Ben Yeoh Chats

Jonathan Wolff is the Alfred Landecker Professor of Values and Public Policy. Before he was Professor of Philosophy and Dean of Arts and Humanities at UCL. He is currently developing a new research programme on revitalising democracy and civil society. His other current work concerns equality, disadvantage, social justice and poverty, as well as applied topics such as public safety, disability, gambling, and the regulation of recreational drugs. He has had a long-standing interest in health and health promotion, including questions of justice in health care resource allocation, the social determinants of health, and incentives and health behaviour. He writes a regular column on higher education for The Guardian. We discuss how to value life and the relevance to public policy for healthcare,  and Jo’s initial interest stemming from work on railway safety. Jo gives insights in how disability studies informed his philosophy and how behind the curve political philosophy was last century and apologises on behalf of political philosophy. Jo is concerned over vaccine equity and we discuss what role and duty biopharmaceutical companies have and who should pay for vaccines. Jo outlines his aspiration and idea of a society of equals, Jo rates multiculturalism, direct democracy, Adam Smith, the future of the city, cryptocurrencies and pronouns. We chat about the philosophy of musical performance seen through the lens of music therapy. We end talking about what a productive day looks like and his advice for young people. This sums up to: Be Kind, Think in other people’s shoes, Think of where your power and privilege comes from, and, Study subjects that interest you Transcript and video are available here. 

Economist Diane Coyle is the Bennett Professor of Public Policy,  Cambridge University. She co-directs the Bennett Institute, where she heads research under the themes of progress and productivity. Her work has touched innovation, technology and intangibles; sustainability, inequality and measuring beyond GDP.   We discuss the challenges of the current narrowness in economics both in terms of the diversity of  people it attracts and the paucity of wider ranging interdisciplinary thinking. Diane’s 1997 book (The Weightless World) was prescient over many technology, innovation and intangibles trends but sustainability was a missing hole. We discuss sustainability and what she felt she missed and what she had right. Diane critiques degrowth ideas while noting the challenges which catalyse that type of thinking. We chat about measurement challenges in an intangible world and how while GDP might have measured more usefully in the past but that in the present it misses many areas of value. In passing, Diane critiques happiness indices and elements of the human development index. We address the UK’s productivity challenges (but don’t expect we have solved it?!) and conclude it is not only a measurement challenge. We discuss inequality and “superstar earners” across all sectors and possible solutions. Diane over-rates / under-rates: Universal Basic Income, a Job guarantee policy, Industrial Policy, Arrow’s impossibility theorem, running the economy hot; and the New Zealand Prime Minister. We discuss minimum wage and tax policy. Win-win investment ideas and end with what a productive day looks like and advice for would-be economists. Transcript and Video available here.

Mark Ravenhill is one of our greatest living theatre makers. I claim this in part because of the length of his writing career, 25 years+ and still going strong, and in part because of the variety of form and type of work. His work has extended into directing and performing Mark  will be co-artistic director (with Hannah Price) of the Kings Head theatre where he is outlining plans to portray stories that would fly under the rainbow flag (an allusion to multitude types of queer stories out there).    Podcast notes: Mark articulates why representation now for all kinds of stories that would fly under the rainbow flag is important and sketches out his vision as co-artistic director. We discuss the differences between German and British theatre cultures. The surprising lack of influence from visual art on British theatre (compared to eg German theatre or many other kinds of theatre).   The satisfaction of bringing a popular story, like David Walliams Boy in the Dress to a wider (out of London) audience. We chat about how representative (or not) theatre is touching on working class and outside of London audiences,  if right wing playwrights are missing considering the British people keep returning right leaning governments; and how, of course, the landscape of public views and opinion is much more complicated than that.    The importance of listening in a world where many people are defending their right to speak (and many of those defenders having never been without that right to speak) - making space to listen to other voices.   Mark’s curiosity and love of life-long learning and what ballet has taught him. The differences and similarities in how he approached his recent biographical work about his mother, father and himself.   We play over-rated/under-rated and Mark rates:   -Automatic writing  -Speaking in verse all day   -Dressing up or outside in techniques   -Chekhov and non-English theatre  -Theatre Games   (Only one of these is overrated). We discuss the importance of Keith Johnston’s book Improv (note my podcast with Lee Simpson also discuss Keith’s work) and how Mark has used the exercises in the book.   I ask Mark, what question theatre should be asking today.   Mark finishes with advice to creatives on not being swayed too much by others (well-intentioned or not) advice. Transcript and video available here. Follow Mark on Twitter @markravenhill2 Follow Ben on Twitter @benyeohben

Sally Phillips is well known for her award winning acting, writing and comedy. She had roles in 'I'm Alan Partridge', 'Smack the Pony', 'Green Wing', and 'Miranda'; and in the US, Veep.  In 2016 she fronted the documentary 'A World Without Down's Syndrome?' (BBC2). I think she should also be better known for her disability rights advocacy. We talk about types of clowning and why the clown always says ‘yes’; the challenges of older women roles in the entertainment industry and discuss the differences between US comedy and British comedy. We chat about the importance of faith to Sally and what the aphorism:  there being two routes to God (love and suffering) means. We talk about embracing uncertainty, being curious and open minded and the practice of prayer. The disability community is important to us. We both have children with disabilities. We talk in detail about how that impacts us, how the mainstream world interacts with the disabled and despite the challenges how to have fulfilled lives. Sally ends with advice for fledgling creatives and expectant mothers. Ollie makes a guest star experience telling us the best thing about having Down’s. Transcript and video available here.   Sally's Twitter: @sallyephillips, IG: sallysmack Ben's Twitter:  @benyeohben

How does individual shareholder activism work? How does personal agency and systems change work together in a theory of change? How do we become change makers? What did Catherine's mother teach me? Catherine is Chief Executive of ShareAction. She coordinates civil society activism to promote responsible investment Catherine was recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader in 2014. ShareAction campaigns have significantly altered corporate strategy and government policy. For instance, on HSBC establishing environmental targets and Tesco making healthy food commitments. We chat about Catherine’s journey into activism and the theories of change that have influenced her. We discuss how poetry, Ursula Le Guin and feminism have impacted us. How to convince open minded skeptics to your cause. Transcript and video available here.  Topics covered: -Catherine’s  activism journey  -Catherine on community and theory of change -ShareAction theory of change -Healthy eating campaign, ideas on fiduciary duty -How to decide on campaign topics -Converting skeptics  -What poetry taught me dividual agency at National Express  What poetry taught me  -Questions on individual pension investors vote  -Maximising the well being of people  -Responsible Investment Bill idea, maximising welfare  -Better growth not degrowth  -Problems of vaccine nationalism  -Underrated/overrated: art, cycling, carbon tax, voting, remote work, having children  -Catherines advice to young people

Tassos Stevens is artistic director of Coney. The transcript of the podcast here.  Prior to Coney, he did a doctorate in Psychology, won the inaugural James Menzies-Kitchin Award for theatre directors, did the NT Studio Directors Course, ran the ROAR platform to support new work and new artists on the London fringe, and also worked as critic, teacher, many flavours of researcher, salesman, and chef. We chat about pivotal moments of theatre and explore what interactive and immersive mean for theatre. The importance of play and “making belief’ as opposed to “suspending disbelief” How to involved audiences in agency and what Tassos advises for young people interested in theatre.

Matt Clancy is a progress fellow at Emergent Ventures. He teaches at Iowa State University and writes on Substack a newsletter called New Things Under the Sun, which you should subscribe to if you are interested in anything innovation related. Matt has also synthesised many of the emerging studies on remote working. Transcript and video links here. We discuss whether progress has been stagnating and the importance of moral and social progress as well as technological. Whether small team or large teams are better for invention. How important are agglomeration effects and how a declining agglomeration impact might make the case for remote work stronger. The role of innovation prizes and patents for incentivising innovation and if copyright is too long. Whether innovation agencies (eg ARPA)  are the answer and what Matt would do as an executive director of one. Differences between UK and US university systems and advice for young people. Matt’s thinking on remote work. 

Short introduction to Ben Yeoh Chats. If you are curious about the world this show is for you. I have extended conversations across humanities and science with artists, philosophers, writers, theatre makers, activists, economists and all walks of life. Episodes include: -What is like to go to Columbia University at 15 and be valedictorian with Leopold Aschenbrenner? -What should worry us about gamification with philosopher Thi Nguyen ? -What sparks invention with innovation historian, Anton Howes ? -What do story telling and improvisation tell us about being human with Lee Simpson. -I’ve learned a tremendous amount doing these shows and hope you enjoy and learn too. Enjoy.

Lee Simpson is a founder member of Improbable (theatre makers and improvisers), a long time Comedy Store Player (since the 1980s) and one of Paul Merton's Impro Chums. He’s also been a croupier, cinema projectionist and breakfast show DJ. He’s written plays, appeared in sit-coms and in some films, been on some Radio 4 panel shows and once did a very poor poodle act at the London Palladium.  That vast range highlights two strong threads one in the world of improv and another in the world of theatre making. Transcript available here and video version available here. -I speak to Lee on his roots in theatre and improv and the importance of  Keith Johnstone’s work. -Lee outlines his thoughts on on his drama school experience, two schools of improv (US and UK) andhow improv and theatre misunderstand one another. -We discuss the  infrastructure (or lack of) behind improv and theatre and techniques on listening to the audience and feedback loops in performing. -We sketch out ideas on structure and story form, on being human and Lee explains status structure as a technique. -We chat about how  humans understand the world and how we view our lives as story that changes through time. -Lee reflects on being part of a comedy group for a long time and shares a stroy on Mo Mowlam. -We talk on how to “build back better” in the arts and what Open Space is and techniques for listening and genuine connections to art. -We end with advice Lee has for young people.  Contents:  01:17 Lee on his roots in theat re and improv and Keith Johnstone.  04:07 Lee on his drama school experience and two schools of improv  09:43 How improv and theatre misunderstand one another.  13:32 Lee on the infrastructure (or lack of) behind improv and theatre. On listening to the audience and feedback loops in performing.  21:27 Lee on current UK Improv organisations 26:56 Money no issue… what the work of Improbable would do  29:01 Ben on language of improv and comedy, repetition and twist  32:29 Lee on structure and story form, on being human. Explains status structure.  36:44 Lee on how humans understand the world. Viewing our lives as story that changes through time.  42:47 On being part of a comedy group for a long time.  43:00 On Mo Mowlam being involved with the comedy store players  47:37 Mo Mowlam’s final months and concerns on anti-democracy 53:33 Lee on “Build Back Better”  57:46 Lee on Open Space, techniques for listening and genuine connections to art  1:05:07 Improv teaching you to listen to yourself  1:07:46 More on OpenSpace  1:15:34 Advice for young people, Ben channeling phantom Lee  1:17:15 Lee’s advice: step outside your path a little. 

I had an excellent chat with Leopold Aschenbrenner. Leopold is a grant winner from Tyler Cowen’s  Emergent Ventures. He went to Columbia University, aged 15, and graduated in 2021 as valedictorian. (Contents below ↓ ↓ ). He is a researcher  at the Global Priorities Institute, thinking about long-termism. He has drafted a provocative paper encompassing ideas of long-termisim, existential risk and growth. For some of our conversation we were joined by phantom Tyler Cowen imagining what he might think.   We discussed Leopold’s critique of German culture and whether he’d swap German infrastructure for the American entrepreneurial spirit.    Whether being a valedictorian is efficient, if going to University at 15 is underrated and life at Columbia University.    What you can learn from speed solving Rubik’s cubes and if Leopold had to make the choice today if he’d still be vegetarian.   Thinking about existential risk, Leopold considers whether nuclear or biological warfare risk is a bigger threat than climate change and how growth matters and if the rate of growth matters as much depending on how long you think humanity survives.     Considering possible under rated existential risk Leopold sketches out several concerns over the falling global birth rate, how sticky that might be and whether policy would be effective.  We consider what is worth seeing in Germany, how good or not GDP is as a measure and what we should do with our lives.    Leopold has wide ranging thoughts and in thinking and working on fat tail existential ruin risks is working on saving the human world. Fascinating thoughts. Transcript Here with links and  a video version here.  Ben Yeoh's microgrants here. 1:35 How to think about a future career (80000 hours)  4:10 Is going to university at 15 years old  underrated?  6:22 In favour of college and liberal arts vs Thiel fellowships  9:14 Is being a valedictorian efficient (H/T Tyler Cowen)  13:01 Leopold on externalities and how to sort smart people  15:08 Learnings from Columbia. The importance of work ethic.  19:50 Leopold learning from Adam Tooze and German history  22:16 Leopold critiques German culture on standing out.  23:08 Observations on decline of German universities  25:22 Leopold concerns on the German leadership class 30:25 German infrastructure and if it feels poor  34:13 Critique of too much netflix  35:27 What to learn from speed cubing Rubik’s cubes and weird communities  38:04 Leopold’s story of Emergent Ventures and what he found valuable  40:08 Embracing weirdness and disagreeableness   42:20  Leopold considering whether US entrepreneurial culture worth swapping for German infrastructure 44:44 Leopold on social ills of alcohol  44:59 Examining Leopold’s ideas of existential risk and growth  48:49 Different views depending on time frame:700 years or millions of years  52:18 Leopold’s view on importance of growth and risk of dark ages   57:07 Climate as a real risk but not a top existential risk 1:01:02 Nuclear weapons as an underrated existential risk  1:01:45 View on emergent AI risk 1:03:20 Falling fertility as an underrated risk  1:15:35 Mormon and eternal family  1:17:29 Underrated/overrated with phantom Tyler Cowen   1:36:10 What EA gets right/wrong, EA as religion? 1:44:56 Advice: Being independent, creative and writing blogs