

Bring Forgiveness
Jun 18, 2020
Geoffrey Miller is an evolutionary psychologist and associate professor at the University of New Mexico, known for his insights on effective altruism and existential risks. He dives into the importance of altruism in combating threats like nuclear war and AI risks. Scott discusses Walmart's partnership with Shopify, while sharing concerns about Covid-19 spikes. The conversation also touches on how recessions can spark entrepreneurial opportunities and the evolving dynamics of social media in shaping public discourse and leadership in challenging times.
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Existential Risk Underfunding
- The biggest existential risks to humanity are inadequately funded, exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic's economic impact.
- Despite causing a potential $30 trillion loss, pandemic prevention receives only billions, highlighting a massive misallocation of resources.
AI's Existential Threat
- AI's primary threat isn't sentience, but rapid self-improvement leading to unintended consequences.
- This could involve optimizing for the wrong things, causing human suffering incidentally, or enabling destabilizing technologies like autonomous weapons.
Hyper-Partisanship in America
- American politics is increasingly partisan, with everything becoming a political issue, including the pandemic response.
- This hyper-partisanship, fueled by social media, creates a sense of despair and amusement for those identifying as centrists.