Robert Wright's Nonzero

0:28 Peter’s background and (Root)claim to fame 4:14 How Peter caught the Covid origins bug 9:49 The Wuhan wet market: source or amplifier? 14:47 Holes in the lab leak theory 24:57 The patient zero problem 28:25 A statistical deep dive into the wet market 43:13 What the genetic evidence can (and can’t) tell us 1:01:46 Can we “trust the science” on Covid? 1:07:39 Has tribalism made resolving the debate impossible? 1:13:32 Why lab leak matters—even if it didn’t happenRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Peter Miller (https://medium.com/@tgof137, https://www.youtube.com/@tgof137). Recorded August 06, 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.org2:11 Who was Haniyeh—and why’d Israel kill him? 6:12 Why Netanyahu may want a US-Iran war 14:15 Are pro-Israel groups at peak power? 22:33 Israel’s escalating conflict with Hezbollah 31:15 The logic of Iranian retaliation 41:07 Israel’s lack of a viable endgame in Gaza 46:31 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Joshua Landis (University of Oklahoma, SyriaComment.com). Recorded August 05, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Nick’s influential book Superintelligence and his new book Deep Utopia 3:13 Has Nick flipped on AI doom? 10:57 Life in the “solved world” of an AI utopia 20:44 Can technology address the deepest problems of human nature? 30:07 Meaning, artificial purpose, and the value of golf 46:22 The promise and perils of virtual reality 51:23 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nick Bostrom (Superintelligence, Macrostrategy Research Initiative, Deep Utopia). Recorded July 11, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org1:13 Dmitri’s new book, World on the Brink 9:26 Is America’s behavior more destabilizing than China’s? 17:22 China-Taiwan compared to Russia-Ukraine 28:00 Is the US making a Chinese invasion of Taiwan more likely? 41:31 Should the US try to maintain global hegemony? 55:06 The “autocracy versus democracy” framingRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Dmitri Alperovitch (Crowdstrike, Silverado, World on the Brink). Recorded July 24, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

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 The Nonzero-American Prestige all-star team 2:13 Why didn’t the Trump shooting matter more? 7:16 What anti-Trump historians get wrong 18:05 Why Kamala shouldn't demonize Trump 29:59 Heading to Overtime—and a discount dealRobert 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 July 25, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:58 Who’s most to blame for the Biden mess? 10:23 Why Trump might duck a debate with Kamala 13:26 Is Biden locked in the basement? 22:08 Kamala’s biggest liabilities 33:12 Loyalty, the Mob, and Biden’s psychology 40:33 Conspiracy theories of the Trump shooting 48:27 The kind of VP Kamala should pickRobert 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 July 22, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

0:28 Mickey makes his (iconic) return to Nonzero! 4:39 Did Trump blow his RNC acceptance speech? 10:18 The escalating Democratic civil war over Biden 16:46 Trump vs Biden (vs Josh Shapiro) on national unity 29:01 Drafting the ideal Dem electoral strategy 44:23 J.D. Vance: paradox or phony? 1:01:03 Is Trump the lesser evil on foreign policy? 1:15:17 Has Mickey felt the “vibe shift”? 1:24:39 The Parrot Room’s reputation precedes itMickey's Substack: https://kaus.substack.com/Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded July 19, 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.org1:19 The psychology of the shooter 10:04 The psychology of Trump 19:42 Trump as national healer 26:32 When is anti-Trump rhetoric too extreme? 43:12 The alpha male problemRobert 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 July 15, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPodsPaul’s Substack: https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net

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. Read it here:https://nonzero.substack.com/p/the-shrinking-west-bankRecorded July 12, 2024.https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods