Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
The Portgual Street Philosophy Podcast is the official podcast of the LSE SU Philosophy Society. Each episode, we take a deep dive into a particular philosophy topic, in conversation with leading experts on the subject. By having focused explorations of these topics, we hope to provide accessible introductions and a pathway into the philosophical literature for interested students of all backgrounds.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Expert-led philosophy deep dives • decision theory, instrumental rationality, uncertainty • probability interpretations • quantum mechanics foundations and many-worlds • arguments about God, theory virtues • sensory experience metaphysics • animal sentience, welfare • mathematical philosophy, logic • ethics, public policy, pandemicsThis podcast, produced by the LSE Students’ Union Philosophy Society, features in-depth conversations with academic philosophers and related experts on central questions in contemporary philosophy. Across episodes, it aims to give accessible entry points into philosophical literatures by taking a single guiding question and unpacking the main concepts, arguments, and open problems around it.
A recurring focus is rational choice and formal approaches to practical and epistemic reasoning. Discussions examine what it is for beliefs and preferences to be rational, how probability should be understood (including subjective versus objective interpretations and standard axioms), and how decision-making works under risk and deep uncertainty. Related themes include representation theorems, coherence requirements on preferences, idealizations in decision theory, and challenges posed by bounded rationality, unawareness, and evaluative uncertainty.
The podcast also connects philosophy with the sciences, especially physics. It explores foundational issues in quantum mechanics, such as the measurement problem, the status of the Born rule, and debates among major interpretations, alongside topics like decoherence, probability, and the role philosophy can play in physical theory.
Beyond formal and scientific philosophy, the range includes ethics and public policy (for example, how to weigh competing values in crisis conditions), metaphysics and philosophy of mind (with attention to the nature of sensory experience), and philosophy of religion (assessing what counts as a successful argument in debates about the existence of God). It also addresses applied and interdisciplinary questions about animal sentience, cognition, and welfare, and reflects on the benefits and limitations of mathematical methods in philosophy.
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9. Sean Carroll | What is the correct interpretation of quantum mechanics? 2021-Jun-27 61 minutes |
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8. Anna Mahtani | What are probabilities? 2021-Jun-27 51 minutes |
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7. Richard Bradley | How should we make decisions under uncertainty? 2021-Jun-27 59 minutes |
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6. Johanna Thoma | What are the requirements of instrumental rationality? 2021-Jun-27 72 minutes |
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5. Graham Oppy | Are there any successful arguments for or against the existence of God? 2021-Jun-27 60 minutes |
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4. David Papineau | The Metaphysics of Sensory Experience 2021-Feb-06 53 minutes |
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3. Jonathan Birch | Animal Sentience 2021-Feb-04 48 minutes |
2. Laurenz Hudetz | Mathematical Philosophy: Blessing or Curse?2021-Feb-03 56 minutes |
1. Alex Voorhoeve | How to Balance Lives and Livelihoods in the Face of a Pandemic2021-Feb-03 29 minutes |