What is a mechanism? Are claims about function doomed to fail? And why are explanations in psychology and human behavior so fraught and contested? We pose these and other mysteries to one the shining stars in modern philosophy of science, Lauren Ross (UC Irvine). Other topics include how philosophers are kind of like therapists, how modern philosophy of science thinks about grand explanations of everything, reductionism, and why what's happening in psychology is reassuringly not new under the scientific sun.

More about Lauren Ross:

https://sites.socsci.uci.edu/~rossl/

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=MR__Y0AAAAAJ&hl=en

Pascal Boyer (St. Louis) is one of the greats! We talk about his shifting thinking in terms of belief selection to belief production, and why this is a subversive idea. Other topics include birthdays, shamanism and magic, and why we should remain optimistic about the future of science.

More about Pascal Boyer: http://www.pascalboyer.net/

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7OaZg10AAAAJ&hl=en

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal_Boyer

Is leaving a hunter horticultural lifestyle for a more westernized, market economy good or bad for one's health? And what does it take to run a field site? In this episode we talk to Josh Snodgrass (Oregon), one of the co-directors of the Shuar Project, and an expert on the consequences of transitioning from a more traditional to market subsistence on one's existence and health. Turns out: it's complicated!

More about Josh Snodgrass:

https://www.pinniped.net/snodgrass.html

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EADPtvQAAAAJ&hl=en

https://cas.uoregon.edu/directory/profiles/all/jjosh