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David Builes is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University, where he works in metaphysics and epistemology and has made serious contributions to the philosophies of mind, science, and mathematics. In this episode, Robinson and David discuss the metaphysics of time—including debates about the reality of the past, present, and future—the question of whether science can explain consciousness, and whether numbers exist as abstract objects.
David’s Website: https://davidbuiles.com
OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
01:05 David’s Interest in Philosophy
05:47 On the Philosophy of Time
16:01 In Defense of Presentism
24:21 How Long is the Present?
25:58 Humean and Non-Humean Laws
28:02 Can Science Explain Consciousness?
40:25 Does David Believe His Work?
43:32 First-Person Realism
53:18 Is First-Person Realism Correct?
57:42 The Philosophy of Math
01:01:45 Do Numbers Exist?
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, historians, economists, and everyone in-between.