Episodes
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Today the bros talk about a monumental, if flawed, effort to present a coherent argument against the idea that “Strong Ai” or the idea that consciousness arises solely from algorithmic processes (and that therefore the human brain is in essence a computer and the mind is a program). Does he succeed? Maybe. Probably not. But the process is very interesting.
Bibliography:
- Benjamin: The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Re: physicalism, qualia, individuated sentience, Einstein-brains
- J.R. Lucas: Minds Machines and Godel
- Searle: Minds Brains and Programs
Re: Chinese Room
-A Historical Overview of Ai Winters
Re: Framing effect, “Ai Effect”
-Newman and Nagel: "Gödel's Proof"
Re: mathematical incompleteness
-Wallace: Consider The Lobster, "Authority and American Usage"
Re: Constructing realities, being and consciousness
-Hegel: Example Of The Hegelian Dialectic"
Duality of being and nothing, dialectic processes, sublation
-Christian: Big History
Re: Watchmaker fallacy, God of Gaps, philosophy of knowledge
-Assefa: Tiling the Plane
Recent discovery of infinite non-periodic tiling shapes -
In this episode, the boys talk about Bill Bryson’s latest (and reportedly final) book: The Body, a Guide for Occupants. Bryson takes the reader on a tour of the delightfully weird human form, covering everything from the world of microbial life, to DNA, disease, evolution, and the history of medicine.
More on the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43582376-the-body -
Missing episodes?
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This time the guys talk about a provocative book on geopolitics, demography, globalization, technology, and trade, by analyst Peter Zeihan. In it, Zeihan argues that the world is entering a period of disorderly de-globalization and de-industrialization in which the living standards of billions of people will precipitously drop.
Read more about the book: https://zeihan.com/end-of-the-world/ -
On this episode we dive into the wild life and times of everyone’s favorite billionaire: Elon “I’m Actually a Socialist” Musk. It tells the tale of how Musk bought Twitter in 2020, possibly during an Ambien binge, in what would become the largest take-private deal in the history of the Tech industry.
Things… did not go well. Hear our take on the book, and on the Enigma that is Musk. -
Legendary stage director and founder of the Moscow Art Theater (MAT), Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski, published one of the seminal texts of modern acting method, An Actor Prepares, in 1938.
Regarded popularly as the founder of “Method” acting, Stanislavski preached the total commitment of the body and mind to the art of becoming an actor’s subject. He is credited with the popular showbiz saying: “the show must go on,” which, legend has it, he muttered in the midst of a heart attack during a performance. He spent the rest of his life as a director and teacher. A who’s who of legendary actors have counted themselves as followers of his method, including Marlon Brando, Anthony Hopkins, Robert De Niro, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Meryl Streep.
Often misunderstood in the media and criticized (or idolized) in popular culture, Stanislavski’s teachings are not merely the total embodiment of character, but the meticulous preparation of a performance, down to the tiniest seemingly insignificant details. In this episode, we discuss the book that propelled Stanislavski to immortal fame, and we let you know why (or why not), you may want to give it a read. -
On this episode, the guys delve into George Manbiot and Peter Hutchison’s short history of Neoliberalism: the doctrine that’s seldom mentioned, but visible in every aspect of modern political life.
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In this premiere episode, Will and Lloyd discuss Joseph Campbell’s surprisingly popular book The Hero with 1000 Faces, in which he explores his theory of the “Mono Myth,” a hugely influential recipe for storytelling with mass appeal. We think it kind of sucks.
