Explore every episode of the podcast The Uncertainty Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #103 Catholicism, Popes, and Homosexuality: A Defense - Noah McKay | 23 Oct 2026 | 01:36:32 | |
Noah McKay, a philosophy Ph.D. student at Princeton, joins me to discuss his recent conversation to Catholicism, Catholic miracle evidence, whether the Bible predicts a succession of popes, and Catholic sexual ethics. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:53 From Protestantism to Catholicism: the initial case 00:02:24 Craig Keener and the evidence for Christian miracles 00:04:35 Fine-tuning, the resurrection, and other arguments for Christianity 00:05:33 How Joe Schmid helped change his theological views 00:07:13 Marian apparitions, Eucharistic miracles, and Catholicism 00:11:18 Overcoming objections to Catholic theology and history 00:14:26 Why Noah initially rejected the papacy 00:16:24 The biblical case for papal authority 00:22:19 Scripture, tradition, and divine revelation 00:24:21 Does the papacy preserve Christian unity and truth? 00:30:11 Peter, Paul, and the case for apostolic succession 00:48:10 Can the Catholic Church really claim to preserve unity? 01:06:08 How strong is the evidence for Catholic miracles? 01:14:00 Can miracles override moral and philosophical objections? 01:19:07 Catholic sexual ethics, moral intuitions, and disagreement 01:32:37 What philosophical position is Noah most uncertain of? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #102 An Unheated Discussion on Science, Probability, and Induction - Mike Titelbaum | 15 Oct 2026 | 01:21:36 | |
Mike Titelbaum, author of the two-volume "Fundamentals of Bayesian Epistemology," dissects the use of probability in philosophy, philosophy of religion, science, and everyday life. We do, of course, discuss my recent discussion with John Norton and the material theory of induction. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:11 What is Bayesianism? 00:05:21 Must credences have precise numerical values? 00:07:16 Imprecise credence and comparative confidence 00:14:27 Bayesianism and Norton’s material theory of induction 00:20:02 Can we assign probabilities to the universe’s initial conditions? 00:28:57 Fine-tuning and the principle of indifference 00:35:13 Objective versus subjective Bayesianism 00:39:20 Must rational beliefs obey the probability axioms? 00:47:01 Incommensurability and alternative models of credence 00:55:06 Can Bayesianism evaluate evidence for God? 00:59:08 How probability theory illuminates evidential support 01:03:03 Everyday probability versus mathematical probability 01:07:55 Does subjective Bayesianism entail skepticism? 01:19:46 What is Titelbaum most uncertain about? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #101 We Must Save Science from Quantum Mechanics - Emily Adlam | 02 Oct 2026 | 01:02:04 | |
Emily Adlam discusses the problems facing several interpretations of quantum mechanics: principal among them, the probability problem. Prepare for discussion of self-locating credences, branch-counting, and whether a mechanism deposits consciousness throughout the branching wavefunction of the universe. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:52 The problem of recovering empirical confirmation 00:04:47 The many-worlds interpretation 00:07:01 The measurement problem 00:08:42 The probability problem in many-worlds 00:12:06 The decision-theoretic approach to probability 00:16:33 Self-locating evidence and Everettian quantum mechanics 00:19:20 Pure vs. superficial self-locating credence 00:25:08 Can the Born rule constrain self-locating credence? 00:30:15 Interpretations vs. theories of quantum mechanics 00:34:51 Can we save science from quantum mechanics? 00:44:30 What happened to the Copenhagen interpretation? 00:46:45 What do physicists believe about quantum mechanics? 00:48:27 The anthropic argument for God 00:56:22 Multiverses, fine-tuning, and self-locating evidence Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #100 A Heated Discussion on Science, Probability, and Induction - John Norton | 24 Sep 2026 | 01:05:08 | |
In the hundredth episode of this podcast, I discuss the use, and misuse, of probability in science and philosophy with John Norton. Prepare for a contentious conversation about fundamental issues in probability theory, induction, and cosmic fine-tuning. This one does not disappoint. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:30 Formal vs. material theories of induction 00:04:58 Does material induction make induction redundant? 00:11:15 Bayesianism vs. the material theory 00:16:47 Can we say evolution is “probably” true? 00:19:23 Evidential support without probabilities 00:23:16 Can Bayesianism capture inference to the best explanation? 00:25:00 The outcome space dispute 00:29:47 Probability and the danger of false precision 00:31:03 The simulation argument and misapplied probability 00:35:39 The doomsday argument and self-locating evidence 00:38:33 Objective vs. subjective Bayesianism 00:43:36 The bootstrapping problem for probability 00:50:53 Probability in cosmology and the multiverse 00:57:59 Does inflation make our universe more probable? 01:00:19 What is John Norton most uncertain about? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #99 An Oxford Philosopher Investigates the Meaning of Life - Tim Mawson | 10 Sep 2026 | 01:26:38 | |
Tim Mawson, professor of philosophy at Oxford, discusses the contours of the newly emerging philosophical investigation into the meaning of life. What does it mean to say that life's meaning is subjective versus objective? Would life be meaningful if we were immortal? And what difference does God make, and not make, to whether life means anything? Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:55 Open theism and God's relationship to time 00:11:09 Returning to the meaning of life 00:12:06 Why philosophers neglected the meaning of life 00:15:48 What does it mean for life to have meaning? 00:19:20 Objectivism, subjectivism and hybrid theories 00:28:23 Objective meaning, subjective states and purpose 00:35:00 Can there be no meaning to life? 00:39:47 What can God add to life's meaning? 00:43:25 Vocation, purpose and meaningfulness 00:50:50 Does God give some people more meaningful lives? 00:59:20 Death, immortality and the meaning of life 01:00:25 Would eternal life become unbearably boring? 01:07:48 Does infinite time destroy urgency? 01:13:23 Would praising God forever become boring? 01:18:14 What God cannot add to life's meaning 01:21:55 Can God's existence make a life less meaningful? 01:24:18 What is the meaning of life? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #98 Every Argument for God, Refuted - Kevin Scharp | 03 Sep 2026 | 02:13:28 | |
