Author Richard Hanania discusses the dark side of the Republican Party and unusual perspectives in 'The Origins of Woke.' The podcast delves into disparities, discrimination laws, workplace culture, and the evolution of sexual harassment laws. It also explores the social construction of race, government classifications, and identity movements. Critiques of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and discrimination in the workplace are analyzed, highlighting biases in hiring processes and the impact on market freedom.

Stephen Hsu is a Professor of Theoretical Physics and Professor of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. He is also a serial entrepreneur and has published on genomics, in addition to blogging on a wide range of topics from econometrics and geopolitics to mixed martial arts. Hsu joins the Podcast, where he and Richard begin by talking about the Russia-Ukraine crisis and American military power relative to that of China and Russia. What would a Chinese attempt to conquer Taiwan look like, and what would the US be able to do in response? This is followed by a long discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of the Chinese system and its differences with the democratic capitalist model, including the former's high level of reliance on standardized tests and institutions designed to evaluate and promote government officials. The conversation closes on the topics of genomics and embryo selection, including the state of the technology, its current uses, and cross-national differences in attitudes and regulations. A full transcript of the conversation is available here.Sign up for CSPI’s Substack newsletter: https://cspi.substack.com.Follow CSPI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CSPICenterOrg.Subscribe to our YouTube for video podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvs4ugq0xSvbvwArpFJG6gA.Learn more about CSPI: https://cspicenter.org.Ezra Voegel, “Japan as Number One.”John Dower, “War Without Mercy."Dan Wang, ”2021 Letter.”Dan Bell, “The China Model.”Richard McGregor, “The Party.”"DNA Dreams" (documentary film).Richard Hanania, “The Inevitable Rise of China.”Richard Hanania, “Fertility as the Final Boss in Chinese Development, and Richard Hanania Prediction Markets.”Steve Hsu, “Sustainability of China Economic Growth.”Steve Hsu, “Les Grandes Ecoles Chinoises.”Francesco C. Billari, Hans-Peter Kohler, Gunnar Andersson and Hans Lundström, “Approaching the Limit: Long-Term Trends in Late and Very Late Fertility.”  p. 163. (On Swedish Fertility, Extreme Births)Steve’s Podcast, “Manifold.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cspicenter.com

Richard Hanania, author of The Origins Of Woke, challenges the idea that wokeness stems from civil rights law, arguing instead that US civil rights law is flawed. The podcast covers the unintended consequences of civil rights legislation, navigating corporate 'wokeness,' workplace harassment laws, a legal battle over racial discrimination at a Tesla plant, and the influence on conservative policy perspectives.

Tyler Cowen needs no introduction. He joins the podcast to talk about his new book, co-authored with Daniel Gross, called Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World. Richard asks him about whether intelligence is overrated or underrated, the idea of “State Capacity Libertarianism” as an improvement over old-fashioned libertarianism, cultural differences between China and India, how optimistic to be about the future of the United States, different kinds of courage, free speech, and whether the world has too much or too little wokeness. The conversation also covers the feminization of intellectual life, with Tyler being optimistic that we will get better over time at navigating gender-integrated institutions.Richard closes by asking Tyler about how he sees his own role as a public figure. They discuss the Emergent Ventures grant interview for CSPI, and the benefits of asking an interviewee about their own ambition.A lightly edited transcript of the conversation is available here. Listen in podcast form or watch the episode on YouTube.Links:* Tyler Cowen and Daniel Gross, Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World.* CEO Study from Sweden.* Econ Talk episode where Tyler and Russ Roberts discuss Germany.* Tyler on State Capacity Libertarianism.* Tyler Cowen, “Why Wokism will Rule the World.”* Eric Kaufmann. “Born This Way? The Rise of LGBT as a Social and Political Identity.”* Tyler Cowen, “My Personal Moonshot.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cspicenter.com

Richard Hanania, author and keen political analyst, dives deep into the turbulence of contemporary society. He critiques the impact of the Trump administration on DEI policies and explores the complexities of elite human capital, questioning the morality behind their altruism. Hanania also discusses the dynamics of racism as a social status indicator, navigating the chasm between idealism and dystopia. Through a lens of political ideology and governance, he examines the interplay between rights and societal norms, revealing how ‘woke’ culture reshapes identity and opportunity.

Robin Hanson joins the podcast to talk about the AI debate. He explains his reasons for being skeptical about “foom,” or the idea that there will emerge a sudden superintelligence that will be able to improve itself quickly and potentially destroy humanity in the service of its goals. Among his arguments are:* We should start with a very low prior about something like this happening, given the history of the world. We already have “superintelligences” in the form of firms, for example, and they only improve slowly and incrementally * There are different levels of abstraction with regards to intelligence and knowledge. A machine that can reason very fast may not have the specific knowledge necessary to know how to do important things.* We may be erring in thinking of intelligence as a general quality, rather than as more domain-specific.Hanania presents various arguments made by AI doomers, and Hanson responds to each in kind, eventually giving a less than 1% chance that something like the scenario imagined by Eliezer Yudkowsky and others will come to pass. He also discusses why he thinks it is a waste of time to worry about the control problem before we know what any supposed superintelligence will even look like. The conversation includes a discussion about why so many smart people seem drawn to AI doomerism, and why you shouldn’t worry all that much about the principal-agent problem in this area.Listen in podcast form or watch on YouTube. You can also read a transcript of the conversation here.Links:* The Hanson-Yudkowsky AI-Foom Debate* Previous Hanson appearance on CSPI podcast, audio and transcript* Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation* Eric Drexler, Nanosystems* Robin Hanson, “Explain the Sacred”* Robin Hanson, “We See the Sacred from Afar, to See It the Same.”* Articles by Robin on AI alignment:* “Prefer Law to Values” (October 10, 2009)* “The Betterness Explosion” (June 21, 2011)* “Foom Debate, Again” (February 8, 2013)* “How Lumpy AI Services?” (February 14, 2019)* “Agency Failure AI Apocalypse?” (April 10, 2019)* “Foom Update” (May 6, 2022)* “Why Not Wait?” (June 30, 2022) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cspicenter.com

Independent journalist Aaron Mate, renowned for his work on Russiagate, dives into the FBI's controversial actions protecting those who advanced the narrative. Political commentator Richard Hanania makes a surprising case for Donald Trump buying Greenland, discussing its geopolitical implications. They also address the growing concerns around a potential TikTok ban and the broader issues of censorship and digital privacy. The conversation is a thought-provoking blend of current events and national security.

Richard Hanania, author of "The Origins of Woke," dives into the concept of elite human capital, analyzing how intellectuals in journalism and academia shape societal ideals. He discusses ideological trends in career choices and the polarized political landscape, particularly contrasting views on Trump and governance. Hanania also explores immigration's impact on crime and political dynamics, while advocating for thoughtful dialogue between tech innovators and media. His insights reveal the complexities of American politics today and the challenges ahead.

Richard Hanania, American writer and political science researcher, discusses the origins of 'wokeness' and the concept of disparity vs discrimination. They also explore online privacy, the issue of discrimination and success among black individuals, Bud Light's advertising shift, and challenging beliefs and ideologies.

Richard Hanania, a thought leader on AI and societal dynamics, joins the discussion to explore the innovative approach of DeepSeek, which prioritizes knowledge over traditional patents in the AI race. He dives into the tense competition between U.S. and Chinese tech firms and the economic factors shaping this landscape. The conversation also tackles the interplay of AI and employment, arguing that technology can create new job opportunities instead of merely displacing existing ones. Lastly, they examine how digital culture impacts social behaviors and search for meaning in a rapidly evolving world.