See the world through the eyes of society's greatest rule-breakers. The "Live Players" podcast charts the key individuals shaping our future from first principles across multiple domains: business, politics, philanthropy, and broadcasting from the digital town square Join host Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg as they analyze the mindsets of today's most intriguing business leaders, investors, and innovators through the lens of their bold actions and contrarian worldviews. You'll come away with ...
…
continue reading
You’ll hear consequential ideas here first, and in the mainstream months later. Upstream is a curated nexus feed from the Turpentine podcast network, bringing you expert-level conversations hosted by some of the most compelling thinkers in the world including Noah Smith, Samo Burja, Byrne Hobart, Erik Torenberg, and Nathan Labenz. Guests include Marc Andreessen, Balaji Srinivasan, Dario Amodei, Brian Armstrong, David Sacks, Sam Harris, Katherine Boyle, Curtis Yarvin, and many more unmissable ...
…
continue reading
Crisp conversations with critical thinkers at the leading edge of science, technology, politics, and social systems.
…
continue reading
I'm a professor of economics at Smith College and the author of Singularity Rising and Game Theory at Work.
…
continue reading
Every week, Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, Antonio Garcia Martinez and frequent special guests discuss what's happening in technology, business, politics, and beyond. Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: turpentine.co
…
continue reading
In-depth conversations about science and philosophy from a utilitarian perspective. Website: utilitarianpodcast.com. Contact me: [email protected].
…
continue reading
A podcast by 1517 Fund exploring subversive intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and thinkers across society.
…
continue reading
Episodes published on this feed appear originally on - A Curious Worldview Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/61wcpA8fkOQCAGrOfHgkig?si=ZiPK9FlNSmOfsxUEz7jmBg - if you like this podcast - than consider jumping over to - A Curious Worldview - on any platform there are podcasts (or link to Spotify above). It is my primary show... episodes here are snippets of full length episodes than appear there, and the thematic goes well beyond geopolitics. Another consideration is the newsletter attach ...
…
continue reading
Agora Politics is dedicated to making sense out of our outdated theories of politics. The show features long-form interviews with academics, entrepreneurs, intellectuals, and luminaries of all types, who are tuning in to the zeitgeist and attempting to synthesize stories of the past, with knowledge of the present, and visions of the future.
…
continue reading
Deus Ex Machina with Bohan Lou explores topics in history, religion, politics, and philosophy, often through a technology and China lens. New episodes will be on Spotify/Apple Podcast and announced on Twitter where you can find me @loubohan
…
continue reading
On Tyranny is a show about political philosophy as applied to current events. It is the Podcast version of Ancient Greece Revisited, an online series of mini-documentaries that tries to rediscover the authentic culture of ancient Greeks. On Tyranny was born out of the need to apply some of the ideas discovered to the mass confusion of current events: from the restriction of our liberties in the wake of Covid to the rising globalism pushed by tech companies and mainstream media. Our goal is t ...
…
continue reading

1
Why Urban Centers Outlast Empires | Samo Burja
50:16
50:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:16Today on Moment of Zen, Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja explore cities as civilization's most enduring institutions, examining their political dynamics, technological evolution, and role as interfaces between competing social forces and power structures. Make sure to subscribe to Samo Burja's Bismarck Brief and the Live Players podcast to read analys…
…
continue reading

1
EP 318 Adam B. Levine on Thinking on Demand
1:15:50
1:15:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:15:50Jim talks with Adam B. Levine about humanity's rapidly changing relationship with AI and "thinking on demand." They discuss the GPT-5 release & pricing, open-source AI models, the three-dimensional framework of AI advancement (models & hardware & agent frameworks), the evolution of vibe coding, development tools, agent-based development, AI impleme…
…
continue reading

1
EP 317 David Shapiro on Post-Labor Economics
1:39:16
1:39:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:39:16Jim talks with David Shapiro about his six-part series on "post-labor economics." They discuss historical economic transitions, the logic of labor substitution, automation & AI's impacts on employment, the four basic human economic offerings (strength, dexterity, cognition & empathy), labor as a societal pillar, the pyramid of prosperity (universal…
…
continue reading

1
Lithium and health with Greg Cochran
1:11:31
1:11:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:11:31Lithium and health with Greg Cochran by James D. MillerBy James D. Miller
…
continue reading

1
EP 316 Ken Stanley on the AI Representation Problem
56:53
56:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
56:53Jim talks with Ken Stanley about the Fractured Entanglement Representation hypothesis in deep learning neural networks. They discuss open-endedness in AI systems & evolution, the Picbreeder experiment & its significance, the objective paradox of finding things by not looking for them, comparisons between Picbreeder & SGD networks, visual difference…
…
continue reading

1
EP 315 Ed Latimore on Hard Lessons from the Hurt Business
2:09:32
2:09:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
2:09:32Jim talks with Ed Latimore about his new book Hard Lessons from the Hurt Business: Boxing and the Art of Life. They discuss Ed's chess playing & street hustling, size differences in modern heavyweight boxing, growing up in Pittsburgh's Hill District, childhood trauma & violence, his relationships with his single mother & absent father, middle schoo…
…
continue reading

1
AI and The War for Your Attention | Antonio Garcia Martinez and Chris Hayes from the a16z Podcast
49:27
49:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:27Today on Moment of Zen, we're excited to cross post a conversation from the newly revamped a16z podcast featuring Antonio Garcia Martinez and MSNBC's Chris Hayes exploring how AI-generated content is reshaping the attention economy, from algorithmic manipulation to the future of human creativity in digital spaces. Listen to more episodes of The a16…
…
continue reading

1
EP 314 Zak Stein and Marc Gafni on the Nature of Everything
1:38:59
1:38:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:38:59Jim talks with Zak Stein and Marc Gafni about consciousness, attention, and value as fundamental aspects of reality. They explore continuity & discontinuity in evolution, phenomenology & naturalism, emergence, value theory, selection theory, mathematics as both discovered & created, pre-life organic chemistry, sexual selection & evolutionary dynami…
…
continue reading

1
Why China and America are Creating the Same Ruling Class | Samo Burja
54:51
54:51
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
54:51Today on Moment of Zen, Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja explore how China's elite universities are creating a ruling class similar to America's, with student activism and credentialism reshaping both nations' power structures. Make sure to subscribe to Samo Burja's Bismarck Brief and the Live Players podcast to read analyses and briefs like this one:…
…
continue reading

1
EP 313 Chris Colin on Why Customer Service Sucks
44:09
44:09
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
44:09Jim talks with Chris Colin about his recent Atlantic article "That Dropped Call with Customer Service? It Was on Purpose." They discuss customer service hell & Chris's personal story with Ford, the concept of sludge, intentional friction in customer service systems, call center operations & tactics, high-quality customer service approaches, the imp…
…
continue reading

1
EP 312 Lee Cronin on Automating Chemistry
1:04:49
1:04:49
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:04:49Jim talks with Lee Cronin about Chemify, his startup that aims to automate chemistry through "chemifarms" that turn code into molecules. They discuss Chemify as an AWS for chemistry, the development of a chemical programming language & its evolution to Turing completeness, quantum vs classical chemistry computation, open source tools & academic acc…
…
continue reading

1
EP 311 Nicholas Humphrey on the Invention of Consciousness
1:29:15
1:29:15
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:29:15Jim talks with Nicholas Humphrey about the ideas in his 2023 book Sentience: The Invention of Consciousness. They discuss the distinction between sentience & consciousness, access consciousness vs phenomenal consciousness, terminology in consciousness studies, ring-fencing theories, Nicholas's early experiments with phosphenes, the discovery of bli…
…
continue reading
Today on Moment of Zen, Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja explore AI hardware dominance, US-China semiconductor competition, automation's economic impacts, and strategic industrial policy for maintaining technological leadership. Make sure to subscribe to Samo Burja's Bismarck Brief and the Live Players podcast to read analyses and briefs like this one…
…
continue reading

1
Why Hardware Is the Way to Win the AI Race
56:32
56:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
56:32In this episode of Live Players, Samo Buja and Erik Torenberg discuss the pivotal role of hardware in the advancement of AI, the strategic importance of semiconductor manufacturing, and the intricate geopolitical dynamics between the US, China, and Taiwan. — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/excl…
…
continue reading

1
Singapore: The City-State Strategy That Worked | Samo Burja
57:31
57:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
57:31Today on Moment of Zen, Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja examine Singapore's transformation from poor post-colonial state to wealthy financial hub through Lee Kuan Yew's strategic governance, geopolitical balancing, and prioritizing economic efficiency over individual freedoms. Make sure to subscribe to Samo Burja's Bismarck Brief and the Live Players…
…
continue reading

1
EP 310 Samo Burja on Anduril’s Plan to Modernize the US Military
1:18:01
1:18:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:18:01Jim talks with Samo Burja about his report on the defense startup Anduril's plan to modernize the U.S. military. They discuss "live players vs. dead players," AI adoption & cognitive tools, Anduril's background & naming origin, military technology modernization, software-defined conflicts, autonomous & software-enabled weapons, sensor deployment & …
…
continue reading
Jim talks with Richard David Hames, picking up from the ideas in his recent Facebook essay about the decline of Western civilization. They discuss the retreat from truth in politics & institutions, postmodernism's impact on rationality, China's governance model, the failure of democratic institutions, wealth inequality & social stratification, the …
…
continue reading

1
The Real Reason Civilizations Collapse | Samo Burja
54:30
54:30
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
54:30Today on Moment of Zen, Erik Torenberg talks with Samo Burja on "long history" - the thesis that human civilization is far older than believed, with complex societies predating agriculture by millennia. It examines why civilizations rise and fall, and implications for preventing our own collapse. Make sure to subscribe to Samo Burja's Bismarck Brie…
…
continue reading
Jim talks with David Chapman about rethinking nobility for the modern age through his recent "nobility tetralogy" of essays. They discuss character & virtue as "risible" concepts, noblesse oblige & elite education, nobility as intention vs status, "The Battle of Maldon" poem & its lessons, postmodernism & postmodernity, the failure of elite univers…
…
continue reading

1
EP 307 Thomas Schindler on Heliogenic Civilization
1:30:27
1:30:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:30:27Jim talks with Thomas Schindler about heliogenic civilization as a vision for a regenerative future. They discuss the current multipolar trap shitshow of global civilization, M3 money supply & GDP growth requirements, the doubling of energy demand, exit to planet as an alternative to traditional business exits, biomimicry & biological approaches to…
…
continue reading

1
Is Nuclear Proliferation Inevitable? | Samo Burja
1:00:21
1:00:21
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:00:21Today on Moment of Zen, Erik Torenberg talk with Samo Burja on nuclear weapons proliferation, energy geopolitics, and his "nuclear accelerationist" argument that widespread nuclear capability is inevitable, so countries should pursue abundant nuclear energy despite proliferation risks. Make sure to subscribe to Samo Burja's Bismarck Brief and the L…
…
continue reading

1
EP 306 Anders Indset on The Singularity Paradox
1:25:30
1:25:30
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:25:30Jim talks with Anders Indset about his book The Singularity Paradox: Bridging the Gap Between Humanity and AI, co-authored with Florian Neutkart. They discuss the "final narcissistic injury of humankind," Freud's three historical narcissistic injuries, machine consciousness vs human consciousness, the "undead" state, human cognitive limitations, ga…
…
continue reading

1
The Future of Media with Noah Smith and Chris Best, CEO of Substack
45:49
45:49
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
45:49Today on Moment of Zen, we're airing a conversation with economist Noah Smith and Substack CEO Chris Best discussing the evolving media landscape. They dive into whether Twitter's dominance is waning, what features a successor platform would need, and how artificial intelligence is set to transform media as we know it. This conversation originally …
…
continue reading

1
EP 305 J. Doyne Farmer on Complexity Economics
1:22:21
1:22:21
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:22:21Jim talks with J. Doyne Farmer about his book Making Sense of Chaos: A Better Economics for a Better World. They discuss deterministic chaos & strange attractors, how chaos makes time possible, bounded rationality, economic equilibrium & Nash equilibrium, traditional economics' failures, standard economic theory basics, "as if" vs "as is" approache…
…
continue reading