NonTrivial Sean McClure

Society has become a little too enamoured with analysis and explanation, at the cost of building real things. Nature only validates by making things that work. This is what true validation looks like; less talking, more pointing (at what has been made). In this episode I use Mike Tyson as an example of the difference between real and polished. Support the Show.Check out the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcast

In this episode I discuss the increasingly popular idea that valuing death is irrational, and that death should be treated as a problem to solve. I argue that such a stance is itself irrational, and that death should be viewed more objectively as an essential piece to how nature works. I show how the death-as-a-problem stance suffers from being intractable, and fails to align to the fundamental roles that constraints and iteration play in successful systems. Support the Show.Check out th...

In this episode I use a recent statement made by Sam Altman, regarding the emergence of intelligence, to highlight the outdated way both laymen and many scientists view AI specifically, and complexity more broadly. I argue that, despite what we are old, a truly scientific and rigorous theory or decision does not demand a causal explanation, and in fact such causal approaches are quite counter to doing good science today.Sam Atlam's excerpt: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C60dq1Oyw_r/Tweet: ht...

In this episode I discuss one of the core flaws in IQ research, showing how it violates basic logic (let alone any notion of complexity). I discuss how such studies are not mere niche areas of research, but rather directly affect people's lives through the policies they encourage.Support the Show.Check out the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcast

For video version: https://youtu.be/kAnnsjl-jygIn this episode I discuss the problem with taking only the final/best parts of something, and using those parts as a system to run our lives. I look at the importance of "waste" and redundancy in natural systems, and how this runs counter to our modern world's obsession with stripped down efficiency. Apologies for audio quality on this episode. Support the Show.Check out the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcast

Reputations are things people tend to protect. But protecting our reputation means blocking our values from being known, which I argue invites the wrong opportunities into our lives. Having a life filled with wrong opportunities means never having the chance to deliver your real potential to the world, which really is a tragedy.Support the Show.Check out the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcast