#30 - Make the Future Come Sooner, with Mathias Sundin

Jun 19, 2021

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Christofer and CEO Mathias Sundin speak about how the world is getting better in this episode of Do Explain. They discuss bitcoin, anti-dancing laws, Starcraft, why Mathias got into politics, bad criticism, human potential, law of Jante, echo chambers, social media, AI, the importance of progress, extreme poverty, colonizing space, idea sex, moral relativism, liberal democracy, fact-based optimism, the Warp Institute, and other related topics.

Mathias Sundin is co-founder and executive chairman of the Warp Institute Foundation, whose mission is to connect optimistic, forward thinking people in communities to make the future come sooner. He is also a former Member of Parliament and former Deputy Mayor, a TEDx and international keynote speaker, and a fact-based optimist.

Website: https://www.warpnews.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MathiasSundin
TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIOJ5sOBEww

Timestamps:

(2:29) - The first political candidate to accept Bitcoin donations only

(9:32) - Protesting Swedish laws through illegal dancing

(14:19) - Starcraft

(18:34) - Getting into – and out of – politics

(26:05) - Non-constructive criticism

(30:41) - The influence of David Deutsch

(36:08) - The law of Jante and the principle of mediocrity

(46:46) - Almost anyone can be an expert in almost anything

(51:45) - Is the world getting better?

(55:09) - Western pessimism about progress

(1:02:56) - The benefits of social media

(1:08:33) - Echo chambers and filter bubbles

(1:13:14) - Does AI pose a risk?

(1:20:50) - Why use resources on space travel instead of on Earth?

(1:27:03) - The Warp Institute

(1:30:21) - The importance of freedom of speech for progress

(1:41:59) - Beyond Atlas and a new age of exploration

(1:46:57) - What we can achieve by working together

(1:51:33) - What project would you focus on more if you could?

(1:57:50) - What is something that encourages you about humankind's recent progress?

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