Robert Wright's Nonzero

1:19 The psychology of the shooter 10:04 The psychology of Trump 19:42 Trump as national healer 26:32 When is anti-Trump rhetoric too extreme? 43:12 The alpha male problem

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 July 15, 2024.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

Paul’s Substack: https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net

Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from this week's Earthling. Read it here:

https://nonzero.substack.com/p/the-shrinking-west-bank

Recorded July 12, 2024.

https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews

https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

0:52 Biden plays chicken against Democratic elites 13:53 Could the delegates deny Biden the nomination? 21:29 Odd moments in the George Stephanopoulos interview 35:32 Biden faces down a populist-elite revolt 46:06 How a small group of insiders could force Biden out 52:13 Heading to Overtime

Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Eric Levitz (New York Magazine, Vox). Recorded July 08, 2024.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from this week’s Earthling (had there been one).

Recorded July 03, 2024.

https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews

https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

1:43 Dementia vs senility 5:40 Biden’s brain: a post-debate diagnosis 15:56 Who’s to blame for the Biden problem? 26:04 Biden’s most baffling debate moment 33:04 Will Biden step down? Bob and Paul place their bets 39:01 Has Nick Bostrom flipped on AI doomerism? 43:17 The earthly side of a meditation retreat 49:57 Heading to Overtime

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 July 01, 2024.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

Paul’s Substack: https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net

1:23 Why Jeffrey helped turn Meta’s Llama into Bad Llama 9:19 Bioweapons, hacking, and other AI dangers 20:03 How America unwittingly boosts China’s AI sector 29:01 The dark side of AI “alignment” 40:15 Is superintelligence the super-weapon of the future? 49:37 The perils of AI acceleration

Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Jeffrey Ladish (Palisade Research). Recorded June 19, 2024.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

0:28 Edward’s new book, At the Edge of Empire: A Family’s Reckoning with China 4:05 What Americans get wrong about China 13:33 Humiliation and China’s national psychology 17:38 Why Edward’s father joined the People’s Liberation Army 26:23 How Edward’s father fell out of favor with the PLA 37:39 How draconian is Xi Jinping’s crackdown on Uyghurs? 44:20 Famine, purges, and alienation in Mao’s China 49:28 Heading to Overtime

Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Edward Wong (The New York Times, At the Edge of Empire). Recorded June 18, 2024.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from this week’s Earthling (had there been one).

Recorded June 20, 2024.

https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

0:28 Bob re-enters reality 3:54 Elon’s X-rated horse-trading 9:41 What do LLMs really say about the “blank slate” view of the mind? 28:12 Bob challenges Paul to meditate—will Paul retreat? 33:15 Have Bob’s views changed since writing Nonzero? 44:13 Paul’s and Bob’s (semi-compatible) views on free will 50:51 Heading to Overtime

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 June 17, 2024.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

Paul’s Substack:

Overtime titles:

The Buddhist solution to Paul’s Twitter troubles. Jake Gyllenhaal’s problematic bod. Dark Matter reviewed (w/ light spoilers). Bob and Paul swap faux pas horror stories. 3 Body’s entanglement problem. Has Anthropic mapped the mind of AI? Bob’s podcast no-go list. The problem with incredibly good looking people.

0:28 Glenn’s very unvarnished memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative 10:12 Glenn’s unusual urban upbringing 19:00 Is Glenn’s sermon for black men hypocritical? 22:15 Glenn’s double life at Harvard 32:40 How it all came crashing down 44:39 Is Glenn’s book _too_ honest? 52:16 Heading to Overtime

Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Glenn Loury (Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Brown University, Late Admissions). Recorded June 13, 2024.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

Overtime titles:

0:00 The Psalm that may have saved Glenn’s life 5:50 Glenn’s final crack hit 8:28 Glenn’s path from conservative to progressive and back again 21:53 The difference between Glenn and Wilt Chamberlain 23:32 Why does Glenn have such low risk aversion? 32:43 The time Glenn made Coretta Scott King cry 37:55 Explaining all without excusing all