Annaka Harris is the New York Times bestselling author of CONSCIOUS: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind and writer and producer of the audio documentary series, LIGHTS ON. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Nautilus Magazine, the Journal of Consciousness Studies, and IAI Magazine. She is also an editor and consultant for science writers, specializing in neuroscience and physics. In this episode, Robinson and Annaka discuss panpsychism and the case that consciousness is fundamental. More particularly, they talk about complexity and emergence, the relationship between consciousness and physics, and artificial intelligence.
Lights On: https://a.co/d/cy8YTpd
Conscious: https://a.co/d/3uFZ2Jq
Annaka’s Website: https://annakaharris.com
OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
00:52 Annaka’s Obsession with Consciousness
06:09 How Should We Define Consciousness?
13:06 Why the Complexity Might Not Explain Consciousness
25:30 Is Consciousness Emergent or Fundamental?
29:45 Are Fundamentalia Conscious?
45:18 How Can Consciousness Solve Deep Problems of Physics?
52:14 Consciousness and Quantum Entanglement
01:00:11 Consciousness and the Many Worlds Theory of Quantum Mechanics
01:10:50 What Does an Electron Feel?
01:13:41 AI and Consciousness
01:22:42 Science and the Fundamentality of Consciousness
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.
Jacob Barandes is Senior Preceptor in Physics at Harvard University, where he works widely across the philosophy of physics, with focuses on the foundations of quantum mechanics, the philosophy of spacetime, and the metaphysics of laws. In this episode, Robinson and Jacob focus on the foundations of quantum mechanics. They discuss the importance of history and philosophy in the same, its connections to mathematics, many of the biggest puzzles in quantum physics, and Jacob’s new approach to the foundations, which he refers to as the “Indivisibility” approach.
Jacob's Website: https://www.jacobbarandes.com
OUTLINE
00:00 Mathematics, Nature, and Physics
07:55 The Deep Link Between Math and Physics CLIP
15:21 Scrutinizing the History and Philosophy of Physics
28:11 A Digression on Achille Varzi
36:53 The Etymology of “Matrix”
41:17 Learning from the History of Physics
52:38 Why Does Quantum Mechanics Need New Foundations?
59:04 Does Quantum Gravity Need New Quantum Foundations?
01;08:26 What Is a Constructive Physical Theory?
01:32:31 Markov Laws and Determinism
01:45:30 The Wave Function
02:06:53 Inconsistencies in Quantum Mechanics
02:12:20 What Is Quantum Decoherence?
02:23:10 The Biggest Problems in Quantum Foundations?
02:33:49 Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics
02:38:57 Quantum Mechanics, Many Worlds, and the Problem of Induction
02:50:05 The Indivisibility Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
03:04:42 What Are the Fundamentalia of the Universe?
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.
Lee Cronin is Regius Chair of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow. Among his many pursuits are the digitization of chemistry, the discovery of alien life, and the creation of artificial life. In this episode, Robinson and Lee focus on astrobiology, the chemistry of life as we know it, and the controversies surrounding artificial intelligence.
Lee’s Website: https://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/cronin/
Lee’s Twitter: https://x.com/leecronin
OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
00:55 Lee’s Interests in the Origin of Life
10:29 Is Life Unique to Earth?
18:16 What Is the Self?
24:05 Is the Selfish Gene Hypothesis Wrong?
30:46 How Does Sand Turn into Cells?
44:02 What Is Chemputation?
45:41 What Is Assembly Theory?
01:11:33 Why Won’t We Find a Mine of Coffee Mugs on an Asteroid?
01:25:09 Has AI Become a Cult?
01:32:16 Will AI Use Biological Weapons to Wipe Out Humanity?
01:55:24 Why AI Can’t Be Agents
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.
Sara Imari Walker is Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, where she is Deputy Director of the Beyond Center. Sara is an astrobiologist and theoretical physicist, with research interests in the origins of life, artificial life, life and detection on other worlds. In this episode, Robinson and Sara discuss the physics that makes life possible. More particularly, they discuss assembly theory, the growing field of astrobiology, the difficulties of defining life, and where we are most likely to find aliens. Sara’s latest book is Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life’s Emergence (Riverhead Books, 2024).
Life as No One Knows It: https://a.co/d/2fdKa2e
OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
00:35 The Connection Between Physics and Biology
07:15 Philosophy and the Origin of Life
10:03 Is the Selfish Gene Theory Wrong?
