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Kenny Boyce discusses the recent critiques of probability in the philosophy of religion, principally by John Norton. Kenny is an all-around great guy and (given his considerable philosophical overlap with my own views) a genius. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 00:06 What is the fine-tuning argument? 01:40 Epistemic vs. objective probability 03:40 Why epistemic priors are necessary 07:39 Can probability apply without empirical data? 09:41 John Norton's material theory of induction 13:05 Bayesianism vs. Norton's approach to induction 18:55 The outcome space objection to Bayesianism 26:02 The problem of the priors 28:08 Evidential support and rational belief 33:01 Must rational credences obey the probability axioms? 36:45 Can credences be incomparable? 42:24 Are fine-tuning probabilities unjustified? 50:20 Could deeper physics explain fine-tuning? 52:34 The prior probabilities of theism and naturalism 58:55 Kenny's greatest philosophical uncertainty Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

The brilliant Substacker Both Sides Brigade joins me for a discussion about three hot topics in our corner of the philosophy of religion internet: the omission theodicy, the miracle case for Catholicism, and the doctrine of eternal conscious torment.Check out Brian Cutter and Philip Swenson's defense of the archon abandonment theodicy, as well as Brian Cutter's paper on Hell and justice. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:06:32 The Archon abandonment theodicy explained 00:12:09 Natural evil and the free will defense 00:16:42 The expected costs of Archon failure 00:26:35 Divine foreknowledge and God's failure to intervene 00:34:04 The epistemology of Catholic miracles 00:41:56 Padre Pio's stigmata and carbolic acid 00:46:07 Divine hiddenness and conflicting miracle evidence 00:53:19 The miracle of Calanda and the restored leg 00:59:46 Fátima and the miracle of the sun 01:08:29 Eternal conscious torment and its defenders 01:14:31 Can Catholic miracles justify eternal conscious torment? 01:24:19 The noetic effects of sin and moral skepticism 01:34:09 Can hell be good for those in it? 01:42:05 Can eternal punishment involve finite suffering? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

Noah McKay, a philosophy Ph.D. student at Princeton, joins me to discuss his recent conversation to Catholicism, Catholic miracle evidence, whether the Bible predicts a succession of popes, and Catholic sexual ethics. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:53 From Protestantism to Catholicism: the initial case 00:02:24 Craig Keener and the evidence for Christian miracles 00:04:35 Fine-tuning, the resurrection, and other arguments for Christianity 00:05:33 How Joe Schmid helped change his theological views 00:07:13 Marian apparitions, Eucharistic miracles, and Catholicism 00:11:18 Overcoming objections to Catholic theology and history 00:14:26 Why Noah initially rejected the papacy 00:16:24 The biblical case for papal authority 00:22:19 Scripture, tradition, and divine revelation 00:24:21 Does the papacy preserve Christian unity and truth? 00:30:11 Peter, Paul, and the case for apostolic succession 00:48:10 Can the Catholic Church really claim to preserve unity? 01:06:08 How strong is the evidence for Catholic miracles? 01:14:00 Can miracles override moral and philosophical objections? 01:19:07 Catholic sexual ethics, moral intuitions, and disagreement 01:32:37 What philosophical position is Noah most uncertain of? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

Mike Titelbaum, author of the two-volume "Fundamentals of Bayesian Epistemology," dissects the use of probability in philosophy, philosophy of religion, science, and everyday life. We do, of course, discuss my recent discussion with John Norton and the material theory of induction. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:11 What is Bayesianism? 00:05:21 Must credences have precise numerical values? 00:07:16 Imprecise credence and comparative confidence 00:14:27 Bayesianism and Norton’s material theory of induction 00:20:02 Can we assign probabilities to the universe’s initial conditions? 00:28:57 Fine-tuning and the principle of indifference 00:35:13 Objective versus subjective Bayesianism 00:39:20 Must rational beliefs obey the probability axioms? 00:47:01 Incommensurability and alternative models of credence 00:55:06 Can Bayesianism evaluate evidence for God? 00:59:08 How probability theory illuminates evidential support 01:03:03 Everyday probability versus mathematical probability 01:07:55 Does subjective Bayesianism entail skepticism? 01:19:46 What is Titelbaum most uncertain about? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

