Today we discuss “gender affirming surgeries”, AI and the future of cognition, and wild foxes. Kaiser Permanente is pausing surgery on trans-presenting children—we discuss sex and gender, meaning and identity, delusion and madness. Then: unlike the physical multiverse, mental multiverses are common, and becoming more so, as AI makes it ever more difficult to know what is true. We discuss grief, and how our worlds must fork when we think, but do not know, that someone has died. Similarly, when events are unclear—who was responsible for the death of President Kennedy in 1963? Are aliens visiting Earth—we must keep multiple mental universes alive in our heads at once. Correctives to this include meeting people in person, and embracing belief systems that have timeless value. Finally: more wild foxes, this time trying to eat a raccoon carcass. Included: discussion of the evolution of territoriality, parental care, and animal behavior more generally.

*****

Our sponsors:

Masa Chips: Delicious chips made with corn, salt, and beef tallow—nothing else—in loads of great flavors. Go to http://masachips.com/DarkHorse, use code DarkHorse, for 25% off.

Caraway: Non-toxic, beautiful, light ceramic cookware. Save $150 on a cookware set over buying individual pieces, and get 10% off your order at http://carawayhome.com/darkhorse10.

CrowdHealth: Pay for healthcare with crowdfunding instead of insurance. It’s way better. Use code DarkHorse at JoinCrowdHealth.com to get 1st 3 months for $99/month.

*****

Join us on Locals! Get access to our Discord server, exclusive live streams, live chats for all streams, and early access to many podcasts: https://darkhorse.locals.com

Heather’s newsletter, Natural Selections (subscribe to get free weekly essays in your inbox): https://naturalselections.substack.com

Our book, A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st Century, is available everywhere books are sold, including from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3AGANGg (commission earned)

Check out our store! Epic tabby, digital book burning, saddle up the dire wolves, and more: https://darkhorsestore.org

*****

Mentioned in this episode:

Kaiser Permanente pauses “gender-affirming surgery” for minors: https://x.com/BillboardChris/status/1948119275094552610

Do not affirm, do not comply: https://darkhorsestore.org/products/do-not-affirm-do-not-comply-t-shirt-unisex

From Myths to the Multiverse: How Knowledge Evolves w/ Bret Weinstein & Brett Hall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp8DevWKCic

Malaysia Airlines 370: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/search-missing-malaysia-airlines-flight-suspended-end-year-rcna199653

Support the show

Episode 409: LA Clippers Season Grades + What Will James Harden Do?