80k After Hours
The 80000 Hours team
Resources on how to do good with your career — and anything else we here at 80,000 Hours feel like releasing.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 25, 2024 • 24min
Highlights: #192 – Annie Jacobsen on what would happen if North Korea launched a nuclear weapon at the US
Annie Jacobsen, national security expert, discusses the chaos post a North Korean nuclear attack on the US, exploring decision-making complexities and the inevitability of escalation. Delving into Russian vs American missile warning systems, secretive war plans, and the catastrophic effects of a super EMP strike.
Jul 23, 2024 • 1h 23min
Off the Clock #5: Leaving 80k with Maria Gutierrez Rojas
Maria Gutierrez Rojas discusses 80k's aesthetics, religion, bad billionaires, and org challenges. Topics include balancing aesthetics vs functionality in art, loneliness, moral dilemmas, making med school tuition free, transitioning to a permanent position at ADK, reflections on philanthropy, navigating uncertainty in discussions, and the enigma of 'Club Club'. Experiences with Christianity and Catholicism are also shared.
Jul 19, 2024 • 33min
Highlights: #191 (Part 2) – Carl Shulman on government and society after AGI
Carl Shulman, an expert on government and society after AGI, discusses AI advisors' potential role in handling the COVID-19 crisis, the reasons for not supporting enforced pauses in AI research, value lock-in, how democracies prevent coups, and building trust between adversaries regarding AI models. Opportunities for listeners are also highlighted.
Jul 11, 2024 • 35min
Highlights: #191 (Part 1) – Carl Shulman on the economy and national security after AGI
Carl Shulman, an expert on the economy and national security post-AGI, discusses the impact of AI on the workforce, advantages of robot nannies, economic growth rates post-AGI, historical production comparisons, building restrictions on housing costs, revenue generation through construction, skepticism towards future transformations, and income and wealth distribution in a post-AI world.
Jun 21, 2024 • 22min
Highlights: #190 – Eric Schwitzgebel on whether the US is conscious
Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel discusses nested consciousness in the US, challenging intuitive thinking and exploring dream experiences. The conversation delves into emergent consciousness in ants, reliability of human intuition, and the moral significance of dreams, questioning the boundaries between wakefulness and dreams.
Jun 12, 2024 • 26min
Highlights: #189 – Rachel Glennerster on how “market shaping” could help solve climate change, pandemics, and other global problems
Rachel Glennerster discusses using 'market shaping' to address global challenges like climate change and pandemics, highlighting pull mechanisms for universal COVID vaccines and incentivizing drug repurposing. She also explores systemic reforms in education versus specific interventions.
Jun 6, 2024 • 26min
Highlights: #188 – Matt Clancy on whether science is good
Matt Clancy discusses the impact of scientific progress, including potential negative consequences. They explore how technology benefits our day-to-day lives, the role of science in reducing extinction risks, and challenges hindering explosive economic growth. Can science delay the time of perils?
Jun 3, 2024 • 1h 16min
Off the Clock #4 (fka Actually After Hours): One Boxing with Julian Hazell
Julian Hazell discusses the UK recession, religion, and higher education. The conversation delves into humorous analyses of the British monarchy, decision theory, effective altruism, and ethical dilemmas. They also explore the value of philosophy, student-led academic publishing, and the nuances of academic systems. The debate includes questioning voting rights based on physical strength and historical sword fighting traditions.
May 28, 2024 • 26min
Highlights: #187 – Zach Weinersmith on how researching his book turned him from a space optimist into a “space bastard”
Zach Weinersmith discusses his transition from a space optimist to a 'space bastard', covering topics like the history of space exploration, the challenges of space settlement, effects of space on human bodies, ethics of having babies in space, and a roadmap for settling space.
May 15, 2024 • 15min
Highlights: #186 – Dean Spears on why babies are born small in Uttar Pradesh, and how to save their lives
Dean Spears, an expert on why babies are born small in Uttar Pradesh, discusses the impact of maternal undernutrition, the success of Kangaroo Mother Care in reducing neonatal deaths, and the cost effectiveness of programs aimed at saving infants' lives. The podcast also explores challenges of cash-based healthcare for neonatal survival in Uttar Pradesh.
