This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:31 Bob saves Paul from some very bad influences 6:01 What makes Hitler more evil than Stalin and Mao? 13:27 New lab leak evidence—what will come of it? 23:00 Correcting the record on effective altruism 37:14 Is “self-plagiarism” really plagiarism? 47:27 The dishonesty researcher accused of academic dishonesty 52:38 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is Tru...
Jan 19, 2024•1 hr 1 min
0:31 Reid’s deep roots in the tech world 4:30 The kind of AI pessimism that irks Reid the most 16:16 Can (and should) we slow down AI progress? 28:16 Could AI help resolve international disputes? 34:51 The promise and perils of perspective-taking AIs 47:36 Why Reid co-wrote Impromptu with GPT-4 52:15 Where are the AI optimists? 1:00:32 Sam Altman and the OpenAI drama: a (semi-) behind-the-scenes view 1:14:49 How dangerous is open-source AI, really? 1:20:09 Is AI acceleration decelerating? 1:23:0...
Jan 17, 2024•1 hr 26 min
1:58 Mickey’s in Iowa—and on the Nonzero Podcast! 5:51 Do Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley have a chance? 17:44 Why Biden will probably lose 25:52 Wait, are there Democratic primaries? 40:10 Would Trump 2.0 be a more capable authoritarian? 51:13 AI bots that cater to your every need 58:07 Why doesn't Biden get tougher on the border? 1:07:32 Exciting new Child Tax Credit updates 1:11:12 Is Twitter going down the tubes? 1:18:33 Bob fails to escape from JFK assassination rabbit hole 1:32:13 Subways and...
Jan 12, 2024•1 hr 44 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:44 How the Gaza war harms US interests 12:16 How the Gaza war harms Israel’s interests 22:49 Could Biden get Israel to wind down the war? 31:57 Biden’s complex political calculus on Israel 42:35 The Israel lobby: what it is and what it does 51:27 How elements of the lobby intimidate critics of Israel 54:42 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and St...
Jan 10, 2024•56 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:33 Tim seeks Substack synergy beyond Bob 3:21 Recent contributors to Bob’s AI anxiety 9:36 Why “Mamba” matters 13:53 Is AI moving too fast? 24:12 Are fears of an AI “jobocalypse” overblown? 35:02 AI’s (potential) next transformation 38:15 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Timothy B. Lee (Full Stack Economics, Understanding AI). Recorded Janua...
Jan 05, 2024•40 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:31 Jeff’s journalistic bona fides 4:09 The origins of the official assassination narrative 11:12 Oswald: Lone gunman? Patsy? Both? 19:52 The CIA’s interest in Oswald before the assassination 31:17 The Pentagon’s scheme to provoke war with Cuba via false flag 40:00 How Bob started down the JFK rabbit hole 44:39 Oswald’s critical time in New Orleans 51:39 Why did Jack Ruby kill Oswald, really? 57:57 Why JFK’s assassina...
Jan 03, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling. 1:10 Where’s Mickey? 5:28 Why ChatGPT is the real person of the year 21:09 The New York Times sues OpenAI 34:08 Bob’s bitter vindication on Russia-Ukraine 43:40 Israel threatens a wider war 48:53 Efforts to remove Trump from the ballot 1:00:41 2024 predictions Read this edition of the Earthling at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/nzns-person-of-the-year Recorded December 28, 2023. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss thi...
Dec 30, 2023•1 hr 10 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:33 Kati’s very unusual Venn diagram 4:52 Your brain on meditation 10:59 The time Bob’s meditation got weird 16:43 What are the “jhanas”? 25:34 What science tells us about the jhana states 31:53 Are psychedelics gateway drugs to meditation? 41:25 Kati: Here’s how we get “not-self” wrong… 46:50 Psychedelics vs meditation—neuroscientifically 54:59 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God...
Dec 28, 2023•58 min
https://www.youtube.com/live/za5JxTsGwkg?feature=shared This is a recording of a livestream hosted by Robert Wright, publisher of the Nonzero Newsletter, and Nikita Petrov, publisher of the Psychopolitica newsletter. In the course of fielding questions from their newsletter subscribers, Bob and Nikita discussed psychedelics, meditation, US foreign policy, ego death, tribalism, cynicism, Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Gaza, artificial intelligence, evolution, how they first met, and more. Subscribe to Ps...
