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Nontrivial is a podcast that looks to uncover deep patterns in life, discussing them at the intersection of science, complexity, and philosophy.
83 Episodes
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Society has become a little too enamoured with analysis and explanation, at the cost of building real things. Nature only validates by making things that work. This is what true validation looks like; less talking, more pointing (at what has been made). In this episode I use Mike Tyson as an example of the difference between real and polished. Support the Show.Check out the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcast
In this episode I discuss the increasingly popular idea that valuing death is irrational, and that death should be treated as a problem to solve. I argue that such a stance is itself irrational, and that death should be viewed more objectively as an essential piece to how nature works. I show how the death-as-a-problem stance suffers from being intractable, and fails to align to the fundamental roles that constraints and iteration play in successful systems. Support the Show.Check out th...
In this episode I use a recent statement made by Sam Altman, regarding the emergence of intelligence, to highlight the outdated way both laymen and many scientists view AI specifically, and complexity more broadly. I argue that, despite what we are old, a truly scientific and rigorous theory or decision does not demand a causal explanation, and in fact such causal approaches are quite counter to doing good science today.Sam Atlam's excerpt: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C60dq1Oyw_r/Tweet: ht...
In this episode I discuss one of the core flaws in IQ research, showing how it violates basic logic (let alone any notion of complexity). I discuss how such studies are not mere niche areas of research, but rather directly affect people's lives through the policies they encourage.Support the Show.Check out the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcast
For video version: https://youtu.be/kAnnsjl-jygIn this episode I discuss the problem with taking only the final/best parts of something, and using those parts as a system to run our lives. I look at the importance of "waste" and redundancy in natural systems, and how this runs counter to our modern world's obsession with stripped down efficiency. Apologies for audio quality on this episode. Support the Show.Check out the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcast
Reputations are things people tend to protect. But protecting our reputation means blocking our values from being known, which I argue invites the wrong opportunities into our lives. Having a life filled with wrong opportunities means never having the chance to deliver your real potential to the world, which really is a tragedy.Support the Show.Check out the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcast
Many people proclaim to understand something because they study it. But you cannot know a thing by studying the thing, you have to create the thing. Playing Beethoven is replicating what you see in front of you, it is not creating the thing you see in front of you. Those who don’t create don’t understand. It doesn’t matter what you create, but if you want to understand something you must attempt to build it. Support the Show.Check out the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@non...
Placing bets means wagering something of value on the outcome of an uncertain event with the hopes of achieving a payoff. The decisions we make in life are akin to placing bets, and as with all bets, access to good information is what increases the chances of a bet achieving a payoff. Most people approach accessing good information by conducting research, analysis, understanding odds and placing all these into a clear strategy. But what really makes systems tick is something deeper than...
Getting triggered means someone experiences a strong emotional reaction to a particular stimulus or event. But there is a good side to being triggered. Getting triggered can compel us towards positive action. We can deliberately trigger ourselves to produce good work by putting in place things that compel us to write/speak/draw etc. in the best way possible. In this episode I argue that we should set up our projects, and life, so as to be positively triggered.Support the Show.Check out ...
A lot of people try to be their hero. But not only can we not do what our heroes do, our heroes cannot do what we do. It is our unique abilities that make us bring value to the world. The same thing can be achieved in countless ways, and those different ways are what the world needs. We need to stop trying to be our heroes. We should use heroes nothing more than peripheral inspiration, and instead flex the muscles we have.Support the Show.Check out the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@...
Math education consists primarily of learning rules to arrive at results. But these tricks bypass what is really happening. They can lead to a superficial grasp of mathematical concepts and hinder deeper learning and problem-solving abilities. Many of the skills we learn in schooling, and after, are akin to the mindless rules we learn in math. We have to learn something far deeper than rules to truly understand our work and our world. We can achieve true understanding by asking questions, eng...
Important things see the light of day, not by some plan or deterministic outline, but by making changes en-route to the goal. It's adaptability that matters in the face of real world situations. Finding the right mix of people, places and things happens as you move.Suggested Reading Related to Intro ExampleThe Apocalypse Factory: Plutonium and the Making of the Atomic Age by Steve OlsonEpisode Music for Intro ExampleThe Documentary by Alexey IvanovSupport the Show.Check out the video version:...
Some performances deliver deep authenticity, with standup comedy being a good example. Extremely authentic performances show us something we all should have; that ability to reach deep within us and share what we're really thinking, despite the risk this might pose to our normal, settled lives. Humans have evolved to filter for authenticity, as this leads to better information groups can use to solve problems. The world needs our authenticity, we just have to find it.Suggested Reading R...
History is loaded with "bad" / "dumb" ideas. And this includes those made by high-ranking officials and government agencies. Looking at the various schemes and plots left on the drawing board one wonders how anyone took them seruously. But most of today’s useful inventions were deemed absurd at the time. This tells us that we need to have a lot of bad ideas to land on good ones, and if that's true, then we should be more concerned with taking the shots, then landing the shots.Suggested ...
Our lives are adversely impacted when our interactions are purely transactional. We see this play out in devastating fashion in industry, where certain businesses can cause great harm to society due to their insulation and disconnection from the lives they sell to. But this isn't just for businesses. Our personal and professional lives depend critically on organic, face-to-face interactions with real people. In this episode I argue that a successful life needs to be in direct contact with the...
People look for stability in the labels we give ourselves. Our job, our title, our salary, the associations we join. But the only thing truly constant in life is its ever-changing nature. Those labels we take comfort in are in constant flux, getting reshaped and redefined by a changing economy, and the technologies that drive it. In this episode I argue that instead of looking for stability in the not-so-stable categories we create for ourselves, we can find greater security, peace and conten...
We do things for the mystery more than the facts. Scientists go on into the deepest parts of the ocean, yes to conduct research, but under highly uncertain and dangerous circumstances. What really drives deep sea exploration is the mystery. This is true of anything we create. If we are writing a book, yes there is structure, yes there are facts, but ultimately we are trying to deliver a kind of mysterious synthesis that precipitates out from our efforts. In this episode I argue that we ...
School shows us topics worth learning, but it does not, I would argue, impart genuine comprehension. And yet, everyone’s life contains the same patterns that lead to what we are shown in school. This means that the knowledge locked away in textbooks is actually most useful to us later in life. In this episode, I argue that we should look to embrace scholastic information later in life, when our experiences give the collective knowledge of humanity meaning (and utility) to our lives.Support th...
When we are not in the mood our energy is low. But when our energy is low our mind is better aligned to what matters when it comes to doing good work; contemplation, reflection, prioritization. Critically, not being in the mood means not going down too many wrong paths. In this episode I argue that the best time to work on a given task is when we're not in the mood, and discuss how we should stop waiting for mental energy, and instead wait for mental clarity.Support the Show.Check out the vid...
Our lives are a product of our thoughts. Our thinking directly latches onto tangible things in our lives. And whenever we think about our thoughts it’s always after-the-fact (introspection, therapy, etc.). But some thoughts we know do not lead to good outcomes (non-negotiable), and are thus not worth struggling with. In this episode I argue that there is no point in allowing thoughts that we know lack utility, or lead to poor outcomes, into our lives. If we don’t choose our thoughts, th...
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