Robert Wright's Nonzero

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1:53 Is it ever okay to fire professors for speech? 13:32 Bari Weiss spreads misinformation without consequence 22:28 Are some of Israel’s American supporters unwittingly inflaming antisemitism? 33:33 Ayaan Hirsi Ali converts to Christianity without abandoning New Atheist creed 38:46 Do Sam Harris et. al. get religion totally wrong? 49:12 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 May 07, 2024.

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Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling.

Read this edition of the Earthling: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/the-new-pro-israel-assault-on-free

0:41 Coleman’s Joe Rogan appearance and new book, The End of Race Politics 2:50 Campus protests and free speech 12:53 Is anti-Zionism anti-Semitism? 17:42 Is "exterminating Hamas" a viable solution? 27:11 Bob: Israel never offered Palestinians a state 40:54 “Right of return” and Palestinian national identity 57:22 How firmly entrenched is hatred of Israel among Palestinians? 1:08:33 Could better US policy have steered Israel-Palestine toward peace? 1:19:12 Are Palestinian “sacred beliefs” the problem? 1:26:20 Possible Palestinian futures 1:34:01 Israel’s strike on Iran’s consulate in Syria

Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Coleman Hughes (Conversations with Coleman). Recorded April 25, 2024.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

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0:29 Paul asserts his right to non-assertion 4:31 Campus protests and free speech controversies 19:53 Have pro-Palestine protestors crossed a line? Have their opposition? 31:13 Will the protests force a reckoning on campus “wokeness”? 40:09 Remembering philosopher Daniel Dennett 48:03 Bob vs Dennett on consciousness 1:00:47 Does the mind-body problem suggest a cosmic solution? 1:10:34 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 April 24, 2024.

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

Discussed in Overtime:The problem(s) with the 3 Body Problem.Bob and Dennett’s big breakup: a breakdown. The time Keanu Reeves glitched at Bob’s expense. Does Bob have a “Burn Book” in his future?

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0:29 Anatoly’s strange CV 4:20 How the 20th century set the stage for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine 9:42 Why did Putin turn against the West? 24:19 Anatoly: I underestimated Russia’s incompetence 28:29 Has the Ukraine war really shifted in Russia’s favor? 35:26 Russia’s “elite human capital” problem 42:02 Is the “bio-singularity” near? 51:11 Unipolar vs multipolar AI takeover scenarios 1:00:01 Heading to Overtime

Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Anatoly Karlin (https://akarlin.com/, Nooceleration). Recorded April 16, 2024.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

Overtime titles:

0:00 Can the world regulate AI wisely? 2:05 The case for crypto 10:08 What Anatoly would do as AI czar 14:05 When noospheres collide 23:52 Is controlling AI possible under capitalism? 31:56 Was Anatoly serious about taking the Ukraine war into outer space? 36:01 Anatoly: The nation-state is obsolete

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Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling.

Read this edition of the Earthling:

https://nonzero.substack.com/p/the-kay-burley-path-to-world-peace

Recorded April 19, 2024.

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

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0:59 Why Iran’s attack on Israel was an “own goal” 5:36 Did Iran minimize casualties on purpose? 12:11 The rising odds of Israel attacking Iran directly 19:39 America’s contradictory relationship with Israel 25:43 How conflict with Iran helps Israel 34:11 What China wants in the Middle East 43:27 America’s destabilizing role in the region 57:16 Heading to Overtime

Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Joshua Landis (University of Oklahoma, SyriaComment.com). Recorded April 16, 2024.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org

Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling.

Read this edition of the Earthling:

https://nonzero.substack.com/p/marc-andreessens-mindless-techno

Recorded April 12, 2024.

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

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0:29 Why Paul’s eclipse experience eclipsed Bob’s 6:25 Remembering pioneering psychologist Daniel Kahneman 16:33 Bob fails gender affirmation test 21:14 Has the “replication crisis” tainted Kahneman’s legacy? 27:47 Eastern vs. Western “enlightenment” 35:58 How AI doomerism came to the rationalist community 45:42 3 Body Problem review goes into 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 April 10, 2024.

Paul’s Substack:

Overtime titles:

0:00 Should humanity welcome AI/alien overlords? 4:44 What was the movie Harvey trying to say? 15:07 Psychedelics as psycho-technology 26:59 The therapy crapshoot 31:06 The self-immolating airman and the trouble with mental “illness” 42:58 Poor Things baffles Bob

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0:34 A brief message from Bob 2:12 Derek and Danny stumble into Bob’s Zoom room 3:11 Israel’s doubly out-of-control week 12:13 How Biden's Gaza failures will shape the Democratic Party 26:42 Biden’s political incentives on Israel-Palestine 30:12 Heading to Overtime

Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Derek Davison (Foreign Exchanges, American Prestige, Discontents), and Daniel Bessner (American Prestige, University of Washington). Recorded April 04, 2024.

American Prestige on Substack: https://www.americanprestigepod.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=publication_embed&utm_medium=web

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods