The Portal

Russian chess legend and political dissident Garry Kasparov discusses AI-induced demotivation, global democracy perils, and his activism against Putin. The episode touches on AI vs human abilities, AI impact on gaming, Putin's power, propaganda techniques, defending democracy, and trust in the US political landscape.

In this episode, Vitalik Buterin sits down with Eric to discuss ethereum, the wider world of crypto and heterodox economics.Taking note of the new development of blockchain in 2010, Eric wrote an essay called “Go Virtual Young Man”. A few years later, a Thiel Fellow named Vitalik created a virtual machine with an idiosyncratic smart contract system and a currency. Ironically, Eric had recently become a Managing Director at Thiel Capital. Perennially circling each other intellectually, the two now sit down in person to discuss economic paradigm shifts, crypto and the future of online sovereignty and social coordination. Wine Access: WineAccess.com/Portal to get $100 off your first purchase of $250 or moreChili Technology: chilitechnology.com/PORTAL Save up to $300 on Chili sleep systems with 25% off the chiliPAD(code: portalchili) or 15% off OOLER (code: portalooler)Phlur: phlur.com/portal to get 20% off your FIRST custom Phlur sample set!Blinkist: blinkist.com/portal try it FREE for 7 days AND save 25% off your newsubscription.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Portal, Eric talks to one of his closest friends, neuroscientist, philosopher and meditation-guru, Sam Harris. When Sam and Eric sit down they generally agree about a large number of things. So in this experiment of a session, Eric attempts to push the relentlessly reasonable and methodical Sam out of his comfort zone to highlight their genuine differences. These include: beliefs on religion, the logic of voting for unreasonable candidates, Jeffrey Epstein's demise, the competence of the press, the ethics of immigration and more. Skillshare: Go to Skillshare.com/PORTAL to start your two months of unlimited access todayBoll and Branch: For a limited time get fifty dollars off when you go to Bollandbranch.com/PORTALFour Sigmatic: FourSigmatic.com/PORTAL and use discount code PORTAL to get a 15% discount on all ordersExpress VPN: Get 3 extra free months when you sign up for a year using Expressvpn.com/PORTALSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eric sits down with Julie Lindahl, author of "The Pendulum". What happens when an ethnically German girl growing up in Brazil gets curious to finally make sense of her family history to stop the cycle of dysfunction? Julie Lindahl’s new book "The Pendulum" shows us what it can take to find a portal out of inter-generational trauma. Eric welcomes his house-guest Julie Lindahl to tell her extraordinary story on this episode of The Portal. The episode is raw and recorded at home on a hand held device; there will be no video.Four Sigmatic: FourSigmatic.com/PORTAL and use discount code PORTAL to get a 15% discount on all ordersChili Pad chilitechnology.com/portal and use code “PORTALCHILI”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eric sits down with philosopher, comic, actor, and fighter Bryan Callen for a wide-ranging conversation on difficult topics like the holocaust, gender dynamics, and the legacy of the enlightenment. They also discuss camaraderie, conflict, comedy, the transformative nature of fights, the state of comedy and censorship, living in diversity, the need for an enemy, the role of men as protectors, Gandhi's views on violence and nonviolence, the power of humor in dire situations, scientific experimentation and medical advancements, the connection between comedy and analytic truths, and bringing science to a wider audience.

In this episode of the Portal, Eric checks in with his friend Andrew Yang to discuss the meteoric rise of his candidacy; one that represents an insurgency against a complacent political process that the media establishment doggedly tries to maintain. Andrew updates Eric on the state of his campaign and the status of the ideas the two had discussed as its foundation when it began. Eric presents Andrew with his new economic paradigm; moving from an 'is a [worker]' economy to a 'has a [worker]' economy. The two also discuss neurodiverse families as a neglected voting block, the still-strong but squelched-by-the-scientific-establishment STEM community in the US, and the need to talk fearlessly - and as a xenophile - about immigration as a wealth transfer gimmick. Sponsors:Reverse-Sponsor: https://www.drbronner.com/Skillshare: Skillshare.com/PORTAL for 2 months of Skillshare freeBoll and Branch: BollandBranch.com $50 off with promo code: PORTAL No risk, 30 day trial period with free shippingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bret Easton Ellis reflects on LA, Gen X vs. Millennials' childhood notions, dark LA stories, and wild '80s nights. They discuss societal narratives, political realities, generational dynamics, and art/fashion shifts. Exploring trust, transparency, and societal values among different generations.

Jocko Willink is a man who radiates decency. He is also part of a community of warriors drawn to test themselves in the crucible of deadly combat against an evil and implacable foe. Eric sits down with Jocko Willink to learn how this cerebral Navy SEAL and hero of the battle of Ramadi against ISIS managed to bring military discipline home to the fight for personal freedom in peacetime writing kids books that teach ‘extreme ownership’ and radical accountability to children. Give warriors a chance, and then subscribe to The Portal to be sure to catch our next and future episodes when they drop.Sponsor:Netsuite: netsuite.com/portalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Exploring the relationship between atheism and religion, Rabbi Wolpe and Eric discuss the challenges of balancing beliefs and navigating dialogue between religious and non-religious communities. They delve into interpreting the Hebrew Bible, Jewish adaptation, and maintaining cultural ties with tradition. The conversation also touches on the significance of gratitude, rituals in Judaism, and the importance of having the courage to stand alone in a polarized society.

What if everything we are taught in economics 101 is not only wrong, but may even be setting us up for populism, dictatorship or revolution? On this episode of the Portal, Eric is joined by renegade Economist Professor Timur Kuran whose theory of Preference Falsification appears to explain the world wide surge towards populism, and is now threatening to rewrite the core tenets of modern economics. This could well be the most important economist you’ve never heard of.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.