The End of Year Collective Episode

Sarah Constantin - Thinking. The Secret Competitive Advantage

This week, Sarah Constantin joins me on The Hope Axis. Sarah is a mathematician and versatile thinker whose work spans defense, software, AI, biotechnology, and mental health. In this conversation, we revisit our connection from six years ago to discuss her latest explorations and her perspective in this unique moment for both AI and her own professional journey. Hope you enjoy. For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14uG39HZYnxphJ82I6pj4_3CLs00XK42n/view?usp=sharing Important Links: X (Twitter) – https://x.com/s_r_constantin?lang=en Website– https://www.sarah-constantin.org/ Substack – https://sarahconstantin.substack.com/ Github – https://srconstantin.github.io/about/ Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-constantin-ba71b02b/?isSelfProfile=false Show Notes: (0:00:00) Introduction (0:05:21) The Internet used to be a social place (0:14:57) The Importance of Practical Experience (0:19:37) From the Covid Era to the AI Era (0:22:34) Wrong Assumptions About Medicine (0:36:02) Self-help (0:39:51) Love, Relationships, and Conversations (0:45:53) Neutrality, The Debate-resolution App (0:56:53) Taiwan, the Lack of Explosives in the US (1:01:36) Why Sarah Writes (1:08:37) AI Books, Essays & References Mentioned: Samuel Shem — The House of God Lewis Thomas — The Youngest Science Ayn Rand — The Virtue of Selfishness Agnes Callard — Open Socrates Venkatesh Rao — "Never have both halves of a conversation" Internal Family Systems (IFS) — Psychological framework Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) — Psychological framework Contractualism — Political philosophy of fair procedures LessWrong — Rationalist community Principal Component Analysis (PCA) — Statistical method TSMC — Semiconductor manufacturing SBIR — Small Business Innovation Research program The military-industrial complex — Defense innovation ecosystem

Julie Fredrickson: Networks, Loss, and the Open Internet

This week on The Hope Axis, I’m joined by investor and startup veteran Julie Fredrickson for a conversation that purposefully wanders away from the standard career trajectory. We move past the typical bio to talk about what actually sustains agency in a world that often feels designed to induce hopelessness. As the "Mary Poppins of startups" and a former founder herself, Julie understands the grit required to build. We discuss the quiet, radical act of ignoring the noise to simply do good work.I hope you enjoy this one. For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UkTSGglb9yTo1OiKilxQ-02lLsIOmPqL/view?usp=sharing Important Links: X (Twitter) – https://x.com/AlmostMedia?lang=en LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliefredrickson/?isSelfProfile=false Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/juliefredrickson/?hl=en Website - https://jfredrickson.com/ Show Notes: (00:00) Guest Introduction   (01:51) Knowing Your True Limits   (07:07) Remembering and Forgetting   (12:50) Family Systems   (16:23) Losing a Father   (21:58) Becoming the Explainer After 40   (25:27) Community & Being a Beacon on the Internet   (33:40) The Silicon Valley Diaspora   (39:18) Algorithms Taking Over the Feeds   (45:09) How to Show up on the Internet Today   (48:22) Being the First Friendly Face on the Internet   (54:28) Funding the Miracle Startups Books, Essays & References Mentioned: William Gibson — Pattern Recognition Thomas Mann — Joseph and His Brothers Howe-Strauss — The Fourth Turning theory Peter Turchin — Cliodynamics Henry Giroux — The Violence of Organized Forgetting Internal Family Systems (IFS) — Psychological frame work Rudolf Steiner — Waldorf educational philosophy Robin Dunbar — Dunbar's number Stendhal — The Stendhalian approach to new experiences Sheryl Sandberg — Advice on fertility and career planning Parsifal — The Parsifalian question

Dean Ball - Living Through a New Industrial Revolution.

