Robert Wright's Nonzero Nonzero

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Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from this week’s Earthling (had there been one).
Recorded June 20, 2024.
https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

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0:28 Bob re-enters reality 3:54 Elon’s X-rated horse-trading 9:41 What do LLMs really say about the “blank slate” view of the mind? 28:12 Bob challenges Paul to meditate—will Paul retreat? 33:15 Have Bob’s views changed since writing Nonzero? 44:13 Paul’s and Bob’s (semi-compatible) views on free will 50:51 Heading to Overtime
Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded June 17, 2024.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
Paul’s Substack:
Overtime titles:
The Buddhist solution to Paul’s Twitter troubles. Jake Gyllenhaal’s problematic bod. Dark Matter reviewed (w/ light spoilers). Bob and Paul swap faux pas horror stories. 3 Body’s entanglement problem. Has Anthropic mapped the mind of AI? Bob’s podcast no-go list. The problem with incredibly good looking people.

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0:28 Glenn’s very unvarnished memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative 10:12 Glenn’s unusual urban upbringing 19:00 Is Glenn’s sermon for black men hypocritical? 22:15 Glenn’s double life at Harvard 32:40 How it all came crashing down 44:39 Is Glenn’s book _too_ honest? 52:16 Heading to Overtime
Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Glenn Loury (Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Brown University, Late Admissions). Recorded June 13, 2024.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
Overtime titles:
0:00 The Psalm that may have saved Glenn’s life 5:50 Glenn’s final crack hit 8:28 Glenn’s path from conservative to progressive and back again 21:53 The difference between Glenn and Wilt Chamberlain 23:32 Why does Glenn have such low risk aversion? 32:43 The time Glenn made Coretta Scott King cry 37:55 Explaining all without excusing all

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0:28 Kevin’s place in cyberspace history 6:54 Are we grappling with the pace of tech progress rationally? 20:49 Why Kevin identifies as a techno-optimist 23:12 Is it too early to regulate AI? 30:21 The noosphere, the technium, and species of mind 38:11 Do AI doomers think too highly of thinking? 42:13 Evolution and the question of cosmic purpose 48:42 Should we see AIs as “artificial aliens”?
Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Kevin Kelly (Wired, The Inevitable, What Technology Wants). Recorded April 29, 2024.
Overtime titles:
Kevin's spiritual transformation.Will AI be like a god to humans? Vice-versa?How expecting near-term death changed Kevin’s life.A bettor way of making AI predictions.

1:13 AI's human-like, but inhuman, language skills 7:22 Bob argues that LLMs don’t vindicate the ‘blank slate’ view of the mind 18:56 Do humans and AIs acquire language in totally different ways? 31:11 Will AIs ever quit hallucinating? 40:47 The importance (or not) of “embodied cognition” 47:50 What is it like to be an AI? 53:48 Why Steve is skeptical of AI doom scenarios
Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Steven Pinker (Harvard University, Enlightenment Now, The Language Instinct). Recorded May 21, 2024.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods


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1:57 Kelley’s new podcast, Trip the Beltway Fantastic 5:59 Pat Buchanan and conservative opposition to the Iraq war 10:14 Would Trump 2.0 promote foreign policy restraint? 19:12 Possible Trump appointees pushing for conflict with China 25:57 The time Tucker Carlson helped prevent war with Iran 41:13 Would Trump greenlight ethnic cleansing in Gaza? 49:32 Would Trump end the Russia-Ukraine war? 54:14 Heading to Overtime
Overtime video below paywall:
A Pentagon program that corrupts officers. Kelley’s upbringing in Connecticut and early career as a reporter. How clickbait culture has degraded journalism.