The Expansive Nature of Bitcoin with Troy Cross

In a Nutshell: Satoshi Nakomoto is possibly the greatest philosopher of the modern era. The stitching together of the various threads that comprise Bitcoin reflect a deep understanding of math, psychology, human nature, politics, coding, and money. Troy and I discuss philosophical angles related to Bitcoin including what Plato and Aristotle would have thought of Bitcoin, how to influence skeptics of Bitcoin, a new proposal to incentivize green mining, and why Troy does not regret paying 5 bitcoin for a pair of Alpaca socks. Guest: Troy Cross, Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Reed College and a self-described “Philosopher, Environmentalist, and Bitcoiner.”

Prof. Agnes Callard on The Portal, Ep. #023 – Courage, Meta-cognitive Detachment and Their Limits

Philosopher and University of Chicago Professor Agnes Callard sits down with Eric on this episode of the portal. Agnes is a champion of the philosophical tradition of attempting to detach the capacity for inquiry and reason from the fog of feelings and societal taboos that often keep us from delving deeper into the questions that animate our lives.

Agnes began this unusual back and forth by writing an article about status negotiation in first meetings shortly after the pair first met. Eric and Agnes then use the opportunity of this episode to continue this line of thought by exploring the limits of courage and meta-cognition within the examined life of a modern Philosopher. This results in a real-time exploration by two people who mutually respect each other as to whether they can actually negotiate a detached discussion in real time on the very issues of status, feeling, and taboo that may divide them and/or arise between them.

As Agnes has written thoughtfully about the many layers of anger, the conversation culminates by exploring dyadic feelings of hurt and indignation with which we all struggle and suffer in our relationships. Ultimately the two finish this experimental conversation with good cheer, together with a wish to continue the discussion at a later date under continuing mutual fondness and admiration.

Between Eric and Lex Fridman I feel like we’re in a golden age of podcasts