Podcast · 41 episodes

Robinson's Podcast

by Robinson Erhardt · English

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between. https://linktr.ee/robinsonerhardt

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Latest episodes

294 - Michael Hudson: Iran, Oil, and Global DepressionMichael Hudson argues that a U.S.-led escalation of war involving Iran (and ongoing war with Russia via Ukraine) will raise oil and gas prices, which will raise fertilizer and food prices, triggering…28 Sep 2026 · 2 h 2 min

293 - Justin Wolfers: AI, Inflation, & The 2026 ElectionsJustin Wolfers discusses how billionaire power can distort democracy (using Elon Musk’s 2024 election spending as a “power” example), how AI’s economic outcomes depend on who owns the “robot” and…26 Sep 2026 · 1 h 4 min

292 - Jason Stanley: Breaking Down Trump’s PropagandaJason Stanley argues that US politics has shifted from “soft” propaganda in liberal democracies (persuasion that people don’t recognize as propaganda) to “hard” propaganda typical of authoritarian…23 Sep 2026 · 1 h 24 min

All episodes

291 - Daron Acemoglu: AI Is Destroying American DemocracyDaron Acemoglu argues that liberal democracy is in crisis—especially due to declining shared prosperity and weaker democratic participation—and that AI, as currently designed, could accelerate…20 Sep 2026 · 1 h · 29 chapters

290 - Nicholas Humphrey: Why Does Beauty Exist?Nicholas Humphrey argues that beauty exists because humans evolved a “rhyme detector” that finds likeness-with-difference (balance, proportion, pattern, closure) and because beauty signals stable,…13 Sep 2026 · 1 h 18 min · 29 chapters

289 - Joe Henrich: How Culture Made Humans WeirdHow culture and social norms shaped human evolution—especially the rise of large-scale cooperation, kinship-based institutions, prestige vs dominance, and “WEIRD” psychology—using evidence from…6 Sep 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 18 chapters

288 - Richard Wrangham: How Humans Caught FireHow cooking and control of fire shaped human evolution (genus Homo vs Homo sapiens), including reduced digestive anatomy, increased brain energy, new campfire-based sociality, and later patterns of…30 Aug 2026 · 1 h 14 min · 21 chapters

287: Daniel Lieberman: Evolution and the Human DietEvolutionary biology of the human diet, arguing that human eating is best understood as an accretion of new foods over millions of years, driven by evolution, locomotion, and especially…23 Aug 2026 · 1 h 12 min · 25 chapters

286: Adam Mockler: Trump, Newsom, and the Dark Future of American PoliticsAdam Mockler argues that modern U.S. politics is increasingly driven by an “attention economy,” where short-form “clipping” beats slower, policy-heavy messaging.16 Aug 2026 · 1 h 2 min · 23 chapters

285 - Richard Wolff & Michael Hudson: The Destruction of Modern NationsThe episode argues that “modern nations” are being destroyed by capitalism’s structural crisis, driven by rent-seeking (land, monopoly, finance) and by the end of colonial-era extraction.9 Aug 2026 · 1 h 59 min · 28 chapters

284 - Steve Keen: The Economics of Global WarfareSteve Keen argues mainstream economics misses how energy and other Gulf-of-Hormuz-linked inputs constrain production, so wars and disruptions (Iran, Ukraine, broader Middle East conflict) can trigger…1 Aug 2026 · 2 h 3 min · 43 chapters

283 - Timothy Snyder: Donald Trump and the End of AmericaTimothy Snyder argues the United States may not be a permanent “container” state; it could end or radically change as an imperial transition unfolds.19 Jul 2026 · 1 h 5 min · 25 chapters

282 - Richard Wolff: China, Russia, Iran, and World War IIIRichard Wolff argues that the world is moving toward a “World War III” dynamic driven less by battlefield events than by the economic and political decline of Europe and the United States, alongside…12 Jul 2026 · 2 h 4 min · 41 chapters

281 - Michael Hudson: How Debt Destroys EmpiresDebt as a mechanism of political control and “financialization,” tracing how medieval creditor power evolved into modern systems where governments’ tax and spending policy are constrained to service…6 Jul 2026 · 1 h 50 min · 31 chapters

280 - David Albert & Jacob Barandes: Debating the Foundation of Quantum MechanicsA debate on “indivisible” (radically non-Markovian) foundations of quantum mechanics that aim to remove the wave function as a fundamental entity.29 Jun 2026 · 2 h 33 min · 40 chapters

279 - Paul Davies: The Second Quantum Mechanics RevolutionPaul Davies discusses “Quantum 2.0,” arguing quantum mechanics’ core weirdness (superposition, measurement) remains conceptually unresolved, and that quantum information science may represent a…14 Jun 2026 · 1 h 20 min · 20 chapters

278 - Priyamvada Natarajan: The Mystery of Dark MatterPriyamvada Natarajan explains why cosmologists infer dark matter, what “cold, collisionless” means, how simulations and gravitational lensing connect particle ideas to galaxy structure, and how dark…31 May 2026 · 1 h 31 min · 29 chapters

277 - Tim Maudlin: What Is Philosophy?What philosophy is, how it historically split into sciences (especially physics), and what metaphysics/ontology mean today.17 May 2026 · 2 h 1 min · 37 chapters

276 - Craig Callender: Lab-Grown Meat, De-Extinction, and the Tolman-Ehrenfest EffectCraig Callender discusses (1) lab-grown/cultivated meat and how misinformation can shape policy, (2) de-extinction and “de-extinction” marketing, and (3) the Tolman–Ehrenfest effect in physics…3 May 2026 · 1 h 31 min · 29 chapters

275 - Nate Soares: AI Will Kill Us All If We Don’t Change CourseNate Soares argues that advanced AI could become an existential risk if we don’t “aim the bow” correctly—i.e., ensure AI systems reliably do what we intend as they get smarter.19 Apr 2026 · 2 h 4 min · 48 chapters

274 - Norman Finkelstein: Trump, Netanyahu, Putin, and the War in IranNorman Finkelstein discusses the war/attacks involving Iran, Israel, and the U.S., arguing the legal justifications for force are illegitimate under the UN Charter.29 Mar 2026 · 1 h 35 min · 34 chapters

273 - Richard Wolff: Iran, Israel, and the End of the American EmpireIn this episode, Robinson Erhardt interviews Richard Wolff, a noted economist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, about the complexities surrounding the ongoing war in…22 Mar 2026 · 2 h 5 min · 37 chapters

272 - Michael Hudson: Iran, Israel, and World War IIIIn this episode, Robinson Erhardt engages with Michael Hudson, a distinguished economist and president of the Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends.15 Mar 2026 · 1 h 57 min · 24 chapters

271 - Sara Imari Walker & Lee Cronin: Quantum Physics, Time, and the Origin of LifeQuantum Physics, Time, and the Origin of Life1 Mar 2026 · 1 h 59 min · 48 chapters