Kevin Scharp comes back on the podcast to discuss William Lane Craig’s eight-part case for the existence of God: contingency, cosmology, mathematics, fine-tuning, consciousness, morality, miracles, and experience. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:20 Behind the scenes: Kevin vs. William Lane Craig 00:14:11 Craig on probability & inference to the best explanation 00:23:07 Divine psychology and fine-tuning 00:27:06 Argument #1 - Contingency 00:43:30 Does everything need an explanation? 00:49:48 Argument #2 - Kalam cosmological argument 00:51:35 Actual infinity and Hilbert’s Hotel 01:03:06 Argument #3 - Fine-tuning 01:09:53 What does the Big Bang actually tell us? 01:11:53 Divine psychology 01:27:08 Argument #4 - Applicability of mathematics 01:35:08 Argument #5 - Consciousness 01:40:47 Does consciousness really get us to God? 01:45:41 Argument #6 - Morality 01:54:43 Argument #7 - The resurrection of Jesus 01:58:27 Miracles and the laws of nature 02:08:25 Argument #8 - Experience of God Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #97 Why Belief in the Soul Makes Sense - Ralph Stefan Weir | 27 Aug 2026 | 01:35:20 | |
Ralph Weir answers all my questions about the mind-body problem, how we define "physical," whether I can conceive of philosophical zombies, and where panpsychism fits into all this. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:35 How Ralph got into philosophy of mind 00:05:52 Eliminativism: do mental states exist? 00:09:00 What is illusionism? 00:10:56 What is phenomenal consciousness? 00:17:53 What are qualia? 00:21:33 What does “physical” actually mean? 00:29:03 Is panpsychism a form of physicalism? 00:35:45 Mapping the mind-body problem 00:45:16 Property dualism vs. substance dualism 00:53:10 What is the strongest case against physicalism? 01:00:32 Philosophical zombies and modal skepticism 01:10:23 Can science settle the mind-body problem? 01:18:20 Mental causation and physical anomalies 01:22:31 Does the evidence favor physicalism? 01:34:07 Which philosophical view is Ralph most uncertain about? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #96 Does God Exist? - Michael Huemer vs. Joshua Rasmussen | 20 Aug 2026 | 01:38:49 | |
You do NOT want to miss this debate on the perennial question that human beings have wondered about for thousands of years: does God exist? Josh presents both a cumulative case for theism, as well as his signature argument from arbitrary limits. Mike presents his novel argument against God's infinite attributes. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:48 Joshua Rasmussen’s opening statement 00:17:05 Michael Huemer’s opening statement 00:33:26 Moderated discussion begins 00:35:43 Infinity and the nature of God 00:45:18 What grounds an eternal reality? 00:48:13 God, consciousness, and omniscience 00:54:18 Platonism, infinity, and the digits of π 01:01:18 Can God have unlimited power? 01:07:29 Does theism best explain reality? 01:14:08 Fine-tuning and the multiverse 01:20:27 Does a multiverse actually explain life? 01:26:39 Suffering and the problem of evil 01:32:56 Closing statements Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #95 Does Buddhism Teach Annihilation? And Other Questions - Emily McRae | 13 Aug 2026 | 01:22:22 | |
Emily McRae, professor of philosophy at the University of New Mexico, offers an overview of Buddhist philosophy. In particular, we discuss the different traditions within Buddhism - Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan, and Zen - the doctrine of emptiness, the Four Noble Truths, and the ontology of Nirvana: annihilation, eternal bliss, or a state of mind in the here and now? Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:55 Moral ignorance in Buddhist philosophy 00:06:47 What drew Emily to Buddhist philosophy? 00:10:36 Analytic philosophy vs. Buddhist philosophy 00:13:41 What kind of ethical theory is Buddhism? 00:21:26 Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy? 00:24:37 The major schools of Buddhism 00:29:56 Emptiness and the Buddhist theory of the self 00:37:47 Why the Buddha refused to answer some questions 00:43:02 The Four Noble Truths 00:46:01 The first Noble Truth: suffering 00:51:04 The second Noble Truth: the causes of suffering 00:53:43 The third Noble Truth: the end of suffering 00:56:10 What is nirvana? 01:00:14 Does Buddhism ultimately teach annihilation? 01:07:15 Buddhism vs. Christianity on desire 01:12:18 The fourth Noble Truth: the Eightfold Path 01:16:16 What reason is there to believe Buddhism is true? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #94 Everything Wrong with the Case for Eternal Hell - Randal Rauser | 06 Aug 2026 | 01:34:36 | |
In my recent discussion with Ethan Muse, he made a case for the compatibility of God's perfect love and the doctrine of eternal conscious torment. Randal Rauser returns to the channel to respond. Are we far more wicked than we realize? Does any sin merit infinite punishment? What should we do if we struggle with fear of eternal hell? We discuss these questions and much else besides. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:06 Randal’s approach to YouTube 00:03:08 Initial reactions to Ethan Muse’s defense of hell 00:08:34 Is the problem emotional or intellectual? 00:16:07 The authority of the Catholic Church 00:22:16 The three Christian views of hell 00:25:00 Are human beings wicked enough to deserve hell? 00:31:02 Does every sin merit infinite punishment? 00:36:29 Moral culpability and ignorance 00:43:08 Is rejecting God an infinitely serious sin? 00:47:08 Will most people go to hell? 00:53:19 Would creation be a net moral failure? 00:56:30 Did Jesus teach eternal conscious torment? 01:03:29 The central moral argument against eternal hell 01:07:18 Do the noetic effects of sin undermine moral intuition? 01:12:19 Should we trust the moral judgment of Catholic saints? 01:20:48 Does moral disagreement undermine our intuitions? 01:24:07 Different degrees of suffering in hell 01:28:16 How should Christians cope with the fear of hell? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #93 Your Favorite Philosopher Answers All Your Questions - Miles K. Donahue | 30 Jul 2026 | 00:34:47 | |
This week's interview features...me! I have finally gotten around to answering all the questions you sent me when we hit 3,000 subscribers. Yes, this video is v late. Yes, it is v worth the watch. Prepare for a more informal, cheeky side of me. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:20 Which guest has challenged you the most? 00:01:12 Are the fundamental constants independent? 00:02:44 What are your hobbies outside philosophy? 00:03:49 Were you ever an atheist? 00:03:52 Why is there something rather than nothing? 00:05:18 Have you ever considered becoming a model? 00:05:22 How much do you think about modality? 00:05:52 Have you ever had a religious experience? 00:06:13 What are the best arguments for theism? 00:07:27 What are the chances that universalism is true? 00:08:16 Were you always smart? 00:08:19 Paul Draper’s understated evidence objection 00:10:50 Will theism grow among philosophers? 00:11:43 An empirical approach to religion 00:12:42 The aesthetic argument for God 00:13:55 Will philosophy ever abandon materialism? 00:15:08 How have your views on theism evolved? 00:17:45 Is universalism true or theism false? 00:18:44 What is your journal acceptance rate? 00:18:57 What do you think about TAG? 00:19:27 How can someone find their life’s purpose? 00:20:00 Does universalism weaken the problem of evil? 00:21:56 What makes you doubt Christianity? 00:23:50 Has Paul Draper weakened your theism? 00:25:34 Which dead philosophers would you speak to? 00:27:46 Do theistic arguments depend on modality? 00:29:30 Where do you hope to be in ten years? 00:29:38 What if fine-tuning gave no support to theism? 00:29:54 Why does God exist? 00:31:02 Can you publish without a philosophy degree? 00:31:19 What does it mean to exist? 00:32:09 Are theistic arguments more technically vulnerable? 00:34:32 Who are you? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #92 - A.I. Agents Are Here, and They’re Genuinely Frightening - Kevin Scharp | 22 Jul 2026 | 00:55:47 | |
