Podcast
The Uncertainty Podcast
Hosted by Miles K. Donahue · EN
A philosophy Ph.D. student working his way, with the world's leading thinkers, through the problems of philosophy, religion, science, and the existential struggle with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - similar to Alex O'Connor, but more American. Who wants to come along for the ride?
mileskdonahue.substack.com
mileskdonahue.substack.com
12episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
#89 Michael Huemer's New Argument for Atheism
3d ago01:53:12Tap to summarizeMichael Huemer, philosopher at U.C. Boulder, joins me for a wide-ranging discussion of arguments for and against the existence of God, with special focus on his new argument for atheism: the impossibility of an infinite God. Check out Mike’s book, Knowledge, Value, and Reality: A Mostly Common Sense Guide to Philosophy.Video of this interview is available on YouTube.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee.Follow me on X because you’re awesome.EPISODE CHAPTERS:00:00:00 Introduction00:01:42 Huemer’s research on consciousness00:05:42 Could LLMs be conscious?00:08:11 Physicalism and consciousness00:14:36 Why physicalism became so popular00:17:16 Metaphysics and scientific evidence00:21:01 Could God be empirically detected?00:23:37 Why Huemer is agnostic00:25:48 Philip Goff’s limited God00:27:23 Can a limited God explain evil?00:36:03 Divine psychology and skeptical theism00:38:37 Can theism make predictions?00:46:54 Scientific confirmation and theistic arguments00:51:59 Which theistic arguments fail?00:53:14 The ontological argument00:58:06 The modal ontological argument01:01:03 Necessary beings and modal intuitions01:07:23 The Kalam cosmological argument01:08:54 Could time have a beginning?01:12:22 Can God create time?01:18:22 Cosmology and the Big Bang01:23:48 Actual and potential infinities01:26:00 Huemer’s new argument for atheism01:29:28 Divine infinity and omniscience Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
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#88 Can There be Evidence for God? | Eight Philosophers Debate
2w ago02:39:05Tap to summarizeIs it even possible to have empirical evidence for God's existence? What if the stars realigned to spell out "I exist! Sincerely, God." Wouldn't THAT count as evidence for God? It seems that the answer is yes. But then, various objections to arguments for God seem to imply that even this extravagant, awesome evidence for God would not be any evidence whatsoever for theism. To many philosophers, that implication implies that these objections prove too much, and must therefore fail. In this debate, eight philosophers go head-to-head over these fascinating questions.Video of this interview is available on YouTube.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee.Follow me on X because you’re awesome.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:02:10 Miles Donahue’s opening statement00:07:46 Brian Cutter’s opening statement00:13:16 Noah McKay’s opening statement00:18:30 Travis Dumsday’s opening statement00:23:30 Paul Draper’s opening statement00:29:15 Alex Malpass’s opening statement00:35:18 Nathan Bray’s opening statement00:40:41 Kevin Scharp’s opening statement00:47:15 Miles Donahue’s cross-examination01:03:22 Alex Malpass’s cross-examination01:20:15 Brian Cutter’s cross-examination01:33:41 Nathan Bray’s cross-examination01:49:03 Paul Draper’s cross-examination02:01:21 Travis Dumsday’s cross-examination02:10:54 Kevin Scharp’s cross-examination02:24:49 Noah McKay’s cross-examination Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
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#87 Yes, You Can be Gay and Christian - Matthew Vines
3w ago01:14:25Tap to summarizeMatthew Vines, author of God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships, joins me to discuss the revised version of this now classic texts. Has Matt has changed his mind on any major issues? What, in the end, would Matt conclude if he determined that the Bible did prohibit same-sex relationships? Listen to find out!Video of this interview is available on YouTube.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee.Follow me on X because you’re awesome.EPISODE CHAPTERS:00:00:00 Introduction00:00:05 What changed in God and the Gay Christian00:03:28 Endnotes, footnotes, and writing for different audiences00:05:02 How Matthew Vines’s views have changed00:05:51 Romans 1 and female same-sex relations00:07:48 Arsenokoitai, Malakoi, and Paul’s meaning00:10:22 Same-sex marriage in the biblical world00:13:45 To whom is the book written?00:15:06 Expressive individualism and affirming theology00:19:37 How the American church has changed00:20:23 Affirming churches without guardrails00:25:45 Conservative backlash and slippery slopes00:27:55 Being between Christian and queer spaces00:29:11 Queer theory, polyamory, and sexual orientation00:30:55 Transgender Christians and biblical interpretation00:34:48 Gender dysphoria, transition, and Christian ethics00:39:08 What if the Bible prohibited same-sex marriage?00:49:44 Moral intuition, inerrancy, and Jesus01:00:05 Biblical authority, inspiration, and inerrancy01:08:21 Where evangelical churches may be headed Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