Dec 27, 2023•1 hr 31 min
1:20 How Tom tried to bring down Netanyahu’s government 10:00 The coming Biden-Netanyahu showdown 14:25 What’s driving Israeli public support for such massive retaliation? 24:18 The alarming growth of global disorder 30:50 Is Israel fated to be hated? 42:50 Why Tom is still hopeful about Israel-Palestine Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Thomas Friedman (The New York Times). Recorded December 20, 2023. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPo...
Dec 22, 2023•54 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org ( Overtime audio available to paid subscribers through the player at the top of the page and video version available below the paywall. ) 2:44 A short history of “longtermism” 9:07 The evolution of effective altruism (EA) 17:27 Unpacking the TESCREAL bundle 22:02 Why AGI dominates longtermist thinking 30:13 Are AI doomers and accelerationists more aligned than it seems? 41:13 Why did Émile ditch EA? 52:02 Heading to Ov...
Dec 20, 2023•55 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from The Earthling. Read this edition of The Earthling at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/bidens-israel-impotence
Dec 16, 2023•23 min
0:45 Max’s book Rules for Rebels—and the rule that Hamas broke 4:13 Is social media a reality distortion machine? 19:32 “From the river to the sea…” compared to “globalize the intifada” 27:01 Does social media exaggerate the level of civil strife—and thereby raise it? 43:11 Is Israel’s assault on Gaza intensifying antisemitism? 56:08 How Israel’s actions impact the Jewish diaspora 1:05:54 The terrorism threat facing Israel 1:17:18 US foreign policy and the Israel lobby Robert Wright (Blogginghea...
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 32 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:06 The biggest surprise of Paul’s intellectual life 8:41 What the three college presidents should have said about free speech 21:07 Ramaswamy’s hot mic moment: mistake or power move? 23:13 Elon’s scorched-earth moment: power move or mental break? 31:17 Paul gets fact-checked—and likes it 36:30 In aligning AI, should we aim higher than human values? 40:57 Bob DESTROYS Paul’s AI article Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv,...
Dec 13, 2023•47 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from The Earthling. Read this edition of The Earthling at:
Dec 09, 2023•26 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:33 A bold experiment in podcast synergy continues 4:03 The dire humanitarian situation in Gaza 10:19 Is full-on ethnic cleansing more likely than a political solution? 19:49 If Biden loses in 2024, will elites rethink Israel-Palestine? 29:51 The changing perception of Israel 35:57 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True), Derek Davison (Foreign Exchange...
Dec 08, 2023•39 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:02 Daron’s book Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity 1:57 What tech optimists get wrong about economic history 10:01 Will AI inevitably sideline workers? 23:29 The surprising weakness of our digital economy 29:35 Which jobs are most vulnerable to automation? 40:43 How to empower workers in the age of AI 51:15 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution o...
Dec 05, 2023•53 min
Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from The Earthling. Read this edition of The Earthling at: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe
Dec 02, 2023•1 hr 2 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:33 Bob and Tim seek Substack synergy 2:31 What was the OpenAI drama really about? 14:49 Viewing the drama through a (cynical) psychological lens 21:19 Were reports of a safety vs speed schism greatly exaggerated? 29:53 Larry Summers joins OpenAI’s board… time to panic? 40:21 Superintelligence, Sam Altman, and the singularity 44:53 Altman’s not so veiled ignorance 49:17 Overtime preview: superintelligence skepticism, ...
Nov 30, 2023•51 min
1:23 Biden’s vexing political calculus on Israel-Palestine 10:13 Israel-Palestine compared to Russia-Ukraine 13:56 If Israel eliminates Hamas, what happens next? 23:14 Can anything good come out of the present crisis? 29:53 The meaning of “From the river to the sea…” 37:47 Why the 2000 Camp David Summit failed 44:19 Where is Palestine's Nelson Mandela? 54:45 Assessing US media coverage of the Gaza war Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Omar ...
Nov 28, 2023•1 hr 1 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:34 Preamble: The OpenAI drama and this conversation 3:46 Where Dan falls on the AI doomer spectrum 6:42 Is safe AI possible without international cooperation? 12:38 Are we selecting AI for truth or engagement? 25:53 Using “psychology” to understand—and control—AI 31:08 The worrisome Darwinian dynamics of AI development 40:37 Life after an AI takeover 51:52 How structural incentives make AI safety harder Robert Wright...
Nov 24, 2023•57 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:33 Tom’s new book, Getting Russia Right 2:13 Does Putin want to take more territory before talking peace? 12:35 Putin’s "messianic" transformation 22:41 America’s failed effort to Americanize Russia 32:46 Does the US focus too much on other nations’ internal affairs? 41:10 The 2004 event that sunk US-Russia relations 49:16 Why Tom supports a diplomatic reset Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonz...
Nov 20, 2023•54 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:51 Susan’s new book, Overreach: How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise 7:28 China’s turn to more assertive policies in 2007 15:30 The well-intentioned reform that produced big authoritarian consequences 25:20 How public opinion influences autocratic leaders 31:53 Xi Jinping’s purge of suspect officials 41:52 Does Beijing feel threatened by America? 48:20 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolutio...
Nov 16, 2023•53 min
3:07 Will Israel-Palestine cost Biden the election? 12:20 What Hamas hoped to accomplish on October 7 24:30 The surprising origins of cancel culture 32:00 Matt defends his ratioed tweet 44:41 The persistent psychological impact of the Holocaust 55:53 Is a one-state solution realistic? 1:16:50 What Ukrainians and Palestinians have in common 1:26:43 Anti-Palestine sentiment and Christian Zionism in America 1:36:09 How the current crisis could lead to war with Iran 1:45:35 Bob gives Matt podcasting...
Nov 15, 2023•1 hr 49 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from The Earthling. Read this edition of the Earthling at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/the-river-to-the-sea-rorschach-test Recorded November 10, 2023.
Nov 11, 2023•20 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 3:30 Is Paul Bloom the next Tony Robbins? 10:47 Things to know about the noosphere 19:34 How Bob and Paul work 28:58 What Michael Lewis’s SBF bio reveals about SBF (and Michael Lewis) 35:46 SBF and Elon Musk: compare and contrast 38:34 Are SBF’s parents to blame? 42:28 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloo...
Nov 10, 2023•46 min
2:49 Ron’s initial reaction to the October 7 atrocities 8:38 How Israel’s far right undermined Israel’s national security 17:40 Support for the Gaza war in Israel 26:34 The trouble with “eradicating” Hamas 32:23 How American Jews are responding to recent events 43:06 Post-October-7 prospects for solving Israel-Palestine 53:09 The rhetorical abuse of the Holocaust 57:37 The origins and meaning of “From the river to the sea…” 1:10:06 Could the Gaza war cost Biden the election? 1:17:16 Competing vi...
Nov 07, 2023•1 hr 30 min
2:23 What Iran hopes to gain from the Israel-Hamas war 9:29 Did Hamas expect such a massive retaliation from Israel? 16:54 Why Israel’s campaign in Gaza could backfire 22:24 What Hezbollah is and how it got started 33:52 Does Israel have an exit strategy in Gaza? 46:53 Why the Arab world might unite in the years ahead 56:32 How China could benefit from the current crisis 1:02:52 Why the US hasn’t pushed harder to resolve Israel-Palestine 1:09:44 Is a one-state solution the best path forward? 1:1...
Nov 03, 2023•1 hr 35 min
3:06 The significance of Jerusalem in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 13:09 Will the current crisis explode into a wider war? 17:30 Israel’s ultra-nationalist minister of national security 26:41 Settler attacks intensify in the West Bank 40:43 The two-state solution is dead—can it be revived? 56:51 Has Israel lost the support of western young people? 1:04:15 What Hamas hoped to accomplish on October 7 1:15:03 How hopelessness drives support for Hamas 1:23:30 Can one-state aspirations produce a ...
Oct 31, 2023•1 hr 28 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from The Earthling. Read this edition of the Earthling at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/israel ... Recorded October 27, 2023....
Oct 28, 2023•23 min
