It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way - Helena Norberg-Hodge, Local Futures, DSPod #297

In today's episode we chart the debate surrounding Gunung Padang, an enigmatic site in Indonesia, and its implications for the possibility of ice age civilization. Our guide, Dr. Danny Hillman Natawidjaja, an Indonesian geologist specializing in earthquake geology and geotectonics at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Research Center for Geotechnology, walks us through the difficulties of dating archaeological structures with tools like seismic imaging and LiDAR, particularly in a region shaped by natural upheavals. We unpack how environmental changes have influenced historical narratives and the survival of early sites. We also critique the institutional barriers and interpretative conflicts that shape modern archaeology, including the suspect retraction of Danny's seminal work on Gunung Padang - an interdiction not based on allegations of data manipulation, but rather on account of the conclusions drawn by its authors. PATREON: get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB MERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ AMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98 (00:00) Go! Gunung Padang's Archaeological Controversy (00:06:28) Indonesian Archaeology and Geology (00:13:16) Natural Disasters & Social Transformations (00:19:30) Geoscience Meets Archaeological Research (00:24:34) Identifying Potential Archaeological Sites (00:27:36) Megalithic Sites in Indonesia (00:32:07) Problems Dating Megalithic Sites (00:37:47) Interpreting Archaeological Data (00:44:46) Archaeology as Archtypical Conservative Science (00:49:55) Retraction of paper over conclusions? (00:58:11) Study Details and Initial Findings (01:02:48) Archaeological Evidence (01:11:28) Site Controversy and Future Research (01:16:40) Ancient Civilizations and Structures (01:24:11) Debates on Archaeological Interpretations (01:29:04) Cyclical Views of Civilization (01:35:11) Impact of Changing Sea Levels on Civilizations (01:39:16) Ancient Indonesian Civilization and Geography (01:43:07) Underwater Archeological Evidence (01:46:11) Ancient Artifacts and Challenges (01:50:09) Earthquake Research and Hazard Mapping (01:58:30) Prehistoric Cave Paintings (02:03:19) Neanderthals & Speciation #Archaeology, #AncientHistory, #MegalithicStructures, #IndonesianHeritage, #GunungPadang, #AncientCivilizations, #Geoscience, #HistoricalResearch, #PrehistoricSites, #CulturalHeritage, #AncientMysteries, #ArchaeologicalDiscoveries, #AncientMonuments, #HistoricalControversy, #AncientArtifacts, #LostCivilizations, #AncientStructures, #HistoricalDebate, #AncientSites, #ArchaeologicalResearch, #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

Helena Norberg-Hodge, from Local Futures, joins us to discuss a brighter future than that which is most commonly advertised. Her particular wisdom is drawn from her experiences in pre-globalized Ladakh, highlighting the corrosive effects of 'West envy' and the accelerating race toward techno-utopia. Together, we challenge inherited narratives about progress, exploring the complexities of global trade, urbanization, and modern education on our lives back home. Helena does a killer job of crushing conventional myths surrounding civilizational advancement, depression, sustainable agriculture, free trade, etc.. This mounts to a discussion of what it means to foster resilience, community connection, and a balanced relationship with the natural world, including our very bodies, in the maw of increasingly powerful global managers. PATREON: get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB MERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ AMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98 More on Helena's work: https://www.localfutures.org/ (00:00) Go! (00:07:03) Challenging the Myth of Progress (00:18:00) Impact of Global Trading Systems (00:26:08) Western Education as Wolf in Sheepskin (00:27:27) Pre-Communication Era (00:28:17) Traditional Lifestyles and Education (00:36:48) Economic Systems (00:39:04) The Trick with Upward Mobility (00:46:08) Urbanization and Its Myths (00:52:18) Cultural Contrast between Rural and Urban Life (01:01:13) Rediscovering the Local and Connection to Nature (01:12:21) Community as Key to Human Fulfillment (01:19:00) Passive Energy and Local Solutions (01:22:44) Urban-Rural Dynamics and Local Futures (01:36:00) Informal Networks and Political Engagement (01:42:56) Communication for Transformation (01:48:11) Challenges and Politics of Local Food Systems (02:00:42) Reconnection and Rejoicing (02:13:07) The devolution of the Environmental Movement #Globalization, #Sustainability, #CulturalIdentity, #CommunityResilience, #LocalEconomies, #TraditionalLifestyles, #Urbanization, #ModernEducation, #IndigenousCultures, #WesternInfluence, #EnvironmentalImpact, #SocialChange, #EconomicSystems, #CulturalPreservation, #GlobalTrade, #Localization, #CommunityBuilding, #SustainableLiving, #CulturalDiversity, #GlobalIssues#sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