Emily Adlam discusses the problems facing several interpretations of quantum mechanics: principal among them, the probability problem. Prepare for discussion of self-locating credences, branch-counting, and whether a mechanism deposits consciousness throughout the branching wavefunction of the universe. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:52 The problem of recovering empirical confirmation 00:04:47 The many-worlds interpretation 00:07:01 The measurement problem 00:08:42 The probability problem in many-worlds 00:12:06 The decision-theoretic approach to probability 00:16:33 Self-locating evidence and Everettian quantum mechanics 00:19:20 Pure vs. superficial self-locating credence 00:25:08 Can the Born rule constrain self-locating credence? 00:30:15 Interpretations vs. theories of quantum mechanics 00:34:51 Can we save science from quantum mechanics? 00:44:30 What happened to the Copenhagen interpretation? 00:46:45 What do physicists believe about quantum mechanics? 00:48:27 The anthropic argument for God 00:56:22 Multiverses, fine-tuning, and self-locating evidence Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

In the hundredth episode of this podcast, I discuss the use, and misuse, of probability in science and philosophy with John Norton. Prepare for a contentious conversation about fundamental issues in probability theory, induction, and cosmic fine-tuning. This one does not disappoint. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:30 Formal vs. material theories of induction 00:04:58 Does material induction make induction redundant? 00:11:15 Bayesianism vs. the material theory 00:16:47 Can we say evolution is “probably” true? 00:19:23 Evidential support without probabilities 00:23:16 Can Bayesianism capture inference to the best explanation? 00:25:00 The outcome space dispute 00:29:47 Probability and the danger of false precision 00:31:03 The simulation argument and misapplied probability 00:35:39 The doomsday argument and self-locating evidence 00:38:33 Objective vs. subjective Bayesianism 00:43:36 The bootstrapping problem for probability 00:50:53 Probability in cosmology and the multiverse 00:57:59 Does inflation make our universe more probable? 01:00:19 What is John Norton most uncertain about? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

Tim Mawson, professor of philosophy at Oxford, discusses the contours of the newly emerging philosophical investigation into the meaning of life. What does it mean to say that life's meaning is subjective versus objective? Would life be meaningful if we were immortal? And what difference does God make, and not make, to whether life means anything? Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:55 Open theism and God's relationship to time 00:11:09 Returning to the meaning of life 00:12:06 Why philosophers neglected the meaning of life 00:15:48 What does it mean for life to have meaning? 00:19:20 Objectivism, subjectivism and hybrid theories 00:28:23 Objective meaning, subjective states and purpose 00:35:00 Can there be no meaning to life? 00:39:47 What can God add to life's meaning? 00:43:25 Vocation, purpose and meaningfulness 00:50:50 Does God give some people more meaningful lives? 00:59:20 Death, immortality and the meaning of life 01:00:25 Would eternal life become unbearably boring? 01:07:48 Does infinite time destroy urgency? 01:13:23 Would praising God forever become boring? 01:18:14 What God cannot add to life's meaning 01:21:55 Can God's existence make a life less meaningful? 01:24:18 What is the meaning of life? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

Kevin Scharp comes back on the podcast to discuss William Lane Craig’s eight-part case for the existence of God: contingency, cosmology, mathematics, fine-tuning, consciousness, morality, miracles, and experience. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:20 Behind the scenes: Kevin vs. William Lane Craig 00:14:11 Craig on probability & inference to the best explanation 00:23:07 Divine psychology and fine-tuning 00:27:06 Argument #1 - Contingency 00:43:30 Does everything need an explanation? 00:49:48 Argument #2 - Kalam cosmological argument 00:51:35 Actual infinity and Hilbert’s Hotel 01:03:06 Argument #3 - Fine-tuning 01:09:53 What does the Big Bang actually tell us? 01:11:53 Divine psychology 01:27:08 Argument #4 - Applicability of mathematics 01:35:08 Argument #5 - Consciousness 01:40:47 Does consciousness really get us to God? 01:45:41 Argument #6 - Morality 01:54:43 Argument #7 - The resurrection of Jesus 01:58:27 Miracles and the laws of nature 02:08:25 Argument #8 - Experience of God Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

