Robert Wright's Nonzero

By Nonzero

News & Politics Society & Culture Philosophy

What's Robert Wright's Nonzero about?

Conversations with a series of people who have nothing in common except that program host Robert Wright is curious about what they’re thinking.

nonzero.substack.com

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Robert Wright's Nonzero episodes:

04.22.2024
Putin, AI, Ukraine, Crypto, the Noosphere, Futurism, and Other Stuff (Robert Wright & Anatoly Karlin)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 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:...
04.20.2024
Israel Strikes Iran, David Cameron Crumbles (Earthling Unplugged)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 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
04.17.2024
How Iran’s Attack Benefits Israel (Robert Wright & Joshua Landis)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 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...
04.13.2024
Iran’s “Imminent” Attack (Earthling Unplugged)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 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
04.11.2024
Daniel Kahneman and the Rationalists (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 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?...
04.05.2024
Biden’s Israel Problem (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, Daniel Bessner)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 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...
04.03.2024
AI, Rationalism, and the “Great Filter” (Robert Wright & Robin Hanson)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:33 Robin’s history of thinking about the future 2:48 Seeing AI as offspring, not adversary 14:54 Robin’s famous answer to a great cosmic mystery 25:21 Would evidence...
03.31.2024
The Cosmic Thought of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Robert Wright & Ilia Delio)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:33 Ilia’s background 2:21 Things to know about the noosphere 8:43 Teilhard’s transgressive theological and scientific thought 14:57 Does AI suggest a “transcendent nature to nature”? 18:36...
03.30.2024
Bibi Beats Biden (Again) (Earthling Unplugged)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling. Read this edition of the Earthling: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/the-new-persuaders Recorded March 29, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
03.26.2024
Meditation Tips for Beginners (and Non-Beginners) (Robert Wright & Kathryn Devaney)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:33 Kati’s unusual niche 2:40 How Covid changed meditation 7:38 Kati: The optimal amount of meditation is… 15:10 Is focusing on the breath overblown? 23:06 AI as...
03.22.2024
What Does Putin Want? (Robert Wright, Nikolay, and Kirill)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 3:05 Are Nikolay and Kirill satisfied with the "special military operation"? 8:26 Why have Russians become more supportive of the war effort? 18:07 Kirill defends the RWA...
03.20.2024
Elon and Altman: Dueling Messiahs (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:33 Paul’s Substack: small potatoes or some pumpkins? 4:03 Elon sours on Lemon—is ketamine to blame? 10:00 The enduring enigma that is Elon Musk 21:25 Is Altman...
03.15.2024
The Open Source AI Question (Robert Wright & Nathan Labenz)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:33 Nathan’s role as “AI scout” 4:07 What "open source" in AI really means 9:45 Why the secrecy around AI training data? 17:19 What’s actually “open” about...
03.12.2024
Biden’s Gaza Failures (Robert Wright & Daniel Levy)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 2:49 Should Biden pursue regime change in Israel? 11:09 How the White House mishandled Netanyahu's far-right government 22:32 Daniel: “Israel has lost this war” 31:57 What a...
03.09.2024
Biden's Big Speech (Earthling Unplugged)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling. Read this edition of the Earthling at:https://nonzero.substack.com/p/the-real-problem-with-the-trump-biden Recorded March 08, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
03.07.2024
Elon v. OpenAI, Google vs Itself (Robert Wright & Timothy B. Lee)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:31 The other Tim B. Lee 3:16 Unpacking the Elon v. OpenAI case 14:04 How did Google’s Gemini go wrong? 25:24 The unsung ingenious side of Gemini...
03.01.2024
Possible Palestinian and Ukrainian Futures (Earthling Unplugged)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the (would-be) Earthling. Recorded March 01, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
02.28.2024
Google’s AI, Biden’s Brain, and Other Enigmas (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 1:19 Big trouble with Small Potatoes 5:13 What makes a good podcast? 13:21 Google’s AI goes wild(ly woke) 27:02 Is Biden a “super-ager” or just super old?...
02.22.2024
Does AI Understand Things? (Robert Wright & Gary Marcus)
0:31 Gary’s background and place in the AI world 1:45 Are Gary’s views on AI paradoxical? 9:16 Bob: Searle’s Chinese Room argument is dead 19:29 Have LLMs demonstrated "theory of mind"? 26:34 Arguing the semantics of an LLM's “semantic space”...
02.20.2024
What Navalny Meant (Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 2:19 Nikita’s memories of Navalny’s emergence as a political force 12:17 The time Nikita was detained for protesting election fraud 23:42 Navalny’s success as a political organizer...
02.17.2024
Gazans' Displacement, AI's Acceleration (Earthling Unplugged)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling. Read this edition of the Earthling at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/sam-altmans-big-bad-idea Recorded February 16, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
02.15.2024
Ukraine’s War, Putin’s Worldview (Robert Wright & Leonid Ragozin)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com (Overtime audio available to paid subscribers through the player at the top of the page and video version available below the paywall.) 1:35 What MSM missed about...
02.13.2024
Inside the Mind of AI (Robert Wright & Nora Belrose)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 1:57 Nora’s low score on the AI doomer test 8:26 The messy math of AI alignment 13:41 Teaching and (unteaching) concepts to LLMS 18:06 Do we really...
02.10.2024
Putin's Monologue, Biden's Bad Day (Earthling Unplugged)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling. Read this edition of the Earthling at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/the-new-lab-leak-evidence Recorded February 09, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
02.09.2024
Conspiracy Theories and True Fictions (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:31 Bob’s bad newsletter news for Paul 3:50 Fast Car's moving Grammy moment 9:42 Music, female orgasms, and other evolutionary enigmas 14:22 The Moral Animal turns 30—how...
02.06.2024
The Truth About Effective Altruism (Robert Wright & Rob Wiblin)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:31 Effective altruism (EA) and Rob’s 80,000 Hours podcast 3:10 SBF’s fall = EA’s public relations problem 12:13 What went wrong for (and with) SBF? 29:05 Virtue...
02.02.2024
What’s Next for Gaza and Israel? (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, Daniel Bessner)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:31 Another high-synergy collaborative episode 1:42 Do mainstream Israelis support ethnic cleansing? 10:56 Biden’s electoral (mis?)calculations on Israel-Palestine 21:14 What does a left-wing foreign policy vision look...
01.30.2024
An Israeli Looks at Gaza (Robert Wright & Russ Roberts)
2:19 How Israelis think about civilian casualties in Gaza 21:15 Is the war spawning a new generation of terrorists? 35:07 Explaining versus justifying bad behavior 50:07 Can Hamas and other extremist groups be moderated? 1:03:40 Is the world biased against...
01.26.2024
Gaza, Biden, Political AI, and Other Problems (Earthling Unplugged)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling. Recorded January 25, 2024.
01.23.2024
Overton Windows Ep.3: Transgender Issues
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com Robert Wright and Tamler Sommers discuss what you can and can't say about transgender issues. Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True)...
01.21.2024
The Biden-Trump Catastrophe (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)
2:33 Fear and loathing on the campaign trail 2024 10:16 Haley’s shortcomings, Trump’s cognitive decline 25:1 Who’s the perfect Democrat to run against Biden? 40:48 How Biden could stop the Gaza war 48:29 Why the Houthis are hard to neutralize...
01.19.2024
Wuhan Lab Leak, Effective Altruism, and Other Media-distorted Issues (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:31 Bob saves Paul from some very bad influences 6:01 What makes Hitler more evil than Stalin and Mao? 13:27 New lab leak evidence—what will come of...
01.17.2024
Techno-Optimism vs. Techno-Pessimism (Robert Wright & Reid Hoffman)
0:31 Reid’s deep roots in the tech world 4:30 The kind of AI pessimism that irks Reid the most 16:16 Can (and should) we slow down AI progress? 28:16 Could AI help resolve international disputes? 34:51 The promise and perils...
01.12.2024
The Iowa Caucuses and After (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)
1:58 Mickey’s in Iowa—and on the Nonzero Podcast! 5:51 Do Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley have a chance? 17:44 Why Biden will probably lose 25:52 Wait, are there Democratic primaries? 40:10 Would Trump 2.0 be a more capable authoritarian? 51:13...
