244 | Katie Elliott on Metaphysics, Chance, and Explanation

<p>Is metaphysics like physics, but cooler? Or is it a relic of an outdated, pre-empirical way of thinking about the world? Closer to the former than the latter. Rather than building specific quantitative theories about the world, metaphysics aims to get a handle on the basic logical structures that help us think about it. I talk with philosopher Katie Elliott on how metaphysics helps us think about questions like counterfactuals, possible worlds, time travel, mathematical equivalence, and whether everything happens for a reason.</p><p>Blog post with transcript: <a href="https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2023/07/24/244-katie-elliott-on-metaphysics-chance-and-time/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2023/07/24/244-katie-elliott-on-metaphysics-chance-and-time/</a></p><p>S<em>upport Mindscape on&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Patreon</em></a><em>.</em></p><p>Katrina (Katie) Elliott received her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. After being an assistant professor of philosophy at UCLA, she is now on the faculty at Brandeis. Her research covers topics in metaphysics and the philosophy of science, including explanation, chances, and the logic of time travel.</p><ul><li><a href="https://elliott.humspace.ucla.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Web page</a></li><li><a href="https://www.brandeis.edu/departments/philosophy/facultyguide/person.html?emplid=7dab1463d8ae2401915fe42504b6dee98f0669dd" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brandeis web page</a></li><li><a href="https://philpeople.org/profiles/katrina-elliott" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PhilPeople profile</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="no