22:17 On Her Work with Lee Cronin
38:47 Experiments To Discover the Origin of Life
48:52 What Is Assembly Theory?
01:00:42 Are Boltzmann Brains Possible?
01:05:53 The Paradox of Defining Life
01:31:10 Is Life a Vague Concept?
01:38:13 Where Are All the Aliens?
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.
Visit our sponsor, Wealthfront!: wealthfront.com/robinson
Slavoj Žižek is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London, visiting professor at New York University, and a senior researcher at the University of Ljubljana’s Department of Philosophy. This is Slavoj’s fifth appearance on the show. On episode 109, he and Robinson discussed wokeness and psychoanalysis. On episode 118, he, Sean Carroll, and Robinson discussed quantum physics, the multiverse, and time travel. And on episode 206 he, Lee Smolin, and Robinson discussed quantum physics. In episode 212, Robinson and Slavoj talk about ancient philosophy, god, communism, quantum mechanics, and psychoanalysis. In this episode, they discuss current political events, marxism, quantum mechanics, and artificial intelligence. Slavoj’s upcoming book is Quantum History: A New Materialist Philosophy (Bloomsbury, 2025).
Quantum History: https://a.co/d/7WFcAGi
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OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
01:07 Marxism and Quantum Mechanics
07:34 Why We Aren’t Pessimistic Enough
16:29 The Wisdom of the First Philosopher
29:27 The Assassination of Charlie Kirk
38:10 On Curtis Yarvin
49:23 The Naivety of Pete Hegseth
51:06 The Contradiction in American Fascism
57:43 Could a Coup Overthrow Trump?
01:04:17 The Utter Shamelessness of Today’s Society
01:14:15 The Danger of the Disappearing Left
01:18:06 AI Is a Tool of Authoritarian Suppression
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.
Go to https://surfshark.com/robinsonerhardt and use code robinsonerhardt at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!
Tyler Cowen is the Holbert L. Harris Chair of Economics at George Mason University and serves as chairman and faculty director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. A dedicated writer and communicator of economic ideas, Tyler is the author of several bestselling books and is widely published in academic journals and the popular media. In this episode, Robinson and Tyler discuss the economics of artificial intelligence. More particularly, they touch on whether AI will destroy humanity, how it will affect employment, whether there will no longer be a place for art in the marketplace, and more. Tyler’s latest book is Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World (St. Martin’s Press, 2022).
Marginal Revolution: https://marginalrevolution.com
Tyler’s X: https://x.com/tylercowen
Talent: https://a.co/d/ftqNWcn
OUTLINE
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:09 Why Won’t AI Destroy Humanity?
00:06:39 Will AI Be Good or Bad for Employment?
00:08:20 On Optimism
00:10:10 It Isn’t Inevitable that AI Will Wipe Out Human Life
00:19:03 How to Align AI with Human Interests
00:24:40 Reid’s Interest in Friendship
00:32:13 Why AI Can’t be Our Friends
00:36:33 Could AI Replace Therapists?
00:45:18 Using AI to Cure Cancer
00:52:04 Will AI Extinguish Humanity with a Virus?
01:00:02 How Will AI Make Us More Powerful Agents?
01:07:06 Will Academia Be Revolutionized by AI?
01:15:10 Are You an AI Native?
01:17:36 How to Invest in AI
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.
Reid Hoffman is the co-founder of LinkendIn, Manas AI, and Inflection AI. As an investor at Greylock, he is one of the leading figures in the tech industry, working at the forefront of AI development. In this episode, Reid and Robinson talk all about the future of AI. They begin by covering the worst case scenario—doomsday—and why Reid is optimistic about our chances. From there, they turn to how AI could help us cure cancer, replace therapists, enable us to be more powerful agents, and make our lives better. Reid’s most recent book is Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future (2025).
Reid’s Website: https://www.reidhoffman.org
Superagency: https://a.co/d/hdSZeCY
OUTLINE
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:09 Why Won’t AI Destroy Humanity?
00:06:39 Will AI Be Good or Bad for Employment?
00:08:20 On Optimism
00:10:10 It Isn’t Inevitable that AI Will Wipe Out Human Life
00:19:03 How to Align AI with Human Interests
00:24:40 Reid’s Interest in Friendship
00:32:13 Why AI Can’t be Our Friends
00:36:33 Could AI Replace Therapists?
00:45:18 Using AI to Cure Cancer
00:52:04 Will AI Extinguish Humanity with a Virus?
