web01.fireside.fm Mon, 25 May 2026 04:25:35 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Increments - Episodes Tagged with “Mathematics” https://www.incrementspodcast.com/tags/mathematics Tue, 01 Oct 2024 09:30:00 -0700 Vaden Masrani, a senior research scientist in machine learning, and Ben Chugg, a PhD student in statistics, get into trouble arguing about everything except machine learning and statistics. Coherence is somewhere on the horizon. Bribes, suggestions, love-mail and hate-mail all welcome at incrementspodcast@gmail.com. en-us episodic Science, Philosophy, Epistemology, Mayhem Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani Vaden Masrani, a senior research scientist in machine learning, and Ben Chugg, a PhD student in statistics, get into trouble arguing about everything except machine learning and statistics. Coherence is somewhere on the horizon. Bribes, suggestions, love-mail and hate-mail all welcome at incrementspodcast@gmail.com. no Philosophy,Science,Ethics,Progress,Knowledge,Computer Science,Conversation,Error-Correction Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani incrementspodcast@gmail.com #74 - Disagreeing about Belief, Probability, and Truth (w/ David Deutsch) https://www.incrementspodcast.com/74 03508f9b-3a2a-4b15-9b23-fe30083b431b Tue, 01 Oct 2024 09:30:00 -0700 Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani full Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani We talk with David Deutsch about whether the concept of belief is a useful lens on human cognition, when probability and statistics are actually useful, and whether he disagrees with Karl Popper about the truth. 1:32:02 no <p>What do you do when one of your intellectual idols comes on the podcast? Bombard them with disagreements of course. We were thrilled to have David Deutsch on the podcast to discuss whether the concept of belief is a useful lens on human cognition, when probability and statistics should be deployed, and whether he disagrees with Karl Popper on abstractions, the truth, and nothing but the truth. </p> <p>Follow David on Twitter (@DavidDeutschOxf) or find his website <a href="https://www.daviddeutsch.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>. </p> We discuss <ul> <li>Whether belief is a fruitful lens through which to analyze ideas </li> <li>Whether a non-quantitative form of belief can be defended </li> <li>How does belief bottom out epistemologically? </li> <li>Whether statistics and probability are useful </li> <li>Where should statistics and probability be used in practice? </li> <li>The Popper-Miller theorem</li> <li>Statements vs propositions and their relevance for truth </li> <li>Whether Popper and Deutsch disagree about truth </li> </ul> References <ul> <li>The Popper-Miller theorem. See the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/302687a0" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">original paper</a> </li> <li>David's 2021 talk on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ-opI-jghs" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">correspondence theory of truth</a> </li> <li>David's talk on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfzSE4Hoxbc" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">physics without probability</a>. </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven_paradox" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Hempel's paradox</a> </li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Infinity-Explanations-Transform-World/dp/0143121359" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">The Beginning of Infinity</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Knowledge-Body-Mind-Problem-Defence-Interaction/dp/0415135567" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Knowledge and the Body-Mind Problem</a></li> </ul> Socials <ul> <li>Follow us on Twitter at @IncrementsPod, @BennyChugg, @VadenMasrani, @DavidDeutschOxf</li> <li>Come join our discord server! DM us on twitter or send us an email to get a supersecret link</li> <li>Believe in us and get exclusive bonus content by becoming a patreon subscriber <a href="https://www.patreon.com/Increments" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>. Or give us one-time cash donations to help cover our lack of cash donations <a href="https://ko-fi.com/increments" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>.</li> <li>Click dem like buttons on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_4wZzQyoW4s4ZuE4FY9DQQ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube</a> </li> </ul> <p>What's the truth about your belief on the probability of useful statistics? Tell us over at <a href="mailto:incrementspodcast@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">incrementspodcast@gmail.com</a>. Special Guest: David Deutsch.</p> probability, statistics, truth, belief, epistemology, certainty, mathematics What do you do when one of your intellectual idols comes on the podcast? Bombard them with disagreements of course. We were thrilled to have David Deutsch on the podcast to discuss whether the concept of belief is a useful lens on human cognition, when probability and statistics should be deployed, and whether he disagrees with Karl Popper on abstractions, the truth, and nothing but the truth.

Follow David on Twitter (@DavidDeutschOxf) or find his website here.

We discuss

  • Whether belief is a fruitful lens through which to analyze ideas
  • Whether a non-quantitative form of belief can be defended
  • How does belief bottom out epistemologically?
  • Whether statistics and probability are useful
  • Where should statistics and probability be used in practice?
  • The Popper-Miller theorem
  • Statements vs propositions and their relevance for truth
  • Whether Popper and Deutsch disagree about truth

References

Socials

  • Follow us on Twitter at @IncrementsPod, @BennyChugg, @VadenMasrani, @DavidDeutschOxf
  • Come join our discord server! DM us on twitter or send us an email to get a supersecret link
  • Believe in us and get exclusive bonus content by becoming a patreon subscriber here. Or give us one-time cash donations to help cover our lack of cash donations here.
  • Click dem like buttons on youtube

What's the truth about your belief on the probability of useful statistics? Tell us over at incrementspodcast@gmail.com.

Special Guest: David Deutsch.

Support Increments

]]> What do you do when one of your intellectual idols comes on the podcast? Bombard them with disagreements of course. We were thrilled to have David Deutsch on the podcast to discuss whether the concept of belief is a useful lens on human cognition, when probability and statistics should be deployed, and whether he disagrees with Karl Popper on abstractions, the truth, and nothing but the truth.

Follow David on Twitter (@DavidDeutschOxf) or find his website here.

We discuss

  • Whether belief is a fruitful lens through which to analyze ideas
  • Whether a non-quantitative form of belief can be defended
  • How does belief bottom out epistemologically?
  • Whether statistics and probability are useful
  • Where should statistics and probability be used in practice?
  • The Popper-Miller theorem
  • Statements vs propositions and their relevance for truth
  • Whether Popper and Deutsch disagree about truth

References

Socials

  • Follow us on Twitter at @IncrementsPod, @BennyChugg, @VadenMasrani, @DavidDeutschOxf
  • Come join our discord server! DM us on twitter or send us an email to get a supersecret link
  • Believe in us and get exclusive bonus content by becoming a patreon subscriber here. Or give us one-time cash donations to help cover our lack of cash donations here.
  • Click dem like buttons on youtube

What's the truth about your belief on the probability of useful statistics? Tell us over at incrementspodcast@gmail.com.

Special Guest: David Deutsch.

Support Increments

]]>