web01.fireside.fm Mon, 25 May 2026 13:46:10 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Increments - Episodes Tagged with “Science” https://www.incrementspodcast.com/tags/science Mon, 16 Feb 2026 16:30:00 -0800 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 #98 (C&R Chap 10, Part III) - What is truth? https://www.incrementspodcast.com/98 0fea7698-ecf2-427d-94a1-bee55e1d72dd Mon, 16 Feb 2026 16:30:00 -0800 Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani full Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani The boys dive into a discussion on objective truth. What is Truth, really? Why is The Correspondence Theory of Truth the only game in town here? 1:24:54 no <p>"What is Truth?", said jesting podcasters, who then stuck around for an answer. Back at it again with The Conjectures and Refutations Series (part three) on Chapter 10: Truth, Rationality, and the Growth of Scientific Knowledge. Can we say what truth is, even if we can never be certain we've found it? If not, can we say that science is approaching truth? How would we ever know? And why are so many theories of truth untrue?</p> We discuss <ul> <li>Ben's early reflections on Abigail Shrier's book Bad Therapy </li> <li>Why did Popper feel the need to answer this particular "what is" question?</li> <li>Can asking "what is truth" be a demogogic and bad-faith question?</li> <li>The correspondence theory of truth vs The pragmatic theory of truth vs The coherence theory of truth </li> <li>Alfred Tarski's formalization of the correspondence theory of truth </li> <li>Are there problems with the correspondence theory?</li> <li>The disagreement between Vaden and Deutsch on truth</li> </ul> References <ul> <li>Daniel Bonevac on the Correspondence theory of truth: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlG_VaN1LHQ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlG_VaN1LHQ</a><br> </li> <li>Tarki's 1944 <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54c161ffe4b063fc8ab03446/t/54c3c492e4b03dfa2a2e40f8/1422115986189/Tarski+-+The+Semantic+Conception+of+Truth.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">paper</a> on the semantic conception of truth </li> <li>Tarki's 1933 <a href="http://www.thatmarcusfamily.org/philosophy/Course_Websites/Readings/Tarski%20-%20The%20Concept%20of%20Truth%20in%20Formalized%20Languages.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">paper</a> "On the concept of truth in formalized languages" </li> <li>Deutsch's 2022 talk on truth: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ-opI-jghs" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Musings about Truth</a> # Socials</li> <li>Follow us on Twitter at @IncrementsPod, @BennyChugg, @VadenMasrani</li> <li>Come join our discord server! DM us on twitter or send us an email to get a supersecret link</li> <li>Become 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>It would be both useful, coherent, and correspond to our happiness if you signed up for our patreon or discord. Hit us up at <a href="mailto:incrementspodcast@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">incrementspodcast@gmail.com</a> </p> truth, pragmatism, popper, science, conjectures and refutations "What is Truth?", said jesting podcasters, who then stuck around for an answer. Back at it again with The Conjectures and Refutations Series (part three) on Chapter 10: Truth, Rationality, and the Growth of Scientific Knowledge. Can we say what truth is, even if we can never be certain we've found it? If not, can we say that science is approaching truth? How would we ever know? And why are so many theories of truth untrue?

We discuss

  • Ben's early reflections on Abigail Shrier's book Bad Therapy
  • Why did Popper feel the need to answer this particular "what is" question?
  • Can asking "what is truth" be a demogogic and bad-faith question?
  • The correspondence theory of truth vs The pragmatic theory of truth vs The coherence theory of truth
  • Alfred Tarski's formalization of the correspondence theory of truth
  • Are there problems with the correspondence theory?
  • The disagreement between Vaden and Deutsch on truth

References

  • Daniel Bonevac on the Correspondence theory of truth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlG_VaN1LHQ
  • Tarki's 1944 paper on the semantic conception of truth
  • Tarki's 1933 paper "On the concept of truth in formalized languages"
  • Deutsch's 2022 talk on truth: Musings about Truth # Socials
  • Follow us on Twitter at @IncrementsPod, @BennyChugg, @VadenMasrani
  • Come join our discord server! DM us on twitter or send us an email to get a supersecret link
  • Become 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

It would be both useful, coherent, and correspond to our happiness if you signed up for our patreon or discord. Hit us up at incrementspodcast@gmail.com

Support Increments

]]> "What is Truth?", said jesting podcasters, who then stuck around for an answer. Back at it again with The Conjectures and Refutations Series (part three) on Chapter 10: Truth, Rationality, and the Growth of Scientific Knowledge. Can we say what truth is, even if we can never be certain we've found it? If not, can we say that science is approaching truth? How would we ever know? And why are so many theories of truth untrue?

We discuss

  • Ben's early reflections on Abigail Shrier's book Bad Therapy
  • Why did Popper feel the need to answer this particular "what is" question?
  • Can asking "what is truth" be a demogogic and bad-faith question?
  • The correspondence theory of truth vs The pragmatic theory of truth vs The coherence theory of truth
  • Alfred Tarski's formalization of the correspondence theory of truth
  • Are there problems with the correspondence theory?
  • The disagreement between Vaden and Deutsch on truth

References

  • Daniel Bonevac on the Correspondence theory of truth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlG_VaN1LHQ
  • Tarki's 1944 paper on the semantic conception of truth
  • Tarki's 1933 paper "On the concept of truth in formalized languages"
  • Deutsch's 2022 talk on truth: Musings about Truth # Socials
  • Follow us on Twitter at @IncrementsPod, @BennyChugg, @VadenMasrani
  • Come join our discord server! DM us on twitter or send us an email to get a supersecret link
  • Become 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

It would be both useful, coherent, and correspond to our happiness if you signed up for our patreon or discord. Hit us up at incrementspodcast@gmail.com

Support Increments

]]>