ToKCast

Ep 72: David Deutsch comments on recent UFO sighting (The "Tictac" issue). A question for David 3.

Yes, this is me asking David Deutsch about the supposed "evidence" of UFOs that are the US Military's release of footage from jet aircraft that have become known as "Tic Tacs". I do not mention this in the video, but the best explanation I have seen of at least some of this stuff is by Mick West who was able to reproduce at least some of the images: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le7Fq... Neil deGrasse Tyson also makes broadly similar remarks to David in this podcast with Sam Harris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBVg5... Whatever the case, the deeper point is the more general one. When we do not know the explanation for a set of observations, then we have a problem. Not a solution. In this case, we seem to have either very prosaic solutions (as Mick West explains - in the form of camera effects) or perhaps something we "don't know". What we do not have is "evidence for" something amazing. Namely alien life visiting us in their spacecraft. The only way "evidence for" actually works is when it *rules out* every other theory. That is, in fact, the purpose of evidence in science. For more on that, see here: http://www.bretthall.org/general-rela... and here: http://www.bretthall.org/philosophy-o... #Tictacs #UFO

Ep 71: David Deutsch explains "explanations" further. (A "question for David" 2)

This is the second part of my interview with David - with me making some remarks about it. I will eventually release the entire conversation.
 
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Ep 70: A question for David 1

The first episode in a new series of "Questions for David" - featuring David Deutsch himself - as a supplement or appendix to my series on "The Beginning of Infinity". This first one is about "The Reality of Abstractions".

Ep 69: "The Beginning" Part 4. The Final episode.

This is the final "The Beginning of Infinity" episode.
I must say: the Youtube version of this contains many useful videos and images to help with what is being described and explained. 
 
Either way: Enjoy! (And rest assured "The Science of Can and Can't" and "The Fabric of Reality" episodes will continue to come out weekly. This is not the end, but "The Beginning").
 
Here is a time-stamped summary of the contents of this episode:
00:00 “The Horizon”: An introduction to “The Beginning of Infinity”
03:10 The Beginning. A throwback.
04:20 The point of all this.
06:15 Comments on Ricky Gervais and Sam Harris “Absolutely Mental” podcast and related themes
09:30 A place for religion and people.
16:00 A central message of BoI
16:45 Books that inform a worldview: including "The Fabric of Reality" by David Deutsch and "The End of Faith" by Sam Harris
22:30 Some criteria for understanding
27:40 Competing “epistemologies”.
31:20 Some comments on Ayn Rand’s philosophy
32:30 The “knowledge density” of "The Beginning of Infinity"
38:20 Critical thinking
43:15 Common Sense Realism
47:30 The end of the introduction
48:00 Reading Part 1
49:05 My reflections on historian Roy Porter and the competing Enlightenments
56:45 Reading Part 2
57:00 Prophesies and Predictions.
59:15 Reading Part 3
59:30 "Popperian Provisos"
1:00:35 Reading Part 4
1:00:51 The infinite potential of explanatory knowledge
1:01:40 Reading Part 5
1:04:10 Physical reality and laws of physics
1:05:15 Reading Part 6
1:05:30 Simulations vs recordings of people
1:06:35 Reading Part 7
1:08:00 Misunderstandings of Explanatory Universality
1:10:00 The Final Reading
1:11:00 The Beginning. A Throwback Part 2
1:12:30 Extended credits.
 
Music: "Double Slit Test" by Ketsa: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/The_Double_Slit_Test/Double_Slit_Test
 
Made for Mum & Jem.

Ep 68: Crypto Comments

This podcast is abut crypto - and recent volatility. I explain some of the psychological motivation for crypto currency and compare it to fiat currency and the liabilities of both. Some comments on so-called “Modern Monetary Policy/Theory”. 
 
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Ep 67:"The Fabric of Reality" episode 2.

In this, the second part of discussion about the first chapter of “The Fabric of Reality”, we delve more deeply into what the distinction between “The theory of everything” that particle physicists have in mind and what David Deutsch’s more encompassing, more grand vision is for a unification of our deepest theories (of which the particle-physicists hoped-for unification of the forces is only a part). The former, purely physics-of-motion theory may be “predictive” in some sense but not fully explanatory. We discuss the crucial importance of the concept of “emergence” and I end this episode with “The Parable of the Copper Atom” which is first encountered here, in this first chapter of “FoR” - makes a comeback in “The Beginning of Infinity” and has taken on a life of its own out there in social media and philosophical space as a withering refutation of reductionism. 

