Episode 477: Your Future Self Hates You

In this episode, we open with a look at how news coverage distorts public perception of danger, from shark attacks to terrorism, and why our instincts so often fail to match the data. We analyze the betting markets in regards to potential 2028 GOP presidential candidates. We discuss Ohio’s new proposal to offer paternity testing at birth, raising deeper questions about truth, family, and whether the state should standardize knowledge people may prefer not to have. We explore what consent really means in modern politics, how taxation relates to self-ownership, and whether withdrawing consent is even possible inside a democratic system. We dig into the philosophy of “future selves,” weighing whether personal choices today can violate the rights of the person we eventually become, and how this idea might reshape debates about children, drug laws, responsibility, and property rights. We wrap with the growing implications of deepfake technology, including one startling clip that hits very close to home.

00:00 Introduction and Overview

00:31 America’s Real Causes of Death vs. Media Coverage

04:54 Heart Disease, Suicide, Homicide: Comparing Risk to Headlines

07:47 Terrorism Coverage and the Outlier Problem

09:27 Why Our Brains Misread Danger

11:48 New Ohio Bill on Paternity Testing

13:59 The Ethics of Mandatory vs. Optional Paternity Tests

17:05 PolyMarket Odds for 2028 GOP Presidential Candidates

21:48 What Yoga Can Teach Economists About Property Rights

23:31 Self-Ownership, Labor, and the Logic of Markets

27:01 Voting, Consent, and Withdrawing From the Regime

34:13 Environmental Ethics and “Not Stealing From the Earth”

36:23 Can You “Steal” From Your Future Self?

37:25 Identity Over Time: Are You the Same Person Decades Later?

42:08 Do Children Have Full Rights? And When Should They?

43:42 Drug Laws, Nanny States, and Personal Autonomy

45:21 Age Restrictions and the Problem of Arbitrary Lines

50:34 Should Your Future Self Be Considered a Separate Entity?

56:28 AI Voice Impersonation and AI Safety

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