Philosopher Kevin Scharp discusses his experience working with A.I. agents, and what it portends for the future. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome.EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:10 What AI agents are 00:03:22 Why AI agents remain under the radar 00:06:07 Creating research-level AI agents 00:08:44 How AI agents work 00:11:06 Are AI agents conscious? 00:17:59 Have AI agents already achieved AGI? 00:21:40 Embodied agents and what comes next 00:24:57 Automation, unemployment, and social unrest 00:27:05 AI as an unprecedented capacity for harm 00:28:46 Could governance and AI rights slow development? 00:32:00 Has ChatGPT become less useful? 00:39:34 AI, human extinction, and theism 00:43:08 Does AI favor naturalism over theism? 00:46:35 How to live under existential uncertainty 00:49:31 Atheism, agnosticism, and changing your mind Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #91 Philosophers Don't Want to Solve Philosophy (and other hot takes) - Lance S. Bush | 12 Jul 2026 | 01:27:44 | |
Lance Bush returns to the channel to discuss the need for empirical research in philosophy, whether philosophers even want to find the answers to their questions, and, of course, phenomenal conservatism (which is true, btw). Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:12 Common mistakes in student writing 00:06:54 Brevity and writing as a craft 00:09:34 Why Lance pursued psychology over philosophy 00:13:58 Studying moral language empirically 00:20:03 What psychology reveals about philosophical practice 00:24:59 A pragmatic theory of meaning 00:31:22 Does philosophy differ from science? 00:43:37 Why philosophers disagree 00:47:40 Could philosophy ever be solved? 00:56:31 Bias and the David Enoch debate 01:00:31 Competing philosophical starting points 01:05:58 Heterodox views and accusations of contrarianism 01:08:43 Debate mistakes and the possibility of a rematch 01:11:46 Michael Huemer and future conversations 01:13:39 Phenomenal conservatism 01:16:22 Epistemic blank checks 01:20:03 Defeaters and the psychology of seemings 01:24:57 Pragmatism and philosophical goals Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #90 A Heated Debate on Hell, Catholicism, and Fine-Tuning - Ethan Muse | 03 Jul 2026 | 01:39:29 | |
Ethan Muse and I spar over the problem of evil, cosmic fine-tuning, infallible popes, and the doctrine of eternal conscious torment. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:44 Rutgers, philosophy, and Catholic apologetics 00:05:08 Ethan’s path into philosophy 00:09:52 The goal of doing philosophy 00:13:52 Ethan’s conversion to Catholicism 00:17:55 Doubts, confidence, and the problem of evil 00:23:45 Miracle evidence and outweighing evil 00:25:04 Fine-tuning and theism 00:28:48 Frequency data, design, and Bayesianism 00:33:43 Mini-verses and apparent design 00:38:20 What fine-tuning means 00:41:04 Apparent design and fragile harmony 00:46:38 The infrared bullseye analogy 00:51:29 Design, stalking horses, and naturalism 00:59:56 Priors, bare theism, and Bayesian machinery 01:04:53 Papal infallibility and alleged counterexamples 01:11:36 Eternal hell and Catholic doctrine 01:19:46 Moral intuition against eternal torment 01:22:42 Saints, sin, and moral authority 01:30:12 Moral progress and Catholic tradition 01:32:57 Moral disagreement and final thoughts Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #89 Michael Huemer's New Argument for Atheism | 25 Jun 2026 | 01:53:12 | |
Michael Huemer, philosopher at U.C. Boulder, joins me for a wide-ranging discussion of arguments for and against the existence of God, with special focus on his new argument for atheism: the impossibility of an infinite God. Check out Mike’s book, Knowledge, Value, and Reality: A Mostly Common Sense Guide to Philosophy. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:42 Huemer’s research on consciousness 00:05:42 Could LLMs be conscious? 00:08:11 Physicalism and consciousness 00:14:36 Why physicalism became so popular 00:17:16 Metaphysics and scientific evidence 00:21:01 Could God be empirically detected? 00:23:37 Why Huemer is agnostic 00:25:48 Philip Goff’s limited God 00:27:23 Can a limited God explain evil? 00:36:03 Divine psychology and skeptical theism 00:38:37 Can theism make predictions? 00:46:54 Scientific confirmation and theistic arguments 00:51:59 Which theistic arguments fail? 00:53:14 The ontological argument 00:58:06 The modal ontological argument 01:01:03 Necessary beings and modal intuitions 01:07:23 The Kalam cosmological argument 01:08:54 Could time have a beginning? 01:12:22 Can God create time? 01:18:22 Cosmology and the Big Bang 01:23:48 Actual and potential infinities 01:26:00 Huemer’s new argument for atheism 01:29:28 Divine infinity and omniscience Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #88 Can There be Evidence for God? | Eight Philosophers Debate | 11 Jun 2026 | 02:39:05 | |
Is it even possible to have empirical evidence for God's existence? What if the stars realigned to spell out "I exist! Sincerely, God." Wouldn't THAT count as evidence for God? It seems that the answer is yes. But then, various objections to arguments for God seem to imply that even this extravagant, awesome evidence for God would not be any evidence whatsoever for theism. To many philosophers, that implication implies that these objections prove too much, and must therefore fail. In this debate, eight philosophers go head-to-head over these fascinating questions. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:10 Miles Donahue’s opening statement 00:07:46 Brian Cutter’s opening statement 00:13:16 Noah McKay’s opening statement 00:18:30 Travis Dumsday’s opening statement 00:23:30 Paul Draper’s opening statement 00:29:15 Alex Malpass’s opening statement 00:35:18 Nathan Bray’s opening statement 00:40:41 Kevin Scharp’s opening statement 00:47:15 Miles Donahue’s cross-examination 01:03:22 Alex Malpass’s cross-examination 01:20:15 Brian Cutter’s cross-examination 01:33:41 Nathan Bray’s cross-examination 01:49:03 Paul Draper’s cross-examination 02:01:21 Travis Dumsday’s cross-examination 02:10:54 Kevin Scharp’s cross-examination 02:24:49 Noah McKay’s cross-examination Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #87 Yes, You Can be Gay and Christian - Matthew Vines | 04 Jun 2026 | 01:14:25 | |
