Infinite Loops

Johnathan Bi — René Girard and the Philosophy of Innovation (EP.137)

Dec 15, 2022

01:15:37

Creator website

Episode guests

Johnathan Bi

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The Pull of Innovation

02:02

The Invention of Improvement

00:49

Wittgenstein and the Apocalypse

00:48

Renee Pommier and the Origins of Taboo Desire

00:59

Introduction

2min

A Lecture on Prestige

2min

Drodsey's Human Desires

5min

Is Memetic Theory a Memetic Craze?

6min

What Is Status Seeking?

4min

The Laws of Imitation by Renee Pommier

4min

The One Hit Wonder Gerard

3min

Innovation Is a Good Thing, Isn't It?

5min

Why We're Not Doing Anything Original

2min

10.

Did Gerard Miss Inflection Points?

3min

11.

The Intellectual History of Innovation

2min

12.

Innovation and the Reformation

4min

13.

The Invention of Improvement

5min

14.

Are We Having a Conversation Between Optimism and Pessimism?

2min

15.

AI Risk

2min

16.

Is There a Future for AI?

5min

17.

The Stasis Guy - The Only Way Out Is Through

3min

18.

Deep Fake Detection

4min

19.

What Is Qualia?

3min

20.

Are You a Lottery Ticket?

4min

21.

The Drardian Intuition

5min

22.

What Two X's Are You Giving Us?

2min

Ahead of the release of the next episode of his lecture series on René Girard, Johnathan Bi returns for his second appearance on the show. He and Jim discuss Girard, prestige, innovation, AI, and much more. Enjoy! Important Links:

Show Notes:

The Girardian notion of prestige
What proof is there for mimesis?
The difference between mimesis and status signalling
Philosophical critiques of Girard
Girard on innovation
Historical understandings of innovation
A conversation between a pessimist and an optimist
AI, progress and the panopticon
Could we ban innovation?

Books Mentioned:

The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr
The Alchemy of Finance; by George Soros
The Laws of Imitation; by Gabriel Tarde
When These Things Begin: Conversations with Michel Treguer; by René Girard
The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World; by David Deutsch
The Invention of Improvement: Information and Material Progress in Seventeenth-Century England; by Paul Slack
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future; by Peter Thiel

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.