Robert Wright's Nonzero

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:34 A brief message from Bob 2:12 Derek and Danny stumble into Bob’s Zoom room 3:11 Israel’s doubly out-of-control week 12:13 How Biden's Gaza failures will shape the Democratic Party 26:42 Biden’s political incentives on Israel-Palestine 30:12 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Derek Davison (Foreign Exchanges, American Prestige, Discontents), and Daniel Bessner (American Prestige, University of Washington). Recorded April 04, 2024.American Prestige on Substack: https://www.americanprestigepod.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=publication_embed&utm_medium=webTwitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:33 Robin’s history of thinking about the future 2:48 Seeing AI as offspring, not adversary 14:54 Robin’s famous answer to a great cosmic mystery 25:21 Would evidence of aliens be good news or bad? 34:23 Is rationalist culture cultist? 44:19 LLMs: revolution or hype cycle? 55:57 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Robin Hanson (George Mason University, The Elephant in the Brain, Overcoming Bias). Recorded April 02, 2024.Robin's Substack: https://www.overcomingbias.com/

Ilia Delio, a theologian and Franciscan sister, delves into the captivating ideas of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. They explore the concept of the noosphere and its implications for consciousness and evolution. The discussion touches on the tension between Teilhard's thoughts and church doctrine, the relationship of technology to transcendent ideas, and how love drives unity in the cosmos. Ilia also reconsiders the role of AI and its potential to represent a 'techno-sapiens' evolution, questioning whether we are heading towards a collective awakening.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.orgRobert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling.Read this edition of the Earthling: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/the-new-persuadersRecorded March 29, 2024.https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:33 Kati’s unusual niche 2:40 How Covid changed meditation 7:38 Kati: The optimal amount of meditation is… 15:10 Is focusing on the breath overblown? 23:06 AI as a spiritual challenge 33:03 Meditation and cognitive empathy 39:52 Using technology mindfully 46:24 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Kathryn Devaney (The Berkeley Alembic). Recorded March 21, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org3:05 Are Nikolay and Kirill satisfied with the "special military operation"? 8:26 Why have Russians become more supportive of the war effort? 18:07 Kirill defends the RWA tweet that unsettled Bob 32:53 US policies that made the war more likely 41:15 How much of Ukraine does Putin want? 54:29 Heading to OvertimeRWA YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RussiansWithAttitude/videos RWA podcast episodes: https://www.patreon.com/rwapodcastRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nikolay and Kirill (Russians with Attitude). Recorded March 21, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPodsOvertime titles:0:00 Will Ukrainians blame Zelensky for the war? 10:16 Andrei Tarkovsky’s films and Burkean conservatism 21:40 The future of Russia’s political opposition 31:39 How are Russian nationalists processing the Gaza war?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:33 Paul’s Substack: small potatoes or some pumpkins? 4:03 Elon sours on Lemon—is ketamine to blame? 10:00 The enduring enigma that is Elon Musk 21:25 Is Altman overdramatizing the AI #Resistance? 30:03 Paul cavalierly ignores Bob’s sage guidance 34:25 Oscars: The good, the bad, and the hammy 40:57 Heading to Overtime (plus: big Small Potatoes news!)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 March 19, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPodsDiscussed in Overtime: The knotty SSRI sexual side effect question. How woke is Barbie? How Will Smith’s Oscar slap is like Russia-Ukraine. Is AI Bob’s ticket to immortality? Jury Duty, acting, and human nature. What is the TikTok ban really about? Is Paul Pollyanna?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:33 Nathan’s role as “AI scout” 4:07 What "open source" in AI really means 9:45 Why the secrecy around AI training data? 17:19 What’s actually “open” about OpenAI? 32:56 The case for and against open source AI 42:35 Is an open source crackdown coming?52:25 What Waymark, Nathan’s company, does with AIRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nathan Labenz (Cognitive Revolution, Waymark AI). Recorded March 13, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPodsThe Cognitive Revolution podcast: https://www.cognitiverevolution.ai/ Waymark AI: https://waymark.com/Overtime titles:0:00 Bob glimpses a Matrix-like future 4:34 Could (and should) we use AI to resolve human disputes? 9:47 Where Nathan falls on the AI doomer spectrum 22:50 Understanding how AI understands things 32:22 Is AI alignment overblown?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org2:49 Should Biden pursue regime change in Israel? 11:09 How the White House mishandled Netanyahu's far-right government 22:32 Daniel: “Israel has lost this war” 31:57 What a ceasefire deal would look like 39:16 Biden’s immense, unused leverage over Netanyahu 46:54 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Daniel Levy (Prospects for Peace, NAF, The Century Foundation). Recorded March 12, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPodsOvertime titles:0:00 How the Gaza war makes Biden look weak 5:30 Has the Zionist project become more militant? 23:22 The Israel-Palestine one-state reality

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.orgRobert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling.Read this edition of the Earthling at:https://nonzero.substack.com/p/the-real-problem-with-the-trump-bidenRecorded March 08, 2024.https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods