Subscribe to The Parrot Room at https://patreon.com/parrotroom 2:52 Yet another Trump indictment—How strong is the case? 12:46 Is America becoming a banana republic? 20:47 DeSantis debate strategy goes public 31:35 Bob floats secret elite plot to get Biden off the Democratic ticket 37:07 Why Ukraine’s stalled offensive is politically hazardous for Biden 48:47 Parrot Room preview: US-China war games; Sam Bankman-Fried back in jail; Hunter Biden scandal updates; populist anthem sweeps America; col...
Aug 19, 2023•56 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright and Tamler Sommers discuss what you can and can't say about UFOs. Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Tamler Sommers (Very Bad Wizards, University of Houston, Why Honor Matters). Recorded August 03, 2023. Nonzero Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Very Bad Wizards: https://verybadwizards.com/...
Aug 16, 2023•25 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org (Overtime segment available to paid subscribers below the paywall.) 0:33 Sohrab’s idiosyncratic ideological journey 10:04 What makes Sohrab a conservative? 15:58 Sohrab’s new book Tyranny, Inc.—a critique of neoliberal capitalism’s effects on American life 24:09 What happened to the labor movement in America? 36:12 Private equity’s role in Sears’s demise 45:19 “Ghost papers”: Wall Street's effect on local news 51:22 Ov...
Aug 16, 2023•52 min
Subscribe to The Parrot Room at https://patreon.com/parrotroom 0:33 New challenges for Ukraine 7:06 What do lead pipes have to do with climate migrants? Ask Biden 14:07 Are the Bidens corruption “disruptors”? 23:41 Mickey’s craziest theory of the week 26:32 Another wrinkle in the Hunter Biden scandal 32:20 What mainstream media won’t tell you about Iran 37:53 Mickey’s searing critique of Obama 47:24 Parrot room preview: Mickey on the Trump cases; RIP Robbie Robertson; Tim Scott’s campaign expens...
Aug 12, 2023•54 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:41 How US-China rivalry is shaking up the region 12:44 Why Washington wants to control the Middle East oil spigot 25:01 The odds of an imminent confrontation with Iran 30:49 Is America breaking international law in Syria? 42:55 What would a Middle East without US intervention look like? 48:25 Why Israel lacks a written constitution 55:27 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonze...
Aug 09, 2023•58 min
Subscribe to The Parrot Room at https://patreon.com/parrotroom 0:33 Jeffrey Goldberg becomes King of Washington 5:24 Does Trump prosecutor Jack Smith have the goods? 21:48 Hunter Biden’s corruption defense: It was all an illusion 31:52 President Biden’s Ukraine quagmire 41:25 What Trump gets right about Russia-Ukraine 48:17 Is West Africa heading toward a major war? 52:08 Parrot Room preview: A PBS lament; Mickey’s border worries; Bob’s reflection on jury duty; the economics of electric vehicles...
Aug 05, 2023•59 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org (Overtime segment available to paid subscribers below the paywall.) 1:06 Bob and Dan reminisce about blogging and Bloggingheads 8:17 Was the first year of Russia’s invasion a success for US foreign policy? 17:45 When will Putin be ready to cut a deal? 23:13 The odds of a wider war—or a nuclear one 27:45 What good can come from continuing the war? 41:08 Has the US mismanaged its relationship with Putin’s Russia? 50:56 P...
Aug 01, 2023•55 min
Subscribe to The Parrot Room at https://patreon.com/parrotroom 0:34 Bob extols the virtues of jury duty 4:27 Ukraine’s counter offensive surge 16:42 What does Hunter’s failed plea deal mean for Joe? 24:03 In search of a DeSantis strategy 32:13 The Niger coup and Cold War II 44:12 Parrot room preview: Israel’s issues; musings on late musicians; Is Ramaswamy surging?; New lab leak controversy; Mickey’s border question for Biden; Is DEI d-e-a-d?; A crazy (ex-)Twitter theory; AI self-regulation Robe...
Jul 29, 2023•49 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org (Overtime segment available to paid subscribers below the paywall.) 2:21 Where AI fits in Connor’s tech threat taxonomy 15:10 What does the “general” in artificial general intelligence actually mean? 22:26 What should worry us about AI right now? 30:01 Connor: Don’t put your trust in AI companies 39:28 The promise and perils of open-sourcing AI 49:52 Why "interpretability" matters 56:31 What would an aligned AI actuall...
Jul 25, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Subscribe to The Parrot Room at https://patreon.com/parrotroom 0:34 Senator Chris Murphy declares war on loneliness 8:58 Why is the Ukraine offensive going badly? 14:51 Why Biden should push for peace talks now 24:37 Threads unravels 35:23 Was RFK’s Covid conjecture anti-Semitic? 43:11 Mickey reviews the MSM version of DeSantis 52:15 American diplomacy update: murky scandals and trash talk 56:39 Parrot Room preview: Biden corruption scandal; electric car paranoia; what Trump will do if he wins; ...
Jul 22, 2023•1 hr 2 min
0:33 What is this new Overton Windows series about? 10:05 Tamler’s connections to Israel and Bob’s experiences there 19:22 What does Zionism mean in practice? 27:35 The shifting Overton window around Israel/Palestine 45:35 The heavy-handed response to the BDS movement 57:13 What the Israel/Palestine discourse says about Overton windows 1:02:09 So where should the boundaries be set? Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Tamler Sommers (Very Bad ...
Jul 18, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Subscribe to The Parrot Room at https://patreon.com/parrotroom 0:04 Mickey bats .500 on this week’s news quiz 5:19 Gen. “Spartacus” and other Russians with attitude 17:01 What (or who) is impeding peace in Ukraine? 24:00 What Biden has that other possible Dem candidates don’t 36:04 What Trump’s messaging has that DeSantis’s doesn’t 39:41 Untangling Threads’s early days 53:06 Parrot Room preview: AI update; the mysterious Gal Luft; the irony of Klaatu’s speech; Mickey’s diversity epiphany; Canadi...
Jul 14, 2023•59 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org RWA Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RussiansWith... RWA podcast episodes: https://www.patreon.com/rwapodcast 01:10 Why Bob invited Russians with Attitude onto the Nonzero Podcast 7:30 Why do Kirill and Nikolay support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? 15:23 Shortcomings of US mainstream media in covering Russia 25:40 The roots of the Donbass rebellion 37:33 Parallels between the Maidan Revolution and the Donbass ...
Jul 11, 2023•1 hr 22 min
2:39 Should GOP candidates attack Trump—or praise him? 14:10 Prigozhin mutiny aftermath gets messy 22:56 Signs of a coming ceasefire in Ukraine 31:57 Does the foreign policy Blob really care about Ukrainians? 38:31 MSM deep-sixes affirmative action ruling 44:24 Is Zuckerberg’s Twitter clone anti-old people? 52:42 Parrot Room preview: New anti-censorship ruling; private companies and the First Amendment; The Day the Earth Stood Still; riots in France; Macron’s good policy idea; artificial intelli...
Jul 07, 2023•59 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 02:26 Why Tim thinks AI chatbots are more than just “stochastic parrots” 9:27 Do AIs “understand” things? 21:18 The multidimensional mind of AI 26:28 Humans designed AIs, so why don’t we fully understand how they work? 34:42 The real mystery of smart machines: They learn things we didn’t teach them 42:36 Why deep learning was such a game changer for AI research 57:22 The T in ChatGPT Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, Th...
Jul 04, 2023•1 hr 13 min
00:00 Why Michael McFaul is wrong about Vladimir Putin 10:13 Is Putin ready for a ceasefire? 22:39 Has SCOTUS succeeded in killing affirmative action? 36:13 Americans do have to pay student loans, don’t have to make LGBT websites 47:29 Is RFK Jr. entering Trump’s orbit? 52:08 Parrot Room preview: GOP election strategy; Bidenomics and national conservatism; band name of the year; Yglesias says liberals have higher IQs; final episode of Silo; Bob reviews Invasion of the Body Snatchers; Titanic sub...
Jul 01, 2023•59 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:33 Sean’s new book, We May Dominate the World: Ambition, Anxiety, and the Rise of the American Colossus 3:52 China’s and Russia’s behavior today compared to America’s a century ago 14:00 If geopolitical realities don’t change, are great powers doomed to blow up the world? 21:12 Why did the US decide to dominate the western hemisphere? 28:19 American interventions from the Civil War to World War I 35:57 Why forceful U...
Jun 27, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Subscribe to The Parrot Room at https://patreon.com/parrotroom 0:34 Should Hunter Biden and Trump get the Tim Geithner treatment? 10:36 Bob’s latest evidence that Biden shouldn’t run again 18:43 Have we reached peak RFK Jr.? 23:19 Does the counteroffensive hurt Ukraine’s cause? 30:28 Leaky new dam collapse theory 40:14 The rapidly metastasizing GOP primary field 49:33 Israel-Palestine gets Black Mirror-y 55:43 Alito’s ill-considered trip 1:01:34 Parrot room preview: The right’s schism over capit...
Jun 24, 2023•1 hr 9 min
0:00 The (fuzzy) distinction between cognitive and emotional empathy 7:01 Simon’s work on autism and empathy 15:59 Should we really view autism as a spectrum? 26:17 Are powerful people bad at cognitive empathy? 40:19 Hitler, tribalism, and the societal dynamics of empathy 53:58 Can cognitive empathy save the world? 1:00:50 The “double-empathy” problem 1:04:52 How autistic kids play differently Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Simon Baron-C...
Jun 20, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Subscribe to The Parrot Room at https://patreon.com/parrotroom 1:42 Mickey gets a B+ on this week’s news quiz 11:30 Is RFK Jr. the Dem’s key to booting Biden? 20:12 Chris Christie’s chances vs. Trump 24:28 Has Tucker gone off the deep end? 37:16 No, Russia didn’t blow up Ukraine’s dam 43:21 Is the Ukrainian counteroffensive failing? 59:12 Parrot room preview: Remembering Daniel Ellsberg; Elizabeth Gilbert’s self-cancellation; the fake deepfake of John Lennon; Mickey’s AI question; a bit of Epste...
