Tyler Cowen: talent, effective altruism and religion

Tyler Cowen: talent, effective altruism and religion

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Tyler Cowen at the Mercatus Center last December. Here’s our conversation. Watch on Youtube [https://youtu.be/7yLsjSPBziA?si=VtrdyUB53DdCxZSG] or Twitter [https://x.com/velmeryn/status/2012899467142312086?s=20]. Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/pt/podcast/salvador-podcast/id1798566809?l=en-GB&i=1000745622679], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5G1fjiWwKyycY3SFEFa4XU?si=V4U_B6orSFCIpy_B9-bujA], or any other podcast platform. Read the transcript [https://www.progreshion.blog/p/tyler-cowen-talent-effective-altruism?r=58frit&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web]. Click here [https://buymeacoffee.com/eudaimoniaq] to support my work. Timestamps 0:00 - We’re discovering talent quicker than ever 5:14 - Being in San Francisco is more important than ever 8:01 - There is such a thing like a winning organization 11:43 - Talent and conformity on startup and big businesses 19:17 - Giving money to poor people vs talented people 22:18 - EA is fragmenting 25:44 - Longtermism and existential risks 33:24 - Religious conformity is weaker than secular conformity 36:38 - GMU Econ professors religious beliefs 39:34 - The west would be better off with more religion 43:05 - What makes you a philosopher 45:25 - CEOs are becoming more generalists 49:06 - Traveling and eating 53:25 - Technology drives the growth of government? 56:08 - Blogging and writing 58:18 - Takes on Aella, Scott Alexander, Noah Smith and more 1:02:51 - The future of Portugal 1:06:27 - New aesthetics program with Patrick Collison Follow me on twitter [https://x.com/velmeryn]. Follow Tyler on twitter [https://x.com/tylercowen]. Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe [https://www.progreshion.blog/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#16 - Sarah Fitz-Claridge: taking children seriously and freedom

Sarah Fitz-Claridge is a writer, speaker, and the founder of Taking Children Seriously together with David Deutsch [https://www.fromthelotus.world/p/23-david-deutsch-the-fabric-of-explanations?r=58frit&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false]. Taking Children Seriously is a new/different view of children—as being full people whose wishes matter just like ours do, whose lack of consent matters just as much as ours does, whose reasons for their wishes make sense, just like ours do, follow Sarah [https://x.com/FitzClaridge] on Twitter We talk about coercion, education, freedom, parenting, happiness, and what it means to truly take children seriously. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Watch on YouTube [https://youtu.be/Qf6O-tJ8Cfc?si=dkemmo9YPR7IyyGQ]. Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/pt/podcast/salvador-podcast/id1798566809?i=1000727664474], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5XgMyUnFFMRjgzx4d34XFW?si=k5SZmWixQvqc4wp4DWVnKg], or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here [https://buymeacoffee.com/eudaimoniaq] and follow me on Twitter here [https://x.com/velmeryn] Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 00:38 – Why civilisations overlook children 11:39 – Do we still lack the knowledge of how to raise children otherwise? 15:25 – Is coercion increasing in the way children are raised 27:28 – Inexplicit coercion, is it intentional? 30:28 – Rationalize your reasons to your children 33:03 – We experience the childhood coercion and do the same to our kids 36:56 – Does internal coercion precedes external coercion 43:57 – Teaching problem solving to children 45:46 – Balancing parental desires and child autonomy 56:08 – Coercion is not always wrong 1:01:57 – Raising children without an agenda 1:05:07 – Outcome oriented philosophies are mistaken 1:07:04 – The bucket theory of the mind 1:17:31 – Why having the right epistemology is crucial 1:31:40 – Optimism and pessimism in life 1:37:53 – The most important thing Sarah learned 1:39:24 – Advice to people Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe [https://www.progreshion.blog/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#15 - Scott Aaronson: quantum computing, AI and AGI progress

Scott Aaronson is a theoretical computer scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, known for his pioneering work on quantum computing and computational complexity. He writes the widely read blog Shtetl-Optimized [https://scottaaronson.blog/]and has shaped how researchers and the public understand both the possibilities and limits of quantum technology. We talk about the reality of quantum computing, cryptography, AI progress, large language models, and what the future might look like when these technologies converge. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Watch on YouTube [https://youtu.be/TDV7pVLCkcY]. Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/pt/podcast/salvador-podcast/id1798566809?i=1000722234342], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6pC5coCpc5Lp7WCdoNdCuI?si=jOute5YjTQ2L80mYbFnf3A], or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here [https://buymeacoffee.com/eudaimoniaq] and follow me on Twitter here [https://x.com/velmeryn] Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 03:25 – How computer science views quantum mechanics today 06:50 – Superconducting qubits and how quantum machines are built 10:15 – The rules of quantum probability explained 13:41 – Quantum error correction and protecting fragile states 17:06 – When quantum algorithms provide a speed-up (and when they don’t) 20:31 – Skepticism and testing the limits of quantum hype 23:56 – Why Scott is optimistic about scalable quantum computing 27:22 – Potential applications: materials, chemistry, and beyond 30:47 – Shor’s algorithm and breaking classical encryption 34:12 – Bitcoin, cryptography, and the risks of a working quantum computer 37:37 – Grover’s algorithm and the reality of search speedups 41:03 – Large language models vs hard computational problems 44:28 – What tasks AI still can’t solve (and how to test them) 47:53 – GPT-4 vs GPT-3: progress, hype, and possible limits 51:18 – How companies train and deploy models responsibly 54:44 – The pace of change since ChatGPT launched 58:09 – Power and danger: capability without aligned goals 1:01:34 – Why AI is not just another technology but a civilizational shift Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe [https://www.progreshion.blog/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#14 - Michael Huemer: free will, political anarchism and morality

Michael Huemer is a professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado Boulder and the author of Ethical Intuitionism [https://www.amazon.com/Ethical-Intuitionism-M-Huemer/dp/0230573746], The Problem of Political Authority [https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Political-Authority-Examination-Coerce/dp/1137281650], and more six books. He is known for his clarity, rigor, and no-nonsense philosophical reasoning and is in my opinion one of the best philosophers alive, follow Mike [https://x.com/michael__huemer] on Twitter We talk about the logic of free will, the illusion of the self, moral responsibility, philosophical anarchism, and how rationality might still matter in a deterministic universe. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Watch on YouTube [https://youtu.be/4ZShH5GZ5N0?si=ncz_GK7aft8mJhNJ]. Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/pt/podcast/salvador-podcast/id1798566809?i=1000718869770], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Qvv79nfK6HnRQxgqFhViP?si=C7PZDkVtSzu3cTVltUqXxA], or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here [https://buymeacoffee.com/eudaimoniaq] and follow me on Twitter here [https://x.com/velmeryn] Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 03:22 – Is the bias for determinism just another historical mistake? 06:44 – Deliberation presupposes freedom 10:06 – On truth, imperfection, and rational discourse 13:28 – Is Huemer’s argument for free will a deductive proof? 16:50 – Robots, compatibilism, and why freedom needs alternatives 20:12 – You didn’t create yourself — but can you still be free? 23:34 – The no-self doctrine and what it really means 26:56 – Unconscious influence and degrees of freedom 30:18 – Who gave the government the right to rule? 33:41 – Philosophical vs political anarchism 37:03 – Why most people misunderstand both government and anarchy 40:25 – Defunding the police, private courts, and anarchist reform 43:47 – Why civil disobedience is rare (and should happen more) 47:09 – Can we have progress without chaos? 50:31 – Moral progress and the abolition of slavery 53:53 – What’s changing now and what’s next 57:15 – Why being rational might be a moral obligation 1:00:37 – One philosophical idea everyone should understand Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe [https://www.progreshion.blog/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#13 - Brett Hall: the beginning of infinity, popper and epistemology

Brett Hall is the host of the TokCast [http://bretthall.org] podcast, a physicist and teacher, and one of the most insightful explainers of David Deutsch’s philosophy. He’s been writing and speaking about Popperian epistemology, optimism, and the universal reach of explanation for over a decade, follow Brett [https://x.com/tokteacher] on Twitter We talk about what makes people people, why consciousness might be rarer than we think, why explanatory knowledge is the most powerful force in the universe, and what AGI and progress really mean. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/pt/podcast/salvador-podcast/id1798566809?i=1000716305521], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/3yhWTfZIRuxvwFJQGWWKNs?si=b3w2HvG2SxeD7SQg6RZQeQ], or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here [https://buymeacoffee.com/eudaimoniaq] and follow me on Twitter here [https://x.com/velmeryn] Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 03:18 – How The Fabric of Reality changed Brett’s worldview 06:42 – Optimism, meaning, and the rejection of mysticism 09:52 – What makes humans unique: universal explainers 13:07 – Consciousness, personhood, and moral status 16:44 – Popper’s critiques of academia and progress 19:59 – Why Brett rejects labels like “Popperian” or “Deutschian” 23:15 – What it means to explain something — and why we can’t define it 26:21 – Explanations vs metaphors and epistemic clarity 29:33 – Are good predictions overrated in science? 32:55 – Why AI isn’t approaching AGI (and might be moving away) 36:20 – Creativity, disobedience, and what people really are 39:40 – Tools vs tool users: moral error in anthropomorphizing AI 42:16 – Is empathy overrated? Sympathy, kindness, and curiosity 45:02 – Why “facts” are interpretations too 48:20 – Stagnation, error correction, and what still blocks progress 51:14 – Brett’s vision of extending the Enlightenment 54:38 – The path to AGI — and why forecasts are mostly fake 58:01 – Final thoughts on truth, individuality, and cosmic responsibility Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe [https://www.progreshion.blog/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]