Season 1 – The History and Philosophy of Physics Podcast

Bonus Episode 3: Gender and Sexual Orientation Among STEM Nobel Prize Laureates

This is a recording of the talk I gave at the UBC Gender Equity & STEM Virtual Conference on November 14, 2020. Abstract: One of the most famous awards in history, the Nobel prizes are given for the most important academic, cultural, and scientific advances around the world. Nobel laureates are some of the topContinue reading “Bonus Episode 3: Gender and Sexual Orientation Among STEM Nobel Prize Laureates”

Bonus Episode 2: Intelligent Speech Conference Talk

This bonus episode is a recording of the talk I gave at the Intelligent Speech Summer 2020 online podcasting conference! I speak about four women from scientific history: Hypatia of Alexandria, St. Hildegard of Bingen, Ada Lovelace, and Tu Youyou. They lived in time periods as far apart as Ancient Greece and the Modern DayContinue reading “Bonus Episode 2: Intelligent Speech Conference Talk”

Episode 8: To Infinity and Absurdity

This episode is on Zeno of Elea (born c. 490 BCE) – student of Parmenides, namesake of the quantum Zeno effect, and originator of some puzzling paradoxes. I’ll focus on Zeno’s arguments against plurality and his paradoxes of motion as recorded by Simplicius and Aristotle. You can listen to the episode here.

Episode 7: He Never Changes His Mind

This episode focuses primarily on Parmenides (6th – mid-5th century BCE), the “Father of Metaphysics”. He believed that a lot of what we see and believe in (concepts such as creation and movement) are actually an illusion and that reality is unchanging. I’ll discuss Parmenides’s theory, argument, and influence and take some side-trips into theContinue reading “Episode 7: He Never Changes His Mind”

Episode 6: He’s Always Changing His Mind

Can you step in the same river twice? This episode will give an answer to this question by discussing Heraclitus, the “philosopher of flux”. I’ll focus mostly on his doctrines of flux and the unity of opposites, but also mention some of his writings on ethics, politics, and theology. Supposedly self-taught and quite critical ofContinue reading “Episode 6: He’s Always Changing His Mind”

Bonus Episode 1: The Most Epic Math Club Ever

This is a bonus episode on Pythagoreanism, AKA the Most Epic Math Club Ever. A religious cult and school of mathematics combined, Pythagoreanism has had a lasting impact on science and philosophy. I’ll discuss the religious influences on Pythagoreanism, early Pythagorean beliefs, some of the most famous early Pythagoreans, its link to medieval European education,Continue reading “Bonus Episode 1: The Most Epic Math Club Ever”

Episode 5: That One Thing From Grade School Math

This episode focuses on Pythagoras of Samos (c. 590 – c. 470 BCE) – the man, the primarily myth, the legend with a golden thigh. A surprisingly controversial figure, what do we know or not know about the namesake for one of the most well-known theorems in all of mathematics? You can listen to theContinue reading “Episode 5: That One Thing From Grade School Math”

Episode 4: All That Matter(s) Part 2

This episode continues Part 1’s discussion of the first Greek philosophers with Anaximander (“father of cosmology”) and Anaximenes (sadly, no catchy title) of Miletus. You can listen to the episode here.

Episode 3: All That Matter(s) Part 1

This episode and the following episode focus on the beginnings of Western philosophy in the Ionian city of Miletus. Part 1 dives in with Thales, the first known philosopher of the Greek tradition. I also have an exciting announcement at the end about the upcoming Intelligent Speech Conference! You can listen to the episode here.