Jun 17, 2023•1 hr 8 min
00:54 Frank’s book The End of History and the Last Man 10:35 Bob’s book Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny 17:14 Do people have to be rational in order to cooperate? 24:07 Are AI and other technologies advancing too rapidly for society to adapt? 37:21 Frank’s take on Hegel 48:05 Why Frank’s a Russia hawk and Bob's a Russia dove 58:12 Will authoritarian regimes do a better job of dealing with advanced information technologies? Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why B...
Jun 13, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Subscribe to The Parrot Room at https://patreon.com/parrotroom 3:31 The GOP primary gets crowded 10:56 Will Trump’s indictment help him get the nomination? 19:07 Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive begins 25:55 Dissecting Timothy Snyder’s Ukraine analysis 36:01 Looks like Ukraine blew up Nord Stream 41:47 Tucker’s new Twitter show 49:22 Parrot Room preview: Bob draws lesson from PGA’s merger with Saudi’s LIV; affirmative action set to fall; Apple’s new goggles; Taylor Swift; food stamps and ...
Jun 10, 2023•55 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 2:00 The dam breaks in Ukraine 10:12 Is western media giving a clear picture of the war? 18:25 Why do some Ukrainian soldiers wear Nazi symbols? 27:37 How Russia-Ukraine could become a wider war 37:05 Could the US have prevented the war? 48:11 Seeing American foreign policy from Putin's point of view Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Branko Marcetic (Jacobin). Rec...
Jun 07, 2023•1 hr
1:31 China’s role in Saudi-Iran rapprochement7:10 The legacy of Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal12:25 Does Israel have a Palestine plan?24:12 Tensions resurface in Kosovo29:03 NATO expansion and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine35:31 Has the US mismanaged its relationship with Russia?43:53 Prospects for peace in Ukraine—or for massive military escalation56:26 A message from Bob about this week's Parrot Room Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is T...
Jun 02, 2023•58 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org (Overtime segment available to paid subscribers below the paywall.) 0:00 Sam’s Bloggingheads bona fides 2:39 Is AI “interpretability” worth the trouble? 13:38 Natural selection and artificial intelligence 19:47 Are large language models absorbing human nature? 29:53 What Sam thinks singularitarian AI doomers get wrong 36:36 Is it time for an AI-safety Manhattan Project? 51:12 Sam: Let a thousand GPT-4 (but not GPT-5) p...
May 31, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Subscribe to The Parrot Room at https://patreon.com/parrotroom 0:00 Bob quizzes Mickey on worrisome Ukraine war developments 8:26 What could push Putin to go nuclear? 16:34 How disastrous was the DeSantis launch really? 27:46 DeSantis’s possible anti-Trump trump card 37:03 Who’s losing the debt-ceiling fight? 40:15 Parrot room preview: Soul and dual Dune reviews; the latest on Epstein-Gates; Bob’s 12 Monkeys howler; AI; simply the best of Tina Turner; Mickey delineates new immigration bills Robe...
May 27, 2023•45 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:00 The watershed moment that led Ben to write his new book, "Cry, Baby"10:55 Does meditation make you less emotional?16:37 How different socio-cultural groups feel about crying23:18 Why do we cry anyway?36:42 Transformative and performative weeping42:29 Putting Joel Osteen’s tears under a microscope54:50 How does the nature of crying change over a lifetime?1:03:33 Overtime preview: Bob’s most embarrassing adult cryin...
May 23, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Subscribe to The Parrot Room at https://patreon.com/parrotroom 0:00 Mickey’s risky quiz for Bob 7:20 Biden, Feinstein, Fetterman: Compare and contrast 12:32 Does DeSantis have a path to the presidency? 16:28 Bob’s biggest takeaway from the AI hearings 18:41 How the chip war with China makes real war more likely 29:17 What senators should have asked OpenAI’s CEO 38:47 Ukraine war update 48:09 Parrot room preview: (Not much) debt deal talk; Robert Putnam essay assessed; the Thiel-Epstein and Botst...
May 20, 2023•52 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:00 Tim’s tech background and his new newsletter, Understanding AI 4:12 Natural selection and artificial intelligence 11:12 Why Tim is a singularity skeptic 15:17 How exactly would AI take over? And will it even want to? 24:21 The bad AI vs good AI arms race 36:05 What exactly are "AI agents"? 40:09 Why Tim is an AI job-pocalypse skeptic 51:13 Has AI created the biggest tech hype wave ever? 55:45 How Tim thinks AI wil...
May 16, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Subscribe to The Parrot Room at https://patreon.com/parrotroom 0:15 The food fight within Russia’s military establishment7:50 Could Ukraine’s looming offensive succeed? 12:44 The foreign policy Blob’s biggest blind spot 19:00 Was Trump’s town hall performance a tactical blunder?26:57 Is DeSantis’s attack on Disney anti-democratic?34:54 Tucker moves to Twitter Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Re...
May 13, 2023•43 min
