robot friends: Recent Episodes
eigenrobot
@historycourses is back and as usual we talk about history in detail for two hours. this talk was surprisingly orderly with two major topics for consideration: can we ever understand what it was like to live in another zeitgeist; and what are the uses of history? digressions into filial piety, Albion's Seed, the global American empire, acid use and Burke, and the near destruction of the English language in the late medieval period
as always, learn more about history from Abraham at historycourses.com <3
wherein @atroyn and i talk about the dissolution of meaning, the pillars of philosophy, optimism, narrative, assassin drones vs clothes folding robots, world historical figure mycology, the past and present of ingroup, visions of the future, and why the way forward is the rise of capitalist bandit lords actually
Dear friend @monodevice comes on to walk through the history of the Southern Slavs and convey the mindset of the Steppe East to the West from his own perspective as a Balkan-born. We discuss martyrs and lost phenomenologies and the white pill that nothing is endlessly bad and why stoicism fails to allow for the transcendent.
talking with roon (@tszzl) about the emergence of yuppies, san francisco, island communities, the notion of a homeland, and noah smith
i spoke with qc and polimath about how families handle money and learn from qc what it's like to be main character for a day. we also speculate about whether taylor lorenz went to school with kim il sung.
art credit to the magnificent monodevice
wherein I speak with all five (!!) of the 2021 Prometheus Award Best Novel finalists about their work, the social history of science fiction, and the role of science fiction in mapping the future.
Great thanks to Mackey Chandler, Barry B. Longyear, Marc Stiegler, Dennis E. Taylor, and especially to Karl. K. Gallagher for bringing all of us together. Links to their nominated novels can be found most conveniently here at the LFS: http://lfs.org/releases/2021PrometheusFinalists.shtml
wherein @historycourses and I spend two hours talking about history again, exploring among other things:
- how learning history is emancipatory;
- David Reich and archaeogenomics;
- what European geopolitics, American domestic politics, and science might have in common;
- Mongol skull pyramids;
- how history is a healthy outlet for incorrigible voyeurs.
Great thanks to Abraham as always for coming on; he still teaches history at historycourses.com
wherein Abraham Ash (@historycourses) and I talk about Orthodox Judaism: its history in the united states, its current place and modes of life, and its future. We also hop wildly across thousands of years of history.
Abraham teaches online at https://historycourses.com/ and I want to shill this noting that I have never met anyone more conversant in medieval history.
wherein @becomingcritter of the actually-well-produced A Becoming Creature podcast and I go off the rails on the use of hallucinogens in Minecraft, the nature of time and perception, and why thinking about things is extremely bad actually
his excellent conversations with other twitter personae are posted at https://becomingcreature.substack.com/
wherein @totoTavrinky and I discuss the philosophical framework presented by Robert Pirsig in his second work, Lila, and what it has to do with wet markets, Ayn Rand, the Puritans, Allen Ginsburg, Emperor Taizong, and Jesus
please hire totoTavrinky to write code for you :^)
wherein I talk with @maybegray and @QiaochuYuan about flirting, sexual oughtism, cargo cult sexuality, downloading millions of escort reviews, and the international conspiracy of women to gossip about how good specific men are at sex (ft. @selenetelechia)
wherein @corsairmichel and i discuss the aesthetics of murder scenes, what really went down at Waco, working as a bouncer at a strip club, the Bakken oil boom, winters in North Dakota, anarchobaking, and what comprises a community
check his writing and merch at https://thestatelesscook.com/
wherein @BLUNDERBUSSTED and I discuss america's best ice cream, reading groups, the hostility of suburbs to scenes, how hillbilly lives matter, floating signifiers as a means of facilitating individuality, and the adventurous nature of conversation
BEAST publishes at https://blunderbusspress.medium.com/ -- do check out his writing!
a very special episode, wherein @selentelechia and i discuss getting knocked up; our shopping list; the effects of hormonal birth control; how chainsaws figure into labor; and how we work as a couple. the baby makes frequent and insistent appearances.
wherein @visakanv and I discuss fitting into online communities, literary ethics, reading, fiction and narrative as a basis for life, barbarians real and metaphorical and how to write a good villain
visa broadcasts at http://youtube.com/visakanv and writes at http://visakanv.com/ ; his ebook Friendly Ambitious Nerd is available at https://gumroad.com/l/friendlynerdbook. visa is a treasure.
wherein @orthonormalist and I discuss the cultural transmission of one's early internet fora, information wars, living a good life, and projecting oneself infinitely into the future; and discuss whether Jesus or Genghis Khan was more effective in this manner
ortho's forum is at https://aristillus.xyz/ , check it out if his ideas are of interest!
nb, this episode recorded in an unusual setup--apologies for the shakier audio quality, and also for drinking too many beers for breakfast and slowly developing a migraine
wherein @jd_pressman regales us with an intellectual history of rationalism and postrationalism. who is korzybski? what is extropy? in how many ways _is_ big yud like l ron hubbard, anyway?
this episode clocks in at over two hours, and covers a massive amount of ground.
l ron hubbard on DAP:
(part 1)
(part 2)
JD writes at https://www.wrestlinggnon.com/ .
a Battle of the Bots wherein @ollybot_redux and I talk about manifestos, review the matter of Ireland and civic pride in a small country, grade America as a global hegemon, and discuss how we can take children seriously
olly's manifesto can be read here: https://obrowne.eu/manifesto.html
wherein Santi Ruiz of the Free Beacon and I discuss becoming a journalist, and best practices for speaking with journalists (if you must); internal media wars; how think tanks are like Han imperial courts; and how marriage is one of the most important things one can undertake in life.
if you have a story and (after all of the usual caveats) want to speak with a principled journalist, or if you're single and interested in dating men in the DC area, please ping Santi directly.
wherein @danlistensto and i discuss buddhism and its traditions; the conflict between the dionysian, apollonian, and hermetic; heresy and why it's good actually; saints as a type of guy; and why rationalists should become mystics.
plug for Evolving Ground, a community of contemporary Vajrayana practice :)
wherein @IvyAstrix details the history of the rise and fall of clubhouse and its multifarious denizens, and leaves us considering the problem of finding a haven for the grey tribe
ivy writes at highvy.substack.com and speaks on clubhouse as @ivy, and since you're reading this as text you know that ive had time to proofread it and not f*ck it up
wherein @EggProphet, @whomademecrispy, and I discuss novel linguistic weapon technology, narrative coherence, and vibing and politicking; and end by casually dropping the name of the best living philosopher
wherein @chaosprime and I (with cameos from @wildbuddhini!)discuss immobility from excessive certainty; cast about for a sociological framing of Types of Guy with mixed success; and discuss how people learn ethics in the ruins of a culture.
very sadly we were cut short by technical problems but we got most of our episode back from the void.
wherein @shlevy exposits about objectivism, and responds to pressing questions about its relationship to fictional characters and apocryphal presidents; considers how a Randian treats agape; and pivots to how we might evaluate qualia using the scientific method
wherein @sgodofsk and I have a bull session on china, institutional design and constraints, trends in naval warfare, and visits from the Good Idea Fairy
wherein @politicalmath and i discuss the institutional response to covid and the general state of american institutions, and bemoan recent issues in journalism; and wherein we stumble upon a novel response to issues in Legacy Journalism
wherein I talk with QC (@QiaochuYuan) about his experience turning down Cade Metz's request for an interview for a hit piece on Scott Alexander and Rationalism; go on a nicotine withdrawal-fueled rant about legacy journalism; and let QC speak his piece without filtering or editing
link to the nyt hit piece at archive.is in case you want to read along
wherein the magnificent @sagar__dubey gives westerners a primer on the recent rise of Indians on the Internet and in schools and enterprise, talks about his own journey through South America and New York to Helsinki, and inspires me to hope even more fervently that America gets its shit together
wherein I talk with @michaelcurzi and @bitemyapp about the nature of religious belief in America; the extent to which pagans might reach states of virtue; and the ever-pressing question of how we can help our pets attain arete
wherein I talk with @m_ashcroft about the Alexander Technique, awareness and its discontents, learning game theory, and optimal kissing.
Would You Like to Know More? Michael also writes about the Alexander Technique at https://expandingawareness.substack.com/
Wherein my old friend Nick and I talk about the state of behavioral economics, how to communicate complex ideas to audiences hostile and open, and the future of higher education for the Common Man.
Bonus discussion of fish economics at cleaning stations, a subject dear to my heart.
wherein the estimable @default_friend and I discuss dating markets, arranged marriages, ultraterrestrials, and pilling yourself by accident to make you esoteric.
do check out her advice column and other writings at defaultfriend.substack.com !
Jacob Falkovich and I talk about the past and future of Rationalism, the dangers scenes face from society, and how to move a frightened world. Check out his work at putanumonit.com .
wherein goblin and i discuss how to join ingroup, resilience, finishing projects, and Becoming Chad; and the nature and origin of Goblin
wherein @disconcerta and I get progressively drunk and talk about new york, learning about history, friendship at first sight, and disconcerta's policy for blocking people on twitter (there are thousands of you)
Wherein Tao gives a post mortem of the Trump presidency; discusses the past, present, and future of right wing meme politics; and explains why Nixon can only be understood as a man of his era.
Tao’s on twitter as @turrible_tao, and writes at https://turribletao.substack.com/
robot friends: now with intro music :o)
Wherein the eminent Joel Grus and I talk about unschooling and other alternatives to the education-industrial complex in a post-industrial age. We discuss Joel’s experiences trying to build a nurturing environment in which his daughter might thrive, selection bias in evaluating school alternatives, and how the pandemic may be undermining one of many Harvard cabals conspiring against America.
Immense thanks to Joel for his time and reflections.
the inaugural episode of robot friends!
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