Ralph Weir answers all my questions about the mind-body problem, how we define "physical," whether I can conceive of philosophical zombies, and where panpsychism fits into all this. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:35 How Ralph got into philosophy of mind 00:05:52 Eliminativism: do mental states exist? 00:09:00 What is illusionism? 00:10:56 What is phenomenal consciousness? 00:17:53 What are qualia? 00:21:33 What does “physical” actually mean? 00:29:03 Is panpsychism a form of physicalism? 00:35:45 Mapping the mind-body problem 00:45:16 Property dualism vs. substance dualism 00:53:10 What is the strongest case against physicalism? 01:00:32 Philosophical zombies and modal skepticism 01:10:23 Can science settle the mind-body problem? 01:18:20 Mental causation and physical anomalies 01:22:31 Does the evidence favor physicalism? 01:34:07 Which philosophical view is Ralph most uncertain about? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

You do NOT want to miss this debate on the perennial question that human beings have wondered about for thousands of years: does God exist? Josh presents both a cumulative case for theism, as well as his signature argument from arbitrary limits. Mike presents his novel argument against God's infinite attributes. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:48 Joshua Rasmussen’s opening statement 00:17:05 Michael Huemer’s opening statement 00:33:26 Moderated discussion begins 00:35:43 Infinity and the nature of God 00:45:18 What grounds an eternal reality? 00:48:13 God, consciousness, and omniscience 00:54:18 Platonism, infinity, and the digits of π 01:01:18 Can God have unlimited power? 01:07:29 Does theism best explain reality? 01:14:08 Fine-tuning and the multiverse 01:20:27 Does a multiverse actually explain life? 01:26:39 Suffering and the problem of evil 01:32:56 Closing statements Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

Emily McRae, professor of philosophy at the University of New Mexico, offers an overview of Buddhist philosophy. In particular, we discuss the different traditions within Buddhism - Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan, and Zen - the doctrine of emptiness, the Four Noble Truths, and the ontology of Nirvana: annihilation, eternal bliss, or a state of mind in the here and now? Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:55 Moral ignorance in Buddhist philosophy 00:06:47 What drew Emily to Buddhist philosophy? 00:10:36 Analytic philosophy vs. Buddhist philosophy 00:13:41 What kind of ethical theory is Buddhism? 00:21:26 Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy? 00:24:37 The major schools of Buddhism 00:29:56 Emptiness and the Buddhist theory of the self 00:37:47 Why the Buddha refused to answer some questions 00:43:02 The Four Noble Truths 00:46:01 The first Noble Truth: suffering 00:51:04 The second Noble Truth: the causes of suffering 00:53:43 The third Noble Truth: the end of suffering 00:56:10 What is nirvana? 01:00:14 Does Buddhism ultimately teach annihilation? 01:07:15 Buddhism vs. Christianity on desire 01:12:18 The fourth Noble Truth: the Eightfold Path 01:16:16 What reason is there to believe Buddhism is true? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

In my recent discussion with Ethan Muse, he made a case for the compatibility of God's perfect love and the doctrine of eternal conscious torment. Randal Rauser returns to the channel to respond. Are we far more wicked than we realize? Does any sin merit infinite punishment? What should we do if we struggle with fear of eternal hell? We discuss these questions and much else besides. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:06 Randal’s approach to YouTube 00:03:08 Initial reactions to Ethan Muse’s defense of hell 00:08:34 Is the problem emotional or intellectual? 00:16:07 The authority of the Catholic Church 00:22:16 The three Christian views of hell 00:25:00 Are human beings wicked enough to deserve hell? 00:31:02 Does every sin merit infinite punishment? 00:36:29 Moral culpability and ignorance 00:43:08 Is rejecting God an infinitely serious sin? 00:47:08 Will most people go to hell? 00:53:19 Would creation be a net moral failure? 00:56:30 Did Jesus teach eternal conscious torment? 01:03:29 The central moral argument against eternal hell 01:07:18 Do the noetic effects of sin undermine moral intuition? 01:12:19 Should we trust the moral judgment of Catholic saints? 01:20:48 Does moral disagreement undermine our intuitions? 01:24:07 Different degrees of suffering in hell 01:28:16 How should Christians cope with the fear of hell? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

