Homebrewed Christianity

Robert Wright: Evolution, Empathy, and the Future of Humanity

Aug 19, 2024

01:42:42

In this episode, I am joined by one of my favorite scholars in the public square, Robert Wright, the editor of the Nonzero Newsletter. This is a captivating discussion about artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the future of humanity. We explore Wright's extensive work, including 'Nonzero,' 'The Evolution of God,' and 'Why Buddhism is True,' while delving into the intersections of science, religion, and philosophy. Discover the implications of AI for humanity, the critical role of international cooperation in technology governance, and the moral and spiritual dimensions needed to navigate rapid technological changes. The conversation also addresses the complexities of sentience, cognitive empathy, and the evolutionary drives in AI, with insights from philosophers like Teilhard de Chardin and Alfred North Whitehead.

Robert Wright is president of The Nonzero Foundation. He is the author, most recently, of Why Buddhism Is True. His previous book, The Evolution of God (2009), was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His other books include The Moral Animal, Nonzero, and Three Scientists and Their Gods. He has written for Time, Slate, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New Republic, The New York Times Magazine, Foreign Policy, and the op-ed pages of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Financial Times. In 2009 Foreign Policy magazine named him as one of the top 100 global thinkers. He has taught courses in philosophy and religion at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania. He is Visiting Professor of Science and Religion at Union Theological Seminary in New York, and is editor-in-chief of the websites Bloggingheads.tv and MeaningofLife.tv.