01:00:02 How Will AI Make Us More Powerful Agents?
01:07:06 Will Academia Be Revolutionized by AI?
01:15:10 Are You an AI Native?
01:17:36 How to Invest in AI
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.
Support our sponsor, FarmKind, to fix factory farming: https://www.farmkind.giving
The code “ROBINSON” will increase your donation by 50% with a bump from large donors.
Kenneth Roth is the Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor at the Princeton School for Public and International Affairs. Until August 2022, he served for nearly three decades as the executive director of Human Rights Watch. In this episode, Robinson and Ken discuss his work with HRW and what he has been doing since. More particularly, they get into the details of how HRW operated, how shaming tactics can be deployed against figures like Putin, Trump, and Orban, Israel and Palestine, the relationship between genocide and ethnic cleansing, and more. For more, read Ken’s recent book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments (Knopf, 2025).
Righting Wrongs: https://a.co/d/gHkbmmw
OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
00:00:53 Why Human Rights?
00:08:23 How Does Human Rights Watch Work?
00:14:04 Can Putin or Orban Be Shamed?
00:21:14 Can Trump Be Shamed into Standing Up to Putin?
00:26:53 Libya, Gaddafi, and Forcing the Release of Political Prisoners
00:29:14 Fighting the Dreaded M23 Rebel Group in Congo
00:31:56 Why Governments Always Violate Human Rights
00:33:57 Is Torture Ever Justified?
00:38:21 Facts and Investigations
00:46:27 Verifying Starvation and Famine in Gaza
00:51:29 Can Netanyahu Be Shamed?
00:58:24 Genocide vs. Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine
01:04:16 The United States’ Biggest Human Rights Violations
01:09:24 Sudan: The World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis
Support our sponsor, FarmKind, to fix factory farming: https://www.farmkind.giving
The code “ROBINSON” will increase your donation by 50% with a bump from large donors.
Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. This is Richard’s ninth appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. In this episode, Richard and Robinson discuss the tariffs that President Donald Trump would like to place on goods imported from around the world. More particularly, they cover the real problems America is facing that Trump has to solve, the connection to Russia, China, and the BRICS, Elon Musk and electric vehicles, and more. Richard’s latest book is Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024).
Understanding Capitalism (Book): https://www.democracyatwork.info/understanding_capitalism
Richard’s Website: https://www.rdwolff.com
Economic Update: https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdate
OUTLINE
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:07 Is Trump’s Tariff Plan Nuts?
00:06:31 Is the United States Unsustainable?
00:15:33 Can Tariffs Solve America’s Debt Problems?
00:19:17 Tesla’s Electric Vehicle Tariff War on China
00:25:19 The Declining American Empire
00:32:53 Exposing the Myths About Trump’s Tariffs
00:44:55 The Empty Promises of American Politics
00:53:54 Why DC Doesn’t Have Representation in Congress
01:00:22 The Bizarre Alliance Between Israel and the United States
01:04:48 Why Russia Is Exempt from Trump’s Tariffs
01:13:48 Are Israel and the United States “Winning” Against Gaza?
01:24:25 How Wealth Now Controls the United States
01:27:52 On The Impending Economic Downturn in the United States
01:31:47 How Trump is Turning Allies into Enemies
01:37:12 America’s Terrible Healthcare
01:42:25 Who Really Rules America?
01:57:04 How Should Trump Solve America’s Real Problems?
02:04:39 What America Can Learn from Britain’s Collapse
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where is also a JD candidate in the Law School.
Carl Hart is Mamie Phipps Clark Professor of Psychology at Columbia University, where he researches the behavioral and neuropharmacological effects of psychoactive drugs in humans. In this wide-ranging conversation, Robinson and Carl discuss drugs from many different angles, touching on the neuroscience of addiction, the opioid crisis, drugs’ connections to poverty, the roles they can play in a creative life, and more. Carl’s most recent book is Drug Use for Grown-Ups (2021, Penguin).
Drug Use for Grown-Ups: https://a.co/d/efgXuJK
OUTLINE
00:00:49 Introduction
00:03:14 What Is a Drug?
00:14:58 DARE and Drug Education
00:26:07 Rodrigo Duterte and the Drug War in the Philippines
00:39:25 Studying Drugs in the Lab
00:49:07 Does Addiction Change the Brain?
00:58:12 On the Opioid Crisis
01:10:42 How Should We Solve the Opioid Crisis?
01:14:01 What Is the Connection Between Drugs and Poverty?
01:18:21 How Do Drugs Affect the Brain?
01:28:27 How Can Drugs Improve Your Creativity?
01:36:04 Should Science Inform Drug Policy?
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where is also a student in the Law School.
Tim Maudlin is Professor of Philosophy at NYU and Founder and Director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. This is Tim’s eighth appearance on the show. His second to last appeared on episode 246 for a masterclass on Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, explaining it from the ground up and elucidating some common misconceptions. In this episode Tim returns for a discussion of the philosophy of time. More particularly, Tim and Robinson discuss black holes, fundamentality, simultaneity, time’s flow, rate, and limits, connections to physics, time travel, and more. If you’re interested in the foundations of physics, then please check out the JBI, which is devoted to providing a home for research and education in this important area. Any donations are immensely helpful at this early stage in the institute’s life.
Tim’s Website: www.tim-maudlin.site
The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org
OUTLINE
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:01 “What Is” Questions
00:06:09 Everyday Misconceptions About Simultaneity
00:15:12 The Relativity of Duration
00:20:19 Is Time Fundamental?
00:28:55 Does Time Exist at Quantum Scales?
00:40:19 Is Quantum Mechanics Complete?
00:50:16 What Is Time-Reversal Invariance?
01:01:01 Parity Violations
01:11:46 What Is Metaphysics?
01:22:16 Does Time Have A Rate of Passage?
01:25:02 Does Time Flow?
01:27:04 What Does Time Really Measure?
01:29:15 Is There a Limit to How Accurately Clocks Can Measure Time?
01:33:06 Is Time Continuous or Discrete?
01:36:36 On Zeno’s Paradoxes of Motion
01:44:08 Is Time Discrete?
01:51:14 Did Time Have a Beginning?
02:02:41 Stephen Hawking on Time
02:05:39 David Albert’s Past Hypothesis
02:14:13 The Debate Between Presentism and Eternalism
02:23:16 Lee Smolin’s Black Hole Theory
02:24:46 A Shortcoming of the Standard Model
02:26:05 Arrival Time and Time of Flight
02:34:51 Arrival Time Experiments and Bell’s Inequality
02:46:07 The Black Hole Information Paradox
02:56:27 Is Time Travel Back to the Dinosaurs Possible?
02:58:34 A Rant on Aliens
03:03:35 The John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where is also a student in the Law School.
Michael Hudson is Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City and President of the Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends. He researches domestic and international finance, the history of economics, and the role of debt in shaping class stratification, among many other topics. This is Michael’s fifth appearance on the show. He was also a guest on episode 180, where he and Robinson discussed neoliberalism, industrial capitalism, and the rentier economy, and on episode 198, where they discussed Marxism, economic parasites, and contemporary debt cancellation. He has also joined with Richard Wolff. In this episode, Michael and Robinson discuss how the Crusades shaped the future of economics, the role of economics in political history, the current budget of the Republicans, problems with social security, the effects of AI on economics, and more. Michael’s most recent book is Temples of Enterprise (ISLET, 2024).
Michael’s Website: https://michael-hudson.com
Temples of Enterprise: https://a.co/d/a3c53dm
OUTLINE
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:37 Why Historians Missed How the Crusades Shapes Economics
00:10:39 What Motivated the Crusades?
00:20:09 The Problem of Financing Wars
00:29:23 How The Roman Catholic Church Invented Financial Interest
00:40:08 Importing Jewish Merchants to England
00:45:12 The Intolerance of the Catholic Church
00:48:51 The Origin of Roman Catholic Indulgences
00:58:39 Using Indulgences to Finance the Crusades
01:05:54 Neglecting the Role of Economics in Political History
01:15:43 Finance as the Central Planning Power of Governments
01:18:17 What’s Wrong with the Republicans’ Budget?
01:19:48 The Dark Problem with Social Security
01:26:40 The Conflict Between Finance and Democracy
01:37:19 How the 1 Percent Don’t Contribute to the Economy
01:38:40 How Will AI Impact the Future of Economics?
01:45:55 How Will AI Affect Unemployment Rates?
01:54:18 Will the 1 Percent Need People in an AI Future
01:58:32 How Will AI Affect the Future of Academia?
02:08:59 Papal Financial Control vs The IMF
02:19:37 How the Government Favors the Creditor over the Debtor
02:23:42 The Difference Between the Chinese and American Economies
02:32:37 Global Warming’s Devastating Effects on the Economy
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University.
In this special episode, Robinson and Karl Zheng Wang co-host at the Yale US-China Forum. Return guests from the show include Slavoj Žižek, Richard Wolff, and Yascha Mounk. Slavoj Žižek is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London, visiting professor at New York University, and a senior researcher at the University of Ljubljana’s Department of Philosophy. Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. Yascha Mounk is a Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University. He is also a Contributing Editor at the Atlantic, a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and the host of The Good Fight podcast. Yannis Varoufakis is a Greek economist and politician, and current Secretary-General of the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025. Robin Visser is Professor in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she researches modern Chinese and Sinophone literatures, urban cultural studies, and environmental studies. Pei Wang is Professor in the Chinese History and Culture Program at the University of Hong Kong, where she specializes in comparative philosophy, psychoanalysis, and more. Daniel Mattingly is Professor in the Department of Political Science at Yale University, where he studies the domestic and international politics of authoritarian regimes, with a focus on China.
OUTLINE
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:46 The Future of Europe and China
00:10:40 There Is No Such Thing as Trade Wars, They Are All Class Wars
00:15:50 How Wall Street’s Failures Fueled the Rise of Tech
00:20:02 Why Is There a New Cold War Between the US and China?
00:27:18 Why the United States Is Abandoning Democracy and Why China is Yannis Varoufakis’s Only Hope
00:29:26 Richard Wolff to Yannis Varoufakis: Are We Heading Toward Nuclear War with China?
00:35:58 How Class WARFARE Shaped the World Superpowers CLIP
00:41:01 Is China Capitalism’s Final Form?
00:52:03 Is There Any Way that China and the United Stated Could Avert Conflict?
00:59:16 Varoufakis to Wolff: Is a Tariff Hail Mary Trump’s Only Remaining Option?
01:03:39 Daniel Mattingly on China’s Sociopolitical Organization
01:08:39 How Does Xi Jinping Talk About Socialism?
01:13:47 Yascha Mounk on US-China Competition
01:22:36 Philosophy, Socialism, and Capitalism
01:48:40 Pei Wang on the Hero and Father in US-China Competition
01:54:31 Hero and Father Archetypes in Politics
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University.
Peter Zeihan is a geopolitical analyst, futurist, and best-selling author who researches and strategizes around demography, economics, energy, politics, technology, and security. In this episode, Peter and Robinson focus on revisiting content from his latest book—The End of the World is Just the Beginning—in the context of today’s developments. More particularly, they discuss, Donald Trump, tariffs, ICE Raids, deportations, how demography and geography will affect the future balance of world powers, the impact of AI on global economics, what the end of the world order could look like, Trump’s immigration policies, and more. You can keep up with Peter through his website or YouTube channel, links to which are below.
Peter’s Website: https://zeihan.com
Peter’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ZeihanonGeopolitics
The End of the World is Just the Beginning: https://a.co/d/bZJES4t
OUTLINE
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:09 Trump and the End of the American-Led World Order
00:06:49 Does AI Change the Economics of the Future?
00:14:39 The 2,000,000,000$ Failure of the F-35 Fighter Jet
00:25:00 Why the United States Needs Immigrants
00:33:03 Is There Any Strategy Behind Donald Trump?
00:41:43 Why Food Will Become Weaponized in the Near Future
00:50:39 Why China’s Economy is Doomed to Recession
00:53:55 How Do We Prepare For China’s Collapse?
01:00:37 Trump’s Tariffs and the Fall of America
01:01:54 Was Russia Doomed to Fall Even Before Ukraine?
01:05:51 The Biggest Underestimated Global Conflicts
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University.
David Kipping is a Professor of Astronomy at Columbia University, where he runs Cool Worlds Lab and researches planets and moons that revolve around stars other than our own, in addition to his own work on the search for—and theorization about—alien life. In this episode, David and Robinson have a wide-ranging conversation about extraterrestrials. They discuss alien civilizations, propulsion, megastructures, Oumuamua, quantum immortality, Dyson spheres, simulation theory, ancient aliens, and much more. David also runs the YouTube channel Cool Worlds Lab, where he has produced many videos on these topics.
Cool Worlds Lab (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsLab
David’s Website: http://davidkipping.co.uk
OUTLINE
00:01:05 Astronomy or Aliens?
00:06:12 How Scientists Get Burned by Alien Research
00:16:52 Three Big Obstacles to UFO Science
00:23:59 What is the Kardashev Scale of Alien Civilizations?
