The Wright Show (audio)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:30 Trump’s AI Action plan 4:00 The contradictions inherent to Trump's plan 6:25 How Trump’s anti-globalism undermines his AI goals 10:52 Anthropic’s leaked memo: Ideals vs Persian Gulf cash 13:06 Bob: Dario Amodei is the true AI ideologue 17:17 How AI “safety” became a hawkish movement 18:18 Why true objectivity in LLMs is a fantasy 22:58 A Palantir exec dives into the movie business 25:16 Is AI surgery around the corner? 33:06 Why the Gaza ceasefire talks are collapsing—again 35:36 Biden and Trump's allergy to using US leverageRecorded July 25, 2025.https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Josh’s hopes for post-Assad Syria—revisited 4:12 The challenge(s) facing the Syrian government 8:58 What’s driving Syria’s sectarian violence? 19:44 Josh’s personal window into the al-Sharaa regime’s brutality 22:51 The new regime’s church vs state problem 29:44 How the Druze became central to Israeli-Syrian hostilities 43:05 Why did Israel escalate with Syria, really? 50:35 Josh’s current outlook on Syria's future 55:32 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Joshua Landis (University of Oklahoma, SyriaComment.com). Recorded July 23, 2025.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 The full reason for Bob’s absence—revealed 6:41 What’s the real story with Trump and Epstein? 15:02 A peek down the Epstein rabbit hole 31:18 Grok goes full Nazi-pornbot 40:15 The promise and perils of AI companions 47:55 Bob on dealing with cancer in the age of AI 1:10:39 Heading to OvertimeRobert 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 July 22, 2025.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:30 Why a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is so unlikely 4:01 Taiwan’s terrain: A defender’s dream, an invader’s nightmare 10:55 Why Taipei might be the hardest city in the world to conquer 12:45 Dan: China would need nearly 5 million soldiers to have a chance 14:18 The 2027 invasion theory—and why it doesn’t hold up 16:37 Is China trying to bankrupt the US military? 19:23 A cheaper, smarter way to defend Taiwan 22:42 Submarines: A deterrent with a message 27:47 Comparing a Taiwan invasion to D-Day 31:27 China's long game 35:32 Why a blockade might be worse than an invasionRecorded July 18, 2025.https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

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 Bob 1:55 What Lee means when he says "time is fundamental" 11:40 Understanding the universe as a network 25:59 A (very) tentative theory of consciousness 37:42 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 lifeRobert 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.org0:30 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 practiceRobert 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.org0:30 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 lawRecorded 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 HamasRobert 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.org0:30 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 geopoliticsRecorded 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.org0:28 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 OvertimeRobert 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.org0:28 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 firstRobert 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.org0:30 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.org0:30 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.org0:30 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.org0:28 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 OvertimeRobert 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.org0:28 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 OvertimeRobert 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