249 episodes

Conversations with a series of people who have nothing in common except that program host Robert Wright is curious about what they’re thinking.

nonzero.substack.com

Robert Wright's Nonzero Nonzero

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.7 • 523 Ratings

Conversations with a series of people who have nothing in common except that program host Robert Wright is curious about what they’re thinking.

nonzero.substack.com

    Biden's Border Disorder (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

    Biden's Border Disorder (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

    2:02 Senator Bob Menendez accused of brazen corruption6:46 The issue that could sink Trump's campaign17:29 Unpacking the mystery of America’s open border24:47 Is Biden worried about a coup by Democratic Party elites?34:35 Ukraine’s international support shows signs of waning44:54 Democrats downgrade Senate dress code49:48 Parrot Room preview: Marty Peretz’s new book; UAW strike; insidious AI sexbots
    Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded September 22, 2023.
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods


    This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nonzero.substack.com/subscribe

    • 53 min
    Russia-Ukraine Harsh Realities (Robert Wright & Anatol Lieven)

    Russia-Ukraine Harsh Realities (Robert Wright & Anatol Lieven)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com

    1:37 Azerbaijan attacks Nagorno-Karabakh 6:28 Preview of this week’s Biden-Zelensky meeting in DC 16:26 Does the new technology of war favor defense? 24:26 Is Zelensky thinking clearly about Ukraine’s military chances? 30:09 What Anatol learned from his discussions with wounded Ukrainian soldiers 36:34 If the US pushed for peace, would Putin be ready to make a deal? 48:08 Heading to Overtime
    Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Anatol Lieven (The Quincy Institute). Recorded September 19, 2023.

    • 49 min
    Biden’s Bandwidth Problems (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

    Biden’s Bandwidth Problems (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

    2:38 Walter Isaacson’s Elon-Ukraine walk-back 7:01 Debating Biden replacement theories 16:02 Bob’s hurricane-induced bandwidth problems 20:03 Biden’s age-induced bandwidth problems 30:48 Ukraine war update 40:48 Mitt Romney bows out 51:11 The smoke-filled room shortage 56:28 Parrot room preview: UAW strike; JFK assassination revelation; Where in the world is Tim Scott’s girlfriend?; Poverty stat controversy; knives out for Noem; Bob’s agent on Bob; Mickey’s fashion corner
    Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded September 15, 2023.
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods


    This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nonzero.substack.com/subscribe

    • 59 min
    A People-Centered View of Russia-Ukraine (Robert Wright & Almut Rochowanski)

    A People-Centered View of Russia-Ukraine (Robert Wright & Almut Rochowanski)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com

    (Overtime segment available to paid subscribers below the paywall.)
    1:23 Almut’s work as a feminist activist in the former Soviet Union 11:53 How economic anxiety helped tear Ukraine apart 23:12 The very complex coalition behind the Maidan Revolution 30:24 Could wiser European Union policy have averted the Russia-Ukraine conflict? 37:11 Queer feminists and the ultra-right in Ukraine 48:20 The nature of Ukrainian nationalism 59:12 Heading into Overtime
    Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Almut Rochowanski (https://discomfortzone.substack.com/). Recorded September 12, 2023.
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

    • 1 hr 1 min
    Biden Bets on Ukraine (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

    Biden Bets on Ukraine (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

    Subscribe to The Parrot Room at https://patreon.com/parrotroom
    0:42 Nikki Haley beats Biden in new poll 8:14 How big is Ukraine’s military "breakthrough"? 15:35 Signs that Russia is ready for peace talks 26:49 Why are Americans feeling down on the economy? 33:52 DeSantis takes care of business in hurricane-wrecked Florida 41:06 Are the punishments for January 6 rioters too severe? 51:42 How much time is there for a formidable Democrat to challenge Biden for the nomination? 56:57 Bob and Mickey make big announcement
    Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded September 08, 2023.
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods


    This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nonzero.substack.com/subscribe

    • 1 hr 9 min
    Understanding Artificial Intelligence (Robert Wright & Timothy B. Lee)

    Understanding Artificial Intelligence (Robert Wright & Timothy B. Lee)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com

    (Overtime segment available to paid subscribers below the paywall.)
    0:33 Tim’s article explaining large language models 03:23 Do LLMs reverse engineer the human mind? 11:24 GPT’s mesmerizing emergent properties 17:43 The ‘T’ in Chat-GPT 30:33 How AI models evolve during training 41:59 Human intelligence compared to artificial intelligence 49:10 Heading to Overtime
    Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Timothy B. Lee (Full Stack Economics, Understanding AI). Recorded August 16, 2023.
    Tim's Substack newsletter: understandingAI.org
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

    • 52 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
523 Ratings

523 Ratings

TheStrongIslander ,

Discovered too late, gone too soon.

Since discovering this podcast earlier this year I’ve listened to almost every episode.

Informative, fresh perspective, less the pretension of other podcasts.

Episodes with Micky will be missed.

Qwertface ,

Usually my fav conservative

I LOVE you guys but Mickey how can you say Obama catalyzed the decline of race relations with his response to Trayvon Martin?!? Race relations were bad already. It would have been irresponsible for a US president to ignore the ongoing underbelly of race & classism that persists. Just because nonwhites didn’t have to confront the discussion prior doesn’t mean the problem wasn’t already there.

Quintin.Roberts ,

Had to stop listening

Is every episode like this? 2 guys making outrageous claims based on vague impressions of dimly remembered facts or reporting?
I have enjoyed Robert Wright’s work in the past, but this was my first time listening to the podcast and I may have to reassess the whole oeuvre.

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