This episode covers chapter 2 titled "Beyond Laws of Motion?". In this chapter we explain some of the successes of the "dynanical laws + supplementary conditions" vision of physics and some of the limitations. Those limitations include the fact that the supplementary conditions - notably the initial conditions - cannot be explained under that scheme. Nor can time itself. The idea of things being possible or impossible in the universe (for example computers) may better be understood via constructor theory and there is more grist-for-my-mill when I get back on my hobbyhorse about free will (to mix some metaphors).
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zf1Oz5wmg
This is the second part (after a part 0, introduction) referring to chapter 16 of The Beginning of Infinity with more substantive readings. We get into imitation and compare how apes "ape" and parrots "parrot" to what humans are doing when they learn. Meme replication and lyrebirds make an appearance.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhgGMKj1MOs
The audio only podcast version of this has no music if that's more your thing. Otherwise this is a farewell finale to the "Things that make you go mm?" series. This is about meaning: what is it, is there a meaning for us? Does the question make sense?
Music by Ketsa
1. Beauty Calls
2. No Anchor
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTR9qTc7hiU
There is an article associated with this podcast episode here: https://www.bretthall.org/critically-creative-1.html
I mention this article from the University of Sydney, Australia: https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/critical-thinking.html
While recording this podcast, I had in mind teachers: they are my primary “target audience” so to speak. But this will, I hope be useful for anyone with a “stake” in the education system: so of course students, their parents, university lecturers, administrators - people in a position to make decisions about schools and curriculum. The topic is essentially “Critical Thinking” and what I think it is, in the Popperian tradition. As I will mention, unlike even just 15 years ago, “Critical Thinking” is now a fashionable term thrown around in schools, universities and among those charged with deciding what students are taught and how. Often “Creative Thinking” is thrown into the mix as well. All sorts of activities are devised for students to improve these “skills”: sometimes entire new subjects are created for students to take that are supposed to be about improving “critical thinking”. It’s all - from the education system’s point of view - very new. And because it’s new *there* they are, largely speaking, inventing things on the fly or designating certain techniques or rules or activities “critical and creative thinking”. It really is all the buzz in many places. The time stamps below will give you some better idea of the full content.
Time Stamps
00:00:00 Introduction - and what should be in a school curriculum.
00:04:00 Educational buzz words and “lock in”.
00:07:55 Some initial thoughts about +the practical* uses of epistemology
00:10:30 Teaching vs Learning Strategies and “Student Engagement”
14:30 Criticisms - what are they?
15:30 What it takes to pass exams.
16:40 To be creative should you obey no rules?
18:30 A second pass on the practical applications of critical thinking
22:25 The Grass Eating cure for the 100th time ;)
25:20 “The Explanation Criteria”
28:30 Peer review (& double blind placebo controlled trials in medicine) and *when* it is we can say we know what we know.
32:45 Critical Thinking everywhere
33:00 Explanationless science, mathematics
35:30 What is “criticism” exactly?
36:00 As applied to history & music.
36:50 How to come up with good criticisms and some discussion of the possibility of heuristics for better critical thinking.
39:10 Constructive vs Destructive criticism.
(& the distinction between ideas and people).
44:00 Popper - an introduction for those involved in education
45:30 The anti-rational hangup ballast.
48:35 A very general two-step process for framing any analysis that requires the use of “critica
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vHAe86isdE
Here we cover the cosmic significance of life and thought. I begin with some discussion of Stephen Jay Gould's view of aspects of evolution by natural selection - specifically with some analysis of his paper "The Spandrel's of San Marco" which is available here: https://faculty.washington.edu/lynnhank/GouldLewontin.pdf
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4AiY6w1ef0
Although I do not explicitly mention it, this entire episode was motivated by a Sam Harris “meme post” found here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-sWqk5n1Zh/?utm_medium=copy_link
The claim that appears there (which reads “The free market is not producing effective responses to our most important problems” is emblematic of an intellectual culture that now holds sway not only in the academy but broadly in public discourse and, of course, it is readily consumed by people hungry for simple solutions and perversely promoted by business people afraid of their left-leaning customers.
In this episode I spend time on a very brief historic analysis of the motivation for such rejections of freedom and capitalism (which we must admit are relatively new creations when put beside ancient tribalism) and I look at some of the failures of central planning or rejection of the free market. I agree with those who say “there is no actual capitalism” there are merely degrees of socialism in existence. Where there is freedom in a socialist framework, to the degree there is freedom: wealth grows. And to the degree there are top down controls: poverty increases.
I regard this as an opportunity cost to some extent. It should not be necessary to defend the fundamentals of economic systems that allow for wealth creation and problem solving. But we live in a time where, for various reasons, a neo-Marxist move is on the ascendency. On that: I also voice concerns I have about allies on the side of liberty turning on one another rather too often out of concern this or that “capitalist” is not sufficiently “capitalist”. I see this as a wonderful way for socialists to continue to gain ground in institutions at all levels of government.
A partial script for this episode can be found here: https://www.bretthall.org/our-most-important-problems.html
This video and ones like it take many days (sometimes weeks) of production from research and reading for the script through to filming and audio recording, searching libraries of stock videos and music, organising copyright issues and finally editing - because I work alone. If you would like to support this effort, you may donate at www.bretthall.org where there is a "Donate" button for one off or monthly donations. On the same page are links to my Patreon accounts where you can also support me.
Thankyou :)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfuQI_LgDBE