Rationally Speaking Podcast

Technology writer Clive Thompson discusses his latest book, Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World. Topics Clive and Julia cover include: - Why coders love efficiency so much - Are there downsides to efficiency? - Do coders have particular blindspots when it comes to human nature? - What is a "10x Coder," and why do people disagree about whether they exist? - Does Clive still agree with his older book, "Smarter Than You Think," which argued that technology is making us smarter?

Tyler Cowen, an economist at George Mason University and author of 'Big Business,' explores the rising anti-capitalist sentiment and its justifications. He debates the blame placed on corporations for wage stagnation and climate issues, advocating for a collaborative approach. The discussion also dives into the complexities of bet-based beliefs, the optimistic spirit of technology, and the unique intellectual culture of the Bay Area. Cowen emphasizes the need for nuanced dialogue and a fact-based understanding of big business's role in society.

Helen Toner, Director of Strategy at Georgetown's Center for Security and Emerging Technology, offers insights from her work on AI and national security. She discusses the stark differences in perspectives between Chinese and American AI scientists, emphasizing misconceptions about China's AI capabilities. Toner critiques the media's portrayal of an 'AI arms race' and highlights the challenges of reliable data from China. The conversation also touches on the bureaucratic hurdles facing U.S. AI initiatives and the potential for meaningful international cooperation.

This episode features journalist Kelsey Piper, blogger and journalist for "Future Perfect," a new site focused on topics that impact the long-term future of the world. Kelsey and Julia discuss some of her recent stories, including why people disagree about AI risk, and how she came up with her probabilistic predictions for 2018. They also discuss topics from Kelsey's personal blog, including why it's not necessarily a good idea to read articles you strongly disagree with, why "sovereignty" is such an important virtue, and the pros and cons of the steel man technique.

This episode features John Nerst, data scientist and blogger at everythingstudies.com, discussing a potential new field called "erisology," the study of disagreement. John and Julia discuss why Twitter makes disagreement so hard; whether there's anything to learn from postmodernism; John's "signal and corrective" model that explains why disagreement persists even when people agree on the key facts; and how the concept of "decoupling" helps explains Sam Harris and Ezra Klein's debate last year about IQ.

William Gunn, director of scholarly communications for Elsevier, and Alex Holcombe, cognitive scientist and open science advocate, dive into the heated debate on the role of major publishers. They explore scientists' frustrations with Elsevier and the complexities of its pricing models. The duo discusses the clash between traditional publishing and open science, questioning the accessibility of research. They also tackle the balance of maintaining journal quality while pushing for an equitable open access model, highlighting the need for change in a monopolistic academic landscape.

This episode features Sarah Haider, the president of Ex-Muslims of North America. Julia and Sarah discuss why it's important to talk about the challenges of leaving Islam, and why that makes people uncomfortable or angry. They also explore whether being intellectually honest helps or hurts your effectiveness as an activist; Sarah's concerns with the Intellectual Dark Web; and whether Sarah would draw any lines when it comes to giving offensive views a platform.

If you want to do as much good as possible with your career, what problems should you work on, and what jobs should you consider? This episode features Rob Wiblin, director of research for effective altruist organization 80,000 Hours, and the host of the 80,000 Hours podcast. Julia and Rob discuss how the career advice 80,000 Hours gives has changed over the years, and the biggest misconceptions about their views. Their conversation covers topics like: - Should everyone try to get a job in finance and donate their income? - The case for working to reduce global catastrophic risks - Why reducing risk is a better way to help the future than increasing economic growth - What percentage of the world should ideally follow 80,000 Hours advice?

This episode features Neerav Kingsland, who helped rebuild New Orleans' public school system after Hurricane Katrina, converting it into the country's first nearly-100% charter school system. Neerav and Julia discuss: why Neerav believes the evidence shows charter schools work better than regular public schools, his responses to the main arguments against charters, and what we know about how parents choose schools for their children.

Economist Rick Nevin discusses his research on lead and crime. They explore the causal relationship, successful predictions, and the potential to reduce crime rate to zero by eliminating lead.