This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Syria’s uncertain political future 11:10 Has the Islamist rebel group HTS actually moderated? 19:25 The extent of retributive violence since Assad fell 29:58 Syria's complicated factional divides 36:44 America's control of Syrian oil fields 40:41 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Joshua Landis (University of Oklahoma, SyriaComment.com). Recorded December 11...
Dec 12, 2024•41 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:00 Yuri’s high-stakes debate on Covid’s origins 3:42 Pros and cons of Covid vaccines 10:04 Do Covid “coincidences” point to a lab leak? 21:55 Does the pattern of Covid’s initial spread suggest zoonotic origin? 27:51 Why the Wuhan market may have amplified Covid’s spread 38:59 Covid’s lineages A and B 53:29 US-China collaboration in the Wuhan lab’s virology research Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Bu...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 2 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Andrew Day and Connor Echols discuss the foreign policy news of the week. In this episode, Day and Echols also discuss the rapid rebel offensive in Syria with Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat who defected in 2013. Recorded December 06, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods...
Dec 07, 2024•49 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 A masterclass in audience alienation 3:50 Paul defends Biden’s paternal pardon 9:43 Should family come before societal good? 18:51 The costs of the Hunter pardon 32:18 Was Hunter the victim of a witch hunt? 37:52 Elon sues OpenAI (again) 45:12 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet...
Dec 05, 2024•50 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Anthropic’s CEO comes out as a China hawk 6:38 Why so many China hawks in the AI community? 22:49 Gaming out the AGI takeoff timeline 30:31 Last year’s OpenAI coup: What did Ilya see? 36:43 Underappreciated dangers of the China chip war 53:41 Are US tech leaders seeing China’s perspective clearly? 1:05:32 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nathan Labenz (Cog...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 11 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright, Andrew Day, and Connor Echols discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Recorded November 22, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods...
Nov 23, 2024•41 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Bob’s trip down the JFK rabbit hole gets real 3:07 Will Trump release the JFK files? 7:35 What the CIA actually knew about Oswald, pre-assassination 12:13 The damning Oswald-CIA connection Jeff uncovered 24:59 Was there a second shooter? Bob’s on-the-ground research 35:31 Bob’s research cont’d: grassy knoll geometry 45:44 Was the alleged CIA cover-up just CYA? 49:29 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The ...
Nov 21, 2024•53 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Are Bluesky pastures really greener? 10:12 Dissecting SciAm editor’s Bluesky blowup 21:32 Elon’s free speech stolen valor 31:05 The “highlights” of the Paul-Tyson “fight” 39:48 Has the military-industrial complex conquered the AI industry? 48:39 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Swe...
Nov 20, 2024•55 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Another high-synergy, brilliant collaboration 1:39 Is Elon our first true oligarch? 10:21 Trump assembles his Justice League of hawks 16:53 Biden’s awful foreign policy team 21:49 Trump’s plan to purge the military 33:30 Will Trump go full-on authoritarian? 40:45 Left-wing capitalists—and a discount offer Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Derek Davison (Foreign Exchanges, America...
Nov 15, 2024•43 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Sam’s place on the AI accelerationist-pauser spectrum 4:55 Predicting AI’s near-term impact 12:17 Is regulating AI a fool’s errand? 18:32 Does strong AI governance court authoritarianism? 30:26 Can Trump and Elon be trusted on AI? 37:08 How Sam thinks AI should be regulated 51:13 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Samuel Hammond (Foundation for American Inno...
Nov 13, 2024•56 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright, Andrew Day, and Connor Echols discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Read it here: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/how-to-fight-trump-mindfully Recorded November 08, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods...
Nov 09, 2024•51 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Election 2024: The view from Canada 5:44 Paul praises Bob’s pre-election sermonette 10:37 Why did Trump win? And who’s to blame? 18:47 Did DEI doom Kamala? 25:32 A Kamala campaign post-mortem 33:33 What policies will President Trump 2.0 prioritize? 37:12 The art of the Trump 45:05 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom...
Nov 07, 2024•47 min
0:28 Is Mickey all-in on Trump? 4:26 The “garbage” wars and their aftermath 7:54 Kamala’s path(s) to victory 10:29 Mickey explains the logic of voting for Trump 19:44 Why Trump sucks, why Kamala sucks 26:05 Bob doles out (p)recriminations 35:37 Will Israel-Iran escalate? 45:00 How Kamala could win Mickey’s vote 49:23 Why did Kamala go negative? 55:27 Mickey plays pundit defender 1:10:02 Which swing state looks worst for Kamala?1:15:55 How Biden made war in Taiwan more likely 1:21:24 Four Dem sex...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 56 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Peter’s new book, Other Rivers: A Chinese Education 3:24 Have Chinese people become less hostile to America? 13:12 What Americans get wrong about China 17:38 Why Peter thinks Covid didn’t come from a lab 20:59 China’s transformative recent decades 31:10 Respect for authority in Chinese culture 40:26 Change in China between Peter’s two teaching stints there 54:41 Why the Chinese political system may change dramatic...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr 9 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Andrew Day, Connor Echols, and a SPECIAL MYSTERY GUEST discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Read it here: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/are-we-inching-toward-world-war-iii
Oct 26, 2024•52 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Bob: The oligarchy has arrived 8:24 What do the odd 2024 betting markets mean for the race? 17:51 Trump on Palmer’s manhood: a closer look 25:24 The Elon empathy enigma 34:51 Coates’s controversial cognitive-empathizing 43:06 Heading to Overtime 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 Emp...