00:30:28 Cloaking Devices
00:33:46 How To Detect Alien Civilizations with Heat Signatures
00:37:21 Other Schemes for Detecting Civilizations
00:47:22 Does Alien Life Need Water to Exist?
00:51:46 Why Would Aliens Have Very Different Technology From Us?
00:55:54 When Did the First Life Form in the Universe?
01:07:23 Is the Universe Filled with Ancient Alien Civilizations?
01:16:45 What Is the Great Filter Hypothesis For Alien Life?
01:19:31 Artificial Intelligence, Aliens, and the End of Humanity
01:25:05 How Rare Is the Creation of Life From Nothing?
01:31:53 Communicating with Extraterrestrials
01:37:28 What Are Alien Megastructures?
01:47:07 Can We Engineer the Sun to Live Longer?
01:51:08 Clark Belt Detection
01:54:35 Should We Look for Alien Life on Exomoons?
02:01:33 Could We Find Alien Life on Planets in the Interstellar Medium?
02:04:34 Future Telescopes
02:13:35 What Is a Warp Drive and Why Can’t We Build One?
02:21:47 On Time Travel and the Best Time Machines
02:26:40 What Are the Best Interstellar Propulsion Technologies?
02:34:07 Was Oumuamua an Alien Spacecraft?
02:43:09 Are the TicTac UFOs Alien Spacecraft?
02:56:58 Do We Live in a Simulation?
03:00:17 What Is Quantum Immortality?
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University.
Eliezer Yudkowsky is a decision theorist, computer scientist, and author who co-founded and leads research at the Machine Intelligence Research Institute. He is best known for his work on the alignment problem—how and whether we can ensure that AI is aligned with human values to avoid catastrophe and harness its power. In this episode, Robinson and Eliezer run the gamut on questions related to AI and the danger it poses to human civilization as we know it. More particularly, they discuss the alignment problem, gradient descent, consciousness, the singularity, cyborgs, ChatGPT, OpenAI, Anthropic, Claude, how long we have until doomsday, whether it can be averted, and the various reasons why and ways in which AI might wipe out human life on earth.
The Machine Intelligence Research Institute: https://intelligence.org/about/
Eliezer’s X Account: https://x.com/ESYudkowsky?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
OUTLINE
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:43 The Default Condition for AI’s Takeover
00:06:36 Could a Future AI Country Be Our Trade Partner?
00:11:18 What Is Artificial Intelligence?
00:21:23 Why AIs Having Goals Could Mean the End of Humanity
00:29:34 What Is the Alignment Problem?
00:34:11 How To Avoid AI Apocalypse
00:40:25 Would Cyborgs Eliminate Humanity?
00:47:55 AI and the Problem of Gradient Descent
00:55:24 How Do We Solve the Alignment Problem?
01:00:50 How Anthropic’s AI Freed Itself from Human Control
01:08:56 The Pseudo-Alignment Problem
01:19:28 Why Are People Wrong About AI Not Taking Over the World?
01:23:23 How Certain Is It that AI Will Wipe Out Humanity?
01:38:35 Is Eliezer Yudkowski Wrong About The AI Apocalypse
01:42:04 Do AI Corporations Control the Fate of Humanity?
01:43:49 How To Convince the President Not to Let AI Kill Us All
01:52:01 How Will ChatGPT’s Descendants Wipe Out Humanity?
02:24:11 Could AI Destroy us with New Science?
02:39:37 Could AI Destroy us with Advanced Biology?
02:47:29 How Will AI Actually Destroy Humanity?
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University.
Norman Finkelstein received his PhD from the Princeton University Politics Department, and is best known for his research on Israel and Palestine. Norman also appeared on episodes 192, 218, 228, and 244, where he addressed the facts and fictions generated by the Israel-Hamas War, October 6th, allegations of genocide and apartheid, Hezbollah, the Holocaust, and more. In this episode, Robinson and Norman discuss Trump, the current state of Gaza, the fate of Palestine, wokeness, Bernies Sanders, Chuck Schumer, antisemitism, free speech, and other topics. Norman’s most recent book is I’ll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It! Heretical Thoughts on Identity Politics, Cancel Culture, and Academic Freedom (Sublation Media, 2023).
Norman’s Website: https://www.normanfinkelstein.com
OUTLINE
00:01:11 Norman’s Predictions for the War
00:10:12 Trump and the End of the Ceasefire
00:14:29 Why Didn’t The Democrats Strike a Ceasefire in Israel?
00:25:50 A Jeremy Corbin Witch Hunt?
00:29:52 On Wokeness and DEI
00:54:01 Bernie Sanders and the Working Class
00:57:16 Bernie Sanders, Chuck Schumer, and Anti-Semitism
01:04:17 Is Trump a Slave to Money, Power, and Putin?
01:11:02 Is Chuck Schumer’s Definition of Anti-Semitism Terrible?
01:19:52 Free Speech and Academia
01:24:34 How Norman Feels About Being Academically Canceled
01:27:45 On Noam Chomsky’s Deceptiveness
01:29:42 More on the Cancelation
01:34:13 How Should We Define Anti-Semitism?
01:43:45 What Should We Do With Holocaust Deniers?
01:47:14 On W.E.B Du Bois
01:58:31 On Race and IQ
02:01:35 Suppression of Free Speech
02:09:02 How to Prevent Another Holocaust
02:18:18 Chuck Schumer is Wrong About Media Echo Chambers
02:22:01 How to Fight Violent Hate
02:35:58 On Chuck Schumer’s Backstory and the Holocaust
02:40:05 Cleaning the Augean Stables of Gaza Scholarship
02:46:21 What Changed on October 7th
02:48:59 Gaza Is Already Rubble: What’s Next?
Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize–winning author and journalist who was a foreign correspondent for fifteen years for The New York Times. He has covered numerous wars across the decades, written many books—including America: The Farewell Tour and American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America—and has been involved in work for prisoner advocacy. In this episode, Robinson and Chris discuss Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the rise of American fascism. More particularly, they address comparisons between Trump and Hitler, DOGE, the new crisis for the Democratic Party, Israel and Palestine, the Christian far right, Marxism, and more. Chris’s latest book is A Genocide Foretold (Penguin Random House, 2025).
Chris’s YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@chrishedgeschannel?si=XIMAFyQFmWGoYyuO
The Chris Hedges Report Substack: https://chrishedges.substack.com
A Genocide Foretold: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/786808/a-genocide-foretold-by-chris-hedges/
OUTLINE
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:59 PTSD and Weightlifting
00:06:49 The Decline of the American Empire
00:11:10 The Strongest Dimension of Trump’s Presidency
00:17:20 Was Hitler a Better Speaker than Trump?
00:19:54 How the Democratic Party Sold Out the Working Class
00:22:21 Elon Musk and the Oligarchic Takeover of America
00:28:26 Is Elon Musk Wrong About the Efficiency of Government?
00:31:02 What Is the Deep State?
00:42:46 Is Donald Trump at War with the Deep State?
00:49:23 Infiltrating the Far Right Christian Community
00:54:04 Becoming a Minister
00:57:27 The Christian Right and the Fascist State
01:06:26 The Problem of Evil
01:10:31 On Sadism and the Decline of Empires
01:17:35 Why the Christian Right Supports Israel
01:20:20 How Does Trump Think of Israel?
01:27:38 On How the CIA Attempted to Recruit Him
01:31:06 Is Israel Still Committing Genocide in Gaza?
01:40:25 Chris’s New Book
01:46:24 On His Time with Hamas
01:55:01 Journalism vs Academia
01:58:28 Is Zionism Anti-Semitism?
02:04:52 How to Read the Bible
02:12:01 Where Does Integrity Come From?
02:22:26 Dehumanization in Palestine
02:26:15 On Marxism and Elon Musk
02:31:16 The Farewell Tour
02:35:34 On Trump’s Love of TV
02:37:50 On Reporting the Middle East
02:39:56 Russia and Ukraine
02:42:59 Growing Wealth Disparities in the United States
02:46:56 Fascist Attacks on Education
02:51:39 The Dark Future of the Press
02:57:30 Could the American Empire Be Revived?
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University.
Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. This is Richard’s eighth appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. In his last appearance, episode #243, he and Robinson discussed 2025 and the first weeks of Trump’s presidency, as well as what’s to come. More particularly, they discuss the irrelevance of Donald Trump, his domestic and global policies, China, narratives on the right and left, and the future of the United States. In this episode, they continue the discussion by diving deeper into recent events, Doge, Elon Musk, the relationship between Trump and Hitler, and important historical Marxists. Richard’s latest book is Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024).