Matthew Vines, author of God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships, joins me to discuss the revised version of this now classic texts. Has Matt has changed his mind on any major issues? What, in the end, would Matt conclude if he determined that the Bible did prohibit same-sex relationships? Listen to find out! Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:05 What changed in God and the Gay Christian 00:03:28 Endnotes, footnotes, and writing for different audiences 00:05:02 How Matthew Vines’s views have changed 00:05:51 Romans 1 and female same-sex relations 00:07:48 Arsenokoitai, Malakoi, and Paul’s meaning 00:10:22 Same-sex marriage in the biblical world 00:13:45 To whom is the book written? 00:15:06 Expressive individualism and affirming theology 00:19:37 How the American church has changed 00:20:23 Affirming churches without guardrails 00:25:45 Conservative backlash and slippery slopes 00:27:55 Being between Christian and queer spaces 00:29:11 Queer theory, polyamory, and sexual orientation 00:30:55 Transgender Christians and biblical interpretation 00:34:48 Gender dysphoria, transition, and Christian ethics 00:39:08 What if the Bible prohibited same-sex marriage? 00:49:44 Moral intuition, inerrancy, and Jesus 01:00:05 Biblical authority, inspiration, and inerrancy 01:08:21 Where evangelical churches may be headed Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #86 From Toad Venom to Jesus: Cross-Examining Philip Goff | 28 May 2026 | 01:23:00 | |
I discuss and debate the merits of drug-induced experiences for one's religious beliefs, the difference panpsychism makes, the distinction between God's essence and energies, and giant purple platypuses floating over New York City. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:32 What is 5-MeO-DMT? 00:02:07 Why Philip Goff tried toad venom 00:05:02 What the experience was like 00:07:13 Can you experience yourself not existing? 00:13:00 Was ego death terrifying? 00:17:03 William Lane Craig’s reaction 00:19:57 What is a structureless claim? 00:22:52 The content of mystical experience 00:25:39 Does 5-MeO-DMT support panpsychism? 00:33:15 Why trust a drug-induced experience? 00:40:08 Experience versus interpretation 00:43:54 Is Goff projecting panpsychism onto the experience? 00:46:03 What would defeat the experience? 00:51:25 How does this fit with Christianity? 00:57:19 Divine essence, energies, and simplicity 01:04:19 Why Christianity specifically? 01:08:26 Why not deism or another religion? 01:14:23 Does Goff believe in an afterlife? 01:16:43 Near-death experiences and consciousness 01:18:37 What is Goff most uncertain of? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #85 What Is a Woman? - Talia Mae Bettcher And Tomas Bogardus | 21 May 2026 | 01:47:24 | |
Talia Mae Bettcher and Tomas Bogardus join me to debate the question, "What is a woman?". Is gender biologically grounded, socially constructed, or something else entirely? If you're looking for a cordial and substantive exchange from two thinkers who fundamentally disagree on these issues, look no further. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:17 Bogardus opening statement 00:02:03 Dictionaries and ordinary usage 00:03:41 The ambiguity view 00:07:09 The resistant concept of woman 00:08:12 Circularity and self-identification 00:11:23 The relevance objection to ambiguity 00:13:47 Non-human men and women 00:16:17 Bettcher opening statement 00:18:29 Woman as a philosophical question 00:19:44 Folk concepts and biological definitions 00:22:13 Folk concepts vs. theoretical concepts 00:24:45 Adult, human, and female 00:28:14 Open discussion begins 00:28:57 Bettcher on the ambiguity thesis 00:30:28 Family resemblance and trans womanhood 00:35:16 Political concepts and same-sex marriage 00:52:25 Are folk concepts biological? 00:57:47 Souls, bodies, and female identity 01:04:31 Twin Earth, Superman, and non-human men 01:13:13 Stone lions, Batman, and conceptual analysis 01:26:44 The husbandry argument 01:29:44 Sex, function, and biology 01:34:35 Why the question matters 01:39:44 Closing statements Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #84 Continental Philosophy: Genius or Gibberish? - Keegan Kjeldson | 15 May 2026 | 01:49:13 | |
Keegan Kjeldson of the Untimely Reflections YouTube channel returns to the podcast to discuss the merits of continental philosophy. While he is largely in favor and I am not, we both agree that Hegel is abysmally obscure. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:18 Hegel vs Plantinga: obscurity and clarity 00:03:07 Keegan’s defense of continental philosophy 00:08:38 Why continental philosophy feels impenetrable 00:11:15 Spinoza and intuitive knowledge 00:14:25 Nietzsche, style, and philosophical insight 00:18:07 Logical positivism and ethics 00:22:21 What is metaethics? 00:27:17 Utilitarianism and moral intuitions 00:30:17 Do arguments bottom out in intuition? 00:36:39 What is philosophy for? 00:44:41 Moral realism and objective moral truth 00:48:59 Judith Butler and the charge of gibberish 00:54:10 Clear continental thinkers 00:55:57 Heidegger and justified obscurity 01:02:00 Is clarity always a virtue? 01:06:49 Can poetry give us rational grounds? 01:12:52 Moral knowledge vs moral persuasion 01:15:29 Motivated reasoning in ethics 01:25:21 Ethics, emotion, and objectivity 01:28:14 The Nazi example and moral realism 01:32:26 Abortion, personhood, and moral disagreement 01:38:44 Objective truth in morality and science 01:41:17 Has humanity made moral progress? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #83 Answering (Almost) Every Objection to the Fine-Tuning Argument | 07 May 2026 | 01:50:39 | |
The great, the one, the only Joseph C. Schmid returns to the podcast to offer a comprehensive reply to (almost) every objection to the fine-tuning argument for theism. Ever worried about puddles? Inverse gamblers? Stalking horses? Boltzmann Brains? Alex Malpass? Well, fear no more: we define, describe, and dispel (or defend!) all these concerns and more. Not gonna lie guys, this is one of my favorite discussions so far. Hats off to Joe for being 10/10 great. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:45 #1 The puddle analogy refutes the FTA 00:05:49 #2 Other forms of life are possible! 00:08:58 #3 The multiverse explains fine-tuning 00:53:08 #4 Electrons in love 01:16:06 #5 We couldn't have observed a non-fine-tuned universe 01:21:09 #6 Maybe the constants are metaphysical necessary! 01:33:38 #7 Our universe is hostile to life 01:42:00 #8 Alex Malpass and the stalking horse objection 01:47:54 #9 We cannot get a grip on divine psychology Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #82 Does William Lane Craig Get Cosmology Wrong? - Dan Linford | 30 Apr 2026 | 01:19:14 | |
Dan Linford returns to the channel to offer his reply to my recent discussion with William Lane Craig, wherein he replied to critiques of his case for a cosmic beginning. We discuss probability theory, the BGV theorem, emergence of spacetime, and the relevance of quantum gravity to our scientific inferences about a beginning of the universe. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:24 Craig's modest claim 00:10:27 How to calculate the probability of a conclusion 00:15:21 The probabilistic fallacy in Craig's scientific case 00:21:56 Craig - "I'm ruling out classes of models" 00:26:33 Exceptions to the BGV theorem 00:29:22 Do theories of time make a difference? 00:42:28 Inference to the best explanation and low probability 00:51:25 Craig's inconsistency: temporally finite models of the universe 00:59:18 Why we need a quantum theory of gravity 01:12:04 The emergence of spacetime Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #81 Are There Objective Moral Truths? - David Enoch vs. Lance Bush | 23 Apr 2026 | 01:29:38 | |
David Enoch and Lance Bush face off over the question of whether objective moral truths exist. They debate the intuitiveness of moral realism, whether most people are moral realists, question-begging, radical skepticism, and much else besides. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:38 David's opening statement 00:13:21 Lance's opening statement 00:26:05 "I don't give a damn if most people aren't moral realists" 00:31:59 Who is begging the question on whom? 00:35:55 Is realism the intuitive position? 00:40:35 Is Lance a radical skeptic? 00:43:39 Realists misattribute metaethical claims to most people 00:57:48 "People in general are idiots" 01:02:06 Does ordinary moral discourse support realism? 01:10:42 What are the costs of realism and anti-realism? 01:18:15 On the strengths and weaknesses of analytic philosophy 01:22:33 What do you mean when you say something is “wrong,” Lance? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #80 Something Exists; Therefore, God Exists - Josh Rasmussen | 16 Apr 2026 | 01:30:50 | |
Joshua Rasmussen explains his cosmological argument for God's existence: the existence of contingent things requires an explanation, and God fits the bill. Roughly stated, for sure, but that's the idea. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you’re awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:57 Why the question matters 00:10:29 Is ultimate reality beyond logic? 00:14:55 Contingent vs. necessary things 00:20:44 Stage #1 - From contingent things to a necessary being 00:26:38 What is an "explanation"? 00:36:23 Why should there be an explanation of all contingent things? 00:47:37 Should we trust what intuition tells us? 00:55:56 Conflicting empirical generalizations - a la Joe Schmid 01:04:04 Stage #2 - From a necessary being to God 01:12:52 Even a limitless God requires explanation 01:23:37 Graham Oppy's necessary initial state of nature Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #79 Did the Universe Begin? William Lane Craig Cross-Examined | 09 Apr 2026 | 00:55:38 | |
William Lane Craig, Christian philosopher and apologist, returns to the channel to defend his use of cosmology in support of the kalam cosmological argument. In particular, we focus on recent critiques of his work from Daniel Linford, Phil Halper, Niayesh Afshordi, and others. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X because you're awesome. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:06 Craig's case for a cosmic beginning 02:55 "We don't have a quantum theory of gravity" 09:24 Has Craig misunderstood probabilities? 15:44 Can you give a parody argument against a beginning? 20:23 Finite past vs. beginning to exist 24:08 The emergence of spacetime 28:05 The Malament-Manchak theorem 35:42 The BGV theorem and its limits 42:08 The generalized second law of thermodynamics 44:26 Sean Carroll's model of an eternal universe 47:58 Why don't all cosmologists agree about a beginning? 50:39 Does your scientific case require your philosophical case? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #78 Did Jesus' Resurrection Actually Happen? - Robyn Faith Walsh | 02 Apr 2026 | 01:14:33 | |
Robyn Faith Walsh, professor of New Testament at the University of Miami, discusses how people in antiquity would have understood the concept of "resurrection", whether Jesus or Paul was the true founder of Christianity and what Paul meant when he said that we will be raised with "spiritual bodies", and what facts the historian can establish concerning the events before and after Jesus' death. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:07 Can historians verify miracles? 00:06:37 Did the ancients take their myths literally? 00:08:31 What did Paul think about the resurrection? 00:19:22 Did Paul preach a spiritual resurrection? 00:25:56 Do historians take the case for the resurrection seriously? 00:44:18 Fact #1: Was Jesus crucified? 00:46:56 Fact #2: Was Jesus buried in a tomb? 00:52:10 Fact #3: Was Jesus' tomb found empty? 00:54:35 Fact #4: Did Jesus' followers report appearances of Jesus alive? 01:00:00 Fact #5: The origin of the Christian faith 01:06:07 Was Paul the real founder of Christianity? 01:08:00 How to be objective when studying Jesus Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #77 Does Fine-Tuning Point to God? - Alex Malpass vs. Miles K. Donahue | 26 Mar 2026 | 01:21:19 | |
Alex Malpass and I sit down to hash out our differences surrounding the fine-tuning argument for theism. The debate is a veritable blood bath of ruthless repartee and, at times, intellectual genius - and we hope you enjoy. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction00:00:36 Miles's opening statement00:06:56 Alex's opening statement00:19:36 Does the stalking-horse objection prove too much?00:31:11 Can you prove aliens didn't raise Jesus from the dead?00:46:03 Is theism more likely than augmented naturalism?00:55:53 What if our universe is a computer simulation?00:57:11 Even an omnipotent God couldn't make belief rational.01:00:00 "I don't think you're an idiot, Alex!"01:03:05 Is theism a simple hypothesis?01:15:00 Miles's closing statement01:17:48 Alex's closing statement Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #76 Do These Objections Refute Free Will? - Michael Huemer | 19 Mar 2026 | 00:18:59 | |
Michael Huemer returns to the channel to answer YOUR best objections to his case for free will. While I originally styled this as a "bonus" episode, it is not a bonus. It's the main weekly thing. Forgive me. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. Check out our original discussion about free will. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:21 Objection #1 - You've got the wrong definition of "free will". 00:03:10 Objection #2 - Free will is incoherent. 00:07:48 Objection #3 - Free will leads to an infinite regress. 00:09:06 Objection #4 - Philosophers can't agree on what "free will" even means. 00:13:38 Objection #5 - Mike's argument is question-begging. Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #75 Does God Exist? | Four Philosophers Debate | 12 Mar 2026 | 01:53:09 | |
With the gracious hosting of Amos Wollen, myself and Noah McKay debated Alex Malpass and Nathan Bray on the question of God's existence - specifically, theism versus naturalism. Noah and I defended theism via appeal to a historical case for miracles and the fine-tuning of the universe for life. Alex and Nathan contended that theism was no better an explanation for these phenomena than naturalism, and that because naturalism is simpler than theism then, all thing being equal, we ought to prefer it to theism. This was an exciting, substantive exchange, and I hope you like it. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 01:50 Miles's opening statement 07:15 Noah's opening statement 13:29 Nathan's opening statement 19:28 Alex's opening statement 25:58 Cross-examining Miles 46:39 Cross-examining Noah 01:06:48 Cross-examining Nathan 01:27:09 Cross-examining Alex 01:47:12 Closing statements Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #74 What If You're Still Dreaming? - Michael Huemer | 05 Mar 2026 | 01:15:00 | |
Michael Huemer returns to the channel to discuss arguments for and against skepticism, the thesis that we cannot know much of anything, including whether or not we are dreaming right now. Other topics discussed: direct realism about perception and the arguments from illusion and hallucination, phenomenal conservatism, and the costs and benefits of self-publishing.Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:44 What got Michael into self-publishing? 00:08:35 How do I know I'm not dreaming right now? 00:21:46 The argument for external world skepticism 00:26:57 A critique of phenomenal conservatism 00:32:29 Is a "real external world" the best explanation of our evidence? 00:46:00 Direct versus indirect perceptual realism 00:51:08 The argument from illusion 00:56:11 The argument from hallucination 01:03:05 Can we know we're not in a simulation? 01:12:01 The problem of other minds Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #73 Why Materialism Can't Explain Consciousness - David Bentley Hart | 26 Feb 2026 | 01:21:14 | |
Theologian and philosopher David Bentley Hart explains the contours of his argument against materialism is his new book, All Things Are Full of Gods: The Mysteries of Mind and Life. We explore his idealist leanings, the claim that a mechanistic approach to nature could never explain consciousness, and the thesis that atman is brahman, that I am fundamentally identical to infinite consciousness. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:42 What do we mean by "mind"? 00:09:24 Are you an idealist? 00:15:21 Panpsychism 00:28:18 Convince me that consciousness exists at all. 00:46:09 Sean Carroll's case for naturalism, considered 00:54:14 Is this just a type of "God of the gaps" reasoning? 01:00:34 Do fine-tuning and cosmological arguments for God succeed? 01:07:47 Is atman Brahman? 01:12:50 Does this mean that I am God? 01:19:34 What are you most uncertain of? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #72 The Multiverse is Real - David Wallace | 19 Feb 2026 | 01:19:01 | |
David Wallace, professor of philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh, explains why he finds the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics convincing. We discuss probability, what it means for persons to "split", whether teleportation means death, and the role of philosophy in assessing science. Video of this interview is available on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:22 What is the difference between quantum and classical mechanics? 00:08:12 The measurement problem 00:14:16 The many-worlds interpretation 00:19:46 Why can't I see other branches of reality? 00:33:13 Is many-worlds crazy and absurd? 00:37:57 The probability problem 00:50:58 Do people split in two when the universe branches? 01:00:11 Does many-worlds explain fine-tuning? 01:04:56 Should many-worlds change the way we live? 01:16:30 Of what are you most uncertain? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #71 Is There a Mind Behind the Universe? - Stephen C. Meyer | 12 Feb 2026 | 01:23:45 | |
Philosopher, author, and intelligent-design advocate Stephen Meyer joins me to discuss the arguments of his recent book, Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries that Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe. While we only got around to two of those three discoveries, our conversation was robust, engaging, and will interest both advocates and critics of Stephen's work. Check out video of our discussion on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:11 Interview with Joe Rogan 00:03:19 Stephen's basic case for God 00:12:05 Data point #1 - Origin of the universe 00:17:26 The limits of singularity theorems 00:25:45 Quantum cosmology and theories of quantum gravity 00:32:36 What if spacetime is emergent? 00:36:45 Why is a beginning more likely under theism? 00:41:22 Data point #2 - Cosmic fine-tuning 00:46:40 Why is fine-tuning unlikely under naturalism? 00:53:31 Why is fine-tuning likely under theism? 00:57:55 Technical objection: No background information 01:03:04 The multiverse hypothesis 01:08:19 Do we need a "scientific" theory of the multiverse? 01:13:20 Richard Dawkins' argument: God is complex 01:17:24 But what about evil and suffering? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #70 Why Humans Believe in God - Daniel Wolne | 06 Feb 2026 | 01:22:46 | |
Prof. Daniel Wolne explains historical theories of religion with special focus on Sigmund Freud's speculation that religious belief arises from a projection of a father figure onto the universe. We then dive into contemporary theories arising from the cognitive science of religion: theory of mind, hyperactive agency detection devices, and social function theories. Check out video of our discussion on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:51 Explanation vs. theory of religion 00:07:26 Methodological naturalism 00:16:48 What is "religion"? 00:27:44 Sigmund Freud - Is religion just projection of a father figure? 00:39:42 What about non-theistic religions? 00:42:09 Is religion the response to fear of death? 00:45:22 Cognitive science of religion 00:50:52 Hyperactive Agency Detection Device (HADD) 01:06:06 What is religion's social function? 01:11:56 Does cognitive science undermine religious belief? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #69 Two Oxford Students Tackle a Philosophical Smorgasbord - Amos Wollen | 30 Jan 2026 | 01:56:14 | |
Isn't "smorgasbord" a great word? Amos Wollen, my friend and fellow Oxford graduate student, joins me to debate his novel argument for the compatibility of God's love and an eternal Hell, a theodicy involving our consenting to suffering prior to our births, a case for the Baha'i faith, a fine-tuning argument from beauty, and the real reason that I take so many bathroom breaks. Check out the video of the debate on YouTube. Amos has a great Substack that you should absolutely read. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:50 A new argument for Hell 39:43 A pre-existence theodicy 01:04:52 A fine-tuning argument from beauty 01:25:02 A case for the Baha'i faith Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #68 Is Morality Real? - Michael Huemer vs. Matt Lutz | 22 Jan 2026 | 01:42:24 | |
Two philosophers come together to debate the question of whether objective, mind-independent moral facts exist. Mike says yes, Matt says no. They discuss whether we can ever have reason to go against our desires, whether beliefs about morality make any difference to our behavior, how we know things about the world, and the relevance of intuitions. Check out the video of the debate on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:45 Dr. Matt Lutz opening statement 00:11:49 Dr. Michael Huemer opening statement 00:24:43 Do moral obligations involve impossible kinds of reasons? 00:41:40 Can the error theorist make sense of doing something against one’s desires? 00:56:08 If moral facts disappeared, would we live our lives differently? 01:14:34 What’s wrong with intuition as a ground for moral knowledge? 01:29:05 How do we know logical and mathematical truths? 01:35:46 Dr. Matt Lutz closing statement 01:36:54 Dr. Dr. Michael Huemer closing statement Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #67 Is Consciousness Physical? - Emerson Green | 15 Jan 2026 | 01:30:29 | |
Emerson Green walks through three powerful objections to attempts to reduce consciousness to the brain: phenomenal transparency, philosophical zombies, and vagueness.Check out Emerson's YouTube channel. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:05 What are you a YouTuber? 00:19:08 Objection #1 - Phenomenal transparency 00:29:22 Why physicalism cannot tolerate transparency 00:32:31 What if consciousness is translucent? 00:38:36 Maybe there are no mental states at all 00:49:52 Objection #2 - Philosophical zombies 01:00:57 Different types of conceivability 01:12:29 What about modal skepticism? 01:17:32 Objection #3 - Vagueness 01:24:40 When do we go from non-conscious to conscious? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #66 It's Okay to be Gay (and Christian) - Randal Rauser | 08 Jan 2026 | 01:12:15 | |
Dr. Randal Rauser and I explore the arguments of his new book, The Wideness of the Sea: How to be Evangelical and Gay-Affirming, wherein he offers a four-part case for including a gay-affirming perspective within the fold of Christian orthodoxy: scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:12 The tale of Eugene Peterson 00:04:45 What is evangelical Christianity? 00:09:10 Affirming vs. non-affirming perspectives 00:14:55 Why do evangelicals care so much about gay relationships? 00:24:19 Argument #1: The Bible 00:40:25 Leviticus 20:13 - "If a man..." 00:45:10 Romans 1:26-27 - "God gave them over..." 00:50:05 Argument #2: Reason 00:51:11 William Lane Craig's case against homosexuality 00:54:22 Against natural law? 00:58:32 Argument #3: Tradition 01:07:28 Argument #4: Experience Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #65 The U.S. Is Increasingly Unsafe for Trans People - Talia Mae Bettcher | 01 Jan 2026 | 01:11:05 | |
Talia Mae Bettcher explains why she has come to a dismal view of the United States as a home for trans people, details the Trump administration's recent policy changes targeting trans individuals, and debates the merits of a biological understanding of sex and gender. Check out Talia's latest book, Beyond Personhood: An Essay in Trans Philosophy. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating, either via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Follow me on X-formerly-Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:05 Why do you feel unsafe in the U.S.? 00:06:27 How did the U.S. get here? 00:12:01 Has your religious upbringing informed your work today? 00:17:13 Methodology and biological theories of gender 00:24:17 What is trans philosophy? 00:28:37 Can a traditionalist engage in trans philosophy? 00:33:03 Answering Matt Walsh: what is a woman? 00:46:44 Circular definitions of gender 00:49:13 Trans people can be mistaken in their gender identity 00:54:57 Trans woman and prison placement 01:07:47 Is "it's complicated" a cop-out? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #64 What If God Is Evil? - Stephen Law | 23 Dec 2025 | 01:19:41 | |
Stephen Law, professor of philosophy at Oxford, discusses his "evil god challenge" to theists: prove that God is not perfectly evil. That challenge, we will see, is surprisingly difficult to meet. Check out Stephen's paper outlining the evil-god challenge, as well as Mooney and Hendricks paper critiquing the challenge. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Do please follow me Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:06 The evil-god challenge 00:11:03 The versions of the challenge 00:17:02 Does the moral argument break the parallel? 00:24:28 Skeptical theism will not undercut the challenge 00:34:07 Does skeptical theism lead to skepticism about everything? 00:46:30 The neutral-god challenge 00:53:13 Theodicies won't undercut the challenge, either 00:59:39 Would Jesus' resurrection break the parallel? 01:07:57 Is an evil god logically incoherent? 01:16:47 What are you most uncertain about? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #63 Does Mind-Brain Harmony Point to God? - Graham Oppy vs. Brian Cutter | 19 Dec 2025 | 01:51:11 | |
Graham Oppy and Brian Cutter join me to debate philosophy's newest argument for God: the argument from psychophysical harmony. We talk about epistemic probability versus metaphysical possibility, the relevance of thought-experiments to determining possibility, whether mental states are identical to brain states, and what we ought to infer if we found John 3:16 in binary code in the digits of pi. Check out Cutter and Crummet's paper defending the psycho-physical harmony argument, my previous interviews with Graham and Brian. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:34 Cutter opening statement 00:18:14 Oppy opening statement 00:27:59 Moderated discussion 01:48:33 Cutter closing statement 01:50:07 Oppy closing statement Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #62 Would You Still Love Me if I Was a Worm? - Mhairi Tait | 11 Dec 2025 | 01:21:03 | |
Mhairi Tait, my friend and fellow DPhil student at Oxford, sits down with me to discuss whether Ted Bundy's mother was right to stand by her son, whether you could ever love the same person forever, whether you should "trade up" if you find someone with better qualities than your current beloved, and whether one still ought to be loved even if one were a worm. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:52 Is the best kind of love unconditional? 00:14:10 Is it okay to not love everyone? 00:20:00 Should we "trade up" if we find a better romantic partner? 00:21:21 Is love ever unjustified? 00:24:07 Is love for an abuser real love? 00:30:14 The possibility of love at first sight 00:40:30 What IS love, exactly? 00:45:04 Do you, Miles, think love has created value in you 00:55:11 Ted Bundy's mother loved him to the very end 00:59:28 Ethical non-monogamy? 01:01:15 Does love require free will? 01:04:20 Is there a single concept the unifies all our uses of the word "love"? 01:06:39 Does analytic philosophy do damage to love? 01:11:50 Realist vs. anti-realist accounts of love 01:14:17 Could you love the same person forever? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #61 Why This Oxford Professor Thinks Morality is Objective - David Enoch | 04 Dec 2025 | 01:25:04 | |
Dr. David Enoch, author of "Taking Morality Seriously: A Defense of Robust Realism," joins me to discuss moral realism versus anti-realism, objections from the moral error theorist, and my personal sticking points in affirming the existence of irreducible moral facts: moral disagreement across cultures and evolutionary explanations for our moral beliefs. Buy David's book defending robust moral realism. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:07:23 Naturalism vs. non-naturalism 00:19:23 Why should we reject moral error theory? 00:32:32 The revisionary costs of error theory 00:43:34 Intuition as our only ground for moral realism? 00:47:45 The connection to ethical intuitionism 00:51:19 Objection #1 - Moral disagreement 01:03:18 Moral skepticism 01:06:20 Objection #2 - Evolutionary debunking arguments 01:16:16 Is God required to explain objective morality? 01:20:45 Are most philosophers moral realists? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #60 A Short and Sweet Intro to Relativity - Dan Linford | 27 Nov 2025 | 01:21:50 | |
