Robert Wright's Nonzero

Sarah explains Human Rights Watch's mission ... Is Turkey’s Erdogan engaging in ethnic cleansing? ... Sarah: A "safe zone" along Syria's Turkish border won’t work ... Why armed proxy groups are always unaccountable ... The imminent humanitarian crisis in Idlib, Syria ... Other human rights concerns in the Middle East ... Sarah: The building of Israeli settlements is a war crime ... The failure of the "responsibility to protect" in Libya ...

Nick's new book, Automating the News ... Why Nick is not an alarmist about the automation of journalism ... The types of journalism jobs that algorithms can't replace ... Successful collaborations between human journalists and machines ... The perils of algorithmic fact-checking ... Nick's current research ... Bob hopes for a bot that can assign blame for international law violations ... Can the power of Twitter bots be used for good? ...

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What is scientism, and who is doing it? ... Postmodernism and whether science just tells "stories" ... John criticizes the "ideological fervor" of evolutionary psychology ... The hubris of scientists in the '80s and '90s ... Has science reached its fundamental limits in trying to explain consciousness? ... John wins his Nobel Prize "long bet" on string theory ... The various corrupting influences on scientists ... A brief debate on higher purpose ...

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Max recounts his recent trip to Syria ... A dangerous myth about authoritarian leaders ... Max: We are the biggest dictator on the planet ... Why saying "Putin won" in Syria is facile ... Is the "responsibility to protect" just imperialism in disguise? ... China, Hong Kong, and the NBA ...

Chris steers The New Republic (back) to the left ... How Chris's Iowa childhood shaped his politics ... "This might be your great-grandfather's New Republic" ... Evaluating the Resistance ... Why Chris wishes Sherrod Brown was running for president ... The Iraq War and TNR's history of hawkish foreign policy ... Running a magazine of ideas in an online world ... Finding the right tone for the new TNR ...

What is the foundation of Buddhist ethics? ... Experiencing not-self ... Buddhism is a synthesis of consequentialism and virtue ethics ... The origins of Buddhism's concern for animal welfare ... Does the Buddha want you to be vegetarian? ... Why isn’t there more anti-militarist activism among Buddhists? ... Trying to comply with the Buddhist ideal of "right speech" ... Mental defilements and their eradication ... Does Buddhism’s emphasis on equanimity discourage activism? ...

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Michael: Ukrainegate flows out of Russiagate ... Are Democrats overinterpreting the evidence against Trump? ... Does it matter that the whistleblower is a CIA agent? ... Why this was the breaking point for House Dems ... Bob: Trump has inured us to a baseline level of corruption ... Would any other president have done this? ... Will impeachment wind up helping Trump? ... If Trump is gone, Pence could well win in 2020 ...

Angie's new book, The Long Southern Strategy ... Angie: It wasn't inevitable that civil rights would become a wedge issue ... The Equal Rights Amendment, Phyllis Schlafly, and anti-feminist backlash ... The subtler replacements for overt racism and sexism ... How the Southern style of politics took over the GOP ... Abortion and the migration of Southern Baptists to the GOP ... Did Republicans take advantage of Billy Graham? ... Trump's failed party realignment ... Which Democrat has the best chance of beating Trump? ...

Why Agnes once lay down on the yellow line in the middle of the road ... What explains "akrasia," or weakness of will? ... Agnes's book, Aspiration: The Agency of Becoming ... How Agnes views free will and self-creation ... How do you become the "you" that you want to be? ... Aspiration and the divine ... Agnes's forthcoming book on how Socrates changed the rules ...

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

Bhaskar's new book, The Socialist Manifesto ... Where Sanders, Warren, and Corbyn fit on the socialist spectrum ... Trump as radicalizer of the left ... Why Marxism failed in Russia and the Third World ... Bhaskar: My objection to capitalism isn’t about the market per se ... Can NAFTA and other trade agreements be made to work for workers? ... Why do socialists tend to be anti-war? ...