Robinson's Podcast

Annaka Harris is the New York Times bestselling author of CONSCIOUS: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind and writer and producer of the audio documentary series, LIGHTS ON. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Nautilus Magazine, the Journal of Consciousness Studies, and IAI Magazine. She is also an editor and consultant for science writers, specializing in neuroscience and physics. In this episode, Robinson and Annaka discuss panpsychism and the case that consciousness is fundamental. More particularly, they talk about complexity and emergence, the relationship between consciousness and physics, and artificial intelligence.Lights On: https://a.co/d/cy8YTpdConscious: https://a.co/d/3uFZ2JqAnnaka’s Website: https://annakaharris.comOUTLINE00:00 Introduction00:52 Annaka’s Obsession with Consciousness06:09 How Should We Define Consciousness?13:06 Why the Complexity Might Not Explain Consciousness25:30 Is Consciousness Emergent or Fundamental?29:45 Are Fundamentalia Conscious?45:18 How Can Consciousness Solve Deep Problems of Physics?52:14 Consciousness and Quantum Entanglement01:00:11 Consciousness and the Many Worlds Theory of Quantum Mechanics01:10:50 What Does an Electron Feel?01:13:41 AI and Consciousness01:22:42 Science and the Fundamentality of ConsciousnessRobinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.comRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Jacob Barandes is Senior Preceptor in Physics at Harvard University, where he works widely across the philosophy of physics, with focuses on the foundations of quantum mechanics, the philosophy of spacetime, and the metaphysics of laws. In this episode, Robinson and Jacob focus on the foundations of quantum mechanics. They discuss the importance of history and philosophy in the same, its connections to mathematics, many of the biggest puzzles in quantum physics, and Jacob’s new approach to the foundations, which he refers to as the “Indivisibility” approach.Jacob's Website: https://www.jacobbarandes.comOUTLINE00:00 Mathematics, Nature, and Physics07:55 The Deep Link Between Math and Physics CLIP15:21 Scrutinizing the History and Philosophy of Physics28:11 A Digression on Achille Varzi36:53 The Etymology of “Matrix”41:17 Learning from the History of Physics52:38 Why Does Quantum Mechanics Need New Foundations?59:04 Does Quantum Gravity Need New Quantum Foundations?01;08:26 What Is a Constructive Physical Theory?01:32:31 Markov Laws and Determinism01:45:30 The Wave Function02:06:53 Inconsistencies in Quantum Mechanics02:12:20 What Is Quantum Decoherence?02:23:10 The Biggest Problems in Quantum Foundations?02:33:49 Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics02:38:57 Quantum Mechanics, Many Worlds, and the Problem of Induction02:50:05 The Indivisibility Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics03:04:42 What Are the Fundamentalia of the Universe?Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.comRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Lee Cronin is Regius Chair of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow. Among his many pursuits are the digitization of chemistry, the discovery of alien life, and the creation of artificial life. In this episode, Robinson and Lee focus on astrobiology, the chemistry of life as we know it, and the controversies surrounding artificial intelligence.Lee’s Website: https://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/cronin/Lee’s Twitter: https://x.com/leecroninOUTLINE00:00 Introduction00:55 Lee’s Interests in the Origin of Life10:29 Is Life Unique to Earth?18:16 What Is the Self?24:05 Is the Selfish Gene Hypothesis Wrong?30:46  How Does Sand Turn into Cells?44:02 What Is Chemputation?45:41 What Is Assembly Theory?01:11:33 Why Won’t We Find a Mine of Coffee Mugs on an Asteroid?01:25:09 Has AI Become a Cult?01:32:16 Will AI Use Biological Weapons to Wipe Out Humanity?01:55:24 Why AI Can’t Be AgentsRobinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.comRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Sara Imari Walker is Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, where she is Deputy Director of the Beyond Center. Sara is an astrobiologist and theoretical physicist, with research interests in the origins of life, artificial life, life and detection on other worlds. In this episode, Robinson and Sara discuss the physics that makes life possible. More particularly, they discuss assembly theory, the growing field of astrobiology, the difficulties of defining life, and where we are most likely to find aliens. Sara’s latest book is Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life’s Emergence (Riverhead Books, 2024).Life as No One Knows It: https://a.co/d/2fdKa2eOUTLINE00:00 Introduction00:35 The Connection Between Physics and Biology07:15 Philosophy and the Origin of Life10:03 Is the Selfish Gene Theory Wrong?22:17 On Her Work with Lee Cronin38:47 Experiments To Discover the Origin of Life48:52 What Is Assembly Theory?01:00:42 Are Boltzmann Brains Possible?01:05:53 The Paradox of Defining Life01:31:10 Is Life a Vague Concept?01:38:13 Where Are All the Aliens?Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.comRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Visit our sponsor, Wealthfront!: wealthfront.com/robinsonSlavoj Žižek is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London, visiting professor at New York University, and a senior researcher at the University of Ljubljana’s Department of Philosophy. This is Slavoj’s fifth appearance on the show. On episode 109, he and Robinson discussed wokeness and psychoanalysis. On episode 118, he, Sean Carroll, and Robinson discussed quantum physics, the multiverse, and time travel. And on episode 206 he, Lee Smolin, and Robinson discussed quantum physics. In episode 212, Robinson and Slavoj talk about ancient philosophy, god, communism, quantum mechanics, and psychoanalysis. In this episode, they discuss current political events, marxism, quantum mechanics, and artificial intelligence. Slavoj’s upcoming book is Quantum History: A New Materialist Philosophy (Bloomsbury, 2025).Quantum History: https://a.co/d/7WFcAGiVisit our sponsor, Wealthfront!: wealthfront.com/robinsonPromo terms & conditions apply. See our affiliated link for more details.Robinson Erhardt is a Wealthfront client and was compensated for the testimonial and promotion of the Wealthfront Cash Account. This compensation creates a conflict of interest. Experiences may vary among Cash Account clients, and results are not guaranteed. The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of September 26, 2025, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY.If you are eligible for the overall boosted rate of 4.25% offered in connection with this promo, your boosted rate is also subject to change if the base rate decreases during the three-month promotional period.OUTLINE00:00 Introduction01:07 Marxism and Quantum Mechanics07:34 Why We Aren’t Pessimistic Enough16:29 The Wisdom of the First Philosopher29:27 The Assassination of Charlie Kirk38:10 On Curtis Yarvin49:23 The Naivety of Pete Hegseth51:06 The Contradiction in American Fascism57:43 Could a Coup Overthrow Trump?01:04:17 The Utter Shamelessness of Today’s Society01:14:15 The Danger of the Disappearing Left01:18:06 AI Is a Tool of Authoritarian SuppressionRobinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.comRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.