Infinite Loops

Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of 9 books and over 100 scientific papers. A critic of what he sees as the scientific establishment's dogmatic dedication to materialism, he is perhaps best known for his theory of "morphic resonance," via which information and activity can be transferred across space and time. Rupert joins the show to discuss being branded a heretic, how to test for telepathy, his advice for young scientists, and MUCH more!

Important Links:

• Rupert's Website
• Rupert's Banned TED Talk
• The Science Delusion; by Rupert Sheldrake
• A New Science of Life; by Rupert Sheldrake
• Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals; by Rupert Sheldrake
• Is The Sun Conscious?; by Rupert Sheldrake (Journal of Consciousness Studies)

Show Notes:

• The Apostate of Scientism
• The Origins of Scientism
• How to Achieve a Phase Change in the Sciences
• Testing for Telepathy & Incentivizing Intuition
• Structural Resistance to Panpsychism
• When Science Gets Personal
• Loosening the Grip of Determinism
• Advice for Young Scientists
• Rupert as Emperor of the World
• MORE!

Books & Articles Mentioned:

• The Science Delusion; by Rupert Sheldrake
• New Science of Life; by Rupert Sheldrake
• Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals; by Rupert Sheldrake
• Is The Sun Conscious?; by Rupert Sheldrake
• The New Inquisition: Irrational Rationalism and the Citadel of Science; by Robert Anton Wilson
• Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters; by Steven Pinker
• The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature; by Steven Pinker
• Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures; by Merlin Sheldrake
• The End of Faith; by Sam Harris
• The Fifth Science; by Exurb1a
• What the Tortoise Said to Achilles; by Lewis Carroll
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; by Robert M. Pirsig
• The (Mis)Behaviour of Markets: A Fractal View of Risk, Ruin and Reward; by Benoit B. Mandelbrot & Richard L. Hudson
• The Structure of Scientific Revolutions; by Thomas Kuhn

Friend-of-the-show Rob Henderson returns to discuss his powerful, moving and important debut book, Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class (published TODAY). We discuss Rob's experience of the American foster care and adoption system, the life-changing impact of the military, the rise of Luxury Beliefs, the benefits of standardized testing, and MUCH more.

Important Links:

• Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class (Amazon)
• The SAT is a pathway to more college diversity, not less; by Rob Henderson (The Boston Globe)
• Rob Henderson: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way; by Rob Henderson (The Free Press)
• Rob's Substack
• Rob's Twitter

Show Notes:

• Foster Care, Adoption & Social Mobility
• Structural Origins of the Foster System
• Why Early-Life Stability is Underrated
• How Ideas Can Change Outcomes
• The Life-Changing Impact of the Military
• Young Male Syndrome
• The Role of Intelligence in Governing Outcomes
• The Benefits of Standardized Testing
• Yale, Luxury Beliefs & the Rise of Identity Politics
• Are Luxury Beliefs a Political or Class Phenomenon?
• Trickle-Down Meritocracy
• Technology, Assortive Mating & Social Mobility
• Is the Overton Window Shifting on Campus?
• Rob as Emperor of the World

Books and Articles Mentioned:

• Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class; by Rob Henderson
• The SAT is a pathway to more college diversity, not less; by Rob Henderson (The Boston Globe)
• Rob Henderson: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way; by Rob Henderson (The Free Press)
• Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society; by Nicholas A. Christakis
• Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010; by Charles Murray
• Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World, by Tyler Cowen and Daniel Gross
• A Suitable Boy; by Vikram Seth
• The Son Also Rises; by Gregory Clark

Alec Stapp is the co-founder of the Institute for Progress, a non-partisan innovation policy think tank aiming to "accelerate scientific, technological and industrial progress while safeguarding humanity's future." He joins the show to discuss how to achieve change in the age of lobbying, why bipartisanship is underrated, why US immigration policy is so slow-moving and MUCH more!

Important Links:

• IFP's Website
• Alec's Twitter
• IFP's Twitter

Show Notes:

• Reimagining the Think Tank
• Progress is a Policy Choice
• Bipartisanship is Underrated
• Achieving Progress via Reframing
• Achieving Change in the Age of Lobbying
• Moonshot Projects and Incremental Change
• Ways to Enact Change Within Existing Institutions
• Governmental Embrace of Technology
• Reducing NIMBYism
• The Barbell Approach to Policy
• The Washington Mindset
• Reasons to be Optimistic
• Lessons From Other Countries
• Why Hasn't Immigration Policy Changed?
• Alec as Emperor of the World
• MORE!

