The Hope Axis by Anna Gát

Anna Gát
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Biweekly

What is there in the world to hope and work for? Let's discuss!

  1. 2d ago

    Taylor Lorenz and Brian Chau: Hope for the Future of Journalism

    On this very special double episode of The Hope Axis, Anna Gát is joined by author, technology journalist, and User Mag founder Taylor Lorenz, and engineer, writer, and founder of Effort, a new media outlet, Brian Chau. Anna, Taylor and Brian, explore what comes next for journalism, from new independent publications to AI-powered approaches to reporting, and what being “extremely online” has taught us about the internet we’re building. Hope you enjoy! For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LlCxe_mUEAQriLy-eqwMitq-JS0df90m/view?usp=sharing Important Links for Taylor: X (Twitter) – https://x.com/TaylorLorenz Instagram– https://www.instagram.com/taylorlorenz/?hl=en Website– https://www.taylorlorenz.com/ Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorlorenz/ Important Links for Brian: X (Twitter) – https://x.com/brianchau57 Substack–https://substack.com/@cactus Website– https://www.brianchau.ai/ Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/imaxblue/ Show Notes: (0:00:00) Guest Introduction(0:04:13) Self Publishing & Working at the NYT(0:07:18) What Legacy Media Gets Wrong About the Internet(0:11:29) Effort News, Reporting on Past Events & Early Internet(0:17:40) Positive and Negative Stories about the Future(0:24:51) Zoomer Personal Experience and Optimism(0:27:37) Outlooks for the Future, Cultural Christianity, and Abundance(0:40:29) How Grant Money Shapes Coverage(0:45:31) Journalism in the Uncertain Environment, America as an Esoteric Regime(0:50:06) Follow the Funding(0:59:13) Presenting Facts vs Assigning Motives(1:03:45) Hope for Journalism Books, Essays & References Mentioned: Taylor Lorenz — Extremely Online Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson — Abundance Alexis de Tocqueville — Democracy in America Jonathan Haidt — The Anxious Generation Marshall McLuhan — “The medium is the message” Leo Strauss — Political philosophy Harry Jaffa — American political philosophy H. P. Lovecraft — Dagon Richard Dawkins — Cultural Christianity Peter Thiel — Antichrist and “peace and safety” The Odyssey — Homer Helen of Troy — Greek mythology Arrival — Science-fiction film Disclosure Day — Science-fiction film Parasite — Film Black Mirror — Science-fiction anthology series

  2. Sep 17

    Anastasia Berg: Hope for Education in the AI Era

    On this episode of The Hope Axis, Anna Gát is joined by Anastasia Berg, philosopher, writer, and longtime friend of Interintellect, to talk about hope, culture, family, and the future. Anastasia and Anna discuss her work on family and birth, the ideas behind her book “What Are Children For?," the cultural narratives that shape how we think about the future, and the power of individuals to help shape the world around them. Hope you enjoy! For the full transcript of our conversation, click here :https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rcwi6BtgIrlqFdBZOt7fOb5rBbXLfut8/view?usp=sharing Important Links: X (Twitter) –https://x.com/a_n_a_berg Substack–https://anastasiaberg.substack.com/ Website– https://www.anastasiaberg.com/ Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasia-berg-410484132 Show Notes: (0:00:00) Guest Introduction(0:02:42) Academia and the Program for Public Thinking(0:10:07) Problems with the Incentive Structure at Universities(0:14:28) The Old Way of Taking Exams(0:23:11) Students Using AI(0:31:02) Encouragement from AI vs AI Dependency(0:41:29) Submissions and Editing at The Point(0:51:21) Becoming More Mindful About Human Interactions Because of AI(0:58:14) Having Children in the Age of AI(1:04:56) The Societal Role of Universities(1:12:37) Cognitive Autonomy Books, Essays & References Mentioned: Anastasia Berg & Rachel Wiseman — What Are Children For? The Point Magazine — Literary and cultural magazine Program for Public Thinking — University of ChicagoChicago Common Core — University of Chicago undergraduate curriculum Daily Nous — Philosophy blog Claude — AI language model Gemini — AI model by Google Grok — AI chatbot by xAI Pangram — AI writing detection tool

  3. Sep 9

    Alec Stapp - Rethinking the Think Tank for Better Governance

    On this episode of The Hope Axis, Anna Gát is joined by Alec Stapp, CEO and co-founder of the Institute for Progress, to talk about what gives him hope, and much more. Alec shares the story behind his five-year transition to sole leadership at IFP, and they discuss progress studies, policy innovation, science funding, technology, and more. Hope you enjoy! For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zC8Rywf4pO8RVvgiLQM3Vz7lgi87oofG/view?usp=sharing Important Links: X (Twitter) – https://x.com/AlecStapp IFP–https://ifp.org/author/alec-stapp/ Website– https://alecstapp.com/ Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alec-stapp-20804b45/ Show Notes: (0:00:00) The Introduction(0:05:02) Starting The Institute for Progress(0:11:58) Changes Since 2021(0:15:48) Abundance(0:22:45) Institutional Problems in the US(0:28:50) Working with the Ever-Changing Overton Window(0:32:26) Aschenbrenner, AI Security Risks, & the Inertia in DC(0:37:11) AI Safety: Self-Corrections, the Impact of the AI Researchers(0:46:59) Data Centers(0:55:17) Flock Cameras(0:56:25) Staying Agile(0:58:11) IFP - Building an Institution(1:02:51) The Wrong Electoral Incentives(1:04:03) Closing Remarks Books, Essays & References Mentioned: Derek Thompson — The Abundance Agenda Derek Thompson & Ezra Klein — Abundance Alex Karp — The Technological Republic Leopold Aschenbrenner — Situational Awareness Nan Ransohoff — Third Wave of American Philanthropy The Federalist Papers — Hamilton’s paper on judicial review René Girard — Girardian theory Boston Tea Party Pace in the Frontier — Letter on the pace of frontier AI development.

  4. Jul 24

    Michael Solana: Hope for Teens with Superpowers

    On this episode of The Hope Axis, I’m joined by Mike Solana to talk about what gives him hope, and much more. Mike is the editor-in-chief of Pirate Wires and Chief Marketing Officer at Founders Fund, and we discuss free speech, the fragmentation of reality in the internet age, the rise of grievance politics, the failures of the abundance movement, student debt, AI, and more. Hope you enjoy! For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16drg8RuK8-vlFZvrThdID6Gp5CrRnlp-/view?usp=sharing Important Links: X (Twitter) – Mike Solana (@micsolana) / X Founders fund–https://foundersfund.com/team/michael-solana/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/micsolana/?hl=en Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-solana-2484a644/?isSelfProfile=false Show Notes: (00:00) Introduction (01:39) Freedom of speech (07:48) Political bubbles and separate realities (15:28) DSA, Millennial, and Zoomer grievances (19:42) The case of student loan debt (26:33) Social media and endless ideological war (29:25) "Grok, is this true?" (38:33) The Abundance movement (48:55) The road from science-fiction to political reality (59:05) Ending Books, Essays & References Mentioned: Derek Thompson & Ezra Klein — Abundance Louis Hartz — The Liberal Tradition in America Michael Solana — Citizen Sim Nick Bostrom — Simulation hypothesis Doug Hofstadter — Cognitive science and philosophy Peter Thiel — Email on millennials, capitalism, and student debt Community Notes — Crowdsourced fact-checking system Grok — AI chatbot by xAI ChatGPT — AI language model Large Language Models (LLMs) — Artificial intelligence models Universal Basic Income (UBI) — Economic policy proposal Libertarianism — Political philosophy Post-scarcity — Economic concept Rob Henderson — Luxury Beliefs Carly Simon — "Let the River Run" (Working Girl)

  5. Jul 10

    Sarah Constantin - Thinking. The Secret Competitive Advantage

    This week, Sarah Constantin joins me on The Hope Axis. Sarah is a mathematician and versatile thinker whose work spans defense, software, AI, biotechnology, and mental health. In this conversation, we revisit our connection from six years ago to discuss her latest explorations and her perspective in this unique moment for both AI and her own professional journey. Hope you enjoy. For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14uG39HZYnxphJ82I6pj4_3CLs00XK42n/view?usp=sharing Important Links: X (Twitter) – https://x.com/s_r_constantin?lang=en Website– https://www.sarah-constantin.org/ Substack – https://sarahconstantin.substack.com/ Github – https://srconstantin.github.io/about/ Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-constantin-ba71b02b/?isSelfProfile=false Show Notes: (0:00:00) Introduction(0:05:21) The Internet used to be a social place(0:14:57) The Importance of Practical Experience(0:19:37) From the Covid Era to the AI Era(0:22:34) Wrong Assumptions About Medicine(0:36:02) Self-help(0:39:51) Love, Relationships, and Conversations(0:45:53) Neutrality, The Debate-resolution App(0:56:53) Taiwan, the Lack of Explosives in the US(1:01:36) Why Sarah Writes(1:08:37) AI Books, Essays & References Mentioned: Samuel Shem — The House of God Lewis Thomas — The Youngest Science Ayn Rand — The Virtue of Selfishness Agnes Callard — Open Socrates Venkatesh Rao — "Never have both halves of a conversation" Internal Family Systems (IFS) — Psychological framework Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) — Psychological framework Contractualism — Political philosophy of fair procedures LessWrong — Rationalist community Principal Component Analysis (PCA) — Statistical method TSMC — Semiconductor manufacturing SBIR — Small Business Innovation Research program The military-industrial complex — Defense innovation ecosystem

  6. Jun 25

    Julie Fredrickson: Networks, Loss, and the Open Internet

    This week on The Hope Axis, I’m joined by investor and startup veteran Julie Fredrickson for a conversation that purposefully wanders away from the standard career trajectory. We move past the typical bio to talk about what actually sustains agency in a world that often feels designed to induce hopelessness. As the "Mary Poppins of startups" and a former founder herself, Julie understands the grit required to build. We discuss the quiet, radical act of ignoring the noise to simply do good work.I hope you enjoy this one. For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UkTSGglb9yTo1OiKilxQ-02lLsIOmPqL/view?usp=sharing Important Links: X (Twitter) – https://x.com/AlmostMedia?lang=en LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliefredrickson/?isSelfProfile=false Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/juliefredrickson/?hl=en Website - https://jfredrickson.com/ Show Notes: (00:00) Guest Introduction  (01:51) Knowing Your True Limits  (07:07) Remembering and Forgetting  (12:50) Family Systems  (16:23) Losing a Father  (21:58) Becoming the Explainer After 40  (25:27) Community & Being a Beacon on the Internet  (33:40) The Silicon Valley Diaspora  (39:18) Algorithms Taking Over the Feeds  (45:09) How to Show up on the Internet Today  (48:22) Being the First Friendly Face on the Internet  (54:28) Funding the Miracle Startups Books, Essays & References Mentioned: William Gibson — Pattern Recognition Thomas Mann — Joseph and His Brothers Howe-Strauss — The Fourth Turning theory Peter Turchin — Cliodynamics Henry Giroux — The Violence of Organized Forgetting Internal Family Systems (IFS) — Psychological frame work Rudolf Steiner — Waldorf educational philosophy Robin Dunbar — Dunbar's number Stendhal — The Stendhalian approach to new experiences Sheryl Sandberg — Advice on fertility and career planning Parsifal — The Parsifalian question

  7. Jun 10

    Dean Ball - Living Through a New Industrial Revolution.

    This week on The Hope Axis, Dean Ball joined me for a conversation that took a real intersection in the space-time continuum to finally make happen. Dean — a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation, author of the Substack Hyperdimensional, and an influential policy voice in Washington — and I sat down to talk about his groundbreaking AI policy work including his recent four months at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he served as the principal staff drafter for America's AI Action Plan. We went into Dean's journey in politics, his writing, why Beethoven matters for technologists, and much more. Hope you enjoy! For the full transcript of our conversation, click here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m6PwzgJI5p2zYbNYwypFnz6F5WPEaL0E/view?usp=sharing Important Links:  X (Twitter) – https://x.com/deanwball?lang=en  Substack - https://www.hyperdimensional.co/  LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/dean-ball-66823728  The Foundation for American Innovation - https://www.thefai.org/profile/dean-ball The Federalist Society - https://fedsoc.org/bio/dean-ball-2 Show Notes: (00:00) Introduction (01:54) Dean Ball's family history (05:33) New wave of politicians (11:52) Explaining AI public debate to an alien (17:19) The difference between American and European thought about AI? (21:50) Technological chase and it's ties (24:52) Is it still possible for the past to guide us through the present revolutions? (29:51) The warmth of untidiness and conservative disposition (36:42) Why don't Europeans understand AGI? (47:23) The Encyclical (50:32) What did it cost to publicly criticize the Anthropic–Department of War fiasco? (58:59) The Hope Axis question - Beethoven and the metaphor of technology. (01:01:55) Final comments Books, Essays & References Mentioned:  Michael Oakeshott — On Being Conservative  Joel Mokyr — The Great Divergence  Luis and Pieter Garicano — Silicon Continent  Pope Leo XIII — Rerum Novarum  Ludwig van Beethoven — Hammerklavier  Claude Shannon — Information Theory  Alan Turing — Signal Processing  Marc Andreessen — Technoculture and AI  Frantz Fanon — Post-colonial theory  Alexis de Tocqueville — American democracy and society.

  8. Jun 1

    Hollis Robbins - Hope for AI in Education and Beyond

    This week on The Hope Axis, Hollis Robbins joins me to talk about her dense career and what it actually means to build a life dedicated to the humanities today. Hollis, a dear friend of Interintellect and one of the first hosts, stepped back from her role as Dean of Humanities at the University of Utah in 2024 to focus on writing three upcoming books, including one with the incredible title, “Do Not Go to College Unless.” We get into her journey, and finding room for hope and leisure in the middle of it all. Hope you enjoy! For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QrykHXAFjyGdh6OlLQ1WD7yo06rIBf8J/view?usp=drive_link Important Links: X (Twitter) – https://x.com/anecdotal?lang=en Substack - https://substack.com/@hollisrobbinsLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollisrobbins Google Scholars - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=d2MNMeMAAAAJ&hl=en Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/_anecdotal/ Show Notes: (00:00) Introduction (02:12)  College, dropping out, intellectual ideals and AI (07:22)  The state of universities and colleges in the time of information abundance (15:01)  Intellect and technology (29:00)  Anti-AI and pro-intellectual discourse is missing the point (33:39) America's higher (mid) education doesn't compete with AI (42:45)  Reinventing tutoring (48:04)  How is Hollis Robbins surviving in the humanities? (53:59)  The process of ""dumbing down"" of the American University (01:04:03)  If a specialist won't be teaching you at the university - don't go there. (01:07:24) Intellectual labour in scale economy. (01:10:02)  Final thoughts

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What is there in the world to hope and work for? Let's discuss!

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