Ep 66: “The Science of Can and Can’t” episode 2

This episode is focussed on the physics content of chapter 1. I explain what the current “conception” of physics is in terms of dynamical laws and initial conditions. I run through a simple example of how equations of motion are used and discuss how this has been, hitherto, the way physics has been done, is done and is expected to continue to be done according to most philosophers and physicists. We then compare this vision of physics to what constructor theory aims to achieve by considering more than just a single thread through the fabric of reality (what was, is and will be) and instead to consider what might have been and might still be. This clearly has implications for knowledge and, again, we hint at the possibility of a physics of epistemology. It also opens up the possibility for physics to address questions about why the initial conditions are the way they are and thus provides a new window into the origins of the universe and the problem of "fine tuning" when it comes to the constant of nature and the form of the physical laws.

Ep 65: Quasars

The title says it all. This episode is about quasars. I return to my original “training” in astrophysics in order to correct some misconceptions that may have crept into my video titled “The Nexus” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpTxBkmr4LE 
This episode covers three basic things:
The history of the discovery of quasars
The physics of quasars
Varieties of quasars
As with episodes of this kind, it is "image intensive" and although I hope listeners of the audio only will find value - there might be something missed without the images.
This episode is also in recognition of the long term work of author Danny Frederick's contribution to the promotion of Popperian epistemology. May Danny be remembered as a philosopher of deep insight into epistemology and a critically rational worldview.

Ep 64 Ch 18 "The Beginning" Part 3

The Penultimate “The Beginning of Infinity” episode. Herein we contrast pessimism with optimism - what the conditions are for providing succour to either philosophy and who some of the leaders are. While science writers such as John Horgan, author of “The End of Science” may provide something of an introduction to the ways in which people can conclude “the end is night”, philosophers like Nick Bostrom and Verner Vinge take things further providing academic papers on “the singularity” and “the doomsday argument” and “the simulation argument” - all of which regard people as being but a prelude to something else: a time without or beyond people. The arguments are summarised and countered. I provide my own spin on things, and invoke the work of computer scientist Jaron Lanier, who (while at times writing of a bleak *now*) exhaults people in the same way as David Deutsch via a different method and looks forward to a future where people are ascendant. What does our best science tell us about what is to come? If we are to take seriously our best theories - is there hope? And is there an opportunity to even find fun and funniness in what we are promised for the future? I have some ideas.

Ep 63: "The Fabric of Reality" episode 1

This is an exploration of the first 7 pages of "The Fabric of Reality". I spend much of the time talking about the significance of the book, how I missed so much even on my first few readings of it and how we find even in these first few pages not merely the seeds of aspects of David Deutsch's later work, but an entire forest of important ideas that motivate much in "The Beginning of Infinity" and his other philosophical work such as "The Logic of Experimental Tests": https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/271767/1-s2.0-S1355219816X00032/1-s2.0-S135521981530023X/main.pdf?X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjELP%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJIMEYCIQDFvidQX0HdiKbHk8tDPI6Xx3d%2B08WVdW4bvTrJtAYhMQIhAOt3a6GjnI1w40bclPo3W%2FmgEaTVnQbmCk0bLelHxjBMKrQDCDwQAxoMMDU5MDAzNTQ2ODY1IgxMZezhD4njxDVguhMqkQNVjXPy%2FvRGzs%2FHY9Eq0tQcEX79UhxDO7Y%2B1Q71GgGvyy3IIsw3VGCgbYaLsIV7h%2BhoB6bfELgfSNGiy33pRrgxKytokoNoIXVQRSCJdkc%2F93GAjaEDCpzMDX1NV9Jujj9iQOHeLzbiLkqMCXld1sWannla7s7Nm2MOb7GdKYkHcGnHcba5fugyQE8HUhiCtGFHzyPRyq2ZnuoL7SFFGeC5tLB7X7TFQhT2YO%2FuXrt9LLkIiFAPCGsCAYW2AMr0XuQdkuG7CxWDYmTIWLTJ734iOlYtppxYbperE3Y63xDqTS7Jq80A79It3GulbT9iStjm7JBFy4LF3ZZbhs%2F60XABJ8U3WyEV4d4sYYWIzPsoTFZoFB3OQlchQg6WNuFwQXUHj5yLYnJDRkVP%2BnggZ%2Boln%2BJw8ILAe9BUexIxS1qGO2J8xgQciX04NQG2ELZ6ciEQnC12rc7l2nIMtz56C3JfPaYJhMwk%2B6%2FJkkxYlNvT5bhxxSwq4hTVPpBWXbMZNWx%2B5FilnKR6kIbmVmPM2L8MvjDg2NKEBjrqAQG87WkTVsRgGe2AoR45PfFE%2BVUqtcUC9qY8q8vzdDIEKGwhaA3BMdfISXsH8Sl7Jxw0TxNioDazf5uueAEQB2yFowtSVc9udD9N6mhwOlRby4RBAPLwkAEgz%2FWl4aXXE3%2FaWxCuXQfWEFbN9mSHtc2kmafJWYYfijbeOdmTC9kRwrCVraCdWAGPgzcUNGW0ciNWBo6s%2B9Vci2sCyZo7OCcVfYMuWZFDjcWYK0t3kGvEvVWQuFTLyOTSLsDvZNf0JeZo5%2BggGnUuqs8DFMZ0GlcEaeP5GnNcPaMdAqitYYF67f9vfRQdGsbGbg%3D%3D&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20210507T033518Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAQ3PHCVTYQHJSKL4E%2F20210507%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=5f11cec79591e29071a4fd8800fd5d04f1af8a99e6afc05e17f2f07b201e3a92&hash=5835606749c3a73dfb50b1c1a16451933716d7dd085bc5ca765562e01bae8aa1&host=68042c943591013ac2b2430a89b270f6af2c76d8dfd086a07176afe7c76c2c61&pii=S135521981530023X&tid=spdf-d6a79e96-757a-4541-9f5d-c2e61a0df1ed&sid=cd7069598b3c214f033b0e3-bdecf1cfde71gxrqa&type=client For many who read "FoR" as it has affectionately become known prior to "The Beginning of Infinity" (BoI) - it was FoR that really shifted our mindset from a common-sense and traditional understanding of science and philosophy to a genuinely Popperian world view, updated and refined by David Deutsch. This is not a book to be read lightly if one is unaccustomed to the work of David Deutsch. It will change your mind. I do not mean in the colloquial sense of that phrase - like "It will change an idea you have". I mean it will change what your mind is to you. You will think differently. You be speak differently. You will behave differently. You will be different. In a much better way.