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#86 From Toad Venom to Jesus: Cross-Examining Philip Goff
May 2801:23:00Tap to summarizeI discuss and debate the merits of drug-induced experiences for one's religious beliefs, the difference panpsychism makes, the distinction between God's essence and energies, and giant purple platypuses floating over New York City.Video of this interview is available on YouTube.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee.Follow me on X because you’re awesome.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:32 What is 5-MeO-DMT?00:02:07 Why Philip Goff tried toad venom00:05:02 What the experience was like00:07:13 Can you experience yourself not existing?00:13:00 Was ego death terrifying?00:17:03 William Lane Craig’s reaction00:19:57 What is a structureless claim?00:22:52 The content of mystical experience00:25:39 Does 5-MeO-DMT support panpsychism?00:33:15 Why trust a drug-induced experience?00:40:08 Experience versus interpretation00:43:54 Is Goff projecting panpsychism onto the experience?00:46:03 What would defeat the experience?00:51:25 How does this fit with Christianity?00:57:19 Divine essence, energies, and simplicity01:04:19 Why Christianity specifically?01:08:26 Why not deism or another religion?01:14:23 Does Goff believe in an afterlife?01:16:43 Near-death experiences and consciousness01:18:37 What is Goff most uncertain of? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
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#85 What Is a Woman? - Talia Mae Bettcher And Tomas Bogardus
May 2101:47:24Tap to summarizeTalia Mae Bettcher and Tomas Bogardus join me to debate the question, "What is a woman?". Is gender biologically grounded, socially constructed, or something else entirely? If you're looking for a cordial and substantive exchange from two thinkers who fundamentally disagree on these issues, look no further.Video of this interview is available on YouTube.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee.Follow me on X because you’re awesome.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:01:17 Bogardus opening statement00:02:03 Dictionaries and ordinary usage00:03:41 The ambiguity view00:07:09 The resistant concept of woman00:08:12 Circularity and self-identification00:11:23 The relevance objection to ambiguity00:13:47 Non-human men and women00:16:17 Bettcher opening statement00:18:29 Woman as a philosophical question00:19:44 Folk concepts and biological definitions00:22:13 Folk concepts vs. theoretical concepts00:24:45 Adult, human, and female00:28:14 Open discussion begins00:28:57 Bettcher on the ambiguity thesis00:30:28 Family resemblance and trans womanhood00:35:16 Political concepts and same-sex marriage00:52:25 Are folk concepts biological?00:57:47 Souls, bodies, and female identity01:04:31 Twin Earth, Superman, and non-human men01:13:13 Stone lions, Batman, and conceptual analysis01:26:44 The husbandry argument01:29:44 Sex, function, and biology01:34:35 Why the question matters01:39:44 Closing statements Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
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#84 Continental Philosophy: Genius or Gibberish? - Keegan Kjeldson
May 1501:49:13Tap to summarizeKeegan Kjeldson of the Untimely Reflections YouTube channel returns to the podcast to discuss the merits of continental philosophy. While he is largely in favor and I am not, we both agree that Hegel is abysmally obscure.Video of this interview is available on YouTube.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee.Follow me on X because you’re awesome.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:18 Hegel vs Plantinga: obscurity and clarity00:03:07 Keegan’s defense of continental philosophy00:08:38 Why continental philosophy feels impenetrable00:11:15 Spinoza and intuitive knowledge00:14:25 Nietzsche, style, and philosophical insight00:18:07 Logical positivism and ethics00:22:21 What is metaethics?00:27:17 Utilitarianism and moral intuitions00:30:17 Do arguments bottom out in intuition?00:36:39 What is philosophy for?00:44:41 Moral realism and objective moral truth00:48:59 Judith Butler and the charge of gibberish00:54:10 Clear continental thinkers00:55:57 Heidegger and justified obscurity01:02:00 Is clarity always a virtue?01:06:49 Can poetry give us rational grounds?01:12:52 Moral knowledge vs moral persuasion01:15:29 Motivated reasoning in ethics01:25:21 Ethics, emotion, and objectivity01:28:14 The Nazi example and moral realism01:32:26 Abortion, personhood, and moral disagreement01:38:44 Objective truth in morality and science01:41:17 Has humanity made moral progress? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
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#83 Answering (Almost) Every Objection to the Fine-Tuning Argument
May 701:50:39Tap to summarizeThe great, the one, the only Joseph C. Schmid returns to the podcast to offer a comprehensive reply to (almost) every objection to the fine-tuning argument for theism. Ever worried about puddles? Inverse gamblers? Stalking horses? Boltzmann Brains? Alex Malpass? Well, fear no more: we define, describe, and dispel (or defend!) all these concerns and more. Not gonna lie guys, this is one of my favorite discussions so far. Hats off to Joe for being 10/10 great.Video of this interview is available on YouTube.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee.Follow me on X because you’re awesome.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:45 #1 The puddle analogy refutes the FTA00:05:49 #2 Other forms of life are possible!00:08:58 #3 The multiverse explains fine-tuning00:53:08 #4 Electrons in love01:16:06 #5 We couldn't have observed a non-fine-tuned universe01:21:09 #6 Maybe the constants are metaphysical necessary!01:33:38 #7 Our universe is hostile to life01:42:00 #8 Alex Malpass and the stalking horse objection01:47:54 #9 We cannot get a grip on divine psychology Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
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#82 Does William Lane Craig Get Cosmology Wrong? - Dan Linford
Apr 3001:19:14Tap to summarizeDan Linford returns to the channel to offer his reply to my recent discussion with William Lane Craig, wherein he replied to critiques of his case for a cosmic beginning. We discuss probability theory, the BGV theorem, emergence of spacetime, and the relevance of quantum gravity to our scientific inferences about a beginning of the universe.Video of this interview is available on YouTube.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee.Follow me on X because you’re awesome.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:01:24 Craig's modest claim00:10:27 How to calculate the probability of a conclusion00:15:21 The probabilistic fallacy in Craig's scientific case00:21:56 Craig - "I'm ruling out classes of models"00:26:33 Exceptions to the BGV theorem00:29:22 Do theories of time make a difference?00:42:28 Inference to the best explanation and low probability00:51:25 Craig's inconsistency: temporally finite models of the universe00:59:18 Why we need a quantum theory of gravity01:12:04 The emergence of spacetime Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
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#81 Are There Objective Moral Truths? - David Enoch vs. Lance Bush
Apr 2301:29:38Tap to summarizeDavid Enoch and Lance Bush face off over the question of whether objective moral truths exist. They debate the intuitiveness of moral realism, whether most people are moral realists, question-begging, radical skepticism, and much else besides.Video of this interview is available on YouTube.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee.Follow me on X because you’re awesome.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:38 David's opening statement00:13:21 Lance's opening statement00:26:05 "I don't give a damn if most people aren't moral realists"00:31:59 Who is begging the question on whom?00:35:55 Is realism the intuitive position?00:40:35 Is Lance a radical skeptic?00:43:39 Realists misattribute metaethical claims to most people00:57:48 "People in general are idiots"01:02:06 Does ordinary moral discourse support realism?01:10:42 What are the costs of realism and anti-realism?01:18:15 On the strengths and weaknesses of analytic philosophy01:22:33 What do you mean when you say something is “wrong,” Lance? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
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#80 Something Exists; Therefore, God Exists - Josh Rasmussen
Apr 1601:30:50Tap to summarizeJoshua Rasmussen explains his cosmological argument for God's existence: the existence of contingent things requires an explanation, and God fits the bill. Roughly stated, for sure, but that's the idea.Video of this interview is available on YouTube.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee.Follow me on X because you’re awesome.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:57 Why the question matters00:10:29 Is ultimate reality beyond logic?00:14:55 Contingent vs. necessary things00:20:44 Stage #1 - From contingent things to a necessary being00:26:38 What is an "explanation"?00:36:23 Why should there be an explanation of all contingent things?00:47:37 Should we trust what intuition tells us?00:55:56 Conflicting empirical generalizations - a la Joe Schmid01:04:04 Stage #2 - From a necessary being to God01:12:52 Even a limitless God requires explanation01:23:37 Graham Oppy's necessary initial state of nature Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe
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