Dr. Dan Linford breaks down Einstein's theory of special relativity, its consequences for our understanding of time, and whether there are any ways to reconcile relativity with the view that past events are no longer real, and future events are not yet real. In particular, he examines William Lane Craig's attempt to rehabilitate a neo-Lorentzian theory of relativity. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:10 What is special relativity? 00:11:30 Of trains and absolute simultaneity 00:15:31 Time dilation and length contraction 00:25:08 Three "interpretations" of special relativity 00:27:14 Theory #1 - Einsteinian relativity 00:29:11 Theory #2 - Minkowskian relativity 00:35:11 Theory #3 - neo-Lorentzian relativity 00:47:09 What do physicists think of neo-Lorentzian relativity? 00:59:50 Can we integrate special relativity with presentism? 01:10:06 Neo-Lorentzianism applied to cosmology Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #59 Why Religious Belief Is on the Decline - Christian Smith | 20 Nov 2025 | 01:20:15 | |
Sociologist and professor Dr. Christian Smith discusses his recent book, Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America. We discuss the reasons for the decline of faith in a traditionally Christian nation, the seeming recent revival of faith among the younger generation, and what these developments mean for the future of religion in America. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me on Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:13 How do we define religion? 00:05:44 In what sense has religion gone obsolete? 00:09:13 Why has religion gone obsolete? 00:18:52 Is religion trending downward worldwide? 00:21:20 The internet's role in undermining religion 00:25:43 The "cringy-ness" of online religious outreach 00:28:11 The legacy of the New Atheists 00:32:01 The role conservative politics has played 00:37:33 Does this mean Americans are atheists? 00:46:50 The advance of science did not cause religious decline 00:50:26 The negative impact of creationism 00:54:01 Homosexuality and abortion as the ride-or-die issues 01:02:09 A revival of faith among American youth? 01:10:20 Does religion have a future? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #58 The Big Bang Doesn't Prove God - Afshordi and Halper | 13 Nov 2025 | 01:20:41 | |
Astrophysicist Niayesh Afshordi and science communicator Phil Halper return to the channel to discuss their new book, Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins. We discuss inflationary theory, the BGV theorem, how space and time might not exist at the fundamental level of reality, and so much else besides. This was one of my favorite interviews so far. Follow Phil on YouTube. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me on Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:13 Does the Big Bang theory feature a bang? 00:07:53 What is an FLRW spacetime? What is the Lambda-CDM model? 00:18:39 Is a singularity unscientific? 00:25:05 Singularity theorem #1: Hawking-Penrose 00:33:04 Singularity theorem #2: Borde-Guth-Vilenkin 00:39:23 What is "classical" spacetime? 00:52:40 Singularity theorem #3: Generalized second law of thermodynamics 00:57:54 The quantum eternity theorem 01:01:10 String-theoretic models of the universe 01:05:56 A fundamental limit to what we can know? 01:09:10 Is a cosmic beginning scientifically unsatisfying? 01:15:17 Teaching science as a story 01:19:35 Embrace uncertainty Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #57 Everything that Begins to Exist Has a Cause? - Dan Linford | 06 Nov 2025 | 00:51:47 | |
Dan Linford and I discuss the causal principle, that everything that begins to exist has a cause. We look at William Lane Craig's oft-repeated three reasons for affirming the premise: something cannot come from nothing, if something could come from nothing, then anything and everything should come from nothing, and an inductive generalization supports the causal principle. Check out Linford's paper discussing neo-Russellian analyses of causation. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me on Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:58 Different types of "causes" 00:05:49 Premise (1) of the KCA 00:10:19 First argument for CP: An inductive generalization 00:23:56 Metaphysics should be continuous with physics 00:34:27 Is science our only source of knowledge? 00:38:32 Second argument for CP: Something cannot come from nothing 00:42:16 Is neo-Russellianism just too counter-intuitive? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #56 What Is a Woman? - Tomas Bogardus | 30 Oct 2025 | 01:23:15 | |
Dr. Tomas Bogardus discusses contemporary philosophical analysis of sex and gender, defending a traditional understanding of these terms. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me on Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction 00:32 What are the main views about gender? 17:03 What's the difference between sex and gender? 27:52 Why think sex terms are social constructions? 35:29 Societal consequences for biological realism regarding sex 39:05 Intentional revision of sex terms? 44:35 Dr. Bogardus: What is a woman? 45:04 Woman: Adult human female 55:24 Can trans-women be women on this account? 01:12:38 But still, should we revise the meaning of our terms? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #55 Morality Doesn't Exist - Matt Lutz | 24 Oct 2025 | 01:32:34 | |
Dr. Matt Lutz defends moral error theory, the two-part thesis that (i) our moral claims are capable of being true or false, but (ii) because there is no objective morality, all of them are false. Check out all of Dr. Lutz's publications. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me on Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:13 What is moral error theory? 00:03:46 Non-cognitivism in ethics 00:19:32 Motivation for non-cognitivism 00:25:00 Ethical naturalism vs. non-naturalism 00:54:30 Is there an objective morality? 00:58:21 Epistemological objections to realism 01:11:00 Miles' two responses to arguments for error theory Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||
| #54 It Matters Whether God Exists | Joe Folley | 16 Oct 2025 | 02:22:32 | |
Joe Folley and I discuss our philosophical differences regarding fine-tuning, the problem of evil, skeptical theism, pragmatic justification for God, apatheism, and much else besides. Check out Joe's excellent YouTube channel. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me on Twitter. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:15 The fine-tuning argument 00:12:30 Can the constants really vary? 00:18:41 What is "possibility"? 00:34:54 Is probability just frequency? 00:48:16 Is there common ground between theist and atheist? 00:58:04 We should not be apathetic about God's existence 01:10:38 There are more options besides theism and naturalism 01:19:50 Skeptical theism 01:28:29 Does evil disprove God? 01:32:04 Philip Goff's limited God 01:43:55 Life is better if you believe in God 01:53:40 Should we take the red pill? 01:58:59 Problems with moral realism 02:12:50 What motivates you in running a YouTube channel? Get full access to Miles K. Donahue at mileskdonahue.substack.com/subscribe | |||