Ben Yeoh Chats

Alec is the co-founder and co-CEO of the Institute for Progress. The IFP is dedicated to to accelerating scientific, technological, and industrial progress while safeguarding humanity’s future. Alec and co-founder Caleb Watney are supported by prominent progress thinkers such as Tyler Cowen and Patrick Collinson. We discuss the competing interests that prevent physical infrastructure such as power lines, or cafe “parklet” structures from being easily built.   Alec explains how using a framework borrowed from Effective Altruism: impact (will it be impactful), tractability (is it possible?), under-researched (are many other people working on the challenge?) - is a useful framing.   Alex discusses why biosecurity (pandemic preparedness), meta-science (understanding how science progresses) and immigration (in particular high skilled) are the initial areas of interest and what other areas, like climate, might be next.   We speculate on what intractable bluesky policies we would potentially pursue.   We play over-rated/under-rated (in honour of Tyler Cowen):  -Carbon tax   -Planning laws   -Crypto  -Rogue AI  -Animal welfare   -Charter cities   -Innovation agencies   -Remote working    Alec ends with his life advice for others in thinking about a career on how to have the most impact in your life. Transcript and video are available here, with links.

Chris Stark is the Chief Executive of the UK’s Climate Change Committee. The committee is an independent statutory body which advises the UK and developed governments on emissions targets and preparing for and adapting to the impacts of climate change. I think he is one of the most important and thoughtful thinkers on climate change policy today. We discuss what is most misunderstood about climate policy, the likely co-benefits and the scale of investments needed especially in the UK in replacing “old inefficient stock”. What positives/negatives came out of COP26 (recent international climate conference) and what to hope for in COP27 and beyond. Why COP26 might have been considered a corporate COP as a criticism but why that might not be bad. Why sector specific strategies might be a better plan than a focus on carbon tax. Why adaptation or resilience has been a bit of a “Cinderella” in climate discussions. What the science suggests is already baked into 2050 scenarios and so what we should be thinking about adaptation as well as mitigation. The complexities and challenges around “behaviour change” and why it’s not a great term. Why we might not need a complete culture change (in the sense of changing lifestyles) but the intersection of behaviour and technology. (For instance, still driving cars but electric cars on a decarbonised grid.) Why a sense of fairness is one the most important climate policy (political economy) considerations and what we should think about in terms of climate impacts falling unequally across countries and peoples. What role finance has to play. Chris references the work of Nick Robins here.  We discuss: Climate assemblies (and why Chris changed his view on them) Divest/engagement strategies Carbon offsets Carbon taxes The role of nuclear Land use Road charging And we end with advice Chris has for people. Transcript and video is available here, along with links to the CC and Nick Robins work.

David Spiegelhalter is an expert on medical statistics. He was the president of the Royal Statistical Society and is Chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence communication. He is also a World Champion, in a version of pool called Loop and hosts his own podcast, Risky Talk.  David has a new book out (with Anthony Masters), COVID by Numbers, which is an excellent book on COVID statistics. This follows his previous bestseller, the Art of Statistics.  David discusses what was most surprising and misunderstood about COVID statistics.  David emphasises how numbers can be emotional and weaponised and what we can do to protect ourselves. We chat about what thinking about risk and techniques we should teach children and think about in every day life. Ideas such as baseline risk and absolute vs relative risk.   We think about unintended consequences, the agency challenges of regulators and how to think of a range of risk.  David explains fat tails and extreme values and that, for instance, AI risk is an extreme existential risk but perhaps over rated.  I learn about the “Rose Paradox” and “Cromwell’s law”, in statistics. The Rose paradox suggests policy might be useful at a general population level but not at an individual basis. For instance, government messages about drinking less and things like that can be rational at the population level and yet it's also rational for individuals to take no notice of it. Cromwell’s law implies many life events are not  0% or 100% and you should take that into account in decision making.  Or, in plain English, you should always imagine there's something you haven't thought of. We discuss the risks of alcohol and touch on air pollution and cholesterol (statin drugs), and how to think about medical statistics.   David explains the attraction and beauty of stained glass art.   David ends with life advice about enjoying life and taking (good, well-managed) risks in order to have a fulfilling life. Transcript and video are available here.

