As we pass the second yearly anniversary of the show, we take a look back at some of our favorite segments from past episodes with academic guests who share our passion for everything "Singularity". This includes episodes with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying (FBL34), Anna Lembke (FBL24), and Toby Ord (FBL16). With their combined years of academic education and research at some of the best universities in the world, these academics take us on tour through our evolutionary relationship with tech...
May 30, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 18
As we pass the second yearly anniversary of the show, we take a look back at some of our favorite segments from past episodes with comedian guests who share our passion for everything "Singularity". This includes episodes with Stephen Fry (FBL20), Duncan Trussell (FBL21), and Reggie Watts (FBL22). Often known for their insights into the human condition, these well-read comedians take us on a tour from ancient Greek mythology, through modern day social media, and into the future of basic income t...
May 23, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 17
This week our guest is Meghan O'Gieblyn, who has written regularly for entities such as Wired, The New York Times, and The Guardian, in addition to authoring books such as Interior States and her latest book: God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning. Interestingly, much of Meghan’s work pulls on her experience losing her faith in religion while simultaneously being drawn into transhumanism from reading the Age of Spiritual Machines by Singularity’s very own R...
May 09, 2022•55 min•Season 3Ep. 16
This week our guest is Reason magazine’s Senior Editor, Robby Soave, who recently published his newest book, Tech Panic, Why We Shouldn’t Fear Facebook and the Future . This work focuses heavily on how the societal panic about the dangers of social media are overblown, and how this panic could be used to justify harmful governmental policies that increase censorship and limit free speech. In this conversation we explore this dynamic in detail, in addition to talking about the role of advertising...
May 02, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 15
This week our guest is Micah Redding, who is the founder and Executive Director of the Christian Transhumanist Association, an organization that believes science and technology can be used to alter the human condition in a way that empowers the beliefs of Christianity. In this episode, my goal is simply to gain an understanding of how Micah and other Christian transhumanists see the world. This takes us on a journey from the foundations of their belief system to an exploration of concepts such a...
Apr 25, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 14
This week our guest is cognitive scientist, Scott Barry Kaufman, who has an impressive resume that includes teaching at NYU and Columbia, writing for Scientific American, hosting a podcast on psychology that is so definitive it’s actually called The Psychology Podcast, and is the author of several books including his latest, Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization . In this episode we take a very psychology-centric approach to technology, looking very specifically at how we can navigate...
Apr 18, 2022•37 min•Season 3Ep. 13
This week our guest is social psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, who has authored several of my personal favorite books including the Happiness Hypothesis, The Righteous Mind, and the Coddling of the American Mind. We're lucky enough to have Jon join us to discuss his just released Atlantic article entitled, ' Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid ,' which explores his upcoming book about social media. In this episode we discuss the key points of this article, exploring wha...
Apr 11, 2022•59 min•Season 3Ep. 12
This week my guest is Kent Bye, the voice behind the podcast, Voices of VR, which has undoubtedly been one of the world’s leading sources of virtual reality information for nearly a decade now. This episode honestly feels like one of the most informative and comprehensive conversations we’ve had on the show yet, with Kent’s expertise carrying us through a wide array of VR relevant topics. This includes everything from the journey of VR to this point, the trajectory of VR into the future, the dyn...
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Season 3Ep. 11
This week our guest is Nolen Gertz, who is an Assistant Professor of Applied Philosophy at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, and the author of several books including “Nihilism and Technology.” In this episode we really focus on the philosophical side of technology, exploring related concepts of hedonism, the need for struggle, apathy for the world’s challenges, and much more. Ultimately, Nolen proposes that technology is allowing us to stay comfortable and nihilistic while the world ...
Mar 28, 2022•56 min•Season 3Ep. 10
This week our guest is Robin Ince, a comedian, actor, and writer known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage with physicist Brian Cox, his appearances alongside Ricky Gervais, and his stand-up comedy career. In this episode we explore topics from Robin’s latest book, The Importance of Being Interested: Adventures in Scientific Curiosity, which takes readers on a tour through Robin’s scientific journey, his interviews with guests, and why he thinks it’s so important that we r...
Mar 21, 2022•54 min•Season 3Ep. 9
This week our guest is Michael P Lynch, who is the Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut and author of several books including “The Internet of Us” and his latest “Know-It-All Society: Truth and Arrogance in Political Culture.” He self describes his work as an exploration of truth, democracy and the ethics and epistemology of technology. In this episode, we take a tour of Michael’s perspective on multiple issues related to digital behavior and the pursuit of truth. This includ...
Mar 14, 2022•55 min•Season 3Ep. 8
This week my guest is Lee McIntyre, who is a research fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University and author of a series of books coming to the defense of science, including his latest book: “ How to Talk to a Science Denier: Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason.” In this discussion we explore the many aspects of science denial and conspiracy theories. This includes exploring the role of technology, personal motivations...
Mar 07, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 7
This week my guest is Singularity’s very own expert in Health, Longevity, and Life Sciences, Kris VeerBurg. In addition to being an actual medical doctor, Kris has authored several books, including his latest work, The Longevity Code: Secrets to Living Well for Longer from the Front Lines of Science. And he’s also the co-founder of NOVOS ( https://novoslabs.com ), which positions itself as the first nutraceutical company that helps people take control of their health and lifespans. This episode ...
Feb 28, 2022•51 min•Season 3Ep. 6
This week my guest is Hrish Lotlikar, who is best known as the founder and CEO of Superworld. Hrish will explain in much better detail what Superworld is in our discussion, but for now, the best way to think about it is an augmented world that sits on top of the real world, much like Pokemon Go. However, in Superworld, users can create what augmented reality objects exist in the world, and they can additionally purchase the virtual real estate that exists in any actual location on earth. This co...
Feb 21, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 5
This week my guest is Riz Virk, who founded the Play Labs at MIT, has produced several films and video games, and has authored several books including his latest: The Simulated Multiverse. In this conversation we delve into the topics of the Simulated Multiverse, exploring the simulation hypothesis, quantum physics, spirituality, and so much more--including the many different ways cultures have been obsessed with this idea since the dawn of time. You can find more about Riz's work at https://www...
Feb 14, 2022•41 min•Season 3Ep. 4
This week my guest is Michael Bhaskar , who has authored several books exploring the impact of technology, specifically around the publishing and curation of content. In his latest work, the Human Frontier: The Future of Big Ideas in the Age of Small Thinking, Michael instead turns his attention towards the creation of content, and in particular how humanity seems to be running out of big ideas. In this conversation we delve into the many facets of this theory, exploring numerous bits of evidenc...
Jan 31, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 3
This week my guest is Jeremy Lent, who is the author of several books, including The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity's Search for Meaning , and his more recent work, The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find our Place in the Universe . Importantly, a great deal of Jeremy’s work addresses many of the topics that are near and dear to our hearts at Singularity, one of which is a sustainable, connected, and prosperous future. However, Jeremy believes ...
Jan 24, 2022•59 min•Season 3Ep. 2
This week my guest is Philip Rosedale, who is well known as the founding creator of Second Life and his subsequent work with VR and spatial audio company, High Fidelity. We were extremely lucky to catch Philip the day after the major announcement of his return to Second Life as an advisor after nearly a decade away from the company. This set the foundation for our conversation, which then took an incredible journey through myriad topics including the pros and cons of virtual reality, decentraliz...
Jan 17, 2022•55 min•Season 3Ep. 1
This week our guest is Christian Madsbjerg who is the Professor of Applied Humanities at The New School in New York and co-founder of the consultancy Red Associates. In this episode, we primarily discuss the ideas put forth in Christian’s latest book, Sensemaking: The Power of the Humanities in the Age of the Algorithm. Amongst other things, this includes exploring some of Christian’s key principles such as looking at cultures instead of individuals, looking at people’s experiences in their natu...
Dec 13, 2021•51 min•Season 2Ep. 35
This week my guest is futurist Eva Galperin who is the director of cybersecurity at the electronic frontier foundation, which might be argued to be the world’s leading non-profit when it comes to defending digital privacy, free speech, and innovation. As you’ll hear her explain, Eva specializes in issues around vulnerable populations, such as journalists, activists, and people who are victims of domestic abuse. In this episode we not only explore the privacy and security issues facing such group...
