Walden Pod

Monistic Idealism's video Both Sides Brigade - Interacting with the Interaction Problem My dualism playlist Majesty of Reason on the interaction problem You Are A Soul w/ Ralph Stefan Weir Linktree

We dive into the philosophy of personal identity, exploring whether a consistent "self" persists through time despite physical and mental changes. Is there an essential core that endures transformations? We examine the Ship of Theseus, the deadly and murderous teletransporter which murders people, the “no self” view associated with Hume, mind uploading, Ralph Stefan Weir’s dilemma for transhumanists, and whether Socrates could have been an alligator. Linktree 

Explore zombieland with Philip Goff and I as we discuss type-b physicalism, the link between conceivability and possibility, Goff’s differences with David Chalmers, and much else related to the conceivability argument against materialism. First Zombie Argument Video Support the podcast Linktree 

Ralph Stefan Weir joins me to discuss his book, The Mind-Body Problem and Metaphysics: An Argument from Consciousness to Mental Substance. We talk about the myth of the interaction problem, the connection between theism and the soul, the implausibility of property dualism, substance dualism in Eastern thought, the causal closure argument and energy conservation, a posteriori necessities, modal rationalism, panpsychism and idealism, personal identity, transhumanism, mind-uploading, split brain cases, whether souls are eternal, and much else.  Dustin Crummett's interview with Dr. Weir . . . For reference, here are the two arguments from the book we spent the most time on: DISEMBODIMENT ARGUMENT (i) The phenomenal facts do not a priori entail the existence of anything physical. (ii) If the phenomenal facts do not a priori entail the existence of anything physical, then they do not necessitate the existence of anything physical. (iii) Therefore, the phenomenal facts do not necessitate the existence of anything physical. PARITY ARGUMENT (i) If you accept the conceivability argument, you must accept the phenomenal disembodiment argument. (ii) If you accept the phenomenal disembodiment argument, then you must accept the existence of nonphysical substances. (iii) Therefore, if you accept the conceivability argument, then you must accept the existence of nonphysical substances. . . . Linktree

I am once again begging apologists to stop treating atheism and materialism as interchangeable concepts. It's intellectual laziness at best and dishonesty at worst. This was originally a short video posted on my youtube channel. Linktree 

Today, we explore the privacy of consciousness, a feature of the mind rejected by qualia antirealists.  (summary of the arguments begins at 43:45)  A few of the papers and books referenced: Is Mental Privacy Defensible? Jaffer Ahmed Explaining Mental Privacy - Colin McGinn Other minds are neither seen nor inferred - Mason Westfall  Understanding Knowledge - Michael Huemer Illusionism As A Theory of Consciousness  Galileo's Error - Philip Goff Linktree

Today we discuss three skeptical arguments from Wang Chong, a first-century Chinese philosopher who railed against the belief in ghosts. Although the skeptics who initially presented these arguments to me seemed to think they were decisive, I was unimpressed and wanted to explain why I think they miss the center of the spectral target.  As summarized on Wang’s IEP entry:  (1) Argument from physical shape:  The death of a person is the result of the body losing the animating qi (vital essence), and once the qi is separated from the body, the body decays.  All will admit to this.  If this is so, however, and the person’s qi is still existent, how can this qi itself manifest in the form of a physical shape?  It is not a body, it is qi.  But when one sees a ghost, one sees a body.  But if the person has died, they no longer have a body, so where could they get another one?  They cannot take over another living body, which will already possess its own qi.  Thus, the view that people when they die become ghosts is nonsensical.  (2) Argument from population:  If people become ghosts when they die, there should be more ghost sightings than living people, as the number of people who have lived in the past and died is far greater than the number of people now living.  This is not true — ghost “sightings” are rare.  Thus it cannot be that people when they die become ghosts. (3) Argument from ghostly efficacy:  If a living person is harmed, this person will immediately go to a magistrate and bring a case against the party who harmed them.  If it were the case that people become ghosts when they die and can interact with living humans, every ghostly murder victim would be seen going to a magistrate, telling him the name of the killer and the means of murder, leading him to the body, and so forth.  This is never witnessed (ever).  Wang Chong - IEP  Philosophy on the Fringes - Ghosts and Hauntings  Dale Allison Interview - Encountering Mystery  Greenbrier Ghost - Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World  Twitter thread where I first encountered Wang Chong Music for this episode was performed by yours truly (except the drums). Linktree 

Today we discuss Mary the color scientist, her cousin Fred, and a colorblind Norwegian neuroscientist. Specifically, we talk about why Philip Goff thinks "phenomenal curiosity" threatens the ability hypothesis and the phenomenal concept strategy, ruling out moderate forms of physicalism.  Curiosity and the Knowledge Argument - Philip Goff Linktree

We discuss Philip Goff’s conversion, the online reaction to it, and what his “heretical Christianity” involves. Is he a real Christian? What does he think about the resurrection, the ascension, the miracles of Christ, the virgin birth, the trinity, inerrantism, the atonement, and God’s nature?  Amos Wollen - Conversion Review: Christianity gains a new smart person  Randal Rauser on Goff’s Conversion  Nathan Ormond (DigitalGnosis)- Philosopher CONVERTS to Christianity  Linktree

I give three reasons why panpsychism typically strikes us as counterintuitive, and why we shouldn't credit our innate bias against it.  David Papineau: Physicalists who find panpsychism counterintuitive haven’t truly freed themselves from dualist thinking  Jonathan Birch on overconfidence about sentience This episode was available early to supporters at patreon.com/waldenpod Linktree