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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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  • 587 episodes
  • Updated Yesterday

Episodes587

Newest first
  • Nov 15, 2023 · 1 hr 49 min

    Israel-Palestine and Ethnic Identity (Robert Wright & Matthew Yglesias)

    3:07 Will Israel-Palestine cost Biden the election? 12:20 What Hamas hoped to accomplish on October 7 24:30 The surprising origins of cancel culture 32:00 Matt defends his ratioed tweet 44:41 The persistent psychological impact of the Holocaust 55:53 Is a one-state solution realistic? 1:16:50 What Ukrainians and Palestinians have in common 1:26:43 Anti-Palestine sentiment and Christian Zionism in America 1:36:09 How the current crisis could lead to war with Iran 1:45:35 Bob gives Matt podcasting advice Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Matthew Yglesias (slowboring.com). Recorded November 14, 2023. 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

  • Nov 11, 2023 · 20 min

    Israel-Palestine and Tribal Biases (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 The Earthling. Read this edition of the Earthling at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/the-river-to-the-sea-rorschach-test Recorded November 10, 2023.

  • Nov 10, 2023 · 45 min

    Noospheres of Influence (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 3:30 Is Paul Bloom the next Tony Robbins? 10:47 Things to know about the noosphere 19:34 How Bob and Paul work 28:58 What Michael Lewis’s SBF bio reveals about SBF (and Michael Lewis) 35:46 SBF and Elon Musk: compare and contrast 38:34 Are SBF’s parents to blame? 42:28 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded November 8, 2023. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Nov 7, 2023 · 1 hr 29 min

    Israel, Palestine, and America (Robert Wright & Ron Kampeas)

    2:49 Ron’s initial reaction to the October 7 atrocities 8:38 How Israel’s far right undermined Israel’s national security 17:40 Support for the Gaza war in Israel 26:34 The trouble with “eradicating” Hamas 32:23 How American Jews are responding to recent events 43:06 Post-October-7 prospects for solving Israel-Palestine 53:09 The rhetorical abuse of the Holocaust 57:37 The origins and meaning of “From the river to the sea…” 1:10:06 Could the Gaza war cost Biden the election? 1:17:16 Competing visions of Zionism 1:23:43 How terrorism impacts the Palestinian cause Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Ron Kampeas (Jewish Telegraphic Agency). Recorded November 07, 2023. 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

  • Nov 3, 2023 · 1 hr 34 min

    Where Is the Israel-Hamas War Heading? (Robert Wright & Joshua Landis)

    2:23 What Iran hopes to gain from the Israel-Hamas war 9:29 Did Hamas expect such a massive retaliation from Israel? 16:54 Why Israel’s campaign in Gaza could backfire 22:24 What Hezbollah is and how it got started 33:52 Does Israel have an exit strategy in Gaza? 46:53 Why the Arab world might unite in the years ahead 56:32 How China could benefit from the current crisis 1:02:52 Why the US hasn’t pushed harder to resolve Israel-Palestine 1:09:44 Is a one-state solution the best path forward? 1:18:11 Can the Israeli government rein in West Bank settlers? 1:25:34 How Israel-Palestine damages America’s, and Biden’s, credibility Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Joshua Landis (University of Oklahoma, SyriaComment.com). Recorded November 02, 2023. 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

  • Oct 31, 2023 · 1 hr 27 min

    Can Israel-Palestine Be Solved? (Robert Wright & Daniel Seidemann)

    3:06 The significance of Jerusalem in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 13:09 Will the current crisis explode into a wider war? 17:30 Israel’s ultra-nationalist minister of national security 26:41 Settler attacks intensify in the West Bank 40:43 The two-state solution is dead—can it be revived? 56:51 Has Israel lost the support of western young people? 1:04:15 What Hamas hoped to accomplish on October 7 1:15:03 How hopelessness drives support for Hamas 1:23:30 Can one-state aspirations produce a two-state solution? Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Daniel Seidemann (Terrestrial Jerusalem). Recorded October 31, 2023. 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

  • Oct 28, 2023 · 23 min

    Earthling Unplugged: Israel’s Gaza speech code

    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 at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/israel... Recorded October 27, 2023.

  • Oct 27, 2023 · 54 min

    Is the War Turning against Ukraine? (Robert Wright & Leonid Ragozin)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:18 Why Leonid considers his nationality “journalist” 8:40 How the West alienated Russia 14:36 Are Russia’s pro-Ukraine “liberals” actually far right? 25:30 How Putin is responding to Israel's war on Hamas 35:25 Are western experts more clear-minded about Israel-Hamas than Russia-Ukraine? 39:47 Is Ukraine at risk of losing significant amounts of territory? 50:51 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Leonid Ragozin (Rest of World, West of Providence, Lonely Planet). Recorded October 26, 2023. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Oct 25, 2023 · 1 hr 17 min

    A Debate on Israel-Palestine (Robert Wright & Eli Lake)

    2:06 Why hasn’t the ground invasion happened yet? 8:22 Do conditions in Gaza make terrorism more likely? 16:37 Palestinian violence compared to Israeli violence 27:05 Did Israel really offer the Palestinians a state two decades ago? 32:43 Does Hamas have much support in the West? 39:55 What should be done about Hamas? 51:09 Israel’s blockade of Gaza and strategy of massive retaliation 58:27 Indignities suffered by Palestinians in the West Bank 1:08:21 Should West Bank Palestinians focus on demanding the vote? 1:13:30 Eli’s growing interest in the deep state Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Eli Lake (The New York Sun, Commentary, Clements Center, The Re-Education). Recorded October 24, 2023. 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

  • Oct 20, 2023 · 1 hr 3 min

    Wokeness and Israel-Palestine (Robert Wright & Meghan Daum)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:34 The Unspeakeasy, the newest arm of the Meghan-industrial complex 7:53 Meghan’s prestigious place in Parrot Room history 11:20 Has wokeness won? 19:48 How common is anti-semitism on the left? 32:40 Israel-Palestine’s destructive non-zero-sum dynamics 50:02 Meghan’s highly therapeutic Unspeakeasy retreats Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Meghan Daum (https://meghandaum.substack.com, https://aspecialplace.substack.com, https://www.theunspeakeasy.com). Recorded October 19, 2023. Meghan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/meghan_daum

  • Oct 16, 2023 · 1 hr 8 min

    Israel, Hamas, and the Laws of War (Robert Wright & Sarah Leah Whitson)

    2:05 Israel’s military plans for northern Gaza 5:05 How does international law apply to Israel and Hamas? 16:15 The first casualty of war is truth 24:50 Do Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute ethnic cleansing? 32:06 The evolving definition of genocide 39:36 How the US and Israel helped Hamas seize power 50:18 America’s ill-fated push for Arab-Israeli normalization 53:17 The hazards of overreacting to Hamas’s attack 1:01:26 How western media has covered the conflict so far Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Sarah Leah Whitson (Democracy for the Arab World Now). Recorded October 16, 2023. 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

  • Oct 13, 2023 · 1 hr

    Elon Musk and Other Odd People (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:33 Paul’s humble new ventures with Substack and Nonzero 6:07 Israel-Palestine, exploitative media, and the pitfalls of empathy 19:04 Paul’s plaudits for Mickey and the Parrot Room 22:11 Elon Musk and Derek Parfit: compare and contrast 29:24 Is there a method to Musk’s mad genius? 36:01 The radical rationalism that forged SBF 43:07 How real is implicit bias? 55:48 How real is SBF? 58:25 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded October 13, 2023. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Oct 9, 2023 · 1 hr 16 min

    Israel, Palestine, and US Foreign Policy (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org (Overtime segment and American Prestige discount subscription link available to paid subscribers below the paywall.) 0:33 Nonzero/American Prestige cocktail with a hybrid episode twist 2:23 Was Hamas’s attack a predictable response to conditions in Gaza? 14:43 Did Biden’s foreign policy make the attack more likely? 25:20 America’s unstrategic Middle East strategy 30:35 Can anything good come out of the current crisis? 39:56 The Nonzero/American Prestige crossover arc 42:39 How to stay sane as a critic of US foreign policy 48:13 Biden vs Trump: Who’s the lesser evil on foreign policy? 52:12 Strains within the restrainer coalition 57:37 Is there any hope left for international law? 1:07:19 Bob’s pitch for (sober) AI alarmism 1:12:20 Heading to Overtime—and a special offer for listeners! Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True), Derek Davison (Foreign Exchanges, American Prestige, Discontents), and Daniel Bessner (American Prestige, University of Washington). Recorded October 05, 2023. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods American Prestige on Substack:

  • Oct 7, 2023 · 1 hr 1 min

    Biden’s Big Problems: Ukraine and the Border (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

    1:52 Important reminder about the Friday podcast 3:33 Sam Bankman-Fried’s plan to stop Trump 8:20 Biden’s new policy: Build the wall! 17:28 Why is life expectancy dropping for some demographics in America? 20:07 Should Democrats have helped Kevin McCarthy remain speaker? 27:28 The Blob starts to think like Bob on Russia-Ukraine 34:45 Should the US impose conditions on aid to Ukraine? 45:08 What war with China over Taiwan would look like 49:12 Parrot Room preview: McCarthyism at the news outlet Semafor. Michael Lewis’s new book on Sam Bankman-Fried. Parrot reminiscing. Evolution and homosexuality. Christopher Rufo defends Nixon Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded October 06, 2023. 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

  • Oct 3, 2023 · 58 min

    What Would a War over Taiwan Look Like? (Robert Wright & Lyle Goldstein)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org (Overtime segment available to paid subscribers below the paywall.) 2:16 Has Biden abandoned longstanding US policy on Taiwan? 9:31 The sobering results of recent US-China war games 19:33 Would China ever accept defeat in Taiwan? 28:17 Why the US might bomb Taiwan’s microchip factories 34:44 How war over Taiwan could unfold 48:33 Lyle: DC think tanks are underestimating China's military 55:43 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Lyle Goldstein (Defense Priorities, Watson Institute, Meeting China Halfway). Recorded October 02, 2023. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Sep 29, 2023 · 54 min

    The Second(ary) GOP Debate (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

    0:33 Mickey, the man from the future, times out on this week’s quiz 8:00 Winners, losers, and bigger losers of the GOP debate 20:18 Semafor’s Iran influence exposé: (semi-)exposed! 28:04 How is Menendez still standing? Mickey has a theory 33:15 Bad socio-economic omens for Biden’s 2024 bid 39:05 Ukraine war update 45:47 Is elite opinion on immigration shifting? 52:23 Next week: The final Parrot Room Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded September 29, 2023. 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 23, 2023 · 53 min

    Biden's Border Disorder (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

    2:02 Senator Bob Menendez accused of brazen corruption6:46 The issue that could sink Trump's campaign17:29 Unpacking the mystery of America’s open border24:47 Is Biden worried about a coup by Democratic Party elites?34:35 Ukraine’s international support shows signs of waning44:54 Democrats downgrade Senate dress code49:48 Parrot Room preview: Marty Peretz’s new book; UAW strike; insidious AI sexbots Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded September 22, 2023. 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 19, 2023 · 49 min

    Russia-Ukraine Harsh Realities (Robert Wright & Anatol Lieven)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:37 Azerbaijan attacks Nagorno-Karabakh 6:28 Preview of this week’s Biden-Zelensky meeting in DC 16:26 Does the new technology of war favor defense? 24:26 Is Zelensky thinking clearly about Ukraine’s military chances? 30:09 What Anatol learned from his discussions with wounded Ukrainian soldiers 36:34 If the US pushed for peace, would Putin be ready to make a deal? 48:08 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Anatol Lieven (The Quincy Institute). Recorded September 19, 2023.