Vatsal’s Newsletter

Overcoming the Naturalistic Fallacy

On the open-question argument, goodness, the objectivity of moral truths, and the science of morality.

Aug 7 • 

Vatsal

2

May 2025

Bryan Caplan on Ethical Intuitionism

On common sense realism, moral knowledge, naturalism, G.E. Moore, Ayn Rand, and moral motivation.

May 6 • 

Vatsal

 and 

Bryan Caplan

1

10:05

February 2025

Michael Shermer on Morality and Science

On Enlightenment values, science and ethics, the fact-value distinction, utilitarianism, and free will.

Feb 4 • 

Vatsal

23:47

January 2025

Review of Tyler Cowen’s Stubborn Attachments

On prosperity, moral pluralism, longtermism, self-defeating modernity, and the foundations of ethical concern.

Jan 11 • 

Vatsal

2

November 2024

A Conversation with Garett Jones on Democracy

On democracy and oligarchy, courage, open borders, political legitimacy, and metaethics.

Nov 26, 2024 • 

Vatsal

1

October 2024

Free Will

On inevitability, possible worlds, propositions and their truth values, identity, causality, and responsibility.

Oct 8, 2024 • 

Vatsal

1

A Conversation with Massimo Pigliucci on Scientific Explanation

On knowledge, instrumentalism, and the nature of scientific explanation.

Oct 1, 2024 • 

Vatsal

7

February 2024

A Conversation with Martin Frické on the Epistemology of Machine Learning

On rationalism and empiricism, Noam Chomsky’s arguments against ChatGPT, Karl Popper, and instrumentalism.

Feb 19, 2024 • 

Vatsal

December 2023

A Response to Noam Chomsky on Machine Learning and Knowledge

On machine learning, the nature of knowledge and intelligence, associations, predictions, and explanations.

Dec 1, 2023 • 

Vatsal