The Existential Hope Podcast features in-depth conversations with people working on positive, high-tech futures. We explore how the future could be much better than today—if we steer it wisely.
Hosts Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers from the Foresight Institute invite the scientists, founders, and philosophers shaping tomorrow’s breakthroughs— AI, nanotech, longevity biotech, neurotech, space, smarter governance, and more.
About Foresight Institute: For 40 years the independent nonprofit Foresight Institute has mapped how emerging technologies can serve humanity. Its Existential Hope program is the North Star: mapping the futures worth aiming for and the breakthroughs needed to reach them. This podcast is that exploration in public. Follow along and help tip the century toward success.
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Existential Hope Podcast features in-depth conversations with people working on positive, high-tech futures. We explore how the future could be much better than today—if we steer it wisely.
Hosts Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers from the Foresight Institute invite the scientists, founders, and philosophers shaping tomorrow’s breakthroughs— AI, nanotech, longevity biotech, neurotech, space, smarter governance, and more.
About Foresight Institute: For 40 years the independent nonprofit Foresight Institute has mapped how emerging technologies can serve humanity. Its Existential Hope program is the North Star: mapping the futures worth aiming for and the breakthroughs needed to reach them. This podcast is that exploration in public. Follow along and help tip the century toward success.
Explore more:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Is code just a technical skill for engineers, or is it a deeply humanistic art form capable of expanding our minds? In this episode, host Beatrice Erkers is joined by scientist, author, and Coder-in-Residence at Lux Capital, Sam Arbsman, to explore the profound ideas in his new book, The Magic of Code.
Sam reframes our relationship with computing, arguing that code is one of history's most powerful "tools for thought," standing alongside the alphabet and paper in its ability to augment human intellect. He delves into the fascinating history of this idea, from Don Swanson's concept of "undiscovered public knowledge" in scientific literature to the modern potential of AI to connect disparate ideas and accelerate discovery.
The conversation also explores the democratization of creation through "vibe coding," the power of thinking of an app as a "home-cooked meal," and the critical importance of humility as our technological systems become too complex for any single person to fully understand—a theme from his previous book, Overcomplicated. Sam connects these ideas to the ever-changing nature of knowledge itself, drawing from his first book, The Half-Life of Facts.
On the Existential Hope Podcast hosts Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers from the Foresight Institute invite scientists, founders, and philosophers for in-depth conversations on positive, high-tech futures.
Full transcript, listed resources, and more: https://www.existentialhope.com/podcasts
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