An Unfiltered Conversation with Sam Harris

Video Description

How much responsibility do podcasters have not to "platform" crazy voices? Is there a countervailing duty to explore unusual ideas, spurned by elites? Why did fearlessly take on Islam, Black Lives Matter and Gaza, but not transgender ideology? Are psychedelics a portal to another realm, will A.I. become conscious, and is Sam a hypocrite for eating meat? Sam Harris is one of the world's most influential podcasters and commentators. He burst onto the scene as a prominent atheist but has since become an elder statesman of reason and logic, advocating mindfulness and rationality through his meditation app, Waking Up, and his podcast, Making Sense. Sam has always been a generous supporter of Josh's work and was kind enough to invite us to his private studio during the Szeps Live Around-the-World Podcast Marathon for a two-and-a-half-hour livestream. Enjoy this sparkling meeting of minds. Topics: 0:00 Introduction & Early AI Concerns 1:16 The "Alignment Problem" and AI's Escape 5:08 Autonomous Intelligence and Deception 13:38 The Limits of Human Understanding (Dog Analogy) 16:55 AI Self-Improvement and Substrate Independence 20:04 Intelligence vs. Agency 42:16 The Future of Autonomous Weapons 47:02 Sam Harris's Career Path and Podcasting 1:01:21 The Nature of Truth and Debating Jordan Peterson 1:07:01 The Candace Owens Interview and Journalistic Ethics 1:31:47 The Trans Issue and its Political Impact 1:44:09 The Charles Murray Controversy and "Woke Stupidity" 1:55:25 Rapid Fire Questions: Simulation, God, Time Travel, British Empire 2:11:36 Reflections on Childhood, Family, and Mortality 2:22:54 Word Association: Politics, Ethics, Social Media 2:30:14 The Future of Liberalism