Utilitarianism and the Social Nature of Persons @RahulSam

Uploaded September 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

An excerpt of my conversation with political philosopher and utilitarianism researcher Dr Nikhil Venkatesh.

Watch the full podcast here: youtu.be/ASnV-fhdgmc

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{Podcast}
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Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statutes that might otherwise be infringing.

If you are or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have a problem with the use of the related material, please email me at trahulsam@gmail.com, and we can sort it out. Thank you.

$Utilitarianism and the Social Nature of Persons An excerpt of my conversation with political philosopher and utilitarianism researcher Dr Nikhil Venkatesh. Watch the full podcast here: https://youtu.be/ASnV-fhdgmc {Podcast} Substack: https://rsampod.substack.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ryEqjut4r6SMtfxLdM1Le Anchor: https://anchor.fm/rahul-samaranayake Available on other platforms at https://link.chtbl.com/PDBAf9Zd {Website} https://rahulsam.me/ {Social Media} https://www.instagram.com/name_is_rahul/ https://substack.com/@trsam/ https://x.com/trsam97 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahul-samaranayake-981a9315b/ If the ideas I discuss in this channel evoke your interest, consider visiting https://theunhappyman.substack.com/ Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statutes that might otherwise be infringing. If you are or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have a problem with the use of the related material, please email me at trahulsam@gmail.com, and we can sort it out. Thank you.$ $The + Is the True Identity of LGBTQ+ | Slavoj Žižek and Todd McGowan Given that were all self-divided subjects, Slavoj Žižek and Todd McGowan contend that alienation is the only authentic identity we can have, and through this, we can partake in a universal non-belonging (to paraphrase Peter Rollins). Watch the full podcast here: https://youtu.be/I4obiftU_kI?si=JKUsCGYR9LCHetbQ {Podcast} Substack: https://rsampod.substack.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ryEqjut4r6SMtfxLdM1Le Anchor: https://anchor.fm/rahul-samaranayake Available on other platforms at https://link.chtbl.com/PDBAf9Zd {Website} https://rahulsam.me/ {Social Media} https://www.instagram.com/name_is_rahul/ https://substack.com/@trsam/ https://x.com/trsam97 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahul-samaranayake-981a9315b/ {Images & Videos used} https://youtu.be/545x4EldHlg?si=DXDsORTxEAbNAZMD https://youtu.be/xN2ZGSX0cIE?si=db2K19c6YuSPHR_L If the ideas I discuss in this channel evoke your interest, consider visiting https://theunhappyman.substack.com/ Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statutes that might otherwise be infringing. If you are or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have a problem with the use of the related material, please email me at trahulsam@gmail.com, and we can sort it out. Thank you.$ $Tim Maudlin: Physics and Epistemology Prof Tim Maudlin is a philosopher of physics and science who, in the last few decades, has pioneered forwarding the field Foundations of Physics. Hes the founder of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics, domiciled in Split, Croatia. He taught for over two decades at Rutgers University before joining the Department of Philosophy at New York University. Prof Maudlin is the author of numerous books, including New Foundations for Physical Geometry, Philosophy of Physics with Princeton University Press and Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity. In this episode, we discussed Lee Smolin and Carlo Rovellis radical ontology of time, the difference between a mathematical representation, theory and interpretation, the Kuhn-Popper debate in the philosophy of science, Wittgenstein and Moores views on knowledge, metaphysics of physics and the relationship between physics and epistemology. You can find more of Prof Maudlins work at https://as.nyu.edu/faculty/tim-maudlin.html John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org/ John Bell Institute GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-permanent-home-for-the-john-bell-institute RSam Podcast #76 Please consider financially supporting my work (ONLY if you have the means). Patreon: https://patreon.com/trsam?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink Substack: https://rsampod.substack.com PayPal: https://paypal.me/rsampod?country.x=AU&locale.x=en_AU {Podcast} Substack: https://rsampod.substack.com/podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ryEqjut4r6SMtfxLdM1Le SFP: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rahul-samaranayake {Website} https://rahulsam.me/ {Social Media} https://substack.com/@trsam/ https://www.instagram.com/name_is_rahul/ https://x.com/trsam97 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahul-samaranayake-981a9315b/ {Reference Links} https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691183527/philosophy-of-physics https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-metaphysics-within-physics-9780199575374 https://youtu.be/DHc-lrt9N7g?si=2g5U1JxxEQKXdVSo {Images & Videos used} https://youtu.be/cVaOn2IJnoU?si=OPQbK5BX7h5hUAgh https://youtu.be/QOAcQCFNtbo?si=ehhCV7AOQQ65uisI https://youtu.be/QDeHnIriuZ8?si=1n1yJWt-r0d9tFhr {Music Used} Supapao - Cant Fall In Love is under a Free To Use YouTube license https://soundcloud.com/supapao Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://youtu.be/VZkFJAb_gx4?si=J6AwKLAmikAzoqHj Chill Lofi Hiphop - Breath by l33 is under a Free To Use YouTube license SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightlofi/no-copyright-chill-lofi-hiphop-breath-by-l33 If the ideas I discuss in this channel evoke your interest, consider visiting https://theunhappyman.substack.com/ Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statutes that might otherwise be infringing. If you are or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have a problem with the use of the related material, please email me at trahulsam@gmail.com, and we can sort it out. Thank you.$ $Philosophers Are Bad at Politics and Religion Tony of @1DimeRadio on the rationality of religion. Watch the full podcast here: https://youtu.be/hIhvz2PdwNA Please consider financially supporting my work (ONLY if you have the means). 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Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statutes that might otherwise be infringing. If you are or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have a problem with the use of the related material, please email me at trahulsam@gmail.com, and we can sort it out. Thank you.$ $How Computation Explains the Mind A case for analogical computational realism or how to be a realist about computational neuroscience. Watch the full podcast here: https://youtu.be/3og0I1h0QJI Please consider financially supporting my work (ONLY if you have the means). 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Watch the full podcast here: https://youtu.be/ASnV-fhdgmc?si=Qm7xvNe1mzvu9QLi {Podcast} Substack: https://rsampod.substack.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ryEqjut4r6SMtfxLdM1Le Anchor: https://anchor.fm/rahul-samaranayake Available on other platforms at https://link.chtbl.com/PDBAf9Zd {Website} https://rahulsam.me/ {Social Media} https://www.instagram.com/name_is_rahul/ https://substack.com/@trsam/ https://x.com/trsam97 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahul-samaranayake-981a9315b/ If the ideas I discuss in this channel evoke your interest, consider visiting https://theunhappyman.substack.com/ Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statutes that might otherwise be infringing. If you are or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have a problem with the use of the related material, please email me at trahulsam@gmail.com, and we can sort it out. Thank you.$ $Whats Causing the Housing Crisis in Australia? (And How to Fix It) Whats causing the housing crisis in Australia? Do tweaks on the current system work, or do we need fundamental changes? @adu has a few ideas worth listening to. Watch the full podcast here: https://youtu.be/6iFlx22GVSc Please consider financially supporting my work (ONLY if you have the means). Patreon: https://patreon.com/trsam?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink Substack: https://rsampod.substack.com PayPal: https://paypal.me/rsampod?country.x=AU&locale.x=en_AU {Podcast} Substack: https://rsampod.substack.com/podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ryEqjut4r6SMtfxLdM1Le SFP: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rahul-samaranayake {Website} https://rahulsam.me/ {Social Media} https://substack.com/@trsam/ https://www.instagram.com/name_is_rahul/ https://x.com/trsam97 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahul-samaranayake-981a9315b/ {Music Used} Supapao - Cant Fall In Love is under a Free To Use YouTube license https://soundcloud.com/supapao Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://youtu.be/VZkFJAb_gx4?si=J6AwKLAmikAzoqHj Chill Lofi Hiphop - Breath by l33 is under a Free To Use YouTube license SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightlofi/no-copyright-chill-lofi-hiphop-breath-by-l33 If the ideas I discuss in this channel evoke your interest, consider visiting https://theunhappyman.substack.com/ Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statutes that might otherwise be infringing. If you are or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have a problem with the use of the related material, please email me at trahulsam@gmail.com, and we can sort it out. Thank you.$ $Consciousness Enjoying Uncertainty The Free Energy Principle suggests that sentient beings preserve their integrity by minimising variational free energy, a process achieved by either updating internal models to match sensory data (perceptual inference) or acting upon the environment to fulfil internal predictions (active inference). But what if prediction errors and failing to minimise free energy are precisely what we need to maintain ourselves? In other words, what if the human brain is structurally antagonistic? Watch the full podcast here: https://youtu.be/ZqlVhnaI3u0 Please consider financially supporting my work (ONLY if you have the means). 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