01.10.2024
Israel’s War, Biden’s War (Robert Wright & Stephen Walt)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 1:44 How the Gaza war harms US interests 12:16 How the Gaza war harms Israel’s interests 22:49 Could Biden get Israel to wind down the war? 31:57...
01.05.2024
Is AI Moving Too Fast? (Robert Wright & Timothy B. Lee)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:33 Tim seeks Substack synergy beyond Bob 3:21 Recent contributors to Bob’s AI anxiety 9:36 Why “Mamba” matters 13:53 Is AI moving too fast? 24:12 Are fears...
01.03.2024
Down the JFK Rabbit Hole (Robert Wright & Jefferson Morley)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:31 Jeff’s journalistic bona fides 4:09 The origins of the official assassination narrative 11:12 Oswald: Lone gunman? Patsy? Both? 19:52 The CIA’s interest in Oswald before the...
12.30.2023
ChatGPT Versus Taylor Swift (Earthling Unplugged)
Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling. 1:10 Where’s Mickey? 5:28 Why ChatGPT is the real person of the year 21:09 The New York Times sues OpenAI 34:08 Bob’s bitter vindication on Russia-Ukraine 43:40 Israel threatens a...
12.28.2023
Psychedelics, Meditation, and the Brain (Robert Wright & Kathryn Devaney)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:33 Kati’s very unusual Venn diagram 4:52 Your brain on meditation 10:59 The time Bob’s meditation got weird 16:43 What are the “jhanas”? 25:34 What science tells...
12.27.2023
What is to be done? A Nonzero/Psychopolitica Live Event | Live Replay
https://www.youtube.com/live/za5JxTsGwkg?feature=shared This is a recording of a livestream hosted by Robert Wright, publisher of the Nonzero Newsletter, and Nikita Petrov, publisher of the Psychopolitica newsletter. In the course of fielding questions from their newsletter subscribers, Bob and Nikita discussed psychedelics,...
12.22.2023
Is Israel-Palestine Peace Possible? (Robert Wright & Thomas Friedman)
1:20 How Tom tried to bring down Netanyahu’s government 10:00 The coming Biden-Netanyahu showdown 14:25 What’s driving Israeli public support for such massive retaliation? 24:18 The alarming growth of global disorder 30:50 Is Israel fated to be hated? 42:50 Why...
12.20.2023
Effective Altruism, AI, and Existential Risk (Robert Wright & Émile P. Torres)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com (Overtime audio available to paid subscribers through the player at the top of the page and video version available below the paywall.) 2:44 A short history of...
12.16.2023
America: Superpower Client State (Earthling Unplugged)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from The Earthling. Read this edition of The Earthling at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/bidens-israel-impotence
12.15.2023
Israel, Antisemitism, and Social Media (Robert Wright & Max Abrahms)
0:45 Max’s book Rules for Rebels—and the rule that Hamas broke 4:13 Is social media a reality distortion machine? 19:32 “From the river to the sea…” compared to “globalize the intifada” 27:01 Does social media exaggerate the level of civil...
12.13.2023
Free Speech, Antisemitism, and Elon Musk (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 1:06 The biggest surprise of Paul’s intellectual life 8:41 What the three college presidents should have said about free speech 21:07 Ramaswamy’s hot mic moment: mistake or...
12.09.2023
The Reality Distortion Field (Earthling Unplugged)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from The Earthling. Read this edition of The Earthling at:
12.08.2023
The Gaza War and the Palestine Question (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:33 A bold experiment in podcast synergy continues 4:03 The dire humanitarian situation in Gaza 10:19 Is full-on ethnic cleansing more likely than a political solution? 19:49...
12.05.2023
The Trouble with Techno-Optimism (Robert Wright & Daron Acemoglu)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 1:02 Daron’s book Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity 1:57 What tech optimists get wrong about economic history 10:01 Will AI inevitably sideline...
12.02.2023
The Sam Altman Paradox (Earthling Unplugged)
Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from The Earthling. Read this edition of The Earthling at: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nonzero.substack.com/subscribe
11.30.2023
What Really Happened at OpenAI? (Robert Wright & Timothy B. Lee)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com 0:33 Bob and Tim seek Substack synergy 2:31 What was the OpenAI drama really about? 14:49 Viewing the drama through a (cynical) psychological lens 21:19 Were reports...

What's Robert Wright's Nonzero about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Robert Wright's Nonzero episodes:

Putin, AI, Ukraine, Crypto, the Noosphere, Futurism, and Other Stuff (Robert Wright & Anatoly Karlin)

Israel Strikes Iran, David Cameron Crumbles (Earthling Unplugged)

How Iran’s Attack Benefits Israel (Robert Wright & Joshua Landis)

Iran’s “Imminent” Attack (Earthling Unplugged)

Daniel Kahneman and the Rationalists (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

Biden’s Israel Problem (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, Daniel Bessner)

AI, Rationalism, and the “Great Filter” (Robert Wright & Robin Hanson)

The Cosmic Thought of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Robert Wright & Ilia Delio)

Bibi Beats Biden (Again) (Earthling Unplugged)

Meditation Tips for Beginners (and Non-Beginners) (Robert Wright & Kathryn Devaney)

What Does Putin Want? (Robert Wright, Nikolay, and Kirill)

Elon and Altman: Dueling Messiahs (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

The Open Source AI Question (Robert Wright & Nathan Labenz)

Biden’s Gaza Failures (Robert Wright & Daniel Levy)

Biden's Big Speech (Earthling Unplugged)

Elon v. OpenAI, Google vs Itself (Robert Wright & Timothy B. Lee)

Possible Palestinian and Ukrainian Futures (Earthling Unplugged)

Google’s AI, Biden’s Brain, and Other Enigmas (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

Does AI Understand Things? (Robert Wright & Gary Marcus)

What Navalny Meant (Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov)

Gazans' Displacement, AI's Acceleration (Earthling Unplugged)

Ukraine’s War, Putin’s Worldview (Robert Wright & Leonid Ragozin)

Inside the Mind of AI (Robert Wright & Nora Belrose)

Putin's Monologue, Biden's Bad Day (Earthling Unplugged)

Conspiracy Theories and True Fictions (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

The Truth About Effective Altruism (Robert Wright & Rob Wiblin)

What’s Next for Gaza and Israel? (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, Daniel Bessner)

An Israeli Looks at Gaza (Robert Wright & Russ Roberts)

Gaza, Biden, Political AI, and Other Problems (Earthling Unplugged)

Overton Windows Ep.3: Transgender Issues

The Biden-Trump Catastrophe (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

Wuhan Lab Leak, Effective Altruism, and Other Media-distorted Issues (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

Techno-Optimism vs. Techno-Pessimism (Robert Wright & Reid Hoffman)

The Iowa Caucuses and After (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

Israel’s War, Biden’s War (Robert Wright & Stephen Walt)

Is AI Moving Too Fast? (Robert Wright & Timothy B. Lee)

Down the JFK Rabbit Hole (Robert Wright & Jefferson Morley)

ChatGPT Versus Taylor Swift (Earthling Unplugged)

Psychedelics, Meditation, and the Brain (Robert Wright & Kathryn Devaney)

What is to be done? A Nonzero/Psychopolitica Live Event | Live Replay

Is Israel-Palestine Peace Possible? (Robert Wright & Thomas Friedman)

Effective Altruism, AI, and Existential Risk (Robert Wright & Émile P. Torres)

America: Superpower Client State (Earthling Unplugged)

Israel, Antisemitism, and Social Media (Robert Wright & Max Abrahms)

Free Speech, Antisemitism, and Elon Musk (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

The Reality Distortion Field (Earthling Unplugged)

The Gaza War and the Palestine Question (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner)

The Trouble with Techno-Optimism (Robert Wright & Daron Acemoglu)

The Sam Altman Paradox (Earthling Unplugged)

What Really Happened at OpenAI? (Robert Wright & Timothy B. Lee)