Robert Wright's Nonzero

Why Robby refuses to support Trump ... Is history shaped more by social forces or human agency? ... Robby gives an insider’s view on why Appalachia is Trump country ... The declining influence of religion ... How a lack of humility poisons politics ... Contempt in current political rhetoric ... Robby: Politicians need to get out of the identity politics game ...

A defense of Gary Johnson's, "What's Aleppo?" ... Ann: Political-speak is evolving ... Does Trump deserve more credit than he gets? ... Does Hillary lie more than other politicians? ... Bob on Hillary's biggest mistake and Trump's hair ... The media's anti-Trump bias ... The possibility of party realignment (on both sides) ...

What Mark learned writing the New York Times “Beliefs” column ... Wittgenstein on religion ... What does the “spiritual” in “spiritual but not religious” mean? ... Crossfit and other secular communities that seem religious ... The puzzle of Jewish identity ... Being religious but not spiritual ...

Michael’s book, The Internet of Us, and “neuromedia” ... How Google short circuits our critical faculties ... Dangers of the “hive mind” ... The echo chamber effect and how to combat it ... How tech has—and has not—changed the way we learn ... Privacy in the age of big data ...

The future is real, and we could travel there ... Reasons to think the future may influence the present ... Can retro-causality explain quantum entanglement? ... Why our intuitions about time are wrong ... Is there a place for free will in a deterministic universe? ... The many worlds theory, quantum computers, and events without causes ...

Why Mickey supports Trump "in his heart" but not necessarily in his head. ... Does Mickey still trust Trump on immigration? ... Bob: Trump's lack of self-control makes him unfit to be President ... Does the Steve Bannon appointment mean Trump embraces the alt-right? ... Bob and Mickey agree: Trump has a real chance of winning ... Bob fears the media bias against Trump is counterproductively overt ...

How Trump crushed the "true conservatives" ... A brief history of conservative populism ... A few kind words for Trump supporters ... Trump and the alt-right's revival of the old right ... Could Trump wind up being good for democracy? ... Is Trump's incompetence a blessing in disguise? ...

Why Katherine wrote Grace Without God ... Getting the benefits of religion without the religion ... How do you find grace without God? ... Moral education without religion ... Non-religious spiritual experiences ... Dealing with death ...

Why Dan decided to teach a course about soul beliefs ... Almost all Americans believe in an undying soul ... When did religion become infused with morality? ... Greek philosophers on the soul ... How to challenge beliefs in a smart way ... Is religion a convenient way to deny death? ...

Doug's book Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America ... Psychedelics as gateway drugs to Buddhism ... Common ground between Buddhism and psychedelic spirituality ... What is Psychedelic Buddhism? ... When are psychedelics unhealthy? ... Compare and contrast between Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism ...