The Wright Show (audio)

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 1:00:42 Could Trump sabotage the border security deal? 1:17:18 Doctor bots, robo-receipt checkers, and AI optimism 1:33:29 The real problem with America’s elites 1:42:56 Is catastrophe the only thing that can save America? 1:52:23 Bob tries to drag Mickey (back) into the JFK assassination rabbit hole 1:58:52 Has DeSantis destroyed his brand?Mickey's Substack:Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded January 20, 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 nonzero.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:31 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 it? 23:00 Correcting the record on effective altruism 37:14 Is “self-plagiarism” really plagiarism? 47:27 The dishonesty researcher accused of academic dishonesty 52:38 Heading to OvertimeRobert 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 January 18, 2024.

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 of perspective-taking AIs 47:36 Why Reid co-wrote Impromptu with GPT-4 52:15 Where are the AI optimists? 1:00:32 Sam Altman and the OpenAI drama: a (semi-) behind-the-scenes view 1:14:49 How dangerous is open-source AI, really? 1:20:09 Is AI acceleration decelerating? 1:23:02 Engagement with China and “organic transparency”Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Reid Hoffman (Greylock Partners, Inflection AI, Impromptu, Possible). Recorded January 9, 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 nonzero.substack.com/subscribe

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 AI bots that cater to your every need 58:07 Why doesn't Biden get tougher on the border? 1:07:32 Exciting new Child Tax Credit updates 1:11:12 Is Twitter going down the tubes? 1:18:33 Bob fails to escape from JFK assassination rabbit hole 1:32:13 Subways and other things that have gotten worse 1:36:34 Mickey’s Iowa caucus predictionRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded January 11, 2024.Mickey's Substack: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 nonzero.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com1:44 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 Biden’s complex political calculus on Israel 42:35 The Israel lobby: what it is and what it does 51:27 How elements of the lobby intimidate critics of Israel 54:42 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Stephen Walt (Harvard University, Foreign Policy). Recorded Jan 9, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:33 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 of an AI “jobocalypse” overblown? 35:02 AI’s (potential) next transformation 38:15 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Timothy B. Lee (Full Stack Economics, Understanding AI). Recorded January 4, 2024.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:31 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 assassination 31:17 The Pentagon’s scheme to provoke war with Cuba via false flag 40:00 How Bob started down the JFK rabbit hole 44:39 Oswald’s critical time in New Orleans 51:39 Why did Jack Ruby kill Oswald, really? 57:57 Why JFK’s assassination still matters Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Jefferson Morley (JFK Facts, Snow-Storm in August). Recorded December 28, 2023. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

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 wider war 48:53 Efforts to remove Trump from the ballot 1:00:41 2024 predictionsRead this edition of the Earthling at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/nzns-person-of-the-yearRecorded December 28, 2023. 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:33 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 us about the jhana states 31:53 Are psychedelics gateway drugs to meditation? 41:25 Kati: Here’s how we get “not-self” wrong… 46:50 Psychedelics vs meditation—neuroscientifically 54:59 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Kathryn Devaney (The Alembic). Recorded December 06, 2023.

https://www.youtube.com/live/za5JxTsGwkg?feature=sharedThis 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, meditation, US foreign policy, ego death, tribalism, cynicism, Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Gaza, artificial intelligence, evolution, how they first met, and more. Subscribe to Psychopolitica: Recorded December 21, 2023. 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

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 Tom is still hopeful about Israel-PalestineRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Thomas Friedman (The New York Times). Recorded December 20, 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 nonzero.substack.com/subscribe

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 “longtermism” 9:07 The evolution of effective altruism (EA) 17:27 Unpacking the TESCREAL bundle 22:02 Why AGI dominates longtermist thinking 30:13 Are AI doomers and accelerationists more aligned than it seems? 41:13 Why did Émile ditch EA? 52:02 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Émile P. Torres (Human Extinction; Morality, Foresight, and Human Flourishing). Recorded December 12, 2023.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.comRobert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from The Earthling.Read this edition of The Earthling at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/bidens-israel-impotence

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 strife—and thereby raise it? 43:11 Is Israel’s assault on Gaza intensifying antisemitism? 56:08 How Israel’s actions impact the Jewish diaspora 1:05:54 The terrorism threat facing Israel 1:17:18 US foreign policy and the Israel lobbyRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Max Abrahms (Northeastern University, Rules for Rebels). Recorded December 13, 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 nonzero.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com1:06 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 power move? 23:13 Elon’s scorched-earth moment: power move or mental break? 31:17 Paul gets fact-checked—and likes it 36:30 In aligning AI, should we aim higher than human values? 40:57 Bob DESTROYS Paul’s AI articleRobert 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 December 11, 2023.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.comRobert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from The Earthling. Read this edition of The Earthling at:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:33 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 If Biden loses in 2024, will elites rethink Israel-Palestine? 29:51 The changing perception of Israel 35:57 Heading to OvertimeRobert 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 December 07, 2023.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPodsOvertime titles:38:46 Is “colonialism” a useful frame for understanding Israel-Palestine?  50:31 The future of Israel’s far right 56:45 Bush’s secret coup against Hamas 1:07:05 Ukraine’s failed offensive, the Blob’s failure of foresight 1:14:21 The ignominious career of Jeffrey Goldberg

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com1:02 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 workers? 23:29 The surprising weakness of our digital economy 29:35 Which jobs are most vulnerable to automation? 40:43 How to empower workers in the age of AI 51:15 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Daron Acemoglu (MIT, Why Nations Fail, Power and Progress). Recorded November 29, 2023.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:33 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 of a safety vs speed schism greatly exaggerated? 29:53 Larry Summers joins OpenAI’s board… time to panic? 40:21 Superintelligence, Sam Altman, and the singularity 44:53 Altman’s not so veiled ignorance 49:17 Overtime preview: superintelligence skepticism, the truth about effective altruism, self-driving car speed bumps, and moreRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Timothy B. Lee (Full Stack Economics, Understanding AI). Recorded November 29, 2023.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods