Podcast Episodes

The most important century (with Holden Karnofsky)

Has society reached ‘peak progress’? Can we sustain the level of economic growth that technology has enabled over the last century? Have researchers plucked the last of science's "low-hanging fruit?"…

Published on 12 hours ago

Should we try to live forever? (with Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston)

Why do humans live as long as they do? Since whales have literally tons more cells than humans, why don't they develop cancers at much higher rates than humans? What can the genetic trade-offs we obs…

Published on 5 days, 12 hours ago

Trying to convince Spencer to be a utilitarian (with Tyler John)

Read the full transcript here.

How has utilitarianism evolved from early Chinese Mohism to the formulations of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill? On what points did Bentham and Mill agree and disag…

Published on 2 weeks ago

A conversation with an autistic person (with Megan Neff)

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What does autism feel like from the inside? Do autistic people lack empathy? What is context insensitivity? What are some ways special interests can manifest in autisti…

Published on 3 weeks ago

AI: Autonomous or controllable? Pick one (with Anthony Aguirre)

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Is AI that's both superintelligent and aligned even possible? Does increased intelligence necessarily entail decreased controllability? What's the difference between "s…

Published on 4 weeks ago

How much does global population decline matter? (with Dean Spears)

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What is the current global birth rate? What factors have contributed, or are currently contributing, to this rate? What outcomes will we experience as a result, and whe…

Published on 1 month ago

Is AI going to ruin everything? (with Gabriel Alfour)

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Is AI going to ruin everything? What kind of AI-related dangers should we be most worried about? What do good institutions look like? Should designing better institutio…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

What listeners think Spencer's wrong about: steel-manning critiques

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What defines a cult? Is there such a thing as a good cult? Do Clearer Thinking's tools actually help people? Why does Clearer Thinking share its tools for free for ever…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

What do we know about psychology that matters? (with Paul Bloom)

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NOTE: The video version of this conversation is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hWNknrc23Fo

In light of the replication crisis, should social scientists try to re…

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Bringing your "A-game" to your relationships (with Annie Lalla)

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What does it mean to bring your "A-game" to relationships? What is emotional "fitness"? What forces do relationships need to balance to remain stable and healthy? Are w…

Published on 2 months ago