

The Bayesian Conspiracy
The Bayesian Conspiracy
A conversational podcast for aspiring rationalists.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 26, 2025 • 1h 55min
251 – Matt Freeman on What Makes a Good Story
Matt Freeman has been cohosting several media analysis podcasts for over a decade. He and his cohost Scott have been doing weekly episodes of the Doofcast every Friday and they cover movies, books, and TV shows. Matt and Scott’s analysis podcasts have made me love stories even more and have equipped me with tools to […]

Nov 22, 2025 • 26min
Bayes Blast 46 – Get Involved in Local Politics with Booker Lightman
Booker is a long-time attendee and one of the coordinators of the Denver area Less Wrong community. Community engagement isn’t just a background task for him – he’s taken real steps to get involved with and improve his community and you can too! He’s here to tell us about the things he’s done and give […]

Nov 12, 2025 • 1h 57min
250 – Making the Good Life with Matt Freeman
While Eneasz is busy at InkHaven, Steven sits down with Matt Freeman to talk about not-AI stuff! We had (in my opinion) a great conversation about stoic philosophy, the traps of getting too entrenched in any philosophical framework, and some of the ingredients of a happy life. LINKS It’s Okay to Feel Bad for a […]

Oct 29, 2025 • 2h 8min
249 – Red Heart and IABIED with Max Harms
We talk with Max Harms on the air for the first time since 2017! He’s got a new book coming out (pre-order your copy here or at Amazon) and we spend about the first half talking about If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies. LINKS Max’s first book, Crystal Society Eneasz’s audiobook of about the first […]

Oct 15, 2025 • 1h 43min
248 – Seeking Alpha, with Jay
Jay talks with us about finding Alpha – returns above the base rate – in every day life (and what this means). LINKS Optimize Everything, Jay’s substack Jay on Twitter Arbor Trading Bootcamp Kelsey’s argument that We Need To Be Able To Sue AI Companies 00:00:05 – Alpha with Jay 01:28:53 – Guild of the […]

Oct 1, 2025 • 1h 43min
247 – The Void, with Matt Freeman, part 2
We continue discussing Nostalgebraist’s “The Void” in the context of how to relate to LLMs. If God imagines Claude hard enough, does Claude become real? LINKS The Void Audio reading of The Void, from AskWho The referenced episode where the three of us spoke of Janus’s post “Simulators” Claude-Clark post – Simulacra Welfare: Meet Clark, by […]

Sep 17, 2025 • 1h 43min
246 – The Void, with Matt Freeman, part 1
In this engaging discussion, Matt Freeman, a founder of The Guild of the Rose and a frequent commentator on AI, dives into thought-provoking themes from Nostalgebraist’s "The Void." They contemplate the nature of conversations with AI like ChatGPT, questioning who, or what, we’re really engaging with. The conversation also touches on the ethics and consciousness of AI, exploring the emotional resonance of language models versus human experiences, and the philosophical implications of AI interactions. Expect a blend of humor, deep insights, and a sprinkle of anime influence!

Sep 17, 2025 • 8sec
pre246 note
Audio reading of The Void, from AskWho

Sep 3, 2025 • 1h 34min
245 – AI Welfare, with Rob Long and Rosie Campbell of Eleos
Do we need to be concerned for the welfare of AIs today? What about the near future? Eleos AI Research is asking exactly that. LINKS Eleos AI Research People for the Ethical Treatment of Reinforcement Learners Bees Can’t Suffer? Lena, by qntm When AI Seems Conscious Experience Machines, Rob’s substack The War on General Computation […]

Aug 20, 2025 • 1h 23min
244 – How and Why to Form a Church, with Andrew Willsen
Andrew Willsen tells us how incorporating as a church allows you to navigate modernity, and gives us the basic steps to doing so. LINKS Andrew’s church substack – The Church of the Infinite Game To incorporate in CA file ARTS-PB-501(c)(3) CA Form FTB3500 booklet IRS document 1828 (see also the summary) Nonprofit Compliance Checklist The […]


