Lex Fridman Podcast

#488 – Infinity, Paradoxes that Broke Mathematics, Gödel Incompleteness & the Multiverse – Joel David Hamkins

Joel David Hamkins is a mathematician and philosopher specializing in set theory, the foundations of mathematics, and the nature of infinity, and he’s the #1 highest-rated user on MathOverflow. He is also the author of several books, including Proof and the Art of Mathematics and Lectures on the Philosophy of Mathematics. And he has a great blog called Infinitely More. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep488-sc [https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep488-sc] See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. Transcript: https://lexfridman.com/joel-david-hamkins-transcript [https://lexfridman.com/joel-david-hamkins-transcript] CONTACT LEX: Feedback – give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey [https://lexfridman.com/survey] AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama [https://lexfridman.com/ama] Hiring – join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring [https://lexfridman.com/hiring] Other – other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact [https://lexfridman.com/contact] EPISODE LINKS: Joel’s X: https://x.com/JDHamkins [https://x.com/JDHamkins] Joel’s Website: https://jdh.hamkins.org [https://jdh.hamkins.org] Joel’s Substack: https://www.infinitelymore.xyz [https://www.infinitelymore.xyz] Joel’s MathOverflow: https://mathoverflow.net/users/1946/joel-david-hamkins [https://mathoverflow.net/users/1946/joel-david-hamkins] Joel’s Papers: https://jdh.hamkins.org/publications [https://jdh.hamkins.org/publications] Joel’s Books: Lectures on the Philosophy of Mathematics: https://amzn.to/3MThaAt [https://amzn.to/3MThaAt] Proof and the Art of Mathematics: https://amzn.to/3YACc9A [https://amzn.to/3YACc9A] SPONSORS: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: Perplexity: AI-powered answer engine. Go to https://www.perplexity.ai/ [https://lexfridman.com/s/perplexity-ep488-sc] Fin: AI agent for customer service. Go to https://fin.ai/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/fin-ep488-sc] Miro: Online collaborative whiteboard platform. Go to https://miro.com/ [https://lexfridman.com/s/miro-ep488-sc] CodeRabbit: AI-powered code reviews. Go to https://coderabbit.ai/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/coderabbit-ep488-sc] Chevron: Reliable energy for data centers. Go to https://chevron.com/power [https://lexfridman.com/s/chevron-ep488-sc] Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to https://shopify.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep488-sc] LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep488-sc] MasterClass: Online classes from world-class experts. Go to https://masterclass.com/lexpod [https://lexfridman.com/s/masterclass-ep488-sc] OUTLINE: (00:00) – Introduction (01:58) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections (15:40) – Infinity & paradoxes (1:02:50) – Russell’s paradox (1:15:57) – Gödel’s incompleteness theorems (1:33:28) – Truth vs proof (1:44:52) – The Halting Problem (2:00:45) – Does infinity exist? (2:18:19) – MathOverflow (2:22:12) – The Continuum Hypothesis (2:31:58) – Hardest problems in mathematics (2:41:25) – Mathematical multiverse (3:00:18) – Surreal numbers (3:10:55) – Conway’s Game of Life (3:13:11) – Computability theory (3:23:04) – P vs NP (3:26:21) – Greatest mathematicians in history (3:40:05) – Infinite chess (3:58:24) – Most beautiful idea in mathematics

#487 – Irving Finkel: Deciphering Secrets of Ancient Civilizations & Flood Myths

Irving Finkel is a scholar of ancient languages and a longtime curator at the British Museum, renowned for his expertise in Mesopotamian history and cuneiform writing. He specializes in reading and interpreting cuneiform inscriptions, including tablets from Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian contexts. He became widely known for studying a tablet with a Mesopotamian flood story that predates the biblical Noah narrative, which he presented in his book “The Ark Before Noah” and in a documentary that involved building a circular ark based on the tablet’s technical instructions. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep487-sc [https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep487-sc] See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. Transcript: https://lexfridman.com/irving-finkel-transcript [https://lexfridman.com/irving-finkel-transcript] CONTACT LEX: Feedback – give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey [https://lexfridman.com/survey] AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama [https://lexfridman.com/ama] Hiring – join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring [https://lexfridman.com/hiring] Other – other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact [https://lexfridman.com/contact] EPISODE LINKS: Irving’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drirvingfinkel/ [https://www.instagram.com/drirvingfinkel/] The Ark Before Noah (book): https://amzn.to/4j2U0DW [https://amzn.to/4j2U0DW] Irving Lectures Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYXwZvOwHjVcFUi9iEqirkXRaCUJdXGha [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYXwZvOwHjVcFUi9iEqirkXRaCUJdXGha] British Museum Video Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0LQM0SAx603A6p5EJ9DVcESqQReT7QyK [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0LQM0SAx603A6p5EJ9DVcESqQReT7QyK] British Museum Website: https://www.britishmuseum.org/ [https://www.britishmuseum.org/] The Great Diary Project: https://thegreatdiaryproject.co.uk/ [https://thegreatdiaryproject.co.uk/] SPONSORS: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to https://shopify.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep487-sc] Miro: Online collaborative whiteboard platform. Go to https://miro.com/ [https://lexfridman.com/s/miro-ep487-sc] Chevron: Reliable energy for data centers. Go to https://chevron.com/power [https://lexfridman.com/s/chevron-ep487-sc] LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep487-sc] AG1: All-in-one daily nutrition drink. Go to https://drinkag1.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/ag1-ep487-sc] OUTLINE: (00:00) – Introduction (00:43) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections (09:53) – Origins of human language (15:59) – Cuneiform (23:12) – Controversial theory about Göbekli Tepe (34:23) – How to write and speak Cuneiform (39:42) – Primitive human language (41:26) – Development of writing systems (42:20) – Decipherment of Cuneiform (54:51) – Limits of language (59:51) – Art of translation (1:05:01) – Gods (1:10:25) – Ghosts (1:20:13) – Ancient flood stories (1:30:21) – Noah’s Ark (1:41:44) – The Royal Game of Ur (1:54:43) – British Museum (2:02:08) – Evolution of human civilization

#486 – Michael Levin: Hidden Reality of Alien Intelligence & Biological Life

Michael Levin is a biologist at Tufts University working on novel ways to understand and control complex pattern formation in biological systems. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep486-sc [https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep486-sc] See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. Transcript: https://lexfridman.com/michael-levin-2-transcript [https://lexfridman.com/michael-levin-2-transcript] CONTACT LEX: Feedback – give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey [https://lexfridman.com/survey] AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama [https://lexfridman.com/ama] Hiring – join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring [https://lexfridman.com/hiring] Other – other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact [https://lexfridman.com/contact] EPISODE LINKS: Michael Levin’s X: https://x.com/drmichaellevin [https://x.com/drmichaellevin] Michael Levin’s Website: https://drmichaellevin.org [https://drmichaellevin.org] Michael Levin’s Papers: https://drmichaellevin.org/publications/ [https://drmichaellevin.org/publications/] – Biological Robots: https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.00880 [https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.00880] – Classical Sorting Algorithms: https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.05375 [https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.05375] – Aging as a Morphostasis Defect: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38636560/ [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38636560/] – TAME: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.10346 [https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.10346] – Synthetic Living Machines: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.abf1571 [https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.abf1571] SPONSORS: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to https://shopify.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep486-sc] CodeRabbit: AI-powered code reviews. Go to https://coderabbit.ai/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/coderabbit-ep486-sc] LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep486-sc] UPLIFT Desk: Standing desks and office ergonomics. Go to https://upliftdesk.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/uplift_desk-ep486-sc] Miro: Online collaborative whiteboard platform. Go to https://miro.com/ [https://lexfridman.com/s/miro-ep486-sc] MasterClass: Online classes from world-class experts. Go to https://masterclass.com/lexpod [https://lexfridman.com/s/masterclass-ep486-sc] OUTLINE: (00:00) – Introduction (00:29) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections (10:09) – Biological intelligence (18:42) – Living vs non-living organisms (23:55) – Origin of life (27:40) – The search for alien life (on Earth) (1:00:44) – Creating life in the lab – Xenobots and Anthrobots (1:13:46) – Memories and ideas are living organisms (1:27:26) – Reality is an illusion: The brain is an interface to a hidden reality (2:13:13) – Unexpected Intelligence in sorting algorithms (2:38:51) – Can aging be reversed? (2:42:41) – Mind uploading (3:01:22) – Alien intelligence (3:16:17) – Advice for young people (3:22:46) – Questions for AGI

#485 – David Kirtley: Nuclear Fusion, Plasma Physics, and the Future of Energy

David Kirtley is a nuclear fusion engineer and CEO of Helion Energy, a company working on building the world’s first commercial fusion power plant by 2028. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep485-sc [https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep485-sc] See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. Transcript: https://lexfridman.com/david-kirtley-transcript [https://lexfridman.com/david-kirtley-transcript] CONTACT LEX: Feedback – give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey [https://lexfridman.com/survey] AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama [https://lexfridman.com/ama] Hiring – join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring [https://lexfridman.com/hiring] Other – other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact [https://lexfridman.com/contact] EPISODE LINKS: David’s X: https://x.com/dekirtley [https://x.com/dekirtley] David’s LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4qX0KXp [https://bit.ly/4qX0KXp] Helion: https://www.helionenergy.com/ [https://www.helionenergy.com/] Helion’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/HelionEnergy [https://youtube.com/HelionEnergy] SPONSORS: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: UPLIFT Desk: Standing desks and office ergonomics. Go to https://upliftdesk.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/uplift_desk-ep485-sc] Fin: AI agent for customer service. Go to https://fin.ai/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/fin-ep485-sc] Miro: Online collaborative whiteboard platform. Go to https://miro.com/ [https://lexfridman.com/s/miro-ep485-sc] LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep485-sc] BetterHelp: Online therapy and counseling. Go to https://betterhelp.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/betterhelp-ep485-sc] Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to https://shopify.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep485-sc] OUTLINE: (00:00) – Introduction (03:00) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections (11:35) – Nuclear fission vs fusion (21:35) – Physics of E=mc^2 (26:50) – Is nuclear fusion safe? (32:11) – Chernobyl (38:38) – Geopolitics (40:33) – Extreme scenarios (47:28) – How nuclear fusion works (1:20:20) – Extreme temperatures (1:25:21) – Fusion control and simulation (1:37:15) – Electricity from fusion (2:11:20) – First fusion power plant in 2028 (2:18:13) – Energy needs of GPU clusters (2:28:38) – Kardashev scale (2:36:33) – Fermi Paradox PODCAST LINKS: – Podcast Website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast [https://lexfridman.com/podcast] – Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr [https://apple.co/2lwqZIr] – Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 [https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8] – RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ [https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/] – Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4] – Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/lexclips [https://www.youtube.com/lexclips]

#484 – Dan Houser: GTA, Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar, Absurd & Future of Gaming

Dan Houser is co-founder of Rockstar Games and is a legendary creative mind behind Grand Theft Auto (GTA) and Red Dead Redemption series of video games. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep484-sc [https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep484-sc] See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. Transcript: https://lexfridman.com/dan-houser-transcript [https://lexfridman.com/dan-houser-transcript] CONTACT LEX: Feedback – give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey [https://lexfridman.com/survey] AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama [https://lexfridman.com/ama] Hiring – join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring [https://lexfridman.com/hiring] Other – other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact [https://lexfridman.com/contact] EPISODE LINKS: Absurd Adventures: https://absurdventures.com [https://absurdventures.com] A Better Paradise: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0FCYSK8VD [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0FCYSK8VD] American Caper: https://absurdventures.com/americancaper [https://absurdventures.com/americancaper] SPONSORS: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: Box: Intelligent content management platform. Go to https://box.com/ai [https://lexfridman.com/s/box-ep484-sc] UPLIFT Desk: Standing desks and office ergonomics. Go to https://upliftdesk.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/uplift_desk-ep484-sc] CodeRabbit: AI-powered code reviews. Go to https://coderabbit.ai/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/coderabbit-ep484-sc] Miro: Online collaborative whiteboard platform. Go to https://miro.com/ [https://lexfridman.com/s/miro-ep484-sc] Lindy: No-code AI agent builder. Go to https://go.lindy.ai/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/lindy-ep484-sc] Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to https://shopify.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep484-sc] LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex [https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep484-sc] OUTLINE: (00:00) – Introduction (01:29) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections (11:32) – Greatest films of all time (23:45) – Making video games (26:36) – GTA 3 (29:55) – Open world video games (32:42) – Character creation (36:09) – Superintelligent AI in A Better Paradise (45:21) – Can LLMs write video games? (49:41) – Creating GTA 4 and GTA 5 (1:01:16) – Hard work and Rockstar’s culture of excellence (1:04:56) – GTA 6 (1:21:46) – Red Dead Redemption 2 (2:01:39) – DLCs for GTA and Red Dead Redemption (2:07:58) – Leaving Rockstar Games (2:17:22) – Greatest game of all time (2:22:10) – Life lessons from father (2:24:29) – Mortality (2:41:47) – Advice for young people (2:47:49) – Future of video games PODCAST LINKS: – Podcast Website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast [https://lexfridman.com/podcast] – Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr [https://apple.co/2lwqZIr] – Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 [https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8] – RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ [https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/] – Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4] – Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/lexclips [https://www.youtube.com/lexclips]