Understanding Capitalism (Book): https://www.democracyatwork.info/understanding_capitalism
Richard’s Website: https://www.rdwolff.com
Economic Update: https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdate
OUTLINE
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:27 What Do Trump and Hitler Have in Common?
00:09:42 Is This the Democratic Party’s Worst Crisis?
00:14:58 Is Trump’s Economic Policy a Hail Mary?
00:26:29 The Mexican Deportation Crisis
00:30:19 Global Retaliation Against American Tariffs
00:33:29 America’s Big Mistake with Russian Sanctions
00:40:50 Trump’s Big TikTok Mistake
00:47:05 How Adolf Hitler Came to Power in Germany
01:08:40 Does Elon Musk Symbolize the End of America?
01:16:07 How Bosses Lie When They Fire You
01:23:08 On Elon Musk’s Chainsaw Public Relations Disaster
01:28:52 On the Drowning American Empire
01:34:36 On Elon Musk and the Self-Destruction of Tesla
01:39:27 Feudalism, Communism, and the Death of Capitalism
01:46:22 Does China Represent a New Breed of Capitalism?
01:55:16 What Can the United States Do to Beat China?
02:03:46 What Makes Mao an Important Marxist?
02:17:56 Richard Wolff’s Mediocre Ivy League Education
02:23:59 How Mao Made the China of Today
02:40:39 The Myth of European Global Dominance
02:52:08 On Antonio Gramsci and Mussolini
02:57:03 Why Is Gramsci One of the Great Marxists?
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University.
Dr. Nolan is the Rachford and Carlota A. Harris Professor in the Department of Pathology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He has published over 350 research articles and is the holder of 50 US patents, and has been honored as one of the top 25 inventors at Stanford University. He specializes in groundbreaking cancer and immunotherapy research. Yet Garry is also a world-renowned UAP investigator and Executive Director of the Board at the Sol Foundation, one of whose unofficial mottos is: Science, Policy, and Public Education for a Post-UAP World. In this episode, Robinson and Garry discuss the evidence that aliens exist and have already visited Earth. More particularly, they discuss various hypotheses about what aliens are—interdimensional travelers, visitors from other planets, Boltzmann Brains, and others—the Atacama Mummy, Garry’s own UFO encounter, the relationship between aliens and national security, the Pentagon Videos, the Fermi Paradox, and more. Keep up with Garry through X and the Sol Foundation.
Garry’s X Account: https://x.com/GarryPNolan
The Sol Foundation: https://thesolfoundation.org
OUTLINE
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:23 Garry’s Interest in Aliens
00:05:03 How Garry’s Medical Research Turned into Alien Investigations
00:14:44 The Alien Controversy Around the Atacama Mummy
00:24:08 What Is the Definitive Proof for Aliens?
00:29:34 What Are UAPs
00:32:46 What Are Interdimensional Aliens??
00:36:03 What Are Ultraterrestrial Aliens?
00:40:01 The Time-Traveling Alien Hypothesis
00:41:13 The Angry-Monkey Alien Hypothesis
00:43:35 The Panspermia Alien Hypothesis
00:48:20 Could Intelligent Aliens Have Come to Earth?
00:54:50 Garry’s Background in Genetics
00:57:13 Does Extraterrestrial Life Need Air and Water to Live?
01:07:16 What Is the Fermi Paradox?
01:15:56 UFOs and Government
01:22:23 Garry’s UAP Experience
01:35:27 On Telepathy and Paranormal Abilities
01:39:31 On the Credibility of Alien Witnesses
01:41:34 Does the Government Suppress UFO Reports?
01:49:11 Why Are Aerospace Companies Hiding UFO Data?
01:51:53 Does the Government Possess Alien Metals?
01:58:29 Is Knowledge of Aliens a National Security Threat?
02:02:15 On Alien Abductions and Animal Mutilations
02:06:28 The Violent Changes to Brains Exposed to UFOs
02:17:56 Garry’s Top Secret Clearance
02:19:15 The Truth About the Tic-Tac UFO Incident
02:37:25 What Is the Skywatcher UAP Contact Program?
02:46:01 The Sol Foundation
02:58:24 Why Alien Research Can Prevent Nuclear War
03:02:03 What Are Transmedium Alien UAPs?
03:04:50 Are UAPs Biological Threats?
03:06:31 On Avi Loeb’s Pioneering UAP Research
03:12:49 Is Jacques Vallee One of the Most Important Alien Researchers?
03:18:17 What Should You Tell Someone Who Doesn’t Believe in Aliens?
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University.