

Minds Almost Meeting
Agnes Callard & Robin Hanson
Imagine two smart curious friendly and basically truth-seeking people, but from very different intellectual traditions. Traditions with different tools, priorities, and ground rules. What would they discuss? Would they talk past each other? Make any progress? Would anyone want to hear them? Economist Robin Hanson and philosopher Agnes Callard decided to find out.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 17, 2024 • 1h 1min
Cultural evolution (Robin Hanson & Agnes Callard)
Economist Robin Hanson and philosopher Agnes Callard delve into cultural evolution, comparing species to human societies, discussing innovation spread, societal norms, legal regulations, diversity preservation, fertility strategies, and the complexities of 'weirdness' in cultural evolution.

Apr 11, 2024 • 1h 4min
3 Body Problem (Agnes Callard & Robin Hanson, with Arnold Brooks)
Economist Robin Hanson and philosopher Agnes Callard delve into the 3 Body Problem, discussing moral dilemmas, alien civilizations, and sociological complexity in science fiction. They explore contrasting viewpoints, human connections, and dangerous concepts in storytelling, providing unique insights into safeguarding humanity's future in speculative narratives.

Apr 3, 2024 • 1h 3min
Corpses (Robin Hanson & Agnes Callard)
Minds Almost Meeting: Season 8, Episode 7.
View the transcript for this episode here: https://mindsalmostmeeting.com/episodes/corpses
Imagine two smart curious friendly and basically truth-seeking people, but from very different intellectual traditions. Traditions with different tools, priorities, and ground rules. What would they discuss? Would they talk past each other? Make any progress? Would anyone want to hear them? Economist Robin Hanson and philosopher Agnes Callard decided to find out.
Visit the Minds Almost Meeting website here: https://mindsalmostmeeting.com

Mar 27, 2024 • 1h 2min
Nostalgia (Agnes Callard & Robin Hanson)
Minds Almost Meeting: Season 8, Episode 6.
View the transcript for this episode here: https://mindsalmostmeeting.com/episodes/nostalgia
Imagine two smart curious friendly and basically truth-seeking people, but from very different intellectual traditions. Traditions with different tools, priorities, and ground rules. What would they discuss? Would they talk past each other? Make any progress? Would anyone want to hear them? Economist Robin Hanson and philosopher Agnes Callard decided to find out.
Visit the Minds Almost Meeting website here: https://mindsalmostmeeting.com

Mar 20, 2024 • 1h
Resentment (Robin Hanson & Agnes Callard)
Two intellectuals from different traditions, Robin Hanson and Agnes Callard, discuss resentment and its complexities. They delve into societal views, group norms, relationships, artful expressions, vulnerability, and strength. The conversation explores dynamics in group settings, confronting resentment, and the balance between gratitude and resentment.

Mar 14, 2024 • 1h 6min
Social miracles (Agnes Callard & Robin Hanson)
Minds Almost Meeting: Season 8, Episode 4.
View the transcript for this episode here: https://mindsalmostmeeting.com/episodes/social-miracles
Imagine two smart curious friendly and basically truth-seeking people, but from very different intellectual traditions. Traditions with different tools, priorities, and ground rules. What would they discuss? Would they talk past each other? Make any progress? Would anyone want to hear them? Economist Robin Hanson and philosopher Agnes Callard decided to find out.
Visit the Minds Almost Meeting website here: https://mindsalmostmeeting.com
note: re-uploaded due to a glitch

14 snips
Mar 7, 2024 • 59min
Consumerism (Robin Hanson & Agnes Callard)
Economist Robin Hanson and philosopher Agnes Callard explore consumerism, societal perceptions of enjoying nature versus shopping, manipulation of desires by individuals and institutions, seduction in the novel 'Ladies Paradise', personal enjoyment and critiques of consumerism, impact of consumerism and media on personal growth, and cultural perceptions of consumer items.

Feb 28, 2024 • 1h 7min
Disagreement and alienation (Agnes Callard & Robin Hanson, with Berislav Marušić)
Economist Robin Hanson and philosopher Agnes Callard explore disagreements and alienation, challenging conventional perspectives. They discuss the rationality of differing opinions, the complexities of belief formation, and the importance of engaging in reasoning-based conversations. The podcast highlights the significance of judging arguments based on merit alone and suspending judgment to navigate disagreements effectively.

Feb 21, 2024 • 1h 3min
Evidence order bias (Robin Hanson & Agnes Callard)
Minds Almost Meeting: Season 8, Episode 1.
View the transcript for this episode here: https://mindsalmostmeeting.com/episodes/evidence-order-bias
Imagine two smart curious friendly and basically truth-seeking people, but from very different intellectual traditions. Traditions with different tools, priorities, and ground rules. What would they discuss? Would they talk past each other? Make any progress? Would anyone want to hear them? Economist Robin Hanson and philosopher Agnes Callard decided to find out.
Visit the Minds Almost Meeting website here: https://mindsalmostmeeting.com

Nov 16, 2023 • 1h 6min
Theoretical vs. Practical Reason (Agnes Callard & Robin Hanson, with Laura Deming)
Philosopher Agnes Callard and economist Robin Hanson discuss the distinction between practical and theoretical reasoning, the authority of academics, evaluating actions for the benefit of the world, prioritizing underworked problems, motives and constraints in pursuing selfless goals, the importance of understanding machine intentions, and the value of knowledge and making life choices.