Episode 294: The Scandal of Philosophy (Hume's Problem of Induction)

Very Bad Wizards

Tamler Sommers & David Pizarro

Society & Culture, Philosophy

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 8 October 2024

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

CD Broad called induction “the glory of science and the scandal of philosophy.” As a matter of habit, we’re all confident that the sun will rise tomorrow morning and that we can predict where the planets and stars will be tomorrow night. But what’s the rational justification for beliefs like this? According David Hume, there is none. Deductive justifications can’t give you new information about the world, and inductive justifications are circular, they beg the question. David and Tamler dive into the notorious problem of induction and some (failed?) attempts to offer a resolution.

Plus, an article about toddlers and small children who seem to remember their past lives – what should we make of these reports? And is "remembering a past life" and "being possessed by the ghost of that person" a distinction without a difference?

The Children Who Remember Past Lives [washington post.com]

Ian Stevenson - criticisms [wikipedia.org]

The Problem of Induction [plato.stanford.edu]

Salmon, W. C. (1978). Unfinished business: The problem of induction. Philosophical Studies: An International Journal for Philosophy in the Analytic Tradition, 33(1), 1-19.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Very Bad Wizards is a podcast with a philosopher, my dad, and a psychologist Dave Vizarro,
0:06.0	having an informal discussion about issues and science and ethics.
0:09.4	Please note that the discussion contains bad words that I'm not allowed to say and knowing my dad
0:14.5	some very inappropriate jokes. Reason ain't his long suit. The waiting has spoken.
0:25.0	way in has has spoken.
0:28.0	Play no attention to that man behind a curtain. Who are you?
0:38.0	Who are you?
0:40.0	Who are you?
0:41.0	A very bad man. I'm A very bad man.
0:43.0	I'm a very good man.
0:45.0	Good man.
0:46.0	They think deep thoughts,
0:50.0	and with no more brains than you have.
0:52.0	Pay no attention. thought and with no more brains than you have.
0:53.0	Made no attention to that man.
0:59.0	Anybody can have a brain.
1:05.0	You're a very bad man. I'm a very good man.
1:07.0	Just a very bad wizard.
1:10.0	Welcome to very bad wizards.
1:12.0	I'm Tamler Summers from the University of Houston. Dave, political junkie that you are. I'm sure you watched the Wall's Vance debate last night in its entirety. Now I didn't get the chance to see it because we're
1:24.8	watching the shield right now. Are the reports true? Did J.D. Vance, your boy,
1:30.8	win the debate? First of all, obviously yes I watched it.
	...

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