Robert Wright's Nonzero

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.orgRobert Wright and Connor Echols discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Read it here: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/biden-and-blinken-israels-lawyersRecorded September 27, 2024.https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

0:28 Bob crestfallen over Mickey’s hat switcheroo 2:41 Mickey blames DEI for Kamala tic he finds annoying 8:20 Who’s less impressive, Kamala or Trump? 15:27 Why Bob prefers Kamala’s foreign policy team to Biden’s 29:46 The Vance dossier, revealed at last 34:08 More arguments about Kamala 48:08 Preliminary election analysis 59:05 Trump, Vance, and Springfield’s cats and dogs 1:09:52 Mickey’s Eric Adams conspiracy theory 1:12:02 Biden diplomacy? What Biden diplomacy? 1:23:16 Is cancel culture impotent? 1:29:02 Election predictions 1:33:28 Deeper election analysisRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded September 26, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Deep insights about coffee and sleep from Paul 5:11 Mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy 7:58 Oligarchy + paranoid billionaires = disaster 14:38 Ackman and Thiel join Elon in billionaire la la land 22:02 Is Trump anti-Semitic or just really pro-Israel? 36:37 If you don’t feel alienated you should seek counseling 41:26 Heading to overtimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded September 24, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Would a different US president have made a difference for Gaza? 14:32 Saudi-Israel normalization takes a step back 19:36 Is all hope lost for a two-state solution? 26:51 Making sense of Israel’s pager attacks in Lebanon 35:28 Heading to Overtime—and an AP PSARobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Derek Davison (Foreign Exchanges, American Prestige, Discontents), and Daniel Bessner (American Prestige, University of Washington). Recorded September 19, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Why didn’t OpenAI call its new o1 AI GPT? 12:27 Tim’s first impressions of o1 16:30 What’s the secret to o1’s better reasoning? 27:21 Inspecting AI introspection 30:31 Does o1’s capability for deception bring us closer to doom? 35:59 AI doomers’ Hollywood problem 41:03 Elon’s self-driving speed bumps 47:03 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Timothy B. Lee (Full Stack Economics, Understanding AI). Recorded September 17, 2024.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.orgRobert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from this week’s Earthling.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Tragedy strikes the Wright household 4:20 Breaking down the big Trump-Kamala debate 22:44 Are debates actually valuable? 26:16 Kamala’s worst debate moment (according to Bob) 33:39 Elon vs Taylor Swift, Brazil, and himself 37:19 Bob and Paul argue about free speech 45:18 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded September 11, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:00 Is Ukraine’s Kursk invasion failing? 6:05 Why Russia may outlast the West in Ukraine 14:20 Zelensky’s cabinet shakeup 16:50 Prospects for a peace deal 26:25 Russian elites’ views on the war 36:44 How the Global South can help end the conflict 42:40 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Anatol Lieven (The Quincy Institute). Recorded September 05, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

(Description from Tripp Fuller’s Homebrewed Christianity podcast.)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.Tripp’s Substack: https://processthis.substack.com/Originally published August 19, 2024 by Homebrewed Christianity .Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Steve’s books, The Hell of Good Intentions and The Israel Lobby 1:15 How Israel helped spawn Hezbollah 13:19 Why US leaders abet Israel’s self-destructive behavior 29:14 Netanyahu’s longstanding opposition to a Palestinian state 42:14 The Israeli policy that doomed Israel-Palestine relations 51:39 Steve’s writings on US foreign policy and the electionRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Stephen Walt (Harvard University, Foreign Policy). Recorded August 26, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods