Robert Wright's Nonzero

0:00 A brief message from Bob 1:45 Why many intelligent people think we’re living in a simulation 12:44 The philosophical argument that you’re probably not real 28:24 How cosmic rays might (and might not) reveal that reality is fake 36:18 Preston’s dire warning against trying to determine if we’re in a simulation 50:06 Is the simulation hypothesis non-falsifiable? 56:40 Is “the simulation” just religion for atheists? Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Preston Greene (NTU Singapore). Recorded October 8, 2019. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

0:00 A brief message from Bob1:55 What Lee means when he says "time is fundamental"11:40 Understanding the universe as a network25:59 A (very) tentative theory of consciousness37:42 Did the laws of physics evolve?45:23 Is the universe fine-tuned for the emergence of life?57:21 Applying Lee's theories of time to everyday life Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Lee Smolin (Perimeter Institute, leesmolin.com). Recorded October 12, 2015. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Why Neysun brings American students and scholars to China 3:05 Visiting China after Covid 5:17 Balancing US and Chinese red lines 11:03 When Neysun's students pushed Chinese officials on human rights 14:09 Do US students fear career risks for going to China? 16:08 Cultivating cognitive empathy 18:51 China's obsession with US politics 20:54 Trump's surprisingly consistent approach to Beijing 26:46 Are Chinese students really spies? 31:46 Is China studies becoming the next Kremlinology? 35:37 How Neysun navigates US fears about exchange with China Recorded July 11, 2025. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

0:00 A brief message from Bob 1:51 Greg’s new book, The Gutfeld Monologues 10:49 How going to Berkeley pushed Greg toward conservatism 17:03 Trumpism creates strange ideological bedfellows 26:10 Bob offers a magic solution to the freedom vs. security dilemma 32:19 Was Obama right to avoid the phrase “Islamic radicalism”? 47:56 Trump’s savvy use of identity politics 55:48 The secret ingredient to Greg’s meditation practice Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Greg Gutfeld (Fox News). Recorded September 25, 2018. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

0:00 A brief message from Bob 1:49 Why consciousness is so weird 11:29 Is consciousness like your brain’s shadow? 19:10 If David was a zombie, would anyone know? 23:21 Bob’s wacky theory about consciousness 44:49 Is consciousness what collapses the quantum wave function? 1:02:59 Can there be a true science of consciousness? Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and David Chalmers (New York University, The Australian National University). Recorded October 24, 2016. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Are US-Iran talks dead? 4:24 Do normal Iranians care about the nuclear program? 6:40 Understanding Iran’s enrichment red line 9:42 Assessing the damage to Iran's nuclear facilities 12:25 Iran's decision to kick out inspectors 15:38 Could Iran build a bomb in secret? 17:52 Trump's "desultory" approach to talks with Iran 21:16 Alan's experience negotiating with the Iranians 24:33 How Obama managed to get a deal 29:34 Iran's focus on projecting strength 32:23 Does Iran really want a bomb? 34:57 Iran's dim view of international law Recorded July 3, 2025. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

0:00 A brief message from Bob 1:40 John’s upcoming book, How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policy 4:31 Is the US to blame for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? 11:40 Is Putin less rational than John assumes? 24:00 Why John is a Russia dove and a China hawk 31:30 Does China pose a threat to freedom around the world? 38:33 Why John thinks China’s rise threatens American security 49:32 Has globalization made great-power peace possible? 57:54 Should the US defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion? Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago, The Great Delusion). Recorded April 19, 2023. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

0:00 A brief message from Bob 1:53 Why neocons like enemies 19:09 How to use power deftly 25:59 Is a nuclear Iran really all that scary? 31:31 Bob's arms-control dreams dashed again 41:18 China problem solved in under three minutes 44:03 Some cheerful thoughts about Hamas Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Francis Fukuyama (Stanford University, The End of History and the Last Man, Liberalism and Its Discontents). Recorded April 21, 2006. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Barry’s new novel, ‘The System’ 2:33 CIA lessons & seeing like a Martian 7:17 Fiction, empathy, and geopolitics 9:55 No cartoon villains 10:58 How power really works in DC 15:25 Feinstein vs. Brennan: the 'sit down' 18:32 Why we excuse ourselves 20:05 Jobs, jets & hidden threats 21:28 The problem with the House 26:15 Valeria’s dilemma: bend or break 30:10 How power corrupts 37:35 Humiliation and geopolitics Recorded June 27, 2025. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 The dueling Sam Altman biographies 4:36 Who is the real Sam Altman? 16:06 OpenAI’s origin—did Sam scam Elon? 20:50 Why the OpenAI board coup failed 35:27 Good and bad critiques of OpenAI 47:14 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Timothy B. Lee (Full Stack Economics, Understanding AI, AI Summer). Recorded June 16, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Courtney’s and Alex’s Always at War podcast 2:54 Have restrainers given up on Trump? 11:10 The legacies of Hamilton Jordan 16:31 Courtney: Money drives war 25:40 Palantir cashes in 32:45 Alex: Blame American exceptionalism first Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Alex Jordan (The Quincy Institute, Always at War), and Courtney Rawlings (The Quincy Institute, Always at War). Recorded June 23, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Headlines 1:27 - Washington 2:08 - Silicon Valley 2:47 - China 3:31 - Africa 4:10 - Europe 5:01 Bob joins to discuss the Israel-Iran war 08:51 Has Trump had a change of heart? 13:44 The Pandora's Box of a US attack 18:21 Connor makes the pro-bombing-Iran argument 22:09 Bob: A diplomatic solution would have been 'trivially easy' 28:09 Trump's missed opportunity for a win 32:11 Where Israeli and American interests diverge 34:45 Israel’s risky calculus: Escalation over negotiation 40:53 Why won't Trump use his leverage to rein in Israel? Recorded June 20, 2025. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 The time Alex blocked everyone's view of Jennifer Aniston 4:40 How Alex acquired the Bibi interrogation tapes 9:00 What the Bibi Files suggest about the Gaza war 11:58 Bibi's bribes 16:40 Bibi-Trump parallels 27:03 Barriers to getting the movie distributed (and where to watch it) 42:10 Heading to Overtime (and Bob’s and Alex's unfinished film) Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Alex Gibney (Going Clear, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Taxi to the Dark Side, The Bibi Files). Recorded June 10, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Headlines 1:22 - Israel-Iran 2:14 - Sanctions 2:57 - NATO 3:35 - Revolving doors 4:22 - US-China trade war 5:34 How China views the Israel-Iran crisis 10:17 Why the Iran attacks undermine US-China talks 11:32 How the US and China reached the brink of all-out trade war 19:21 China's not-so-secret weapon in trade talks 22:36 Why China won't back down 29:06 Trump vs. his advisers 35:00 Structural obstacles to US-China cooperation 39:06 The zero-sum trap: Can both sides grow? Recorded June 13, 2025. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 The Trump-Musk blowup, reconciliation, and fallout 21:10 Trump vs Elon: a psycho-analysis 26:43 Where do Trump and Elon go from here? 30:42 Remembering Brian Wilson and Sly Stone 39:48 Will AI turn us all into narcissists? 46:31 Heading to Overtime Robert 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 June 12, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Steven’s years at OpenAI 2:23 An insider's view of the AI boom 11:59 The real meaning of “Feel the AGI” 16:45 AI safety’s rationalist kernel 24:39 What’s really driving the AI arms race(s)? 29:55 Is stifling China’s AI development smart? 44:31 Dario Amodei’s geopolitical naivete 56:34 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Steven Adler (https://stevenadler.substack.com). Recorded May 21, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Headlines 4:42 Jennifer: Why Trump should walk away from Ukraine 9:50 Can Ukraine survive without US support? 12:50 Why a comprehensive peace deal is unlikely 17:20 The perils of US mediation 19:25 Are the peace talks making progress? 21:20 How grinding wars end 26:37 Understanding Russia's battlefield advantage 33:04 Ukraine's shrinking army 35:02 Striking Russian bombers: morale boost vs. nuclear risk Recorded June 06, 2025. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 A sublime Nonzero-TAC crossover event 3:07 Some bad MSM reporting on US-Iran negotiations 17:20 Would Kamala have been better than Trump on Gaza? 34:03 Is a two-state solution conceivable? 38:43 Buchananite conservatives on China 46:30 China, AI, and Covid-19 51:28 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Curt Mills (The American Conservative), Andrew Day (The American Conservative). Recorded June 5, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Discussed in Overtime: AI accelerationism vs Burkean conservatism, debating the merits of disengagement with China, Europe’s AI conundrum, Russia-Ukraine under Trump, debating Trump’s authoritarianism and immigration policies, and more.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 The scope of Trump's assault on Harvard 8:17 What Trump demanded from Harvard 11:25 What makes certain universities vulnerable 15:35 Ideology and “viewpoint diversity” at Harvard 22:40 Trump’s attacks on media and cultural institutions 27:56 The costs of lost research 33:25 How woke was Harvard? 37:19 Antisemitism and philosemitism at Harvard 47:11 Steve's new FP piece on the importance of global rules (Heading to Overtime) Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Stephen Walt (Harvard University, Foreign Policy). Recorded June 3, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Headlines 4:57 Trump's sanctions dilemma: Migration crackdown vs. regime change 6:23 How sanctions helped trigger Venezuela’s economic collapse 9:58 The power of 'secondary sanctions' 14:17 How sanctions drove inflation, hunger, and state failure 19:11 From Venezuela to the US: Understanding the migrant wave 21:03 Inside the Trump split: Rubio’s hardline vs. Grenell’s dealmaking 33:16 Francisco: The US needs to be more realistic about Maduro 40:46 The path to restoring democracy in Venezuela Recorded May 30, 2025. Read this week's edition of the Earthling: https://www.nonzero.org/p/trumps-national-security-carousel https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods