I Think the Ability to Come Up With Counter Arguments on the Fly Is a Big Thing

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I think curiosity is definitely a big thing there. I think another skill maybe is the ability to come up with counter arguments on the fly, or at least prepare them in advance. In fact, one of the things that I instruct everyone who's helping on the podcast, but also in O'Shahron C. Benchers more generally, is I am a huge believer in steel manning the opponent's argument. It's not a clash. It's a discussion. And hopefully both you and your converse and are trying to learn better things, iterate better.

Dwarkesh Patel is the host of The Lunar Society podcast, where he interviews scientists, historians, economists, intellectuals, & founders about their ideas. He also writes about tech, progress, talent, science, and the long-term over at his Substack. Dwarkesh has been described as “one of the best young podcasters alive”, and his Substack has been praised by the likes of Jeff Bezos, Paul Graham and Tyler Cowen. Important Links:

Show Notes:

How to become a better podcaster
The importance of curiosity
Disagreement & problem solving
“Computer programs are written by humans for other humans to read, and only incidentally for computers to execute”
The difference between podcasting & essay writing
Investing in public and private companies; human OS
Premeditation & decision-making
The mystery of the miracle year
How much innovation is baked into the cake?
How to cultivate young talent
AI & education
The importance of intellectual market makers
Scouting talent as buying options
Interviewing Sam Bankman-Fried
Effective altruism & virtue signalling
If you do everything, you will win

Books Mentioned:

The Years of Lyndon Johnson; by Robert Caro
What Works on Wall Street: A Guide to the Best-Performing Investment Strategies of All Time; by Jim O’Shaughnessy
Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve; by Lenora Chu
Outliers: The Story of Success; by Malcolm Gladwell
One Summer: America, 1927; by Bill Bryson
The Lessons of History; by Will & Ariel Durant
The Story of Civilization; by Will & Ariel Durant
Fallen Leaves: Last Words on Life, Love, War, and God; by Will Durant