Dec 06, 2021•47 min•Season 2Ep. 34
This week my guest is futurist Tracey Follows, who recently released her book, The Future of You: Can Your Identity Survive 21st-Century Technology? In this episode we explore many different aspects of identity and privacy, including narcissism, how our identities are being flattened into carbon copies of one another, anonymity, how our digital identities are influencing how we live, and much more. You can find more of Tracey's work at https://www.traceyfollows.com/ or follow her on at https://t...
Nov 29, 2021•59 min•Season 2Ep. 33
This week my guest is science fiction author and activist, Cory Doctorow, who has such an extensive and prolific background that I’ll let him describe it to you at the top of the podcast. But I will say that whether you agree with him or not, Cory has an incredible clarity of insight that brings together a very wide variety of topics, and luckily he also has the ability to articulate those thoughts. In this episode, we explore science fiction's impact on the world, how we balance the cost of tec...
Nov 22, 2021•54 min•Season 2Ep. 32
This week our guests are evolutionary biologists, Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying, who many of you might recognize from their frequent appearances on the Joe Rogan Podcast, or from their very own show, the Darkhorse Podcast , where they explore current affairs through an evolutionary lens. They’ve recently released a brand new book, A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century: Evolution and the Challenges of Modern Life , where they combine their decades of expertise into a comprehensive ove...
Nov 15, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 31
This week our guest is journalist and author Elizabeth Kolbert whose work focuses heavily on climate change. Her books on the subject include Field Notes From A Catastrophe, The 6th Extinction (which won a Pulitzer prize), and her most recent 2021 book: Under A White Sky. In this episode, we explore the content and ideas that Elizabeth puts forth in these books, with a particular focus on what kind of changes climate change is causing to the world and the ways in which humanity has been respondi...
Nov 08, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 30
This week our guest is sociologist Steve Fuller, who has a long history exploring Transhumanism, including his 2011 book Humanity 2.0: What it Means to be Human. Past, Present and Future. To start this conversation, we first ask: what is Humanity 1.0? What is the version of humanity we’ve had since the dawn of civilization until today? And from there, we take a journey into the details of our transformation into Humanity 2.0, into the different flavors of post-humanism and the different challeng...
Oct 25, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 29
This week our guest is social psychologist, Katy Cook, who authored the 2019 book: The Psychology of Silicon Valley : Ethical Threats and Emotional Unintelligence in the Tech Industry. And so as you might expect, that’s exactly what we talk about. That takes us on a tour exploring ideas like empathy, capitalism, and the concept of progress. In a lot of ways, the key focus of Katy’s work and this conversation deals with the lack of the humanities (and to that extent humanistic values) in tech com...
Oct 18, 2021•48 min•Season 2Ep. 28
This week our guest is British transhumanist David Pearce, who was one of the co-founders of the World Transhumanist Association, which has since been rebranded as Humanity+. In addition to being on the front lines of the early transhumanist movement, David is also well known for his active work on what he calls the “Hedonistic Imperative,” which seeks to use genetic engineering and nanotechnology to abolish suffering in all sentient life. Obviously this is a very bold agenda, and through this c...
Oct 11, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 27
This week we have our first-ever return guest, Douglas Rushkoff, who was one of our first guests on the show. If you missed that episode or you’re not familiar with Douglas, then let me tell you--you’re in for quite the treat. Douglas is a no-bullshit media theorist who is undeniably one of the most influential thinkers who has been steering digital culture. We touch on many topics in this episode, but without a doubt the biggest focus throughout is how capitalism and digital culture are negativ...
Oct 04, 2021•55 min•Season 2Ep. 26
This week our guest is Josiah Zayner, who just might be the most prominent and controversial biohacker out there right now. He’s done numerous experiments that have drawn both positive and negative attention, such as transplanting the microbiome of another person into his body, attempting to genetically alter the color of his skin, and injecting CRISPR modifications into his body to enhance his muscles. As radical as these things may sound, he does have a PhD in biosphysics and previously worked...
Sep 27, 2021•52 min•Season 2Ep. 25
This week our guest is author and speaker, Amber Case, who amongst many things is well known for her TedTalk titled, We Are All Cyborgs Now, and her book “Calm Technology.” In this episode we focus almost exclusively on the principles and ideas Amber puts forth in her book, Calm Technology, exploring how we can design technology in ways that won’t dominate our attention and undermine our humanity. We also talk about design for failure and edge-cases. Ultimately, this means promoting design that ...
Sep 20, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 24
