Rationally Speaking #59 - Live at NECSS: David Kyle Johnson on the Simulation Argument

Rationally Speaking Podcast

New York City Skeptics

Society & Culture, Skepticism, Science, Philosophy

4.6 • 787 Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2012

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this special live episode recorded at the 2012 Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism, Massimo and Julia discuss the "simulation argument" -- the case that it's roughly 20% likely that we live in a computer simulation -- and the surprising implications that argument has for religion. Their guest is philosopher David Kyle Johnson, who is professor of philosophy at King's College and author of the blog "Plato on Pop" for Psychology Today, and who hosts his own podcast at philosophyandpopculture.com. Elaborating on an article he recently published in the journal Philo, Johnson lays out the simulation argument and his own insight into how it might solve the age-old Problem of Evil (i.e., "How is it possible that an all-powerful, all-knowing, and good God could allow evil to occur in the world?"). As usual, Massimo and Julia have plenty of questions and comments!

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Rationally Speaking is a presentation of New York City skeptics dedicated to promoting critical thinking, skeptical inquiry, and science education.
0:22.4	For more information, please visit us at NYCCEceptics.org.
0:35.2	Welcome to Rationally Speaking, the podcast where we explore the borderlines between reason and nonsense.
0:40.9	I'm your host, Massimo Hiliucci, and with me, as always, is my co-host Julia Gales.
0:45.8	Julia, what are we going to do today?
0:48.0	Well, we are live at Nexus 2012.
0:51.7	Give it up for four years of science and skepticism.
0:55.0	Woo! Thank you. Nexus 2012. Give it up for four years of science and skepticism.
1:04.0	So before we get started today, I'd like to introduce our special guests. Please welcome Kyle Johnson. Kyle, come on out.
1:17.6	Kyle is a professor of philosophy at King's College in Wilkespar, Pennsylvania. He's also the host of his own podcast at Philosophy and Popculture.com.
1:21.6	And also writes the blog Plato on Pop at Psychology Today.
1:25.6	Thanks so much for joining us, Kyle.
1:26.6	It's a pleasure to have you.
1:28.1	Thank you so much for having me.
1:30.3	So...
1:30.7	Right. So I jumped the gun a little bit when I said that we were live at Nexus
1:37.2	because, in fact, that is the question up for debate today.
1:40.6	Are we in fact live at Nexus?
1:42.5	Or is this conference, and indeed the entire
1:44.9	universe, part of a computer simulation? Kyle has recently published a paper in the journal
1:50.7	Philo about this question on the simulation hypothesis and some intriguing implications that it has
1:55.7	for theology. Now, I know what many of you in the audience must be thinking at this point, so I'm just going to come right out and say it, no, you don't get a refund on your ticket price if it turns out that this conference isn't real. I'm sorry.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from New York City Skeptics, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of New York City Skeptics and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.