This week on The Hope Axis, Dean Ball joined me for a conversation that took a real intersection in the space-time continuum to finally make happen. Dean — a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation, author of the Substack Hyperdimensional, and an influential policy voice in Washington — and I sat down to talk about his groundbreaking AI policy work including his recent four months at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he served as the principal staff drafter for America's AI Action Plan. We went into Dean's journey in politics, his writing, why Beethoven matters for technologists, and much more. Hope you enjoy! For the full transcript of our conversation, click here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m6PwzgJI5p2zYbNYwypFnz6F5WPEaL0E/view?usp=sharing [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m6PwzgJI5p2zYbNYwypFnz6F5WPEaL0E/view?usp=sharing] Important Links:  X (Twitter) – https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbVVrdW15djhHZ2lFNU5NcEpQMVBxYm5URHpIQXxBQ3Jtc0tuOEpEN3FTZ0FFT3lONXR2QllWNjNfLU1GVEp4OXplT053bWlOWHp2NjdSRHUwRDBhUEFzMlZsZ2xJMFJHRnNGSXo5OHFfOXBVa2dMTC1haHVPUzAtRnJyOFhRZWpKcWV4M2JITERyRmd6aUJhTU1USQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2FDylanoA4%3Flang%3Den&v=lhJ0EOvK6Fghttps://x.com/deanwball?lang=en [https://x.com/deanwball?lang=en]  Substack - https://www.hyperdimensional.co/ [https://www.hyperdimensional.co/]  LinkedIn – https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbXVQYkpYSU45Mm40RHZGNjhWU0hEOWU1cjFBUXxBQ3Jtc0ttVmpvOGM4SDBFR0xSYmlsdTd6Tm9HWU5KX09ETjJiNTd6R2dILWpiSFJsYVA2SzVaWk5TUnZ5LTYzSU9QdFRfSENTbGVtM2xnV3M5TWVoY2ZmdDBac1Rpd3JrTkt5S2lNN0pxT2xvQXRVZTR4ZU43Zw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fdylanoa4%2F&v=lhJ0EOvK6Fglinkedin.com/in/dean-ball-66823728 [http://linkedin.com/in/dean-ball-66823728]  The Foundation for American Innovation - https://www.thefai.org/profile/dean-ball [https://www.thefai.org/profile/dean-ball] The Federalist Society - https://fedsoc.org/bio/dean-ball-2 [https://fedsoc.org/bio/dean-ball-2] Show Notes: (00:00) Introduction (01:54) Dean Ball's family history (05:33) New wave of politicians (11:52) Explaining AI public debate to an alien (17:19) The difference between American and European thought about AI? (21:50) Technological chase and it's ties (24:52) Is it still possible for the past to guide us through the present revolutions? (29:51) The warmth of untidiness and conservative disposition (36:42) Why don't Europeans understand AGI? (47:23) The Encyclical (50:32) What did it cost to publicly criticize the Anthropic–Department of War fiasco? (58:59) The Hope Axis question - Beethoven and the metaphor of technology. (01:01:55) Final comments Books, Essays & References Mentioned:  * Michael Oakeshott — On Being Conservative  * Joel Mokyr — The Great Divergence  * Luis and Pieter Garicano — Silicon Continent  * Pope Leo XIII — Rerum Novarum  * Ludwig van Beethoven — Hammerklavier  * Claude Shannon — Information Theory  * Alan Turing — Signal Processing  * Marc Andreessen — Technoculture and AI  * Frantz Fanon — Post-colonial theory  * Alexis de Tocqueville — American democracy and society.

Hollis Robbins - Hope for AI in Education and Beyond

This week on The Hope Axis, Hollis Robbins joins me to talk about her dense career and what it actually means to build a life dedicated to the humanities today. Hollis, a dear friend of Interintellect and one of the first hosts, stepped back from her role as Dean of Humanities at the University of Utah in 2024 to focus on writing three upcoming books, including one with the incredible title, “Do Not Go to College Unless.” We get into her journey, and finding room for hope and leisure in the middle of it all. Hope you enjoy! For the full transcript of our conversation, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QrykHXAFjyGdh6OlLQ1WD7yo06rIBf8J/view?usp=drive_link [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QrykHXAFjyGdh6OlLQ1WD7yo06rIBf8J/view?usp=drive_link] Important Links: X (Twitter) – https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbVVrdW15djhHZ2lFNU5NcEpQMVBxYm5URHpIQXxBQ3Jtc0tuOEpEN3FTZ0FFT3lONXR2QllWNjNfLU1GVEp4OXplT053bWlOWHp2NjdSRHUwRDBhUEFzMlZsZ2xJMFJHRnNGSXo5OHFfOXBVa2dMTC1haHVPUzAtRnJyOFhRZWpKcWV4M2JITERyRmd6aUJhTU1USQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2FDylanoA4%3Flang%3Den&v=lhJ0EOvK6Fghttps://x.com/anecdotal?lang=en [https://x.com/anecdotal?lang=en] Substack - https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbm8tN0ZFYTFQT1ljMUE5VzgzSHBtaThVWm1BUXxBQ3Jtc0ttZjJsS1IwSUthRkpvaHd2enBkNUQ0UGo3VGUyVEVzdWY0R1Y5YjJxeUZ6cTl1amhMV21vOEhGR0ZZXzNsVm1uVWNxeVhxd2dlRTV6WXFTbWszbDZJdmtFRXBDeXJTbFEtNmxaX2tRSVc0eTBVM1NZOA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack.com%2F%40essayful&v=lhJ0EOvK6Fghttps://substack.com/@hollisrobbins [https://substack.com/@hollisrobbins]LinkedIn – https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbXVQYkpYSU45Mm40RHZGNjhWU0hEOWU1cjFBUXxBQ3Jtc0ttVmpvOGM4SDBFR0xSYmlsdTd6Tm9HWU5KX09ETjJiNTd6R2dILWpiSFJsYVA2SzVaWk5TUnZ5LTYzSU9QdFRfSENTbGVtM2xnV3M5TWVoY2ZmdDBac1Rpd3JrTkt5S2lNN0pxT2xvQXRVZTR4ZU43Zw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fdylanoa4%2F&v=lhJ0EOvK6Fghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hollisrobbins [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollisrobbins] Google Scholars - https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa1lqeDhEWTdZRFlKNzZvX3RjUlFIRHpwY185UXxBQ3Jtc0trSHVFT3Y3czVldGtNZEJuYWtnUXRTSFFsaE9jVmxZQU9sbWEyMDJGYkZlajd3NjYyRUoxZ05JbDlNY0JYRVJ0VkVoekVqcG1kNjhndExIeVhDdUtyeF9JNDFuMG1WUW01N2NYOXFPV1FRSHczeVA3UQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fspectator.com%2Fwriter%2Fdylan-osullivan%2F&v=lhJ0EOvK6Fghttps://scholar.google.com/citations?user=d2MNMeMAAAAJ&hl=en [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=d2MNMeMAAAAJ&hl=en] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/_anecdotal/ [https://www.instagram.com/_anecdotal/] Show Notes: (00:00) Introduction (02:12)  College, dropping out, intellectual ideals and AI (07:22)  The state of universities and colleges in the time of information abundance (15:01)  Intellect and technology (29:00)  Anti-AI and pro-intellectual discourse is missing the point (33:39) America's higher (mid) education doesn't compete with AI (42:45)  Reinventing tutoring (48:04)  How is Hollis Robbins surviving in the humanities? (53:59)  The process of ""dumbing down"" of the American University (01:04:03)  If a specialist won't be teaching you at the university - don't go there. (01:07:24) Intellectual labour in scale economy. (01:10:02)  Final thoughts

Dylan O'Sullivan - The Classics Are Never Getting Old

This week on The Hope Axis, Dylan O’Sullivan joins to talk about the classics and their second life online. We get into reading in the age of TikTok and AI, and whether people today can still take on long, difficult books, along with the experience of going back to books and seeing them differently over time. Hope you enjoy. For the full transcript of our conversation, click here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fGdRmgt7ZO6MKGzd6sHUX15n3q5QBINl/view?usp=sharing Important Links:  X (Twitter) – https://x.com/DylanoA4?lang=en [https://x.com/DylanoA4?lang=en]  Essayful - https://substack.com/@essayful [https://substack.com/@essayful]  LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanoa4/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanoa4/]  The Spectator - https://spectator.com/writer/dylan-osullivan/ [https://spectator.com/writer/dylan-osullivan/]  Show Notes:  (00:00) Introduction (02:33) The Right Age to Start Reading The Classics (07:53) The Feeling of Cultural Stagnation (12:22) How to Find Good Books (21:53) Finding What to Read and Where to Think (31:09) Dylan's Most Quoted Authors (39:03) Modern World of Self-publishing (41:38) What Do You Write About If You Don't Live First (48:19) What's up with Dostoevsky (56:14) Ulysses and End Notes Books, Essays & References Mentioned: C.S. Lewis — The Abolition of Man C.S. Lewis — Mere Christianity Arthur Koestler — Darkness at Noon Arthur Koestler — The Act of Creation Leo Tolstoy — War and Peace Leo Tolstoy — Anna Karenina Fyodor Dostoevsky — The Brothers Karamazov Fyodor Dostoevsky — Notes from Underground Fyodor Dostoevsky — White Nights James Joyce — Ulysses