This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:00 Is Ukraine’s Kursk invasion failing? 6:05 Why Russia may outlast the West in Ukraine 14:20 Zelensky’s cabinet shakeup 16:50 Prospects for a peace deal 26:25 Russian elites’ views on the war 36:44 How the Global South can help end the conflict 42:40 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Anatol Lieven (The Quincy Institute). Recorded September 05, 2024. Twitter: ...
Sep 05, 2024•46 min
(Description from Tripp Fuller’s Homebrewed Christianity podcast .) In this episode, I am joined by one of my favorite scholars in the public square, Robert Wright, the editor of the Nonzero Newsletter . This is a captivating discussion about artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the future of humanity. We explore Wright's extensive work, including 'Nonzero,' 'The Evolution of God,' and 'Why Buddhism is True,' while delving into the intersections of science, religion, and philosophy. Disco...
Aug 31, 2024•1 hr 32 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Steve’s books, The Hell of Good Intentions and The Israel Lobby 1:15 How Israel helped spawn Hezbollah 13:19 Why US leaders abet Israel’s self-destructive behavior 29:14 Netanyahu’s longstanding opposition to a Palestinian state 42:14 The Israeli policy that doomed Israel-Palestine relations 51:39 Steve’s writings on US foreign policy and the election Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is T...
Aug 27, 2024•57 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Bob and Paul’s time-warping podcast experiment 3:34 Does thinking in bets better your thinking? 9:38 Past prediction 1: Will the presidential race tighten up? 17:10 J.D. Vance memes of yester-month 22:41 Past prediction 2: Who will Kamala pick for VP? 28:52 When reality gets weird 39:26 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.pau...
Aug 23, 2024•44 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Emma’s forthcoming book on US grand strategy 4:40 Gaza, Ukraine, and Mearsheimer’s realism 13:38 The DC establishment’s dark view of world affairs 24:43 How the Gaza war hurts American interests—and America itself 30:10 Is the time ripe for realism and restraint? 36:25 National problems that require international cooperation 49:59 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is Tr...
Aug 19, 2024•53 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org This episode includes an Overtime segment that’s available to paid subscribers. If you’re not a paid subscriber, we of course encourage you to become one. If you are a paid subscriber, you can access the complete conversation either via the audio and video on this post or by setting up the paid-subscriber podcast feed, which includes all exclusive audio content. To set that up, simply grab the RSS feed from this page (...
Aug 17, 2024•39 min
028 Nathan's podcast, The Cognitive Revolution 3:50 The enduring enigmas of AI 7:39 Conceptualizing how LLMs conceptualize 16:22 Do AIs actually understand things? 33:08 Why AI doesn’t need to be superhuman to be revolutionary 43:40 Human vs AI representations of the world 57:09 Thinking through high-dimensional AI brain space 1:05:22 Nathan on AI risk: Doomer? Accelerationist? Both? 1:21:59 The open source question and Cold War II 1:41:34 Do LLMs “naturally” learn human values? 1:45:20 Mamba: a...
Aug 13, 2024•1 hr 57 min
0:28 Peter’s background and (Root)claim to fame 4:14 How Peter caught the Covid origins bug 9:49 The Wuhan wet market: source or amplifier? 14:47 Holes in the lab leak theory 24:57 The patient zero problem 28:25 A statistical deep dive into the wet market 43:13 What the genetic evidence can (and can’t) tell us 1:01:46 Can we “trust the science” on Covid? 1:07:39 Has tribalism made resolving the debate impossible? 1:13:32 Why lab leak matters—even if it didn’t happen Robert Wright (Nonzero, The E...
Aug 08, 2024•1 hr 25 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 2:11 Who was Haniyeh—and why’d Israel kill him? 6:12 Why Netanyahu may want a US-Iran war 14:15 Are pro-Israel groups at peak power? 22:33 Israel’s escalating conflict with Hezbollah 31:15 The logic of Iranian retaliation 41:07 Israel’s lack of a viable endgame in Gaza 46:31 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Joshua Landis (University of Oklahoma, SyriaComment.co...
Aug 05, 2024•50 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Nick’s influential book Superintelligence and his new book Deep Utopia 3:13 Has Nick flipped on AI doom? 10:57 Life in the “solved world” of an AI utopia 20:44 Can technology address the deepest problems of human nature? 30:07 Meaning, artificial purpose, and the value of golf 46:22 The promise and perils of virtual reality 51:23 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is Tru...
Aug 01, 2024•54 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:13 Dmitri’s new book, World on the Brink 9:26 Is America’s behavior more destabilizing than China’s? 17:22 China-Taiwan compared to Russia-Ukraine 28:00 Is the US making a Chinese invasion of Taiwan more likely? 41:31 Should the US try to maintain global hegemony? 55:06 The “autocracy versus democracy” framing Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Dmitri Alperovitch (Crowdstrike, Sil...
Jul 30, 2024•1 hr
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from this week’s Earthling.
Jul 27, 2024•34 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 The Nonzero-American Prestige all-star team 2:13 Why didn’t the Trump shooting matter more? 7:16 What anti-Trump historians get wrong 18:05 Why Kamala shouldn't demonize Trump 29:59 Heading to Overtime—and a discount deal Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Derek Davison (Foreign Exchanges, American Prestige, Discontents), and Daniel Bessner (American Prestige, University of Washin...
Jul 25, 2024•33 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:58 Who’s most to blame for the Biden mess? 10:23 Why Trump might duck a debate with Kamala 13:26 Is Biden locked in the basement? 22:08 Kamala’s biggest liabilities 33:12 Loyalty, the Mob, and Biden’s psychology 40:33 Conspiracy theories of the Trump shooting 48:27 The kind of VP Kamala should pick Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net,...
Jul 23, 2024•56 min
0:28 Mickey makes his (iconic) return to Nonzero! 4:39 Did Trump blow his RNC acceptance speech? 10:18 The escalating Democratic civil war over Biden 16:46 Trump vs Biden (vs Josh Shapiro) on national unity 29:01 Drafting the ideal Dem electoral strategy 44:23 J.D. Vance: paradox or phony? 1:01:03 Is Trump the lesser evil on foreign policy? 1:15:17 Has Mickey felt the “vibe shift”? 1:24:39 The Parrot Room’s reputation precedes it Mickey's Substack: https://kaus.substack.com/ Robert Wright (Nonze...
Jul 20, 2024•1 hr 30 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:19 The psychology of the shooter 10:04 The psychology of Trump 19:42 Trump as national healer 26:32 When is anti-Trump rhetoric too extreme? 43:12 The alpha male problem Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded July 15, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Paul’s ...
Jul 16, 2024•52 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 this week's Earthling. Read it here: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/the-shrinking-west-bank Recorded July 12, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods...
Jul 13, 2024•35 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:52 Biden plays chicken against Democratic elites 13:53 Could the delegates deny Biden the nomination? 21:29 Odd moments in the George Stephanopoulos interview 35:32 Biden faces down a populist-elite revolt 46:06 How a small group of insiders could force Biden out 52:13 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Eric Levitz (New York Magazine, Vox). Recorded July 08, 20...
Jul 09, 2024•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 this week’s Earthling (had there been one). Recorded July 03, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
Jul 04, 2024•45 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:43 Dementia vs senility 5:40 Biden’s brain: a post-debate diagnosis 15:56 Who’s to blame for the Biden problem? 26:04 Biden’s most baffling debate moment 33:04 Will Biden step down? Bob and Paul place their bets 39:01 Has Nick Bostrom flipped on AI doomerism? 43:17 The earthly side of a meditation retreat 49:57 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (htt...
Jul 02, 2024•52 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:23 Why Jeffrey helped turn Meta’s Llama into Bad Llama 9:19 Bioweapons, hacking, and other AI dangers 20:03 How America unwittingly boosts China’s AI sector 29:01 The dark side of AI “alignment” 40:15 Is superintelligence the super-weapon of the future? 49:37 The perils of AI acceleration Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Jeffrey Ladish (Palisade Research). Recorded June 19, 2024...
Jun 27, 2024•55 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Edward’s new book, At the Edge of Empire: A Family’s Reckoning with China 4:05 What Americans get wrong about China 13:33 Humiliation and China’s national psychology 17:38 Why Edward’s father joined the People’s Liberation Army 26:23 How Edward’s father fell out of favor with the PLA 37:39 How draconian is Xi Jinping’s crackdown on Uyghurs? 44:20 Famine, purges, and alienation in Mao’s China 49:28 Heading to Overt...
Jun 25, 2024•52 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 this week’s Earthling (had there been one). Recorded June 20, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
Jun 20, 2024•38 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Bob re-enters reality 3:54 Elon’s X-rated horse-trading 9:41 What do LLMs really say about the “blank slate” view of the mind? 28:12 Bob challenges Paul to meditate—will Paul retreat? 33:15 Have Bob’s views changed since writing Nonzero? 44:13 Paul’s and Bob’s (semi-compatible) views on free will 50:51 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://s...
Jun 18, 2024•59 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Glenn’s very unvarnished memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative 10:12 Glenn’s unusual urban upbringing 19:00 Is Glenn’s sermon for black men hypocritical? 22:15 Glenn’s double life at Harvard 32:40 How it all came crashing down 44:39 Is Glenn’s book _too_ honest? 52:16 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Glenn Loury (Watson Institute for...
Jun 14, 2024•1 hr
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Kevin’s place in cyberspace history 6:54 Are we grappling with the pace of tech progress rationally? 20:49 Why Kevin identifies as a techno-optimist 23:12 Is it too early to regulate AI? 30:21 The noosphere, the technium, and species of mind 38:11 Do AI doomers think too highly of thinking? 42:13 Evolution and the question of cosmic purpose 48:42 Should we see AIs as “artificial aliens”? Robert Wright (Nonzero, Th...
Jun 10, 2024•54 min
1:13 AI's human-like, but inhuman, language skills 7:22 Bob argues that LLMs don’t vindicate the ‘blank slate’ view of the mind 18:56 Do humans and AIs acquire language in totally different ways? 31:11 Will AIs ever quit hallucinating? 40:47 The importance (or not) of “embodied cognition” 47:50 What is it like to be an AI? 53:48 Why Steve is skeptical of AI doom scenarios Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Steven Pinker (Harvard University, Enlightenment Now,...
Jun 06, 2024•1 hr 3 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:57 Kelley’s new podcast, Trip the Beltway Fantastic 5:59 Pat Buchanan and conservative opposition to the Iraq war 10:14 Would Trump 2.0 promote foreign policy restraint? 19:12 Possible Trump appointees pushing for conflict with China 25:57 The time Tucker Carlson helped prevent war with Iran 41:13 Would Trump greenlight ethnic cleansing in Gaza? 49:32 Would Trump end the Russia-Ukraine war? 54:14 Heading to Overtime ...
Jun 04, 2024•57 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. Recorded May 31, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
Jun 01, 2024•29 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 00:43 The Nonzero-American Prestige apocalypse aversion project 2:02 Are Bob, Derek, and Danny surprised the Gaza war is still going on? 5:06 Biden’s simple political calculus on Gaza 13:42 Would Trump greenlight the ethnic cleansing of Gaza? 25:45 Israel’s plan (or lack thereof) for post-war Gaza 32:23 Heading to Overtime Overtime topics: An inside view of The New Republic at its peak. Ideological engineering at The A...
May 29, 2024•35 min