This week's interview features...me! I have finally gotten around to answering all the questions you sent me when we hit 3,000 subscribers. Yes, this video is v late. Yes, it is v worth the watch. Prepare for a more informal, cheeky side of me. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:20 Which guest has challenged you the most? 00:01:12 Are the fundamental constants independent? 00:02:44 What are your hobbies outside philosophy? 00:03:49 Were you ever an atheist? 00:03:52 Why is there something rather than nothing? 00:05:18 Have you ever considered becoming a model? 00:05:22 How much do you think about modality? 00:05:52 Have you ever had a religious experience? 00:06:13 What are the best arguments for theism? 00:07:27 What are the chances that universalism is true? 00:08:16 Were you always smart? 00:08:19 Paul Draper’s understated evidence objection 00:10:50 Will theism grow among philosophers? 00:11:43 An empirical approach to religion 00:12:42 The aesthetic argument for God 00:13:55 Will philosophy ever abandon materialism? 00:15:08 How have your views on theism evolved? 00:17:45 Is universalism true or theism false? 00:18:44 What is your journal acceptance rate? 00:18:57 What do you think about TAG? 00:19:27 How can someone find their life’s purpose? 00:20:00 Does universalism weaken the problem of evil? 00:21:56 What makes you doubt Christianity? 00:23:50 Has Paul Draper weakened your theism? 00:25:34 Which dead philosophers would you speak to? 00:27:46 Do theistic arguments depend on modality? 00:29:30 Where do you hope to be in ten years? 00:29:38 What if fine-tuning gave no support to theism? 00:29:54 Why does God exist? 00:31:02 Can you publish without a philosophy degree? 00:31:19 What does it mean to exist? 00:32:09 Are theistic arguments more technically vulnerable? 00:34:32 Who are you? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

Philosopher Kevin Scharp discusses his experience working with A.I. agents, and what it portends for the future. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome.EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:10 What AI agents are 00:03:22 Why AI agents remain under the radar 00:06:07 Creating research-level AI agents 00:08:44 How AI agents work 00:11:06 Are AI agents conscious? 00:17:59 Have AI agents already achieved AGI? 00:21:40 Embodied agents and what comes next 00:24:57 Automation, unemployment, and social unrest 00:27:05 AI as an unprecedented capacity for harm 00:28:46 Could governance and AI rights slow development? 00:32:00 Has ChatGPT become less useful? 00:39:34 AI, human extinction, and theism 00:43:08 Does AI favor naturalism over theism? 00:46:35 How to live under existential uncertainty 00:49:31 Atheism, agnosticism, and changing your mind Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe

Lance Bush returns to the channel to discuss the need for empirical research in philosophy, whether philosophers even want to find the answers to their questions, and, of course, phenomenal conservatism (which is true, btw). Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:12 Common mistakes in student writing 00:06:54 Brevity and writing as a craft 00:09:34 Why Lance pursued psychology over philosophy 00:13:58 Studying moral language empirically 00:20:03 What psychology reveals about philosophical practice 00:24:59 A pragmatic theory of meaning 00:31:22 Does philosophy differ from science? 00:43:37 Why philosophers disagree 00:47:40 Could philosophy ever be solved? 00:56:31 Bias and the David Enoch debate 01:00:31 Competing philosophical starting points 01:05:58 Heterodox views and accusations of contrarianism 01:08:43 Debate mistakes and the possibility of a rematch 01:11:46 Michael Huemer and future conversations 01:13:39 Phenomenal conservatism 01:16:22 Epistemic blank checks 01:20:03 Defeaters and the psychology of seemings 01:24:57 Pragmatism and philosophical goals Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe