Claim OwnershipRobert Wright's Nonzero
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© Nonzero
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Conversations with a series of people who have nothing in common except that program host Robert Wright is curious about what they’re thinking.
nonzero.substack.com
nonzero.substack.com
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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.comAndrew Day and Connor Echols discuss the foreign policy news of the week. In this episode, Day and Echols also discuss Trump’s foreign policy team with James Carden of the American Conservative.Recorded December 13, 2024.https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:28 Syria’s uncertain political future 11:10 Has the Islamist rebel group HTS actually moderated? 19:25 The extent of retributive violence since Assad fell 29:58 Syria's complicated factional divides 36:44 America's control of Syrian oil fields 40:41 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Joshua Landis (University of Oklahoma, SyriaComment.com). Recorded December 11, 2024.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:00 Yuri’s high-stakes debate on Covid’s origins 3:42 Pros and cons of Covid vaccines 10:04 Do Covid “coincidences” point to a lab leak? 21:55 Does the pattern of Covid’s initial spread suggest zoonotic origin? 27:51 Why the Wuhan market may have amplified Covid’s spread 38:59 Covid’s lineages A and B 53:29 US-China collaboration in the Wuhan lab’s virology researchRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Yuri Deigin (YouthBio Therapeutics). Recorded December 03, 2024.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.comAndrew Day and Connor Echols discuss the foreign policy news of the week. In this episode, Day and Echols also discuss the rapid rebel offensive in Syria with Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat who defected in 2013.Recorded December 06, 2024.https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:28 A masterclass in audience alienation 3:50 Paul defends Biden’s paternal pardon 9:43 Should family come before societal good? 18:51 The costs of the Hunter pardon 32:18 Was Hunter the victim of a witch hunt? 37:52 Elon sues OpenAI (again) 45:12 Heading to OvertimeRobert 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 December 04, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:28 Anthropic’s CEO comes out as a China hawk 6:38 Why so many China hawks in the AI community? 22:49 Gaming out the AGI takeoff timeline 30:31 Last year’s OpenAI coup: What did Ilya see? 36:43 Underappreciated dangers of the China chip war 53:41 Are US tech leaders seeing China’s perspective clearly? 1:05:32 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nathan Labenz (Cognitive Revolution, Waymark AI). Recorded November 26, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.comRobert Wright, Andrew Day, and Connor Echols discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Recorded November 22, 2024.https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:30 Bob’s trip down the JFK rabbit hole gets real 3:07 Will Trump release the JFK files? 7:35 What the CIA actually knew about Oswald, pre-assassination 12:13 The damning Oswald-CIA connection Jeff uncovered 24:59 Was there a second shooter? Bob’s on-the-ground research 35:31 Bob’s research cont’d: grassy knoll geometry 45:44 Was the alleged CIA cover-up just CYA? 49:29 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Jefferson Morley (JFK Facts, Snow-Storm in August). Recorded November 12, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:28 Are Bluesky pastures really greener? 10:12 Dissecting SciAm editor’s Bluesky blowup 21:32 Elon’s free speech stolen valor 31:05 The “highlights” of the Paul-Tyson “fight” 39:48 Has the military-industrial complex conquered the AI industry? 48:39 Heading to OvertimeRobert 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 November 19, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:28 Another high-synergy, brilliant collaboration 1:39 Is Elon our first true oligarch? 10:21 Trump assembles his Justice League of hawks 16:53 Biden’s awful foreign policy team 21:49 Trump’s plan to purge the military 33:30 Will Trump go full-on authoritarian? 40:45 Left-wing capitalists—and a discount offerRobert 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 November 14, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:28 Sam’s place on the AI accelerationist-pauser spectrum 4:55 Predicting AI’s near-term impact 12:17 Is regulating AI a fool’s errand? 18:32 Does strong AI governance court authoritarianism? 30:26 Can Trump and Elon be trusted on AI? 37:08 How Sam thinks AI should be regulated 51:13 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Samuel Hammond (Foundation for American Innovation, https://www.secondbest.ca/). Recorded November 12, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPodsOvertime titles:The China question Elon as an AI asset for TrumpWill Trump ease or heighten tensions over Taiwan? Taking AI takeover seriously AI, consciousness, and the human-to-AI handoff
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.comRobert Wright, Andrew Day, and Connor Echols discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Read it here: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/how-to-fight-trump-mindfullyRecorded November 08, 2024.https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:28 Election 2024: The view from Canada 5:44 Paul praises Bob’s pre-election sermonette 10:37 Why did Trump win? And who’s to blame? 18:47 Did DEI doom Kamala? 25:32 A Kamala campaign post-mortem 33:33 What policies will President Trump 2.0 prioritize? 37:12 The art of the Trump 45:05 Heading to OvertimeRobert 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 November 06, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
0:28 Is Mickey all-in on Trump? 4:26 The “garbage” wars and their aftermath 7:54 Kamala’s path(s) to victory 10:29 Mickey explains the logic of voting for Trump 19:44 Why Trump sucks, why Kamala sucks 26:05 Bob doles out (p)recriminations 35:37 Will Israel-Iran escalate? 45:00 How Kamala could win Mickey’s vote 49:23 Why did Kamala go negative? 55:27 Mickey plays pundit defender 1:10:02 Which swing state looks worst for Kamala?1:15:55 How Biden made war in Taiwan more likely 1:21:24 Four Dem sex “scandals”1:30:53 Bob trashes Trump’s tariffs 1:41:55 Bob looks for a silver-lining to a second Trump term 1:47:31 Elon Musk, the oligarch’s oligarchRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded October 30, 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.com0:28 Peter’s new book, Other Rivers: A Chinese Education 3:24 Have Chinese people become less hostile to America? 13:12 What Americans get wrong about China 17:38 Why Peter thinks Covid didn’t come from a lab 20:59 China’s transformative recent decades 31:10 Respect for authority in Chinese culture 40:26 Change in China between Peter’s two teaching stints there 54:41 Why the Chinese political system may change dramaticallyRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Peter Hessler (River Town, Other Rivers). Recorded September 17, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.comAndrew Day, Connor Echols, and a SPECIAL MYSTERY GUEST discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Read it here: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/are-we-inching-toward-world-war-iii
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:28 Bob: The oligarchy has arrived 8:24 What do the odd 2024 betting markets mean for the race? 17:51 Trump on Palmer’s manhood: a closer look 25:24 The Elon empathy enigma 34:51 Coates’s controversial cognitive-empathizing 43:06 Heading to OvertimeRobert 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 22, 2024.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.comRobert Wright, Andrew Day, and Connor Echols discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Read it here: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/why-israel-wont-take-the-winRecorded October 18, 2024.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com0:28 What is the chip war intended to accomplish? 11:44 How China sees the chip war 19:02 Is Huawei a threat to US national security? 30:21 Paul: The chip restrictions on China are unprecedented 39:39 How Biden boosted China’s chip industry 52:40 Clear costs and unclear benefits of the chip warRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Triolo (Albright Stonebridge Group). Recorded October 02, 2024.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.comAndrew Day and Connor Echols discuss items from this week’s Earthling. Read it here: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/israel-assassination-backfires-andRecorded October 11, 2024.
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what an ass of an interviewer this guy is.
the greatest show on earth
A comment for Josh. You tell about looking for the driver of the wandering to see how it rests in one of the 5 hindrances. But here's a thought I've been meditating on. When we look for a "cause" or a driver, we're always telling ourselves a story as to what that cause is. It's a narrative that we've essentially invented. That narrative doesn't have to be "true." In fact, I think that attributing the cause to a hinderence is a projection, a way of trying to externalize the driver. Because when we were forming our identity as a child, there was some external force, or dysfunction, that impinged on our true perfect self. Let's say we developed a sense of jealous desire because our family of origin gave us the (incorrect) message that we weren't good enough. So we developed a desire or need to be better than we were. The narrative behind the hinderence is arbitrary. Suppose you keep looking to find that what underlies that "hinderence" narrative is actually a strength - a perfect self,
The most underrated podcast. The content is absolutely superb.
The following is what Silver has been saying for days, and Wright says that 538 shows it is tightening. I mean I get PTSD, but that's just inexcusable sloppy > "There just hasn’t been any real sign that the race is tightening. If anything, Joe Biden’s margins are expanding slightly in the Upper Midwest." Bob - stop coasting and do some prep. What's up with a Buddhist just steaming money like this? You've been consistently spouting stuff a out the polling that is just wrong. For example, there's no actual evidence to support a" shy Trump voter¥ effect. It's not true that 538 relies only on polling, etc.
Robert needs to stop interrupting his guests.
awesome
Thank you for doing this show Robert! Huge fan of your writing and I'm finding more authors through listening to this podcast. So many of the topics you touch are ideas that prior have been left ruminating in my head so it's incredible to hear someone else going in depth on them. Keep this up, I'll be listening.