Robert Wright's Nonzero

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:33 Kati’s very unusual Venn diagram 4:52 Your brain on meditation 10:59 The time Bob’s meditation got weird 16:43 What are the “jhanas”? 25:34 What science tells us about the jhana states 31:53 Are psychedelics gateway drugs to meditation? 41:25 Kati: Here’s how we get “not-self” wrong… 46:50 Psychedelics vs meditation—neuroscientifically 54:59 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Kathryn Devaney (The Alembic). Recorded December 06, 2023.

https://www.youtube.com/live/za5JxTsGwkg?feature=sharedThis is a recording of a livestream hosted by Robert Wright, publisher of the Nonzero Newsletter, and Nikita Petrov, publisher of the Psychopolitica newsletter. In the course of fielding questions from their newsletter subscribers, Bob and Nikita discussed psychedelics, meditation, US foreign policy, ego death, tribalism, cynicism, Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Gaza, artificial intelligence, evolution, how they first met, and more. Subscribe to Psychopolitica: Recorded December 21, 2023. 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

1:20 How Tom tried to bring down Netanyahu’s government 10:00 The coming Biden-Netanyahu showdown 14:25 What’s driving Israeli public support for such massive retaliation? 24:18 The alarming growth of global disorder 30:50 Is Israel fated to be hated? 42:50 Why Tom is still hopeful about Israel-PalestineRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Thomas Friedman (The New York Times). Recorded December 20, 2023.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.org(Overtime audio available to paid subscribers through the player at the top of the page and video version available below the paywall.)2:44 A short history of “longtermism” 9:07 The evolution of effective altruism (EA) 17:27 Unpacking the TESCREAL bundle 22:02 Why AGI dominates longtermist thinking 30:13 Are AI doomers and accelerationists more aligned than it seems? 41:13 Why did Émile ditch EA? 52:02 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Émile P. Torres (Human Extinction; Morality, Foresight, and Human Flourishing). Recorded December 12, 2023.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 The Earthling.Read this edition of The Earthling at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/bidens-israel-impotence

0:45 Max’s book Rules for Rebels—and the rule that Hamas broke 4:13 Is social media a reality distortion machine? 19:32 “From the river to the sea…” compared to “globalize the intifada” 27:01 Does social media exaggerate the level of civil strife—and thereby raise it? 43:11 Is Israel’s assault on Gaza intensifying antisemitism? 56:08 How Israel’s actions impact the Jewish diaspora 1:05:54 The terrorism threat facing Israel 1:17:18 US foreign policy and the Israel lobbyRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Max Abrahms (Northeastern University, Rules for Rebels). Recorded December 13, 2023.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.org1:06 The biggest surprise of Paul’s intellectual life 8:41 What the three college presidents should have said about free speech 21:07 Ramaswamy’s hot mic moment: mistake or power move? 23:13 Elon’s scorched-earth moment: power move or mental break? 31:17 Paul gets fact-checked—and likes it 36:30 In aligning AI, should we aim higher than human values? 40:57 Bob DESTROYS Paul’s AI articleRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded December 11, 2023.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 The Earthling. Read this edition of The Earthling at:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:33 A bold experiment in podcast synergy continues 4:03 The dire humanitarian situation in Gaza 10:19 Is full-on ethnic cleansing more likely than a political solution? 19:49 If Biden loses in 2024, will elites rethink Israel-Palestine? 29:51 The changing perception of Israel 35:57 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True), Derek Davison (Foreign Exchanges, American Prestige, Discontents), and Daniel Bessner (American Prestige, University of Washington). Recorded December 07, 2023.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPodsOvertime titles:38:46 Is “colonialism” a useful frame for understanding Israel-Palestine?  50:31 The future of Israel’s far right 56:45 Bush’s secret coup against Hamas 1:07:05 Ukraine’s failed offensive, the Blob’s failure of foresight 1:14:21 The ignominious career of Jeffrey Goldberg

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org1:02 Daron’s book Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity 1:57 What tech optimists get wrong about economic history 10:01 Will AI inevitably sideline workers? 23:29 The surprising weakness of our digital economy 29:35 Which jobs are most vulnerable to automation? 40:43 How to empower workers in the age of AI 51:15 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Daron Acemoglu (MIT, Why Nations Fail, Power and Progress). Recorded November 29, 2023.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods