TrueSciPhi

Podcast Profile: Condensed Matter

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38 episodes
2021 to 2024
Median: 11 minutes
Collection: Philosophy

Description (podcaster-provided):

Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):

This podcast focuses on contemporary metaphysics and philosophy of science, using recent journal articles and books as springboards for explaining live debates and the arguments driving them. Episodes typically center on a single piece of scholarly work, clarifying the author’s core theses, the motivations behind them, and the most important objections or alternatives. Some instalments take the form of extended conversations with the researchers themselves, giving additional context about methodological choices and how philosophical questions connect to scientific practice.

A major throughline is modality: what it is for something to be possible or necessary, how (or whether) modal claims can be explained via possible-worlds frameworks, and whether modal truths might be grounded in conventions, norms, or other non-metaphysical sources. Closely related discussions cover counterfactual and “counterpossible” reasoning, and the status of modal skepticism and anti-realism.

Another recurring theme is the metaphysics of science, especially laws of nature and explanation. The podcast examines competing pictures of laws—such as Humean approaches versus “governing” conceptions—and what those pictures imply for explanation, symmetry principles, and puzzles in physics. Quantum mechanics appears as a case study for how metaphysical stances interact with foundational problems, including questions about measurement and how to interpret scientific theories.

The show also ranges into ontology and grounding, including debates about substance, realism, supervenience, theoretical virtues in metaphysical theorizing, and persistent worries about disagreement and methodology in the field. Alongside physics-oriented material, there is sustained attention to philosophy of biology: accounts of biological function, biochemical realization, evolutionary explanation, and issues about biological individuality that can intersect with ethical questions.

Overall, the content is aimed at readers interested in how rigorous metaphysical tools are applied to science and how scientific developments, in turn, constrain or motivate metaphysical theories.