Ep 62: "The Science of Can and Can't" episode 1.

This is the first episode in a new series devoted to an entirely new book: “The Science of Can and Can’t” by Chiara Marletto. Get the book anywhere ebooks are available (as of May, 2021) and learn more about Chiara and her work here: https://www.chiaramarletto.com​
This book is an amazing work. It presents for the lay reader an introduction to “Constructor Theory” without losing any scientific or philosophical rigour. In this first episode, I explain the motivation for Constructor Theory as a departure from the traditional conception of physics as being about “dynamical laws”. For the first time in science, Constructor Theory attempts to provide a way of creating physical theories about counterfactuals. We go some way to exploring what a counterfactual is and at this early stage of the series outline a sketch of where the constructor theory approach may be found useful. This episode constitutes the first part of chapter 1. It covers some of the philosophy of counterfactuals and the application of constructor theory to epistemology. Discussion of the physics will be left to episode 2.

Ep 61 Ch 18 "The Beginning" Part 2

In this second part I spend a large portion of our time comparing author John Horgan's work "The End of Science" to David Deutsch's "The Beginning of Infinity". What errors does Horgan make on the way to reaching the conclusion that science is coming to an end? I also summarise cases where critics of Popper seem to turn to character assassination rather than being focussed on his ideas. We end by considering reasons why - particularly in fundamental physics - science is not at an end given open questions especially in cosmology.
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Ep 60: The Nexus (No music version).

This episode is identical to episode 59 - only it contains no music. I don't think this is as good :)
My preferred way to experience this is the video version version which is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpTxBkmr4LE .  of this video (there is another published alongside this without any music -again, I don't think it is as good, but if you prefer "no music" - there is a video version without that also here: https://youtu.be/Ky4vMllidvM​
 
In either case this episode seeks to answer the question "What is a person?" in the context of our best scientific and philosophical understanding of evolution by natural selection, the theory of computation (including quantum computation), the theory of epistemology - how knowledge is created - and finally quantum theory - in particular the Everettian multiverse understanding of it in its most modern incarnation, as explained primarily by David Deutsch in "The Beginning of Infinity" and invoking the concept of fungibility. The concept of "personhood" has been historically a very tricky idea; either mired in the murky waters of mysticism, or reduced by the near vacuousness of physicalism. This document attempts to provide a video essay on the topic given our most up to date notions of what is true in philosophy, mathematics, morality, epistemology and physics. Time stamps will be available soon. Credit for the music goes to “Ketsa” - https://ketsa.uk/​ where their music can be downloaded for free on a Creative Commons License here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa​ and my own track breakdown is as follows: Track List and Times Save Ourselves (00:05​) Deliverance (03:02​) Astral Travel (06:22​) Blazing Stars (09:42​) Blessed Time (12:54​) Dancing by Twilight (38:30​) Wild Rivers (41:46​) Hear me out (44:42​) Gilded Moon (48:27​) Deep Math (53:58​) Built from Nothing (57:11​) Details for the creative commons license can be found at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa​ and at the end of the video.

Ep 59: The Nexus

My preferred way to experience this is the video version version which is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpTxBkmr4LE .  There is another version also published alongside this without any music - I don't think it is as good, but if you prefer "no music" - there is a version without that here: https://youtu.be/Ky4vMllidvM​
 
Note that episode 60 of the podcast is just "Episode 59 without the music" as well. 
 
In either case this episode seeks to answer the question "What is a person?" in the context of our best scientific and philosophical understanding of evolution by natural selection, the theory of computation (including quantum computation), the theory of epistemology - how knowledge is created - and finally quantum theory - in particular the Everettian multiverse understanding of it in its most modern incarnation, as explained primarily by David Deutsch in "The Beginning of Infinity" and invoking the concept of fungibility. The concept of "personhood" has been historically a very tricky idea; either mired in the murky waters of mysticism, or reduced by the near vacuousness of physicalism. This document attempts to provide a video essay on the topic given our most up to date notions of what is true in philosophy, mathematics, morality, epistemology and physics. Time stamps will be available soon. Credit for the music goes to “Ketsa” - https://ketsa.uk/​ where their music can be downloaded for free on a Creative Commons License here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa​ and my own track breakdown is as follows: Track List and Times Save Ourselves (00:05​) Deliverance (03:02​) Astral Travel (06:22​) Blazing Stars (09:42​) Blessed Time (12:54​) Dancing by Twilight (38:30​) Wild Rivers (41:46​) Hear me out (44:42​) Gilded Moon (48:27​) Deep Math (53:58​) Built from Nothing (57:11​) Details for the creative commons license can be found at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa​ and at the end of the video.

Ep 58 Ch 18 "The Beginning" Part 1

The beginning of "The Beginning" which is the chapter at the very end of "The Beginning of Infinity". :) Ignore what I say early on in this episode: this is episode 58, not 57. In this episode we revisit the idea that science, or knowledge broadly is coming to an "end". Even Feynman could become uncharacteristically pessimistic in this regard. Every new discovery reveals that there is more to know. Popper himself thought that as we increased our knowledge we would learn how much more ignorant we were - but that this has deep consequences for relating to each other. This is not the beginning of the end, but it may be the end of the beginning of The Beginning of Infinity. Support me monthly here: https://www.patreon.com/BrettRHall​ or per episode here: https://www.patreon.com/tokcast​ or even a one off donation by clicking on the "Donate" button found here: http://www.bretthall.org/​

Ep 57 "Existential Risk".

This is a podcast all about "Existential Risk". Made at the request of a Patreon, I cover the usual spectrum of ways in which people guess civilisation might end, discuss how to think about this from a rational - but critical - perspective and how to remain optimistic in the face of public intellectuals bombarding us with these claims about the coming end-times.
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Ep 56: Ch 17 "Unsustainable" Part 4

The final part of the penultimate chapter. Here we cover "The parable of Europium" and other memorable pessimists from David's formative years. Some analysis of the present concerns about climate change and the rational problem solving - and optimistic approach as contrasted to the standard pessimistic lines.

Ep 55:Existence

What does it mean for something to exist?

Ep 54 Ch 17 "Unsustainable" Part 3

Marx, Engels and Diamond present to us a vision of people as being in some sense impotent in the grand historical scheme - subject merely to natural forces and thus able to be predicted by a kind of natural law. This reductive view of people and their place in history (and the cosmos) leads to terrible historical ideas that bleed into pessimistic political ideologies. The truth instead is not bleak. People - in the form of their creative capacity to explain the world in which they find themselves leads to them being shapers of history. They are agents of change: powerful and good. We are reaching a crescendo of "The Beginning of Infinity".

Ep 53: Understanding Universality

This is additional material about Chapter 6 of "The Beginning of Infinity" - but goes into some additional areas. I compare Greek Gods to Blockchain (in a sense). I think "The Jump to Universality" is a particularly poorly understood chapter. I hope this inspires many to go back and re-read that part of the book. Again. And again.