Oct 23, 2024•45 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright, Andrew Day, and Connor Echols discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Read it here: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/why-israel-wont-take-the-win Recorded October 18, 2024.
Oct 19, 2024•33 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 What is the chip war intended to accomplish? 11:44 How China sees the chip war 19:02 Is Huawei a threat to US national security? 30:21 Paul: The chip restrictions on China are unprecedented 39:39 How Biden boosted China’s chip industry 52:40 Clear costs and unclear benefits of the chip war Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Triolo (Albright Stonebridge Group). Recorded Oct...
Oct 15, 2024•1 hr 2 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Andrew Day and Connor Echols discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Read it here: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/israel-assassination-backfires-and Recorded October 11, 2024.
Oct 11, 2024•34 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:00 The time Ron helped un-cancel Jimmy Carter 3:36 How has 10/7 affected American Jews? 15:38 Israel’s place in US politics post-10/7 21:59 What a second Trump term could mean for Israel-Palestine 28:31 Could the current trauma in the Middle East eventually revive the two-state solution? 39:05 Making sense of Israel’s military strategy 45:39 Criticism of Israel, left vs right 50:58 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (...
Oct 10, 2024•56 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Elon takes the stage with Trump 5:025 The logic behind Elon’s Trump gamble 11:21 Who won the Vance-Walz vibe war? 14:56 A few kind words about Elon from Paul 27:50 Bob and Paul debate the CBS Coates controversy 48:06 Paul gets philosophical about Mission: Impossible 51:54 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, Uni...
Oct 09, 2024•56 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright, Andrew Day, and Connor Echols discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Read it here: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/bibis-plan-for-peace-through-wider Recorded October 04, 2024.
Oct 05, 2024•55 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Arvind’s book and newsletter: AI Snake Oil 3:02 A taxonomy of AI observers 7:41 The impact of generative AI 20:21 Why predictive AI sometimes fails 25:03 Uses and misuses of AI in law and healthcare 41:22 Can social media be saved? 52:25 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Arvind Narayanan (Princeton University, AI Snake Oil). Recorded September 11, 2024. Twi...
Oct 02, 2024•55 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright and Connor Echols discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Read it here: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/biden-and-blinken-israels-lawyers Recorded September 27, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods...
Sep 28, 2024•36 min
0:28 Bob crestfallen over Mickey’s hat switcheroo 2:41 Mickey blames DEI for Kamala tic he finds annoying 8:20 Who’s less impressive, Kamala or Trump? 15:27 Why Bob prefers Kamala’s foreign policy team to Biden’s 29:46 The Vance dossier, revealed at last 34:08 More arguments about Kamala 48:08 Preliminary election analysis 59:05 Trump, Vance, and Springfield’s cats and dogs 1:09:52 Mickey’s Eric Adams conspiracy theory 1:12:02 Biden diplomacy? What Biden diplomacy? 1:23:16 Is cancel culture impo...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr 48 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Deep insights about coffee and sleep from Paul 5:11 Mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy 7:58 Oligarchy + paranoid billionaires = disaster 14:38 Ackman and Thiel join Elon in billionaire la la land 22:02 Is Trump anti-Semitic or just really pro-Israel? 36:37 If you don’t feel alienated you should seek counseling 41:26 Heading to overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) a...
Sep 24, 2024•43 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Would a different US president have made a difference for Gaza? 14:32 Saudi-Israel normalization takes a step back 19:36 Is all hope lost for a two-state solution? 26:51 Making sense of Israel’s pager attacks in Lebanon 35:28 Heading to Overtime—and an AP PSA Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Derek Davison (Foreign Exchanges, American Prestige, Discontents), and Daniel Bessner (A...
Sep 19, 2024•41 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Why didn’t OpenAI call its new o1 AI GPT? 12:27 Tim’s first impressions of o1 16:30 What’s the secret to o1’s better reasoning? 27:21 Inspecting AI introspection 30:31 Does o1’s capability for deception bring us closer to doom? 35:59 AI doomers’ Hollywood problem 41:03 Elon’s self-driving speed bumps 47:03 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Timothy B. Lee (F...
Sep 17, 2024•48 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.
Sep 14, 2024•43 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Tragedy strikes the Wright household 4:20 Breaking down the big Trump-Kamala debate 22:44 Are debates actually valuable? 26:16 Kamala’s worst debate moment (according to Bob) 33:39 Elon vs Taylor Swift, Brazil, and himself 37:19 Bob and Paul argue about free speech 45:18 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, Univ...
Sep 12, 2024•48 min
