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Robert Wright's Nonzero

Nonzero

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

www.nonzero.org
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  • 586 episodes
  • Updated Friday

Episodes586

Newest first
  • Sep 27, 2024 · 1 hr 47 min

    Bob v. Mickey on Trump v. Harris (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

    0:28 Bob crestfallen over Mickey’s hat switcheroo 2:41 Mickey blames DEI for Kamala tic he finds annoying 8:20 Who’s less impressive, Kamala or Trump? 15:27 Why Bob prefers Kamala’s foreign policy team to Biden’s 29:46 The Vance dossier, revealed at last 34:08 More arguments about Kamala 48:08 Preliminary election analysis 59:05 Trump, Vance, and Springfield’s cats and dogs 1:09:52 Mickey’s Eric Adams conspiracy theory 1:12:02 Biden diplomacy? What Biden diplomacy? 1:23:16 Is cancel culture impotent? 1:29:02 Election predictions 1:33:28 Deeper election analysis Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded September 26, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods 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

  • Sep 24, 2024 · 43 min

    Elon, Trump, and Other Scary Billionaires (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Deep insights about coffee and sleep from Paul 5:11 Mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy 7:58 Oligarchy + paranoid billionaires = disaster 14:38 Ackman and Thiel join Elon in billionaire la la land 22:02 Is Trump anti-Semitic or just really pro-Israel? 36:37 If you don’t feel alienated you should seek counseling 41:26 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 September 24, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Sep 19, 2024 · 40 min

    Israel-Hamas, Year One (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Would a different US president have made a difference for Gaza? 14:32 Saudi-Israel normalization takes a step back 19:36 Is all hope lost for a two-state solution? 26:51 Making sense of Israel’s pager attacks in Lebanon 35:28 Heading to Overtime—and an AP PSA 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 September 19, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Sep 17, 2024 · 47 min

    A New Kind of Artificial Intelligence (Robert Wright & Timothy B. Lee)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Why didn’t OpenAI call its new o1 AI GPT? 12:27 Tim’s first impressions of o1 16:30 What’s the secret to o1’s better reasoning? 27:21 Inspecting AI introspection 30:31 Does o1’s capability for deception bring us closer to doom? 35:59 AI doomers’ Hollywood problem 41:03 Elon’s self-driving speed bumps 47:03 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Timothy B. Lee (Full Stack Economics, Understanding AI). Recorded September 17, 2024.

  • Sep 12, 2024 · 48 min

    The Trump-Kamala Debate (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Tragedy strikes the Wright household 4:20 Breaking down the big Trump-Kamala debate 22:44 Are debates actually valuable? 26:16 Kamala’s worst debate moment (according to Bob) 33:39 Elon vs Taylor Swift, Brazil, and himself 37:19 Bob and Paul argue about free speech 45:18 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 September 11, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Sep 5, 2024 · 45 min

    Zelensky’s Gambits, Putin’s Game Plan (Robert Wright & Anatol Lieven)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:00 Is Ukraine’s Kursk invasion failing? 6:05 Why Russia may outlast the West in Ukraine 14:20 Zelensky’s cabinet shakeup 16:50 Prospects for a peace deal 26:25 Russian elites’ views on the war 36:44 How the Global South can help end the conflict 42:40 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Anatol Lieven (The Quincy Institute). Recorded September 05, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Aug 31, 2024 · 1 hr 31 min

    Evolution, Empathy, and the Future of Humanity (Homebrewed Christianity)

    (Description from Tripp Fuller’s Homebrewed Christianity podcast.) In this episode, I am joined by one of my favorite scholars in the public square, Robert Wright, the editor of the Nonzero Newsletter. This is a captivating discussion about artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the future of humanity. We explore Wright's extensive work, including 'Nonzero,' 'The Evolution of God,' and 'Why Buddhism is True,' while delving into the intersections of science, religion, and philosophy. Discover the implications of AI for humanity, the critical role of international cooperation in technology governance, and the moral and spiritual dimensions needed to navigate rapid technological changes. The conversation also addresses the complexities of sentience, cognitive empathy, and the evolutionary drives in AI, with insights from philosophers like Teilhard de Chardin and Alfred North Whitehead. Tripp’s Substack: https://processthis.substack.com/ Originally published August 19, 2024 by Homebrewed Christianity . Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods 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

  • Aug 27, 2024 · 57 min

    Israel’s Self-Destructive Policies (Robert Wright & Stephen Walt)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Steve’s books, The Hell of Good Intentions and The Israel Lobby 1:15 How Israel helped spawn Hezbollah 13:19 Why US leaders abet Israel’s self-destructive behavior 29:14 Netanyahu’s longstanding opposition to a Palestinian state 42:14 The Israeli policy that doomed Israel-Palestine relations 51:39 Steve’s writings on US foreign policy and the election Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Stephen Walt (Harvard University, Foreign Policy). Recorded August 26, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Aug 23, 2024 · 43 min

    Predicting the Past (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Bob and Paul’s time-warping podcast experiment 3:34 Does thinking in bets better your thinking? 9:38 Past prediction 1: Will the presidential race tighten up? 17:10 J.D. Vance memes of yester-month 22:41 Past prediction 2: Who will Kamala pick for VP? 28:52 When reality gets weird 39:26 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 26, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Aug 19, 2024 · 52 min

    Gaza, Realism, and US Foreign Policy (Robert Wright & Emma Ashford)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Emma’s forthcoming book on US grand strategy 4:40 Gaza, Ukraine, and Mearsheimer’s realism 13:38 The DC establishment’s dark view of world affairs 24:43 How the Gaza war hurts American interests—and America itself 30:10 Is the time ripe for realism and restraint? 36:25 National problems that require international cooperation 49:59 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Emma Ashford (Stimson Center, Foreign Policy). Recorded August 14, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Aug 17, 2024 · 39 min

    Client States Gone Wild (Earthling Unplugged)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org This episode includes an Overtime segment that’s available to paid subscribers. If you’re not a paid subscriber, we of course encourage you to become one. If you are a paid subscriber, you can access the complete conversation either via the audio and video on this post or by setting up the paid-subscriber podcast feed, which includes all exclusive audio content. To set that up, simply grab the RSS feed from this page (by first clicking the “...” icon on the audio player) and paste it into your favorite podcast app. If you have trouble completing the process, check out this super-simple how-to guide. Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Read it here: Recorded August 16, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Overtime:

  • Aug 13, 2024 · 1 hr 56 min

    Understanding AI "Understanding" (Robert Wright & Nathan Labenz)

    028 Nathan's podcast, The Cognitive Revolution 3:50 The enduring enigmas of AI 7:39 Conceptualizing how LLMs conceptualize 16:22 Do AIs actually understand things? 33:08 Why AI doesn’t need to be superhuman to be revolutionary 43:40 Human vs AI representations of the world 57:09 Thinking through high-dimensional AI brain space 1:05:22 Nathan on AI risk: Doomer? Accelerationist? Both? 1:21:59 The open source question and Cold War II 1:41:34 Do LLMs “naturally” learn human values? 1:45:20 Mamba: a new approach to building large language models Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nathan Labenz (Cognitive Revolution, Waymark AI). Recorded August 06, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods The Cognitive Revolution podcast: https://www.cognitiverevolution.ai/ Waymark AI: https://waymark.com/ 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

  • Aug 8, 2024 · 1 hr 24 min

    Covid: The evidence for natural origin (Robert Wright & Peter Miller)

    0:28 Peter’s background and (Root)claim to fame 4:14 How Peter caught the Covid origins bug 9:49 The Wuhan wet market: source or amplifier? 14:47 Holes in the lab leak theory 24:57 The patient zero problem 28:25 A statistical deep dive into the wet market 43:13 What the genetic evidence can (and can’t) tell us 1:01:46 Can we “trust the science” on Covid? 1:07:39 Has tribalism made resolving the debate impossible? 1:13:32 Why lab leak matters—even if it didn’t happen Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Peter Miller (https://medium.com/@tgof137, https://www.youtube.com/@tgof137). Recorded August 06, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods 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

  • Aug 5, 2024 · 50 min

    Middle East on the Brink (Robert Wright & Joshua Landis)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 2:11 Who was Haniyeh—and why’d Israel kill him? 6:12 Why Netanyahu may want a US-Iran war 14:15 Are pro-Israel groups at peak power? 22:33 Israel’s escalating conflict with Hezbollah 31:15 The logic of Iranian retaliation 41:07 Israel’s lack of a viable endgame in Gaza 46:31 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Joshua Landis (University of Oklahoma, SyriaComment.com). Recorded August 05, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Aug 1, 2024 · 53 min

    Life in an AI Utopia (Robert Wright & Nick Bostrom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Nick’s influential book Superintelligence and his new book Deep Utopia 3:13 Has Nick flipped on AI doom? 10:57 Life in the “solved world” of an AI utopia 20:44 Can technology address the deepest problems of human nature? 30:07 Meaning, artificial purpose, and the value of golf 46:22 The promise and perils of virtual reality 51:23 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nick Bostrom (Superintelligence, Macrostrategy Research Initiative, Deep Utopia). Recorded July 11, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Jul 30, 2024 · 1 hr

    The Case for (and against) Cold War II (Robert Wright & Dmitri Alperovitch)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:13 Dmitri’s new book, World on the Brink 9:26 Is America’s behavior more destabilizing than China’s? 17:22 China-Taiwan compared to Russia-Ukraine 28:00 Is the US making a Chinese invasion of Taiwan more likely? 41:31 Should the US try to maintain global hegemony? 55:06 The “autocracy versus democracy” framing Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Dmitri Alperovitch (Crowdstrike, Silverado, World on the Brink). Recorded July 24, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Jul 27, 2024 · 34 min

    Coconut Conservatism (Earthling Unplugged)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from this week’s Earthling.

  • Jul 25, 2024 · 32 min

    Will Kamala Make America Great Again? (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, Daniel Bessner)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 The Nonzero-American Prestige all-star team 2:13 Why didn’t the Trump shooting matter more? 7:16 What anti-Trump historians get wrong 18:05 Why Kamala shouldn't demonize Trump 29:59 Heading to Overtime—and a discount deal 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 July 25, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Jul 23, 2024 · 56 min

    Kamala’s Party (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:58 Who’s most to blame for the Biden mess? 10:23 Why Trump might duck a debate with Kamala 13:26 Is Biden locked in the basement? 22:08 Kamala’s biggest liabilities 33:12 Loyalty, the Mob, and Biden’s psychology 40:33 Conspiracy theories of the Trump shooting 48:27 The kind of VP Kamala should pick 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 22, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods