The Valmy

Podcast: Conversations with Tyler Episode: Tom Holland on History, Christianity, and the Value of the CountrysideRelease date: 2023-03-22Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationHistorian Tom Holland joined Tyler to discuss in what ways his Christianity is influenced by Lord Byron, how the Book of Revelation precipitated a revolutionary tradition, which book of the Bible is most foundational for Western liberalism, the political differences between Paul and Jesus, why America is more pro-technology than Europe, why Herodotus is his favorite writer, why the Greeks and Persians didn’t industrialize despite having advanced technology, how he feels about devolution in the United Kingdom and the potential of Irish unification, what existential problem the Church of England faces, how the music of Ennio Morricone helps him write for a popular audience, why Jurassic Park is his favorite movie, and more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.  Recorded February 1st, 2023 Other ways to connect Follow us on Twitter and Instagram Follow Tyler on Twitter Follow Tom on Twitter Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here. Photo credit: Sadie Holland

Podcast: Philosophy For Our Times Episode: Is our search for an objective morality misguided? | Slavoj Žižek, Joanna Kavenna, Simon BlackburnRelease date: 2023-03-14Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationShould we think of morality in terms of objective truth or social consensus?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesOnce the fashion of a postmodern age, moral relativism has always had its detractors, many of them religious. But now a new breed of atheist celebrity thinkers, from Sam Harris to Peter Singer, are making claims for the existence of absolute moral truths. Critics argue that like authoritarian moralists of the past, they use so-called 'objective' morality to shore up to their own prejudices and silence dissent. Firebrand philosopher Slavoj Žižek, bestselling author of Zed Joanna Kavenna, and philosopher and author of Truth Simon Blackburn debate objective morality in a postmodern age. Hosted by Professor and Chair of Jurisprudence at the University of Oxford, Ruth Chang.There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=[iai-tv-episode-title] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Podcast: Conversations with Tyler Episode: Yasheng Huang on the Development of the Chinese StateRelease date: 2023-03-08Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationYasheng Huang has written two of Tyler’s favorite books on China: Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics, which contrasts an entrepreneurial rural China and a state-controlled urban China, and The Rise and Fall of the EAST, which argues that Keju—China’s civil service exam system—played a key role in the growth and expanding power of the Chinese state. Yasheng joined Tyler to discuss China’s lackluster technological innovation, why declining foreign investment is more of a concern than a declining population, why Chinese literacy stagnated in the 19th century, how he believes the imperial exam system deprived China of a thriving civil society, why Chinese succession has been so stable, why the Six Dynasties is his favorite period in Chinese history, why there were so few female emperors, why Chinese and Chinese Americans have done less well becoming top CEOs of American companies compared to Indians and Indian Americans, where he’d send someone on a two week trip to China, what he learned from János Kornai, and more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.  Recorded January 17th, 2023 Other ways to connect Follow us on Twitter and Instagram Follow Tyler on Twitter Follow Yasheng on Twitter Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here. Photo credit: MIT Sloan School

Podcast: "Moment of Zen" Episode: Effective Accelerationism and the AI Safety Debate with Bayeslord, Beff Jezoz, and Nathan LabenzRelease date: 2023-03-11Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationAnonymous founders of the Effective Accelerationist (e/acc) movement @Bayeslord and Beff Jezoz (@BasedBeff) join Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, and Nathan Labenz to debate views on AI safety.We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.RECOMMENDED PODCAST:The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord.https://link.chtbl.com/hrhereticsTIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Episode preview(03:00) Intro to effective accelerationism(08:00) Differences between effective accelerationism and effective altruism(23:00) Effective accelerationism is bottoms-up(42:00) Transhumanism(46:00) "Equanimity amidst the singularity"(48:30) Why AI safety is the wrong frame(56:00) Pushing back against effective accelerationism(01:06:00) The case for AI safety(01:24:00) Upgrading civilizational infrastructure(01:33:00) Effective accelerationism is anti-fragile(01:39:00) Will we botch AI like we botched nuclear?(01:46:00) Hidden costs of emphasizing downsides(2:00:00) Are we in the same position as neanderthals, before humans?(2:09:00) "Doomerism has an unpriced opportunity cost of upside"SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | SecureframeHead to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months-Shopify: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial periodShopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/momentofzen-Secureframe (www.secureframe.comSecureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOMENT OF ZEN during your demo to get 20% off your first year.

Podcast: The Foresight Institute Podcast Episode: Robin Hanson, George Mason University | Deflecting The SacredRelease date: 2023-03-02Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationRobin Dale Hanson is an associate professor of economics at George Mason University and a research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University. He is known as an expert on idea futures and markets, and he was involved in the creation of the Foresight Exchange and DARPA’s FutureMAP project. He invented market scoring rules like LMSR (Logarithmic Market Scoring Rule) used by prediction markets such as Consensus Point (where Hanson is Chief Scientist), and has conducted research on signaling.When attempting to affect change in the world, you will inevitably run up against concepts that others consider sacred. This creates a very tough barrier to change, especially if you are trying to change something like democracy, family, or religion. The essence of sacred is the bond shared between those who consider a particular idea sacred. It’s difficult to see things the same when seeing them in high resolution, so sacred things tend to be seen in abstract detail, even when looking at them up close, to allow for concensus.Session Summary: Robin Hanson, George Mason University | Deflecting The Sacred - Foresight InstituteThe Foresight Institute is a research organization and non-profit that supports the beneficial development of high-impact technologies. Since our founding in 1987 on a vision of guiding powerful technologies, we have continued to evolve into a many-armed organization that focuses on several fields of science and technology that are too ambitious for legacy institutions to support.Allison Duettmann is the president and CEO of Foresight Institute. She directs the Intelligent Cooperation, Molecular Machines, Biotech & Health Extension, Neurotech, and Space Programs, Fellowships, Prizes, and Tech Trees, and shares this work with the public. She founded Existentialhope.com, co-edited Superintelligence: Coordination & Strategy, co-authored Gaming the Future, and co-initiated The Longevity Prize. Apply to Foresight’s virtual salons and in person workshops here!We are entirely funded by your donations. If you enjoy what we do please consider donating through our donation page.Visit our website for more content, or join us here:TwitterFacebookLinkedInEvery word ever spoken on this podcast is now AI-searchable using Fathom.fm, a search engine for podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Podcast: Hear This Idea Episode: #59 – Chris Miller on the History of Semiconductors, TSMC, and the CHIPS ActRelease date: 2023-03-02Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationChris Miller is an Associate Professor of International History at Tufts University and author of the book “Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology” (the Financial Times Business Book of the Year). He is also a Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Eurasia Director at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Over the next few episodes we will be exploring the potential for catastrophe cause by advanced artificial intelligence. But before we look ahead, we wanted to give a primer on where we are today: on the history and trends behind the development of AI so far. In this episode, we discuss: How semiconductors have historically been related to US military strategy How the Taiwanese company TSMC became such an important player in this space — while other countries’ attempts have failed What the CHIPS Act signals about attitudes to compute governance in the decade ahead Further reading is available on our website: hearthisidea.com/episodes/miller If you have any feedback, you can get a free book for filling out our new feedback form. You can also get in touch through our website or on Twitter. Consider leaving us a review wherever you're listening to this — it's the best free way to support the show. Thanks for listening!

Podcast: a16z Podcast Episode: The 1000x DeveloperRelease date: 2023-02-16Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationA small minority – likely less than 1% – of the world can code. Yet also widely known that the skillset tends to yield outsized returns, with developers generating some of the highest paying salaries out there.But the field is quickly shifting, especially with the advent of wide-scale AI. In this podcast, we get to chat with Amjad Masad, founder of Replit, about these foundational shifts.We cover how Replit has integrated AI into its platform and the implications on both current and future developers. It’s easier than ever to learn to code, but is it still worthwhile? Listen in to find out.Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction02:04 - What is Replit?04:15 - Stories behind Replit11:10 - The software hero’s journey13:09 - Making coding fun15:58 - AI powering software19:37 - Training your own models22:36 - Building UX around AI24:16 - The developer landscape26:23 - The 1000x engineer30:40 - Should you still learn to code?34:41 - What does AI enable?40:54 - Developing on mobile43:24 - A software labor market45:53 - Differentiating a marketplace48:23 - Building new market dynamics50:45 - Looking aheadResources: Replit: https://replit.com/Replit Ghostwriter: https://replit.com/site/ghostwriterReplit Bounties: https://replit.com/bountiesFind Amjad on Twitter: https://twitter.com/amasad Stay Updated: Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

Podcast: ROCKING OUR PRIORS Episode: Why Are Most Humans Religious? Professor Robin DunbarRelease date: 2023-01-17Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationWhy are most humans religious? How much can be explained by evolutionary psychology? Why do we cooperate? Is it religious injunctions or more emotional? Is religiosity really about cooperation? What about legitimising hierarchy, control, and female self-sacrifice. Muslim women are less likely to go to Friday prayers, but they are still devout. So perhaps group rituals are not so essential? Why did all doctrinal religions emerge within a narrow latitudinal band? Are groups necessarily small? Don’t films and social media scale-up solidarity? What about online mobs viciously attacking their favoured celebrity’s boyfriend’s new girlfriend? Interview with Professor Robin Dunbar, Professor of Evolutionary Psychology and Anthropology at the University of Oxford https://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/people/robin-dunbar Robin's latest book is on Religion. He has also published excellent books on the science of love and betrayal; the evolution of language; and friendships.

Podcast: Future of Life Institute Podcast Episode: Connor Leahy on AI Safety and Why the World is FragileRelease date: 2023-01-26Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationConnor Leahy from Conjecture joins the podcast to discuss AI safety, the fragility of the world, slowing down AI development, regulating AI, and the optimal funding model for AI safety research. Learn more about Connor's work at https://conjecture.dev Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:47 What is the best way to understand AI safety? 09:50 Why is the world relatively stable? 15:18 Is the main worry human misuse of AI? 22:47 Can humanity solve AI safety? 30:06 Can we slow down AI development? 37:13 How should governments regulate AI? 41:09 How do we avoid misallocating AI safety government grants? 51:02 Should AI safety research be done by for-profit companies? Social Media Links: ➡️ WEBSITE: https://futureoflife.org ➡️ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/FLIxrisk ➡️ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/futureoflifeinstitute/ ➡️ META: https://www.facebook.com/futureoflifeinstitute ➡️ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/

Podcast: Future of Life Institute Podcast Episode: Connor Leahy on Aliens, Ethics, Economics, Memetics, and EducationRelease date: 2023-02-02Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationConnor Leahy from Conjecture joins the podcast for a lightning round on a variety of topics ranging from aliens to education. Learn more about Connor's work at https://conjecture.dev Social Media Links: ➡️ WEBSITE: https://futureoflife.org ➡️ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/FLIxrisk ➡️ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/futureoflifeinstitute/ ➡️ META: https://www.facebook.com/futureoflifeinstitute ➡️ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/