By Natural Philosopher Michael Alan Prestwood
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WWB Season 3: Science and Reality

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S3: Science and Reality

36 Hot Topics/9 Quotes: In Season 3, your exploration of wisdom becomes even richer, blending ancient insights with modern revelations. Examine intriguing philosophical paradoxes, cutting-edge scientific theories, and history’s hidden lessons. Uncover insights into cognitive shortcuts, biases, and strategies for clearer thinking. These concise, engaging FAQs encourage you to question assumptions, enhance your decision-making, and grow intellectually. Each brief exploration expands your understanding, helping you live more thoughtfully and authentically amidst the noise of daily life.

Season 3: Jul 28 - Sep 25 2024

9 Episodes

Hot Topics

1. Philosophy

2. Science

3. Critical Thinking

4. History

LLMs and Inference Future AI-TouchstoneTruth

Are LLMs or Inference the Future of AI?

July 28, 2024
Futurism < Philosophy
Random planet with breathable air-TouchstoneTruth

Can humans breathe the air of other planets?

July 28, 2024
Futurism < Cosmology < Science
Superposition, critical thinking

Is the idea of superposition multiple states irrational?

July 28, 2024
Idea of Ideas < Five Thought Tools < Critical Thinking
Through his telescope, Galileo glimpsed the true nature of the cosmos—but the foundation had already been laid. Beside him, Copernicus' De revolutionibus orbium coelestium whispers the revolutionary idea that set the stage: the Earth is not the center of it all.

Why was Galileo’s 1610 book so important?

July 28, 2024
Post Medieval < History
Imagined image: futuristic cityscape with self-driving electric vehicle (EV) taxis.

What is the MaaS tipping point?

August 7, 2024
Futurism < Philosophy
The answer to the evolutionary chicken or egg question shows how the first true chicken was hatched from an egg laid by a bird that was not quite a chicken, highlighting the egg's precedence in this ancient process.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

August 7, 2024
Evolution < Science
The common ancestor to horses, donkeys, and zebras was Eohippus. It lived 50 million years ago.

If evolution is true, why haven’t humans evolved in 50,000 years?

August 7, 2024
Logical Fallacies < Four Mind Traps < TST Framework < Critical Thinking
United States Founding Fathers-Oligarchy-TouchstoneTruth

Was the USA founded as an oligarchy?

August 7, 2024
Colonial America < Post Medieval < History
A predator AI is not one that simply becomes self-aware—it’s an AI that evolves dangerous traits like deceit, manipulation, or domination. Limiting its ability to self-replicate and grow in harmful ways is crucial to keeping the digital jungle safe.

Can AI evolve to destroy humanity?

August 14, 2024
Futurism < Philosophy
Imagined image of an encounter between a Homo heidelbergensis and a Neanderthal around 300,000 years ago.

When did ancient humans develop symbolic thought?

August 14, 2024
The Mind < Ancient Humans < Evolution < Science
While caves provided useful temporary shelter and preserved artifacts exceptionally well, early humans primarily lived in constructed huts like those pictured here. These homes, made from wood, animal hides, and plants, were the mainstay of daily life around 30,000 years ago.

Did most humans live in caves 30,000 years ago?

August 14, 2024
Cognitive Biases < Four Mind Traps < TST Framework < Critical Thinking
Three Types of Written Language-TouchstoneTruth

How did writing first evolve?

August 14, 2024
Writing < Prehistory < History
The singularity is more philosophical. While the universe's expansion is scientific, the singularity itself remains speculative and unproven.

Is the Big Bang singularity scientific or philosophical?

August 21, 2024
Metaphysics < Philosophy
Gravity as a fabric of space-time, with a massive object warping the fabric and distant galaxies and stars in the background. The abstract lines and waves illustrate the gravitational field extending infinitely.

Does gravity travel, or does it exist everywhere all at once?

August 21, 2024
Physics < Cosmology < Science
Anecdotal evidence can offer insights, but it must be treated cautiously. It's a starting point for inquiry, not conclusive proof, and should always be supplemented by more rigorous data.

Is anecdotal evidence ever useful to prove something?

August 21, 2024
Idea Evaluation < Five Thought Tools < TST Framework < Critical Thinking
No images of King Shuruppak exist. The best we can do is reimagine known aspects of Sumerian culture. This is a ziggurat typical of the time: one per each of the 30+ cities.

Was King Shuruppak the father of Noah?

August 21, 2024
Ancient History < History
Free Will: two general types. Determinism says everything that happens is set in stone and can't be changed; in contrast, indeterminism says people and animals make choices.

How do we experience Free Will in daily life?

August 28, 2024
Ethics / Metaphysics < Philosophy
blood, cells, red

When did blood evolve in life on Earth?

August 28, 2024
Evolution < Science
Arguing that a person's condition or habits invalidates their argument is known as a red herring fallacy. The goal is to distracts from the argument rather than evaluate it. If a personal trainer tells you to eat twinkies all day, that's still bad advice.

Can a fat, out of shape person give valid nutritional advice?

August 28, 2024
Logical Fallacies < Four Mind Traps < TST Framework < Critical Thinking
Laozi or Lou Tzu (604-517 BCE). Founder of Daoism, aka Taoism. The life of Laozi is shrouded in mystery, but he is the first philosopher in “30 Philosophers” that attempts to construct a precise biography.

Did Confucius ever meet the Daoist Laozi?

August 28, 2024
Ancient History < History
The Buddha’s concept of essence contrasts with the idea of reincarnation, which implies that the soul or self is reborn in a new body. The Buddha adopted the concept of rebirth in this context.

