83. Mark Balaguer | Metaphysics, Sophistry, and Illusion | 2022/02/18

Mark Balaguer is Professor of Philosophy at California State University, Los Angeles, and his work has focused primarily on metaphysics, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of logic, free will, and metaethics. His recent book is "Metaphysics, Sophistry, and Illusion".
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/metaphysics-sophistry-and-illusion-9780198868361

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00:00 - Introduction
01:50 - Metaphysics, Sophistry, and Illusion
03:28 - Metaphysical questions
05:09 - Scientism
05:40 - Conceptual analysis
09:04 - Free will
11:34 - Folk concepts
13:24 - Non-factualism vs. meaningless
16:16 - Huemer and vagueness
19:32 - Propositions and logic
21:34 - Plenitude of propositions
23:09 - Conceptual choices
26:03 - Mathematical objects
29:54 - Understanding platonism
32:51 - Plenitudinous platonism
39:37 - Non-factualism about abstract objects
42:51 - Platonist rejoinder
50:24 - Platonism as necessary
59:30 - Category mistake?
1:00:34 - For all intents and purposes true
1:03:08 - Does the world need abstracta?
1:07:22 - Indispensability arguments
1:08:37 - Truth as not the primary goal
1:12:20 - Atom example
1:21:08 - Counterfactuals and causal relevance
1:23:35 - Unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics
1:24:51 - First additional surprising fact
1:28:08 - Second additional surprising fact
1:30:10 - Composition
1:33:35 - Language of composite objects
1:37:03 - Privileging simples
1:40:55 - Conceptual pluralism
1:44:32 - Thin language
1:46:48 - Modality
1:51:01 - Analytic truths
1:53:12 - Metaphysical vs. logical modality
1:57:25 - Rigid designators
1:59:02 - Basic modal truths
2:00:45 - Conventions
2:05:10 - Modal nothingism
2:06:40 - Understanding brute modal truths
2:09:06 - Modal conventionalism
2:14:20 - Neo-positivism
2:21:30 - Supporting neo-positivism
2:22:05 - Different views of metaphysical modality
2:27:38 - Application to metaethics
2:31:40 - Non-factualism
2:33:40 - Value of philosophy
2:36:39 - Conclusion

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