Steve Uwin is a theatre director and writer. Amongst many accomplishments he has been the artistic director of the Rose theatre, founder of ETT, English Touring Theatre. He is also chair of the charity Kids, which provides services to children with disabilities.  We speak about whether we need language to be human and what non-verbal people teach us. We chat on how theatre has developed over the decades and Steve’s appreciation of Brecht and the Berliner Ensemble. We touch on Steve’s experience of theTraverse theatre, dealing with the very different stakeholders of the Rose Theatre; and how European theatre, realism and London has influenced theatre over the decades; what’s enjoyable about theatre over film. Steve discusses how much of liberal progressive thinking may overlook the history and challenges of disability. While contested, we chat about the possible roots of this in the 18th century enlightenment and its influences today. We talk about the importance of self-advocacy but also the challenges of self-advocacy if you are - for instance - non-verbal. Steve talks about going viral on Twitter around “mock gloom” and disability. He also provocatively suggests five of the greatest artists of the last century. We comment on: Bob Dylan The artist Piero della Francesca And what he has in his library of thousands of books And finish with his current projects and life advice Steve has. To let you know… The audio is a little crackly on Steve’s side. Apologies in advance. It’s still listenable, but there’s also a transcript if easier, here. Enjoy. Thanks.

Zeke Hausfather is a climate scientist and energy systems analyst whose research focuses on observational temperature records, climate models, and mitigation technologies. He spent 10 years working as a data scientist and entrepreneur in the cleantech sector, where he was the lead data scientist at Essess, the chief scientist at C3.ai, and the cofounder and chief scientist of Efficiency 2.0. He also worked as a research scientist with Berkeley Earth, was the senior climate analyst at Project Drawdown, and the US analyst for Carbon Brief. Follow his Twitter for his climate thoughts. We discuss: What is most misunderstood about climate science today. Why many doomsday scenarios are unlikely but yet serious damage from climate is happening now. Why scientists have been poor in communicating what is mean by tipping points with respect to climate. How he thinks about climate “tail risk” and how tail risk diminishes the less heating happens. The problems with “averages” and how there is uncertainty not only about our amount of emissions, but the sensitivity of the climate to our emissions. Why climate is better thought of as a gradient rather than point thresholds. The problem with climate economics due to time horizons, long time horizons and the discounting models economists use. Zeke’s view on the range of different projections coming out post COP26 and what they mean. Zeke’s thoughts on: -degrowth -carbon tax -techno-optimists -nuclear power -carbon offsetting -divestment movement -gas as a transition fuel -green New Deal -Bjorn Lomborg Zeke finishes with advice for people who want to be involved in climate. Video/Transcript available here.  Ben's Twitter here. 

Aella is perhaps most famous on twitter for shining a light on the life and economics of Camgirls and escorts; and asking challenging questions. But her independent research is larger than that and has encompassed reporting on LSD and psychedelics use, circling, the nature of faith, and enlightenment. She grew up homeschooled in a fundamental Christian household before leaving home at 17. The transcript and conversation includes adult themes and mild profanity from Aella and is recommended 18+. We discuss what is most misunderstood about escort work and the additional needs of men such as emotional intimacy. How Aella thinks of her own compartmentalisation. What you should say about male anatomy size. How insecurity can go both ways on male thinking on size. What Aella thinks about Twitter and making questions and polls. What it was like to have ideas you took for granted completely turned on their head. For instance, what she was taught to think of gays. We chatted about her interest in psychedelics, speaking to people who think they are enlightened and spirituality. And what that intersection with rationality is for her. She discusses several viewpoints of the Rationalist community and her views on Effective Altruism. Her thoughts on archaeology and  thinking about moral arguments in their place in time. Why she feels to strongly about home school. Her thoughts on losing faith. What it was like working in a factory, and what the point of secret messages she scratched at her work were. How she has struggled with cultural norms. How she answers some of her own questions: You're in a room with 10,000 people. You get to ask three binary questions. Yes or no.  For each question, the people who answer the question according to the way you want, they stay and the people who don't leave the room.  What do you ask? We play underrated / overrated on these topics: Accordion Ballroom Dancing Pronouns Abalone Sweating on command She talks about emotional pain and tells me what the practice of circling is all about. We end on what her research interests are and what her life advice is. Transcript and video here. Ben's Twitter here.

Jason Mitchell is Co-Head of Responsible Investment at Man Group. He was a hedge fund manager and he is a poet. He’s a deep thinker on all things sustainable and finance. He hosts a brilliant podcast on sustainability, A Sustainable Future. We chat on his poetry and how he witnessed refugees in the Mediterranean sea.And what poetry has taught him. “rescued by our boat one morning, the man asked me, is it true what they tell us, the traffickers, about these waters, that the sea has no bottom? I told him no, there is indeed a floor, half a mile or more below us. And Europe is a much farther, more difficult journey than the traffickers promised you”. Whether fund managers on average know enough outside finance and his journey into sustainability. Jason discusses the Jevons paradox. How we use something more the more efficient it becomes. Jason gives views in overrated/underrated on: -Carbon Tax -Divestment as a social political tool -Shareholder activism as a theory of change -Carbon offsets (and shorting as a tool) -sustainable finance regulation -Stakeholder capitalism We end with Jason’s favourite podcasts that he has hosted, what people misunderstand and his advice for others. “no doesn't mean never” Transcript and video is available here. Follow Ben on Twitter.

Dan Goodley is a professor of disability studies and education at the School of Education, University of Sheffield. Dan co-directs iHuman, which sits at the intersections of Critical Disability Studies and Science and Technology Studies. iHuman is addressing  ome significant questions of contemporary society including: what does it mean to be human? Dan has written the thought provoking book: Disability and Other Human Questions. We chat about who and how do we decide who gets to be human? I pose what thinking about the rights (or lack of) that Britney Spears has is relevant to disability rights thinking. Dan wide ranging thoughts on what disability and other intersectional studies have suggested to him. These include: Thinking about “ability” and what the social model of disability suggests. What a critique of idealising able bodies and able minds might mean. What medicalisation means and how it is different to medicine. How humans are interdependent and what that suggests about our relationships. How technology is impacting Dis/abled humanness. What being a Nottingham Forest Football fan has taught Dan. And Dan’s life advice: Move from the object to embrace the subject.  Transcript and video are here.  Dan's book here: Disability and Other Human Questions Ben's Twitter is @benyeohben and Dan is @DanGoodley

Bec Hill is an actor, comedian and writer famous for flip charts with misheard music lyrics. She has a wide array of talents including as a writer, a recent children’s book series: Horror Heights, The Slime and hosting make-away takeaway for children's ITV. She has her own podcast A Problem Squared which she co-hosts with Matt Parker. We speak about the use of arts and craft in comedy and thinking about children’s comedy. How she found acting as a “straight actor” in David Finnigan’s Kill Climate Deniers. How she met her partner and how he has helped direct and collaborate on her shows. How faith helps guide her life. How her ADHD diagnosis has helped her understanding. That all things can be funny, but do you want to make a joke out of all things? We discuss the right to offend, but think about whether we should make jokes about everything. The best uses for PVA glue, duct and glitter and her practical advice for aspiring stand-up comics (it’s to do with the microphone). Transcipt and Video available here.  Book Link: Horror Heights, The Slime

Meaghan Kall is an epidemiologist at what used to be known as Public Health England but is now the UK Health Security Agency. She and her colleagues have been working flat out for two years producing some of the world's best COVID data.  We speak about annoying and funny COVID myths. She gives her view on COVID vaccine waning, Long COVID and risk in children; and how we are going to come to terms with COVID as an endemic disease (think about managing flu, although with different outcomes). We dive into what it means to be an epidemiologist and think about the social determinants of health.  With the lens of looking at HIV epidemiology, we discuss how certain populations are more adversely impacted. We discuss what caring for disabled children as meant for us and how that insight is another facet of what it means to be human. We think about what “expected value” means and how science can not answer matters of policy which have to be decided also by thinking of our values and other trade-offs. Meaghan gives the advice she is currently giving family and friends and ends with some thinking on life career advice. Transcript and video available here. Ben's Twitter @benyeohben and Meaghan's Twitter @kallmemeg