Books and Articles Mentioned:

• Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better; by Jen Pahlka
• The Proceduralist Fetish; by Nicholas Bagley
• The housing theory of everything; by Sam Bowman, John Myers & Ben Southwood

Essayist, tinkerer, and author Rohit Krishnan returns to discuss his book, Building God: Demystifying AI for Decision Makers. Important Links:

• Strange Loop Canon (Rohit's Substack)
• Building God: Demystifying AI for Decision Makers
• Rohit's Twitter

Show Notes:

• Demystifying AI
• AI as a Fuzzy Processor
• Complexity & Determinism
• The Flash Crash Scenario
• Regulating AI
• Open Source, Closed Source & Big Brother
• Carving Through Bureaucracy
• Socially Adapting to AI Disruption
• The Centaur Model
• Integrated Information Theory & Consciousness
• Big Tech in the AI Era
• Are We Running Out of Data?
• Rohit as Emperor of the World
• MORE!

Books Mentioned:

• Building God: Demystifying AI for Decision Makers; by Rohit Krishnan

For this milestone 200th (yes, TWO HUNDREDTH) episode of Infinite Loops, regular guest and Infinite Media head Liberty RPF joins writer & researcher Ed William to turn the tables on Jim O'Shaughnessy. Stay tuned for Jim's dream podcast guests, his advice to parents, a diabolical spin on his trademark closing question, and MUCH more! Important Links:

• Infinite Loops Substack

Show Notes:

• Episode One: Tequila With Ramp Capital
• Taking Inspiration From My Dinner With Andre
• Would the Show Be Different if Monetized?
• "I would be doing this if I wasn't pressing publish"
• Jim's Definition of a Successful Episode
• Nerves & Jim's Appearance on Oprah
• Infinite Loops as a Serendipity Engine
• The Infinite Loops Team
• Jim's Dream Guests
• Controversiality & Being Distinctive
• Jim's Relationship With His Grandchildren
• We Are Winners of the Cosmic Lottery
• Why Aren't There More History-Focused Episodes?
• The Jim O'Shaughnessy Guide to Productivity: Silence, Journalling & Keeping Things Simple
• Advice to Parents
• What Has Jim Changed His Mind On in the Last 12 to 24 Months?
• Advice to Young People Who Doubt the American Dream
• When Will We See An Updated What Works on Wall Street?
• What Would a World of Abundance Look Like?
• Jim's Favorite Poem
• Jim as EVIL Emperor of the World
• MORE!

Episodes Mentioned:

• Ramp Capital and Super Mugatu (Ep.01)
• Brian Muraresku (Ep. 57)
• David Rhoiney (Ep. 99)
• Will Storr (Ep. 122)
• Alex Danco (latest episode) (Ep. 156)
• Brian Roemmele (latest episode) (Ep. 168)
• Julie Fredrickson (Ep. 181)
• Ben Westhoff (Ep. 189)
• Guy Spier (Ep. 197)

Books & Poems Mentioned:

• The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name; by ****Brian Muraresku
• How to Retire Rich: Time-Tested Strategies to Beat the Market and Retire in Style; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
• Invest Like the Best: Using Your Computer to Unlock the Secrets of the Top Money Managers; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
• What Works on Wall Street: The Classic Guide to the Best-Performing Investment Strategies of All Time; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
• The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr
• Fentanyl, Inc.: how rogue chemists are creating the deadliest wave of the opioid epidemic; by Ben Westhoff
• One Summer: America 1927; by Bill Bryson
• To His Coy Mistress; by Andrew Marvell
• The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock; by T. S. Eliot

Lisa Wehden and Minn Kim are the founders of Plymouth Street, which guides talented individuals through the US immigration process. Its aim is to accelerate innovation through faster and more transparent immigration services. Lisa & Minn join the show to discuss the pitfalls of the current system, how Plymouth Street is injecting agency into the immigration process, the importance of storytelling, and MUCH more! Important Links:

• Plymouth Street
• Lisa's LinkedIn
• Lisa's Twitter
• Minn's LinkedIn
• Minn's Twitter

Show Notes:

• The Origins of Plymouth Street
• Problems With the Current US Immigration System
• Expanding Access to the O-1 Visa
• High-Skilled Immigration as a Bipartisan Issue
• The Importance of Storytelling
• From Anecdotal to Empirical; Coalition Building
• Injecting Agency Into the Immigration Process
• Scaling with Technology
• The Emotional Toll of the Immigration System
• Building the Right Team & Breaking Bad News
• Dealing With Negative Externalities
• Is America Open for Business?
• Augmenting Plymouth's Offering
• Remote Work vs In-Person
• What's Next?
• Lisa & Minn as Emperors of the World

Books Mentioned:

• The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (a Little) Craziness and (a Lot Of) Success in America; by John Gartner

Alice Albrecht is the founder and CEO of re:collect, a company dedicated to "enhancing human intelligence by augmenting memory, perception, and synthesis utilizing AI." Alice started her career in psychology and academia, obtaining a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from Yale University. She joins the show to discuss how to become more creative, why she believes that nothing is true, how to boost evolution and MUCH more! Important Links:

• re:collect's Website
• Alice's Twitter
• Alice's LinkedIn
• How to Improve Your Creative Thinking

Show Notes:

• Augmenting Human Creativity
• Collection Does Not Always Lead to Recollection
• Using re:collect to Connect Information
• How to Increase Your Creativity
• Different Phases of Creativity
• How AI Fits Into the Picture
• Harnessing Our Attention
• AGI & ASI
• Boosting Evolution
• re:collect's First Order Effects
• Nothing is True
• Convergence, Divergence & Collective Intelligence
• re:collect in Seven Years' Time
• From Academia to Entrepreneurship
• Alice as Empress of the World
• MORE!

Books Mentioned:

• The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World; by David Deutsch
• The Fabric of Reality: Towards a Theory of Everything; by David Deutsch
• The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich

Guy Spier runs the Aquamarine Fund, an "investment partnership closely modeled on the original Buffet Partnerships." He is also a podcast host, YouTube creator, author of The Education of a Value Investor and the host of the annual investment gathering VALUEx. He describes his life's project as "a quest for wealth, wisdom and enlightenment." Guy joins the show to discuss the differences between Switzerland and the US, how to unlock the British class system, what he learned from Warren Buffett, and MUCH more! Important Links:

• Guy's Website
• Guy's Twitter
• Guy's YouTube Channel
• 3Blue1Brown (YouTube Channel)
• Numberphile (YouTube Channel)

Show Notes:

• The Differences Between New York, Switzerland & Paris
• Exploring the Dark Underbelly of New York Nightlife
• Psychedelics, Guns & Regulation
• The Advantages of Swiss Democracy
• Don't Short the United States
• The Branding Skill of the Royal Family
• Unlocking the Rules of the Class System
• Life Paths & Premeditation
• Luck, Opportunity & Non-Canonical Science
• Jim's Music Taste
• Mathematical Shenanigans
• Guy as Emperor of the World
• MORE!

Books Mentioned:

• How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence; by Michael Pollan
• The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (a Little) Craziness and (a Lot Of) Success in America; by John Gartner
• Write It Down, Make It Happen: Knowing What You Want and Getting It; by Henriette Anne Klauser
• Invest Like The Best; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
• Outside, the Sky is Blue: The story of a family told with searing honesty, humour and love; by Christina Patterson

Jared Dillian is a writer, strategist, financial expert, public speaker, and author of four books, including No Worries: How To Live a Stress-Free Financial Life (out this month!). He joins us to discuss why you should never loan money to your friends or family, why the FIRE movement is a fast track to a miserable life, the hidden costs of being cheap, and MUCH more! Important Links:

• No Worries: How To Live a Stress-Free Financial Life
• Jared's Website
• Jared's Twitter
• Daily Dirtnap
• We're Gonna Get Those Bastards
• Jared Dillian Money

Show Notes:

• From Coast Guard, to Wall Street, to Writer
• "I am not in the money business—I am in the happy business"
• The Awesome Portfolio
• Stop Worrying About Small Financial Decisions
• The Biggest Financial Decisions You Will Ever Make
• Keep Your Finances Separate From Your Partner; Never Loan Friends or Family Money
• To Make Money, You Have to Want Money
• Generational Attitudes to Money
• Being Wealthy vs Being Rich
• Blowing Up Your Identity
• Improving Financial Education
• Why Investing Should Be Hard
• The Hidden Costs of Being Cheap
• Why People Are Scared of Entrepreneurship
• The Worst Financial Decision Jared Has Ever Made
• Jared as Emperor of the World
• MORE!

Books Mentioned:

• No Worries: How To Live a Stress-free Financial Life; by Jared Dillian
• Those Bastards: 69 Essays on Life, Creativity, and Meaning; by Jared Dillian
• All The Evil of This World; by Jared Dillian
• Street Freak: Money and Madness at Lehman Brothers; by Jared Dillian
• Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!; by Robert T. Kiyosaki
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; by Stephen R. Covey

Writer, marketer, entrepreneur, and master of mental models, George Mack, returns to discuss the top 0.1% of ideas he's ever come across, from treating life as a video game to spotting high-agency individuals. Important Links:

• George's Twitter
• The Lindy Library
• Roy: A Life Well Lived (Rick and Morty)
• How to Spot High Agency People
• The Mack Meditation
• What is ignored by the media — but will be studied by historians?
• The Early-Late Razor

Show Notes:

• Treating Life as a Video Game
• Finding the Important Metrics
• Embrace Momentum; Embrace Constraints
• How to Spot High Agency People
• How to Increase Your Agency
• The Mack Meditation & Silence as Alpha
• Why Pessimism vs Optimism is the Wrong Debate
• The Future of Media
• What is Ignored by the Media but will be Studied by Historians?
• The Reddit to Facebook Continuum
• George's Most Midwit Opinion
• Randomness & Feeding the Algorithm
• How to Retain Curiosity
• George as Emperor of the World

Books Mentioned:

• The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (a Little) Craziness and (a Lot Of) Success in America; by John Gartner
• Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine; by Derren Brown
• What Works on Wall Street; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
• The Secret; by Rhonda Byrne
• Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid; by Douglas Hofstadter
• The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations that Transform the World; by David Deutsch