those of us who don't like this system, it can be difficult to opt-out. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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65:24

Ep. 52 - Are Some Infinities Bigger Than Others? |...

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/04/09

Does infinity really come in multiple sizes? According to mathematical orthodoxy, some infinities are bigger than others - but that's awfully hard to wrap your mind around. So, I've asked Dr. Toby Meadows from the University of Queensland to help me out. He specializes in the philosophy of mathematics and set theory. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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66:29

Ep. 51 - Feminist Philosophy | Dr. Michelle...

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/04/02

Why is the history of ideas dominated by male thinkers? Is it because women are discouraged from intellectual life - or is it because women tend to choose other careers? If we go even deeper: why do women (and men) make the choices they do? Is it because they are influenced by overwhelming societal pressures - or are they acting freely? These are the questions I've asked Dr. Michelle Boulous-Walker, who teaches at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Get full access to Steve

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7:10

The Metaphysics of Fiction

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/03/31

Can we say true and false things about Harry Potter? If so, does that mean he exists? If not, then how can we talk about a non-existing thing? I've gotten different answers to these questions in my interviews so far. Here are some of my thoughts on the topic. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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87:06

Ep. 50 - Argumentation Ethics | Stephan Kinsella

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/03/26

If we choose to argue, have we presupposed an ethical framework? Is "self-ownership" a concept that cannot coherently be doubted? To help me answer these questions, I'm joined by Stephan Kinsella, who is one of the most prominent supporters of "argumentation ethics." He claims that ownership is inescapable. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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23:11

Experts and Incompetence

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/03/24

Don't take my word for it, but the experts might not be so expert... Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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53:17

Ep. 49 - Is Consciousness "Emergent"? | Dr. David...

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/03/18

Does consciousness "emerge" from physical phenomena? What does "emerge" even mean? If we grant that consciousness emerges, and that it has a distinct ontological status, doesn't that imply dualism? To help me answer these questions, I spoke with Dr. Braddon-Mitchell at the University of Sydney. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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24:23

My Experience with Christian Evangelicalism

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/03/16

I grew up in a Christian Evangelical household. This is my experience with religious fundamentalism. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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51:50

Ep. 48 - Skepticism of Infinity in Mathematics | Dr....

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/03/12

Are the foundations of mathematics rock-solid? Are we allowed to doubt them? How central is the concept of "infinity" to modern mathematics - and has the logic of infinity been fully worked out? To help me answer these questions, I've traveled to Sydney, Australia to interview an unorthodox mathematician on the topic. Dr. Norman Wildberger is also skeptical of the modern foundations of mathematics - even though he's a teaching professor at the University of New South Wales - and he has a popular

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14:49

Infinite Things Do Not Exist

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/03/09

There are no infinite things - no infinite sets, magnitudes, densities, shapes, distances, or anything else. Every thing is exactly the way it is. It has boundaries and is therefore finite. If this is true, then we have a great amount of work ahead of us, re-founding modern mathematics on a more solid logical ground. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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58:44

Ep. 47 - Problems with Paraconsistent Logic |...

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/03/05

Breakdown of the interview I had with Dr. Patrick Girard about paraconsistent logic. Nothing is both true and false at the same time. Any logical theory that suggests otherwise is catastrophically flawed. There are no true logical contradictions, and if we get this wrong, we eliminate any chance of internal incoherence in our theories. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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5:40

3 Steps for Changing a Paradigm

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/03/03

How to replace one theory with another. You must accomplish three things: 1) Explain where the dominant theory is wrong. 2) Explain why your theory solves the problem in #1, while preserving its explanatory power. 3) Explain why the incorrect theory still had predictive power. Do those three, and you've made a compelling case for a paradigm shift. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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36:49

Ep. 46 - Buddhism and Boundaries | Interview Breakdown

Patterson in Pursuit ·

2017/02/26

Are all boundaries artificial? Is "the self" a real thing, or is it just an illusion? Does anything have essence? These are the questions I'm breaking down from my interview with Dr. Janet Gyatso from Harvard. Get full access to Steve Patterson's Substack at stevepatterson.substack.com/subscribe

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