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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
  • Oct 10, 2025 · 44 min

    Whose Toady is Bari Weiss? (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Amazing Bob-Paul discount deal! 2:36 The Bari Weiss trivia test 19:18 Lasting peace in Gaza? 21:55 Why did Trump finally get tough on Bibi? 27:18 MAGA free speech debates 31:22 Is the AI bubble about to burst? 34:11 If anyone builds it, will everyone die? 41:48 Heading into Overtime: Ian McEwan, George Harrison, OpenAI, One Battle After Another 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 October 9, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Oct 8, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min

    Bari Weiss, CBS, and Israel (Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Join NonZero’s newly established Discord server: https://discord.gg/FByzCzWf 0:28 Was the Free Press bought “to control US media”? 9:14 Why pay $150M for a Substack? 11:23 Netanyahu on the TikTok deal and “giving direction” to the Jewish people 13:46 Pro-Israel donors giving a $2M ultimatum to Charlie Kirk about his ties to Tucker Carlson 17:54 How much influence does Israel have over US media? 24:56 Why Tucker Carlson’s appeal to Christians is a problem for Bibi 33:14 Trump: “I would make TikTok 100% MAGA related if I could” 41:24 Why Hamas would be crazy to trust Trump on his Gaza deal 51:19 Prigozhin conspiracy theory: Why would the Russian government want people to think he’s alive? 57:31 Cognitive sovereignty 1:00:25 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nikita Petrov (https://psychopolitica.substack.com). Recorded October 7, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Oct 2, 2025 · 54 min

    How We Mishandled the Covid Pandemic (Robert Wright & Stephen Macedo)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Steve’s book In Covid’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us 10:26 Were school closures smart policy? 17:48 The mask mandate question 23:57 Did medical experts get too much say? 30:24 The role of social class and political tribe 37:17 How dissent was suppressed 45:23 Bob takes a jab at Jay Bhattacharya 48:16 Heading to OT: Why Steve wrote the book Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Stephen Macedo (Princeton University, In Covid’s Wake). Recorded September 16, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Sep 30, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min

    Why the Israel-Palestine Conflict Persists (Robert Wright & Robert Malley)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 The deal Hamas offered Bibi before October 7 12:14 How October 7 changed the landscape 22:58 Why Clinton’s Camp David talks failed 38:08 What Arafat was actually offered at Camp David 46:25 The centrality of the right of return 51:59 Beyond two states 56:21 Heading into OT: Abandoning false optimism is not pessimism Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Robert Malley (Yale - Jackson School of Global Affairs, Tomorrow is Yesterday). Recorded September 23, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Sep 26, 2025 · 57 min

    Two Visions of AI Apocalypse (Robert Wright & David Krueger)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:00 How Eliezer Yudkowsky’s new book envisions AI takeover 8:24 Will we ever really know how AI works? 15:10 The “paperclip maximizer” problem revisited 26:13 Will advanced AIs be insatiable? 31:39 David’s alternative takeover scenario: gradual disempowerment 43:31 Can—and should—we keep humans in the loop? 51:46 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and David Krueger (The University of Montréal). Recorded September 24, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Sep 23, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min

    Israel, Gaza, and Free Speech in America (Robert Wright & Glenn Loury)

    0:30 Glenn’s latest book, Self-Censorship 3:55 Why the Manhattan Institute dropped Glenn 13:25 Glenn on Gaza: “I can’t bear it.” 26:52 “Genocide” and other Israel speech code flashpoints 36:26 Has Trump’s anti-antisemitism push chilled campus speech? 42:30 The irony of the antisemitism crackdown 50:48 A few kind and less kind words for Bari Weiss 56:10 Are Israel’s defenders hurting their cause? 1:01:49 Glenn’s next big project Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Glenn Loury (https://glennloury.substack.com/, Brown University, Hoover Institution, Late Admissions). Recorded September 15, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Glenn's Substack: 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, 2025 · 56 min

    Free Speech After Charlie Kirk (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Free speech after Charlie Kirk 20:28 Tyler Robinson’s strange messages 28:20 How influential was Kirk? 35:59 Do violent video games encourage violence? 48:31 Overtime topics: Paul’s debate triumph, Redford’s legacy, etc. 55:32 Heading into 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 18, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Sep 16, 2025 · 52 min

    Tribalism and the Charlie Kirk Killing (Robert Wright & Glenn Loury)

    0:28 How this conversation came to be 1:59 What surprised Glenn most about the Kirk killing 8:02 Who (or what) is driving our polarization? 17:03 Cognitive empathy for MAGA 2451 Reacting to Charlie Kirk on affirmative action 43:58 Are we re-running the 1960s? 51:14 Coming up in part 2: Israel-Gaza Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Glenn Loury (https://glennloury.substack.com/, Brown University, Late Admissions, Self-Censorship). Recorded September 15, 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 12, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min

    The Motives of the AI Moguls (Robert Wright & Holly Elmore)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Has the pace of AI progress slowed? 12:25 How the tech CEOs are learning to stop worrying 14:34 Mark Zuckerberg 23:12 Sam Altman 30:23 OpenAI’s attempt to shed its non-profit status 53:29 Dario Amodei 59:51 Heading into Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Holly Elmore (PauseAI US). Recorded September 11, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Sep 10, 2025 · 1 hr 8 min

    Trump’s Epstein Problem and His Authoritarian Slide (Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 "Would Putin send a weird sexually suggestive birthday greeting to a famous affluent well-connected pedophile?" 5:55 Decoding Trump's message in the greeting 13:19 Conspiracy theories vs official silence 19:14 Why is Ezra Klein content with "We'll never know"? 24:42 Why no president wants to release the Epstein files 26:50 Ghislaine names Clinton and Larry Summers 33:57 Does Epstein kill faith in democracy? 39:07 Trump vs. Putin: Authoritarian playbooks compared 43:18 Will Trumpism outlive Trump? 49:54 David Sacks embraces strongman tactics 56:36 How war changes everything overnight 1:00:59 Trump's Mexico invasion fantasy 1:05:33 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nikita Petrov (https://psychopolitica.substack.com). Recorded September 09, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Sep 5, 2025 · 56 min

    Epstein, AI, and the Xi-Putin Path to Immortality (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 The Bob-Paul secret sauce—spilled! 3:49 Mickey Kaus's latest contribution to Epsteinology 13:28 Paul fact-checks Mickey, gets fact-checked 20:16 What’s better: AI or indoor plumbing? 29:06 What Gary Marcus gets right—and (very) wrong—about AI 38:09 Has TV made us smarter? 42:13 The pros of the Google antitrust ruling 48:52 Putin’s paleo-transhumanism 53:29 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 04, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Sep 2, 2025 · 48 min

    Drugs and Mayhem in the US Special Forces (Robert Wright & Seth Harp)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Seth’s new NYT bestseller, The Fort Bragg Cartel 2:47 What is Delta Force? 8:02 The growth of Delta Force's covert ops and unaccountability 14:35 American "death squads" 18:51 Why cops and prosecutors cover up crimes by elite soldiers 26:33 The mysterious murder of Billy Lavigne 34:28 How invading Afghanistan fueled America's drug crisis 45:48 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Seth Harp (Rolling Stone, New America, The Fort Bragg Cartel). Recorded August 26, 2025 Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Aug 29, 2025 · 1 hr 36 min

    Is Trump Becoming Putin? (Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov)

    0:28 Bob welcomes Nikita back to the Nonzero team 6:41 WSJ's report on Trump's authoritarian drift 9:10 Three levers: streets, media, education system 13:22 Trump the businessman and Trump the politician 15:14 Why Putin was compelling in 1999, when Russia was a young democracy 23:01 Laws vs norms 29:29 Trump and lawfare: how independent is the US judiciary? 36:16 Partisanship among judges 38:52 Trump's view of the world as a game 43:08 Cynicism as a political brand 46:34 Nikita: Putin and Trump share a geopolitical worldview 50:10 The damage the US and Russia did to the international law 54:59 The evolution of Putin's understanding of geopolitics 59:46 Today's Overtime segment is open for everybody! 1:00:53 The crisis of the nation-state & NonZero's community building project 1:18:31 "Kremlin is not Russia": distinguishing between the nation and the state 1:19:59 Bob: We all need a tribe 1:24:56 What does it mean to be an American? 1:30:07 Nikita's Armenian propaganda: A legitimate reason to be proud of your nation Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nikita Petrov (https://psychopolitica.substack.com). Recorded August 28, 2025. 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 26, 2025 · 1 hr

    The MAGA Case Against AI Accelerationism (Robert Wright & Joe Allen)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Joe’s notable background 3:39 Is most of the MAGA coalition accelerationist? 7:52 Transhumanism, big tech, Klaus Schwab, and the noosphere 20:58 How the pandemic sparked a MAGA tech backlash 34:26 Palantir as bipartisan bête noire 40:41 The conservative case for AI regulation 52:01 Should fear of China trump fear of AI? 58:04 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Joe Allen (Singularity Weekly, War Room, Dark Aeon). Recorded August 13, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Aug 23, 2025 · 48 min

    Trump's Failures in Israel and Ukraine | NonZero World feat. Robert Wright

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Connor’s farewell 3:28 What’s next at NonZero 8:20 The looming invasion of Gaza City 11:28 Israel's one-state solution 16:25 Why did Trump give up on Gaza? 21:04 The "blame-it-on-Bibi" farce 31:32 A disappointing week for Ukraine 33:31 How to make security guarantees work 40:21 Ukraine's ticking time bomb Recorded August 22, 2025. Read this week’s edition of the Earthling: https://www.nonzero.org/p/israel-lays-bare-its-one-state-solution https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Aug 20, 2025 · 54 min

    Feeling the GPT-5 (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Bob defends the Unabomber (kind of) 3:05 Paul nurses his Mickey-inflicted wounds 15:55 Bob deflates the GPT-5 deflation 25:19 How big a deal are LLM hallucinations? 28:10 AI's coming social and economic disruptions 35:17 How Bob and Paul use AI 39:16 The ideas of Hanno Sauer 48:15 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 August 19, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Aug 15, 2025 · 36 min

    Can Trump and Putin Make a Deal? | NonZero World feat. George Beebe

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 What’s at stake in Alaska 1:25 George: Don’t try to do too much 4:34 EU yes, NATO no 6:10 How to get the Ukrainians on board 10:59 Could Putin dupe Trump into a bad deal? 20:26 Sanctions: painful, but not decisive 25:19 What Russian media is saying about the talks 30:12 Are Europe & Ukraine warming to a deal? Recorded August 15, 2025. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Aug 14, 2025 · 53 min

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

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Nathan’s work at AI2—and his p(doom) 5:00 What does “open source AI” mean? 11:01 How Nathan taught a Llama new tricks 18:05 Pros and cons of open sourcing AI 29:21 Nathan's ATOM Project to boost American open models 37:58 What's behind OpenAI's open source play? 40:20 Geoffrey Hinton's case against open models 44:27 Is the US-China open model rivalry really zero-sum? 51:32 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nathan Lambert (The Allen Institute for AI, https://www.interconnects.ai/). Recorded August 12, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Aug 12, 2025 · 1 hr 51 min

    Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

    0:28 Epstein's Israel connections 9:35 Epstein's history of blackmail 22:43 Was it suicide? 27:09 Epstein's creepy relationship with Trump 32:16 Why won’t Trump release the files? 38:59 The Israel connection(s) 51:21 Some Epstein-Wexner weirdness 57:23 What’s the deal with Ghislaine? 1:03:51 Was it suicide? (cont’d) 1:16:11 Influence operation or personal fetish operation? Or both? 1:27:18 Epstein's strangely light 2008 sentence 1:33:09 The political cost for Trump 1:37:27 How dangerous is Trump? Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded August 11, 2025. Mickey's Substack: https://kaus.substack.com/ 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 7, 2025 · 1 hr 8 min

    Does America’s “China Consensus” Make Sense? A Debate (Robert Wright & Jordan Schneider)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Jordan’s ChinaTalk podcast 3:01 Making sense of America’s “China consensus” 11:03 Are fears of Chinese global ambitions overblown? 29:51 The logic (or is it illogic?) of the AI arms race 33:14 China and the Ukraine War 41:30 Influence operations: Chinese vs American 46:24 China’s endgame re the US—and vice-versa 1:00:20 Is US China talk an echo chamber? 1:08:30 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Jordan Schneider (ChinaTalk). Recorded August 05, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods