Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

Welcome back to Unum! Steven and Brian discuss the second episode, gush about their favorite parts, and have fun speculating wildly about what “reasonable” people might do in this situation. The format of this show will be full spoilers for the episode we’re covering and we’ll do an accelerated release schedule to catch up with the show. We hope you have fun!

Welcome to Unum! Steven loved Pluribus so much that he needed to talk about it and Brian was on board to join! The format of this show will be full spoilers for the episode we’re covering and we’ll do an accelerated release schedule to catch up with the show. We hope you have fun!

Join Brian and Steven as we wrap up our journey through the awesome and thought provoking world of Blindsight. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. The starting quote for this episode is: “You cannot prevent and prepare for war at the same time.” —Einstein The end quote for this episode is… Nothing. Thanks for listening and thank you to Peter Watts for writing this wonderful mind fuck of a story!

Join Brian and Steven as the scramblers and the vampire demon challenge the value of the very essence of of what makes us us. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. The starting quote for this episode is: “If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t.” —Emerson M. Pugh This episode’s discussion ends at the quote:“You cannot prevent and prepare for war at the same time.” —Einstein The last quote in the book is: Species used to go extinct. Now they go on hiatus.” —Deborah MacLennan, Tables of our Reconstruction But we’ll be reading the notes and references too.

Brian and Steven continue their journey into space madness. Buckle up – this one gets nuts! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “If I can but make the words awake the feeling” —Ian Anderson, Stand Up This episode’s discussion ends at the quote: “If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t.” —Emerson M. Pugh For next week, stop reading when you get to the quote: “You cannot prevent and prepare for war at the same time.” —Einstein

Join Brian and Steven as we put jumper cables on this roomba to see if it feels pain! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by What is above him when he shows no mercy to what is under him?” —Pierre Troubetzkoy This episode’s discussion ends at the quote: “If I can but make the words awake the feeling” —Ian Anderson, Stand Up For next week, stop reading when you get to the quote: “If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t.” —Emerson M. Pugh

Join Brian and Steven as we wrangle up some aliens of dubious sentience so we can confine them and do some mad science at them! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them” —Einstein This episode’s discussion ends at the quote: “Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by What is above him when he shows no mercy to what is under him?” —Pierre Troubetzkoy For next week, stop reading when you get to the quote: “If I can but make the words awake the feeling” —Ian Anderson, Stand Up

Hold on tight – Brian and Steven throw themselves back into the mysterious alien spacecraft after punching a hole in it with antimatter! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “You have eyes, but you do not see” —Jesus the Nazorean This episode’s discussion ends at the quote: “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them” —Einstein For next week, stop reading when you get to the quote: “Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by What is above him when he shows no mercy to what is under him?” —Pierre Troubetzkoy

Brian and Steven continue diving into the madness-inducing meat-grinder over and over. Come on and join the party! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Predators run for their dinner. Prey run for their lives.” —Old Ecologist’s Proverb This episode’s discussion ends at the quote: “You have eyes, but you do not see” —Jesus the Nazorean For next week, stop reading when you get to the quote: “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them” —Einstein Here are a couple of videos that demonstrate inattentional blindness. I hope you have as much fun getting your world rocked as I did when I first saw these. :)

Join Brian and Steven as they throw caution to the winds, don their Big Daddy costumes, and get ready to rumble with some space ghosts! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own.” —Aristotle This episode’s discussion ends at the quote: “Predators run for their dinner. Prey run for their lives.” —Old Ecologist’s Proverb For next week, stop reading when you get to the quote: “You have eyes, but you do not see” —Jesus the Nazorean

Join Brian and Steven, who are maybe trapped inside of a Chinese Room. Or maybe banging on it from the outside. Who knows? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “They know the music but not the words.” — Hare, Without Conscience This episode’s discussion ends at the quote: “Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own.” —Aristotle For next week, stop reading when you get to the quote: “Predators run for their dinner. Prey run for their lives.” —Old Ecologist’s Proverb

Join Brian and Steven as we talk with some maybe-super-smart aliens in our discussion of part 3 of Blindsight! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “They know the music but not the words.” — Hare, Without Conscience And the stop quote for this episode is: “Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own.” —Aristotle

Join Brian and Steven on their expedition to the edge of the solar system with part 2 of Blindsight! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. (I read the wrong quote at the top of the episode. Whoopsie!) Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them.” —Robert Jarvik And the stop quote for this episode is: “They know the music but not the words.” — Hare, Without Conscience

Steven and Brian take their first real dive into the strange world of Blindsight. I hope you are having as much as we are. :) The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Try to touch the past. Try to deal with the past. It’s not real. It’s just a dream.” —Ted Bundy And the stop quote for this episode is: “Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them.” —Robert Jarvik

Steven and Brian announce their latest reading project – Blindsight by Peter Watts! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. The first week we’ll be reading up until: “When it is dark enough, you can see the stars. — Emerson” Everyone should buy a copy and check it out!