John and Steve ask: If modernity gives us more choice than any generation in history, why do so many people feel worse off? What does a “good life” actually look like in 2024?

Topics:

• AI scientists & the future of discovery: Can tools like Cosmo (Edison/Future House) remake how science is done?
• Wealth taxes, billionaire flight & network effects: Will New York and London actually depopulate, or are they too “sticky” to leave?
• Jason Crawford’s “good life”: Beyond GDP and happiness surveys — what values should progress really be judged on?
• Work, love, knowledge & beauty: From bullshit jobs and trad-farm aesthetics to dating apps, Duolingo and AI art.
• Modernity as a bundle: Supermarket abundance, Ozempic, distraction-free tech and “protect me from myself” products.
• Millennials, housing & fertility: Are we genuinely worse off than our grandparents despite a century of progress?
• Choice, agency & templates: Why some people thrive on infinite options — and why others need structured paths.
• Why doesn’t this exist: A cognitive fitness tracker and a minimalist Spotify “iPod” for deep work.

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(0:00): Intro

(2:01): NYC elections & exodus of wealth

(7:21): AI, Edison scientific, & equalising the scientific playing field

(18:00): Jason Crawford and defining the ‘good life’

(24:11): Freedom and autonomy as the core of the good life

(26:51): Core values of the good life

(35:21): Progress has afforded us a bundle of choice

(39:30): Progress is relative to the periods of comparison

(52:52): Why doesn’t this exist?

(57:20): Wrap-up