Robert Wright's Nonzero

Eric's new book on populism and immigration, Whiteshift ... Why it's counterproductive to call Trump supporters racist ... Eric's vision of an American ethnic nationalism ... Bob: Ideally, shouldn't we get past ethnicity? ... Will mixed-race children of the future identify as white? ... Debating whether a purely civic nationalism is viable ... The real reasons most white voters backed Trump ... The two Democrats who Eric thinks would do best against Trump ... Is ethnic affinity in our genes? ...

Nina's research on how we understand the self ... The traits that make your self yourself ... Buddhism and the continuity of self through time ... The link between egocentrism and an equanimous attitude toward death ... Bob: Not-self is hard to experience and very hard to understand ... Asian Buddhists vs. "white boy Buddhists" ... Does a happy life require virtuous behavior? ...

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

Nina's research on how we understand the self ... The traits that make your self yourself ... Buddhism and the continuity of self through time ... The link between egocentrism and an equanimous attitude toward death ... Bob: Not-self is hard to experience and very hard to understand ... Asian Buddhists vs. "white boy Buddhists" ... Does a happy life require virtuous behavior? ...

Glenn wrestles with the problem of self-regard as he writes his memoir ... "I was a liberal before I was a conservative before I was a liberal before I was a conservative" ... The secret life Glenn led while at Harvard ... Glenn wonders whether his support of affirmative action was just virtue signaling ... The racial issues pushing Glenn back toward the right in recent years ... Glenn reflects on becoming a Bloggingheads star ... How Glenn gained and lost his Christian faith ...

Why Alex shifted from international relations to quantum physics ... Alex: "We are walking wave functions" ... Do the origins of consciousness and free will lie in the wave collapse? ... Quantum decision theory and human irrationality ... The advantage of viewing humanity as quantum rather than classical ... How a nation-state is like a quantum state ... Alex: Language is best understood quantumly ... The possibility of collective consciousness ...

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

Why Alex shifted from international relations to quantum physics ... Alex: "We are walking wave functions" ... Do the origins of consciousness and free will lie in the wave collapse? ... Quantum decision theory and human irrationality ... The advantage of viewing humanity as quantum rather than classical ... How a nation-state is like a quantum state ... Alex: Language is best understood quantumly ... The possibility of collective consciousness ...

The origins of Kat and Phoebe's podcast, Feminine Chaos ... The various strands of contemporary feminism ... Are all elite women feminists now? ... The three waves of feminism ... Has #MeToo infantilized women? ... Have the rules between men and women really changed? ... Are gender differences biologically based? ... Is the NYT making sexist assumptions about Liz Warren? ...

Revisiting Frank's famous essay "The End of History?" 30 years later ... The connection among dignity, identity, and population density ... Frank: All forms of identity are socially constructed ... Complicating the "race vs. economics" debate about Trump's appeal ... Criticizing the way the Democratic contenders have framed identity ... Does the backlash against identity politics fuel Trumpism? ... Illiberal democracy and America ... Opportunities and obstacles for global governance ...

Mickey reviews the many Epstein conspiracy theories ... Was Epstein an Israeli intelligence asset? ... Are Millennials killing the New York Times? ... Mickey: Trump has been a failure on immigration ... Is there a link between Trump's "invasion" rhetoric and the El Paso shooting? ... The Joe Rogan experience ... Mickey tells Elizabeth Warren the secret to victory: a hard line on immigration ... Bob weighs whether to come out for BDS ... Can paid newsletters save journalism? ...

Building the ideal Democratic candidate ... Who has the best chance of beating Trump? ... Brink: On health care, Democrats have picked the wrong bad guy ... Why the Niskanen Center is pro-government and pro-market ... The kind of universal basic income that Brink would like to see ... How to defeat populism ... Why we need a non-college track in high school ...