Robinson's Podcast

Jeffrey Pfeffer is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University where he has taught since 1979. He is the author or co-author of 16 books. Dr. Pfeffer received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University and his Ph.D. from Stanford. In this episode, Robinson and Jeffrey discuss the field of organizational behavior. More particularly, they talk about the aims and methods of the field, some of its subjects—such as power and influence—and case studies. Jeffrey’s latest book is the 7 Rules of Power (Holt, 2022). 7 Rules of Power: https://a.co/d/58WWhiCOUTLINEOUTLINE00:00 Introduction05:46 Understanding Vs Implementation11:42 The Seven Principles of Influence19:33 Evolutionary Biology20:49 How Self-Interest Rules Organizations29:37 Power and the Prevalence of Conspiracies33:53 Jeffrey Epstein and the Laws of Power42:55 The Administration of Health Benefits49:16 How Jeffrey’s Research Has Influenced His Behavior59:06 The Price of PowerRobinson’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. Lee was most recently on the show for episode 264, in which he and Robinson and Lee discussed astrobiology, the chemistry of life as we know it, and the controversies surrounding artificial intelligence. In this follow-up conversation, they focused primarily on artificial intelligence, aliens, and assembly theory.Lee’s Website: https://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/cronin/Lee’s Twitter: https://x.com/leecroninOUTLINE00:00 Introduction01:01 AI or Aliens?02:46 What Is Intelligence?13:57 Are Autonomous Vehicles Intelligent?21:39 Assembly Theory and the Origin of Life28:23 Is ChatGPT Intelligent?34:12 What Would Genuine Artificial Intelligence Really Look Like?41:13 Are “AI Skills” Just Product Placement?49:45 Are AI Actually Intelligent “Agents”?56:21 Concluding Thoughts59:16 Will Aliens Be Biological?01:00:01 How Common Are Aliens in the Universe?01:05:51 How Will Aliens Search for Life on Earth?01:12:58 The Chemistry of Minds01:17:10 The Biggest Myths About AliensRobinson’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.

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.