Topical Storm: Recent Episodes
Alex & Eli
Join Alex and Eli as they tackle interesting intellectual and philosophical topics with engaged excitement and commute-friendly brevity. New episodes every week with topics ranging from the study of consciousness to the economics of addiction.
We take on the harrowing topic of existential risk and examine the many ways that things could go very badly for humanity. On the bright side, Nick Bostrom is always an enjoyable read.
It’s widely known that humans tend to sacrifice long term rewards for smaller, more immediate gains. We tackle a less widely disseminated model of behavior called hyperbolic discounting that implies our impulsive decisions have some very surprising characteristics.
We’re back! Today we tackle cryonics, the movement that suggests cryo-preserving the body moments after legal death will enable humanity to one day greatly extend our lifespans.
We have a wacky one for you today! Roko’s Basilisk, a thought experiment grounded in decision theory, suggests that a future AI could be incentivized to punish most of humanity for not helping bring it into existence.
We take a break from heavy philosophy to discuss a fun topic: Jazz! This serves as a good introduction to the genre for any novice jazz listener or player.
Today we have an informal discussion about free will, possibility, and what it means to have agency. This was a fascinating conversation for us and we hope it encourages you to think critically about these topics!
We continue our discussion of anthropic reasoning from last episode by examining a very troubling thought experiment. Can we logically deduce that humanity is doomed?
We return from our hiatus to discuss the Anthropic Principle and its applications to statistical reasoning. How should we think about probability when our own existence is correlated with an events occurrence?
Today we take a look at the political philosophy of one of the 20th century’s most influential thinkers: John Rawls. We discuss his notion of an ideal society and his interpretations of justice.
We discuss the fascinating interaction between voluntary facial expression and involuntary, fleeting movements known as microexpressions.
Today we have an impromptu conversation/debate about the ethical implications of lying. We had a great time recording this one, so we hope you enjoy our thoughts.
How does consciousness arise in physical substrates? Today we explore a revolutionary and controversial theory that uses mathematics and physics to explain the emergence of conscious experience. This is a long one but we think its worth the listen!
Solipsism, the view that the self is all that can be known to exist, is a relatively simple theory with a long history of criticism. Today we look at the argument and examine the body of thought that has emerged around disproving the theory.
How did life emerge? Today we discuss a new theory about the physics of the universe that may be the beginnings of an answer to this question.
We discuss the emerging culture and science of biohacking: simple experiments and DIY techniques used to improve our bodies and minds.
What is “fun”, really? We dive into the evolutionary psychology behind the phenomenon, its role in our personal development, and its place in the modern world.
On today’s show, we discuss a variety of sports we feel are underrated in North American culture and why we wish they were more commonly watched or played.
Today we look at the Venture Capital financing industry, explore its nuances and history, and discuss its important role in the fueling tech innovation that drives our society forward.
Dr. James G. Kahn is a professor at the Institute for Health Policy Studies at UC San Francisco. In this interview, we discuss his research and ideas regarding single payer healthcare in the United States.
We explore the complicated United States healthcare system, its flaws and inefficiencies, and its nuanced historical background.
In our second Op-Ed, we examine the history of change in the entertainment industry, the impact of the internet on entertainment consumption, and what the future may hold.
As a more serious public discussion of Universal Basic Income Plans begins ahead of 2020, we take an objective look at the proposals, the philosophy behind them, and the economics that will ultimately define their outcome (or outright rejection).
Is reality as we know it a computer simulation? Today we discuss Nick Boström’s influential paper that first proposed the Simulation Hypothesis.
A new kind of episode today: we have a casual, free-form discussion about the role of social media in our lives, its erosion of social structures, and the divisiveness that begins online and has become deeply rooted in our culture.
Today we offer an holistic overview of the arguments for and against the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. We dig into the academic philosophy behind the vegan movement and discuss practical solutions to the environmental problems of meat consumption.
We all sleep, but we don’t often think about what sleep is, why we sleep when we do, and how it plays into our physiology. On this episode we offer the standard advice “get more sleep” but with some fun science to back it up.
Today we examine a controversial branch of philosophical thought known as Antinatalism, which posits that for conscious beings, it would have been better to have never existed. Dark, thought provoking ideas ahead.
What is the essence of that thing we call “cool”? Where is its basis in evolution and in culture? How does this concept impact our society? All this and more on today’s show.
A look into the complicated world of pharmaceuticals, the pricing of prescription drugs, and the incentive structures underlying the industry. What’s up with all those drugs suddenly costing a lot more?
We begin a fascinating exploration into the phenomenon of consciousness, and discuss its definitions and philosophical challenges. This is the first of in a series of episodes exploring consciousness and its implications.
Thought swearing was as simple as using a taboo word? Think again. We tackle the fascinating research of curse words along with their physiological and psychological importance. Foul language ahead.
Is the “iPhone of e-cigarettes” here and here to stay? We explore the sudden rise of Juul, the popular nicotine delivery device, in the context of modern culture, business, and ethics, and discuss the future of the phenomenon.
What is the “Effective Altruism” movement all about? How do charities maximize their moral utility? Where does the collision of philosophy and financial decision making mean the most? We explore all this and more on today’s episode.