We Are Not Saved

Jeremiah
undefined
Jun 30, 2021 • 6min

Eschatologist #6: UFOs, Eschatology and Fermi's Paradox

The massive attention being paid to UFOs in the form of the Pentagon/Naval videos has rekindled interest in the subject and by extension interest in Fermi's Paradox. I think people's interest in these subjects is entirely too trivial. Treating it as a curiosity rather than one of the most important indications of what the future has in store for humanity — either eventual doom or being terribly alone.
undefined
Jun 23, 2021 • 27min

1971 Continued - It's Energy Stupid!

In a continuation of the last episode I examine my favorite explanation for the inflection point in 1971: that this is when energy decoupled from economic growth. Economic output which has no connection to energy usage is a new and strange beast, much easier to manipulate in ways that produce inequality and inflation and all the other ills which have afflicted us since the early 70s.
undefined
Jun 15, 2021 • 31min

Theories for the 1971 Inflection

The website wtfhappenedin1971.com presents a series of charts which show that there was inflection in rates of everything from inequality to obesity in 1971. In every case with things getting worse. Why would that be? In this episode I examine at 8 explanations (possibly more depending on how you count). Full warning, my favorite explanation is not included. That will be the subject of my next episode.
undefined
Jun 6, 2021 • 7min

The 10 Books I Finished in May - Project Hail Mary Spoilers

And here is where I have cordoned off spoilers for Project Hail Mary. Listen at your own risk.
undefined
Jun 6, 2021 • 15min

The 10 Books I Finished in May - Capsule Reviews

My capsule reviews for the month: Persepolis Rising by: James S. E. Corey Project Hail Mary by: Andy Weir The Perfect Dictatorship: China in the 21st Century by: Stein Ringen The Ethics of Authenticity by: Charles Taylor Legal Systems Very Different From Ours by: David D. Friedman Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by: Alfred Lansing The Graveyard Book (Graphic Novel) by: Neil Gaiman Adapted by: P. Craig Russell Illustrated by: Various Learning from Loss: The Democrats, 2016–2020 by: Seth Masket
undefined
Jun 6, 2021 • 24min

The 10 Books I Finished in May - Eschatological Reviews

This episode is in three parts. First is the eschatological reviews: A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence by: Jeff Hawkins One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger by: Matthew Yglesias
undefined
May 31, 2021 • 6min

Eschatologist #5: A Trillion Here, a Trillion There, and Pretty Soon You're Talking Real Money

I've been talking about the knobs of society in my newsletters. Well one of the knobs we appear to have lost all fear of is the spending knob and we've decided we can pretty much turn it as high as we want without consequence. And yet everyone regardless of their economic ideology realizes that we can't turn it up forever. And the key problem is that people imagine that when the time comes when we need to moderate our spending that it will be easy to turn down. I very much doubt that.
undefined
May 26, 2021 • 27min

In Defense of Prophets

I recently encountered the term Wizards and Prophets as a way of describing those who were, respectively, optimistic about technology or pessimistic about it. I think this is a good way of thinking about things, and as the context I encountered these terms ended up being a full-throated defense of wizardry, I thought it might be worthwhile to offer up a defence of Prophets. Those who contend that we are playing a dangerous game, one whose stakes Wizards may not entirely understand. The recent resurgence of the Wuhan lab-leak theory for the pandemic proved very timely.
undefined
May 19, 2021 • 29min

Revisiting China: Inflection Points, Semiconductors and Fascism

Making any predictions about China is difficult, but that doesn't mean it's not important. It may in fact be one of the most important things we can do if we want to have some idea of what the future holds. And while predictions are difficult, it does seem like a worthwhile endeavor to look at potential inflection points. Points where we can definitely say that past here things are very different. In this episode I offer up some potential inflection points. I'm not sure that any of them will come to pass, to say nothing of all of them, but they provide a useful marker for where China is headed and what it might mean should it arrive there.
undefined
May 6, 2021 • 33min

The 9 Books I Finished in April (and something Extra!)

“Engineering the Apocalypse” Podcast Episode by Sam Harris and Rob Reid This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World by: Yancey Strickler The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life by: Boyd Varty Babylon’s Ashes by: James S. E. Corey Peter the Great: His Life and World by: Robert K. Massie Exhalation: Stories by: Ted Chiang What’s Wrong With the World by: G. K. Chesterton Uncharted: How to Navigate the Future by: Margaret Heffernan Cult of Smart: How Our Broken Education System Perpetuates Social Injustice by: Fredrik deBoer Mormon Philosophy Simplified: An Easy LDS Approach to Classic Philosophical Questions by: Brittney Hartley

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app