The Hope Axis by Anna Gát

Dylan O'Sullivan, an internet literary commentator who curates classics and reading recommendations, joins to discuss the second life of old books online. He talks about rereading, whether teens should tackle difficult texts, cultural stagnation, how to find trustworthy book picks, and why long walks and silence help thinking. The conversation focuses on classics, attention in the TikTok age, and enduring authors like Dostoevsky and Tolstoy.

This week on The Hope Axis, I’m very happy to welcome Alastair Benn, deputy editor of Engelsberg Ideas. In this conversation, we talk about Scottish identity and language, the challenges of writing clearly in a “post-literate” age, and the editorial philosophy behind Engelsberg Ideas.We also discuss the idea of Bildung and Benn’s view of the editor as a mentor who helps writers turn strong ideas into clear, readable essays. Hope you enjoy.For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IZLw1IkUsu5Q5A-AbAf_mAJZKCUAkQjd/view?usp=drive_linkImportant Links: X (Twitter) –https://x.com/alastair_benn Engelsberg Ideas - https://engelsbergideas.com/author/alastair-benn/LinkedIn – https://uk.linkedin.com/in/alastair-benn-0327b578Bokforlaget Stolpe– https://bokforlagetstolpe.com/en/authors/alastair-benn/Show Notes: (0:00:00) Introduction(0:00:58) Misunderstanding the Scots(0:05:32) Linguistic Identity and Code-Switching(0:10:24) Scotland Compared to Scandinavia(0:13:02) Whisky, the Burning Bush, and Scottish Identity(0:22:26) Engelsberg Ideas(0:25:07) Plain Language, Complex Ideas(0:31:12) Why the Written Word Still Matters(0:37:25) Writing Essays like Montaigne(0:42:39) Gatekeepers of the World of the Ideas(0:48:35) Are We Becoming Post-Literate?(0:56:47) What Is Bildung(1:01:08) The Bildungsroman from Goethe to Thomas Mann(1:10:31) Innerlichkeit and the Cult of Inwardness(1:18:14) Hans Castorp and the Arid Cult of Productivity(1:24:38) The Biases of the Hyper-Literate Elite(1:27:10) Schopenhauer, Hegel, and the Problem of Jargon(1:30:03) The Editor as a Mentor(1:36:35) AI and Editing: What It Can and Cannot Do(1:43:19) Closing Remarks Books, Essays & References Mentioned:Johann Wolfgang von GoetheThomas Mann — The Magic MountainGreat Expectations — Charles DickensArthur SchopenhauerGeorg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelRobert Louis StevensonMiguel de Cervantes — Don QuixoteVirgil — AeneidJohn Milton — Paradise Lost

This week on The Hope Axis, I’m very happy to welcome Alana Newhouse. Alana is a journalist, editor, and founder of Tablet Magazine, and the author of the influential 2021 essay “Everything Is Broken.” In this conversation, we revisit the idea of brokenism a few years later and talk about how people who are intelligent and well-read enough to despair all day might still find a small ray of hope. Hope you enjoy.For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HaBI_AINhbkwXo2aXaVfiUd1qvMTcc1J/view?usp=drive_linkImportant Links: X (Twitter) – https://x.com/alananewhouse Tablet Magazine – https://www.tabletmag.com/contributors/alana-newhouse    LinkedIn –      / https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-newhouse-25214716a The New York Times – https://www.nytimes.com/by/alana-newhouse Website - https://www.alananewhouse.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alana.newhouse/?hl=en Show Notes: (0:00:00) Introduction(0:02:01) "Everything Is Broken" - The Backstory(0:15:36) The Diagnosis and the Dinner that Changed Everything(0:28:01) What It Means to Be a Part of Community(0:35:19) The Internet Has Shrunk the World(0:38:09) Alana's Concept of Flatness(0:46:17) Long-form Content Exercises Your Brain(0:49:24) The Legibility Crisis(0:56:19) Critical Reception of Media and News(0:59:28) The Future of Journalism(1:08:12) Extremes, Media and Antisemitism(1:13:25) 2030 Predictions and End NotesBooks, Essays & References Mentioned:“Everything Is Broken” — Alana NewhouseJürgen HabermasTablet MagazineThe New York TimesBlueskyDonald TrumpCOVID-19 pandemicLegibility crisisPublic sphere fragmentation

Eli Dourado, Head of Strategic Investments at Astra and former Abundance Institute staffer, brings his expertise on growth, technology, and resilience. He revisits why complexity leads to diminishing returns. Short, sharp conversations on stagnation, elite incentives, resource subsidies, and how technology and narratives might expand our future.

This week on The Hope Axis, I’m joined by Natasha Joukovsky, Noah Smith, Musa al-Gharbi, Erica Robles Anderson, Santiago Ramos, Jacob Falkovich, and Gena Gorlin for a free-flowing conversation about AI, culture, creativity, and how people are actually living through all this change. We talk about what’s exciting, what’s worrying, what’s weird, and where a bit of hope still sneaks in. Hope you enjoy.For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BghQ...Important Links: Natasha Joukovsky — https://natashajoukovsky.com/homeNoah Smith — https://substack.com/@noahpinionMusa al-Gharbi — https://musaalgharbi.com/musa-al-ghar...Erica Robles Anderson — https://www.roblesanderson.org/Santiago Ramos — https://substack.com/@santiagoramosJacob Falkovich — https://substack.com/@yashkafGena Gorlin — https://genagorlin.com/Show Notes:(0:00:00)Warming Up Banter  (0:01:43) Introducing the Topic: Summarizing the Year Together  (0:05:03) Introducing the Guests  (0:21:58) Trump, Wars, and AI  (0:29:50) Nothing's Really New  (0:34:14) AI Pessimism vs Optimism  (0:51:23) Education  (0:57:24) The Dangers of Making Lives Too Easy  (1:01:44) Is Social Media For Old People?  (1:04:11) Favorite Movies, Books of the Year  (1:10:35) Sharing Good Things in Public  (1:14:13) The Future of Creativity  (1:22:07) Motivation & HopeBooks, Essays & References Mentioned:The Road to Wigan Pier — George OrwellThe Revolt of the Public — Martin GurriThe Mystic Fable — Michel de CerteauBecoming Supernatural — Joe DispenzaThe Name of the Rose — Umberto EcoNatasha JoukovskyNoah SmithMusa al-GharbiErica Robles AndersonJacob FalkovichAI and creative workEducation as a civic projectOver-optimizationRage baitMeaning and purpose

This week on The Hope Axis, I’m joined by Emmett Shear to talk about AI, hope, and how we should actually think about the future. Emmett is the co-founder and former CEO of Twitch, former interim CEO of OpenAI, and now the co-founder and CEO of Softmax. We discuss why AI inspires so much fear, what it really is capable of, and where hope still shows up. Hope you enjoy.For the full transcript of our conversation, click here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/10qooWrDB9Nr_0MgKy_kkpd1XMo_2gMN0/view?usp=drive_linkImportant Links:  X (Twitter) – https://x.com/eshear?lang=en Wikipedia –  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Shear   Softmax – https://softmax.com/about LinkedIn –    https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmettshear Show Notes:(0:00:00) Introduction  (0:03:00) AI and The Humanities  (0:06:29) Reframing "The Essence", or "The Core" of Things  (0:13:01) Why People Want to Work on AI  (0:20:13) Kant As The Grandfather of AI  (0:23:57) Thomas Aquinas, Informing Onto The Boundary  (0:29:41) Back To Teleological Thinking  (0:31:44) Art As Imprinting One's Soul On An Object  (0:35:00) "Real" and "Fake" Interiority, AI's Nature Without Nurture(0:41:46) AI & Art  (0:54:40) A Village of AI  (1:01:58) The Risk of Human Extinction  (1:08:47) AI Slop, Human Experience & Taste  (1:12:22) The Beauty, The Good, and The True as Temporal Coarse-Grainings  (1:18:08) Collective Aliveness of The Biosphere  (1:24:05) Problems Too Big For Individuals, But Not Too Big For HumanityBooks, Essays & References Mentioned:If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Will Die — Eliezer YudkowskySuperintelligence — Nick BostromThomas Aquinas (informatio; origin of “information”)Gottfried Wilhelm LeibnizImmanuel KantTakens’ Embedding TheoremHomotopy / homotopic stabilityGroupoids (one-, two-, three-, infinity-groupoid)AGI (Artificial General Intelligence)Optimizers & goal-bindingTelos vs goalsTaste vs skillBeauty, Truth, and the GoodLearning systems & dynamic systemsThe biosphere / Gaia hypothesisCollective intelligenceSpeed as risk factor in AI systems

This week on The Hope Axis, I’m joined by Jasmine Sun for a conversation about AI, writing, creativity, and how writers are actually navigating all this change. Jasmine is a writer and leads writing communities, and until last year worked at Substack helping creators think through how new tools might affect their work. We talk about the questions writers ask most often, what feels exciting, what feels worrying, what feels strange, and where a bit of hope still shows up. Hope you enjoy.For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12cnSKpVbHv2qKuIRk4pCPFWpE2H8lhsf/view?usp=drive_linkImportant Links: X (Twitter) – https://x.com/jasminewsun Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@jasminewsun Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jasminewsun/?hl=en LinkedIn –   https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasminewsun Substack – https://jasmi.news/ Shownotes:(00:00) Working at Substack(05:49) Bridging the Divide Between Writers and Technologists(12:40) Working for Major Outlets(16:36) Why Mainstream Media Views Everything Through a Political Lens(21:43) Translating the Jargon and Breaking The Silos(28:47) Technology Being Developed Over People's Heads(30:36) Intelligence and Specialization(34:30) Applications and Limits of AI in Writing, Authenticity(42:19) The SF Writing Community(48:50) Working With Kevin Roose on His New Book About AGI(53:09) Closing RemarksBooks, Essays & References Mentioned:Superintelligence — Nick Bostrom The AGI Chronicles (forthcoming) — Kevin Roose “No Free Lunch” — Eric HoelAGI (Artificial General Intelligence) Large Language Models (LLMs) Jagged frontier of intelligence Human creativity vs automation Tech–culture translationAsterisk Magazine Substack

This week, Shadi Hamid joins me on The Hope Axis. Shadi is a political scientist and writer known for his sharp thinking on democracy, religion, and American power. We talk about the key ideas he’s exploring in his new book, The Case for American Power, and what they mean for the moment we’re living in. Hope you enjoy.For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iyaF...Important Links: X (Twitter) – https://x.com/shadihamid?lang=enThe Washington Post – https://www.washingtonpost.com/people...LinkedIn –    / shadi-hamid-542267a0  Georgetown University: https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s...Substack – https://substack.com/@shadihamidShow Notes:(0:00:00) Guest Introduction (0:01:22) Writing a Hopeful Book When The World Is Getting Darker (0:06:02) American Involvement in Gaza (0:12:06) Making The Case for American Power As an Arab Muslim (0:20:22) Being a Patriot Despite Gaza (0:23:41) Dignity, Liberty, and the Struggle for Freedom (0:28:30) Social Repercussions of Criticising Israel (0:32:25) Identity, Feeling Existentially Threatened (0:38:31) The Generational Shift, Oikophobia (0:47:11) American Aspirations, The Sense of Moral Purpose (0:59:03) 9/11 (1:03:49) The Audacity of Hope

Writer and thinker Cate Hall joins me to talk about the tightrope between radical optimism and deep pessimism — and what it actually takes to stay hopeful in a world that doesn’t always reward it. We dig into her widely loved “50 Secrets” post, the kind of people who end up walking that edge, and how she thinks about preserving agency and perspective when the culture around us feels increasingly discouraged. I also reflect on why I consider Cate one of the most hopeful voices of our time, and why these conversations feel especially urgent in 2025. Hope you enjoy!For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16X6L...  Important Links:X (Twitter) – https://x.com/catehall?lang=enAstera – https://astera.org/team/cate-hall/Website – https://www.catehall.com/LinkedIn –   / cate-hall-9a81a35  Substack – https://substack.com/@usefulfictionsShow Notes:(00:00) Guest Introduction (00:24) The Edge Between Rampant Optimism and Crushing Pessimism (03:34) Misguided Compromises & Imaginary Boundries (08:40) The "I Must Win" Mindset Is Short-term Thinking (11:24) Writing a List of Fears (13:40) Belief in God (23:27) Poker & Reading People (29:57) Distracting Ourselves From Uncomfortable Truths (33:54) Introspection Without Self-flagellation (37:05) Confronting Negative Thoughts (42:54) Aella, and Crossing The Boundaries (44:53) Seeking Rejection (49:24) Agency vs Addiction (54:38) Slow Change Instead of Breakthroughs (57:13) Luck

Psychologist and founder coach Dr. Gena Gorlin joins me to discuss The Founder’s Mindset — how to stay hopeful, resilient, and creative while building something from the ground up. We talk about the psychology of entrepreneurship, why losing can be a sign of progress, and how to keep optimism alive amid a culture that often feels discouraged. I also share what inspired me to start The Hope Axis while running Interintellect as a solo founder. Hope you enjoy!For the full transcript of our conversation, click here:https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/fo...Important Links:Substack – https://substack.com/@psychofambitionWebsite – https://genagorlin.comUT Austin Faculty Page – https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psycho...LinkedIn –   / genagorlin  X (Twitter) – https://x.com/Gena_I_GorlinShow Notes:(00:00) Intro(00:49) Guest Introduction(03:10) Getting Through Childbirth on “Let the River Run”(14:02) Meeting Her Husband at an Ayn Rand Conference(20:19) What People Get Wrong About Ambition(22:37) Fake Arguments for Fun(24:46) Giving Birth to an American Child as an Immigrant(32:37)“Death Is the Default” — Facing Mortality with Clarity(36:38) Accountability in Therapy and Finding Her Niche(48:49) Founders: The Nervous Wrecks Building Amazing Things(53:52) Why Credentials Don’t Matter in Tech(55:47) Psychotherapy for the True Outliers(01:01:32) The Cultural Lag in Mainstream Therapy — European vs. American Spirit(01:10:13) Intellectual Humility as a Cop-Out(01:15:18) Closing Remarks