Did the Buddha believe in rebirth or reincarnation?

September 4, 2024
Metaphysics < Philosophy
Imagined image depicting two Homo heidelbergensis individuals at different stages of their evolutionary timeline. The first individual represents what they might have looked like around 650,000 years ago, and the second shows them around 440,000 years ago, just before the transition towards Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.

Did Homo heidelbergensis speak?

September 4, 2024
Language < Ancient Humans < Evolution < Science
The key to overcoming confirmation bias isn’t just acknowledging that it exists, but actively working to confront it. Beliefs are shaped by the information we choose to allow into our minds and you have a process for that now. Audit that process on a continuous basis.

Why do people believe wrong things?

September 4, 2024
Cognitive Biases < Four Mind Traps < TST Framework < Critical Thinking
Mount Meru and the six realms were central to ancient Indian culture and remain highly regarded today, often understood more metaphorically by many. These concepts have long served as spiritual guides, helping followers navigate moral and existential questions.

What are the six realms of karma?

September 4, 2024
India < Ancient History < History
Knowledge Frameworks

How do knowledge frameworks help transform information into wisdom?

September 11, 2024
Epistemology < Philosophy
LUCA's form is unknown. Imagined image of various LUCA shapes.

What does LUCA tell us about our origins?

September 11, 2024
Evolution < Science
Appeal to Fear-TouchstoneTruth

Why are invalid fear-based arguments so effective?

September 11, 2024
Logical Fallacies < Four Mind Traps < TST Framework < Critical Thinking
vertical-Plato and Aristotle-350bce-TouchstoneTruth

Were Plato and Aristotle friends?

September 11, 2024
Ancient History < History
Sartre's existentialism emphasizes individual freedom, choice, and responsibility. It posits that existence precedes essence, meaning that individuals are not defined by any preexisting essence but instead create their own essence through actions and decisions. Sartre's philosophy focuses on the concept of "bad faith," where people deny their freedom by conforming to societal expectations, and encourages living authentically by embracing one's freedom and making deliberate, conscious choices.

How does science play in philosophy?

September 18, 2024
Epistemology < Philosophy
In 1977, NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft began their pioneering journey across the Solar System to visit the giant outer planets. Now, the Voyagers are hurtling through unexplored territory on their road trip beyond our Solar System. Along the way, they are measuring the interstellar medium, the mysterious environment between stars that is filled with the debris from long-dead stars. The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is providing the roadmap, by measuring the material along the probes' trajectories as they move through space. Hubble finds a rich, complex interstellar ecology, containing multiple clouds of hydrogen, laced with other elements. Hubble data, combined with the Voyagers, have also provided new insights into how our sun travels through interstellar space.

How far away is Voyager 1?

September 18, 2024
Cosmology < Science
Inductive reasoning finds patterns to predict future outcomes, while abductive reasoning makes the best guess based on available evidence. The Earth clearly revolves around the Sun, but hooves outside might be horses or zebras.

How do I know what is true and what is just an opinion?

September 18, 2024
Reasoning < Five Thought Tools < TST Framework
Heraclitus

Does the philosophy of Heraclitus resonate with Eastern philosophy?

September 18, 2024
Ancient History < History
Concept-Ontology-TouchstoneTruth

What is Ontology and why is it important?

September 25, 2024
Metaphysics < Philosophy
"Close Study" by reutC is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

What is the IQ of a chimpanzee?

September 25, 2024
Evolution < Science
Slippery Slope-TouchstoneTruth

How do slippery slope arguments manipulate people?

September 25, 2024
Logical Fallacies < Four Mind Traps < TST Framework < Critical Thinking
Plato's Academy-325bce-TouchstoneTruth

Was Plato’s Academy the first university?

September 25, 2024
Ancient History < History

Quotes

Portrait of Socrates. Marble, Roman artwork (1st century), perhaps a copy of a lost bronze statue made by Lysippos

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

July 28, 2024
Skepticism < Critical Thinking
"Charles Darwin: Scientific Badass" by CGP Grey is licensed under CC BY 2.0

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

August 7, 2024
Evolution < Science
Carl Sagan-atoms to galaxies

“We are all connected to each other biologically, to the Earth chemically, and to the rest of the universe atomically.”

August 14, 2024
Cosmology < Science
There are no surviving images of Bernard of Chartres. As a scholastic, the best we can do is an artistic representation of scholasticism.

“We are dwarfs on the shoulders of giants.”

August 21, 2024
Cultural Transmission < The Mind < Philosophy
No images of King Shuruppak exist. The best we can do is reimagine known aspects of Sumerian culture. This is a ziggurat typical of the time: one per each of the 30+ cities.

“Do not speak arrogantly or do hateful things.”

August 28, 2024
Ethics < Philosophy
Roman marble copy of a 3rd-century BCE Greek original, likely created before 1st century CE.

“Empty is the argument of the philosopher which does not relieve any human suffering.”

September 4, 2024
Epistemology < Philosophy
Portrait of Aristoteles. Copy of the Imperial era (1st or 2nd century) of a lost bronze sculpture made by Lysippos

“The whole is more than the sum of its parts.”

September 11, 2024
Metaphysics < Philosophy
"Desmond tutu 20070607 2" by Elke Wetzig (Elya) is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

“A person is a person through other persons; you can’t be human in isolation; you are human only in relationships.”

September 18, 2024
Ethics < Philosophy
View at the stone statue of Laozi at the foot of Mount Qingyuan in China

“Follow the path of least resistance and live in harmony with the Dao.”

September 25, 2024
Metaphysics < Philosophy
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