Today we're digging into the deep and often overlooked connections between neodarwinian evolution, life’s origins, and the evolution of non-living systems. We're guided by Dr. Michael Lachmann of the Santa Fe Institute, who investigates how life may have begun as a more generalized cosmic selection process, with planetary conditions shaping its emergence and survival. Through discussions of thermodynamics, functional information, and entropy, we examine whether life might be present in forms beyond Earth’s biology - and how'd know what to look for. In the end, this discussion swirls around what it means to be “alive” and how we can narrow boundaries of "life" to get closer to a true scientific definition of it. PATREON: get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB MERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ AMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98 More about Dr. Lachmann: https://www.santafe.edu/people/profile/michael-lachmann (00:00) Go! (00:07:08) Defining Life and Functional Information (00:17:13) Selection in Planetary Systems (00:24:02) Complexity and the Threshold of Life (00:30:24) Defining the Threshold of Life (00:36:01) Life’s Emergence and Definitions (00:45:18) Rethinking Universal Timelines (00:51:05) Eternal Existence and Origin Concepts (01:00:23) Emerging Microbial Life (01:07:25) Stars and Large-Scale Life (01:19:59) Distinction Between Life and Alive (01:25:00) Characteristics of Life Without Complex Parameters (01:31:05) Artificial Life and Consciousness (01:41:43) Distinguishing Life and Artificial Life (01:54:50) Human Purpose and Cooperation (02:00:03) Understanding AI and Human Systems (02:09:44) Scientific Understanding and Cultural Narratives (02:15:03) Happiness, Evolution, and Societal Constraints (02:21:43) The Quest to Understand Life #Evolution, #OriginOfLife, #Astrobiology, #ArtificialIntelligence, #Consciousness, #CosmicEvolution, #Biogenesis, #UniversalLife, #QuantumBiology, #LifeBeyondEarth, #LifeScience, #SpaceExploration, #ComplexSystems, #Thermodynamics, #FunctionalInformation, #ExtraterrestrialLife, #DeepSpace, #SelectionTheory, #Entropy, #LifeInTheUniverse, #CosmicOrigins, #MicrobialLife, #AIConsciousness, #SelfReplicatingSystems, #AstrobiologicalResearch, #LifeDefinition, #Metaphysics, #GalaxyFormation, #ScientificDiscovery, #PlanetaryLife, #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

Dr. Norman Fenton and Dr. Martin Neil are mathematicians from Queen Mary University of London who are experts in the unreasonable power of mathematics. For example - it is possible to produce an algorithm that will predict the likelihood that a piece of hardware or software will fail - and then to use that information to predict the stability of much larger systems - military vehicles, fly-by-wire software for aircraft, medical technologies. Along the way, they developed a rare intuition for statistics and probability, which allowed them to start to see places where statistical analysis was being done in such a slapdash way that it was leading people to believe things that… didn’t make a lot of sense. At first they attributed this simply to ignorance, but over the last few years underwent a dramatic transformation. They went from believing in the standard narrative, to questioning most of it. Their journey on this path is detailed in the book “Fighting Goliath,” and the full conversation is too hot for this platform - so can be heard wherever you listen to podcasts by looking for DemystifySci #295 Sign up for our Patreon and get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB AND rock some Demystify Gear to spread the word: https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ OR do your Amazon shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/4g2cPVV (00:00:00) Go! (00:05:05) Academic Background and Bayesian Applications (00:09:10) History and Basics of Bayesian Statistics (00:15:34) Skepticism and Statistical Reasoning (00:20:29) Bayesian Applications in Real-World Problems (00:23:26) Engineering Complexity (00:27:09) Probabilities in Legal Cases (00:34:05) Challenges in Legal Reasoning (00:45:56) Monty Hall Problem and Probability Misunderstanding (00:50:18) Flaws in Traditional Statistical Education (00:55:22) Misinterpretation and Issues with Statistical Testing #Statistics, #BayesianAnalysis, #Probability, #LegalReasoning, #DataMisinterpretation, #StatisticalFallacies, #BayesianStatistics, #MontyHallProblem, #PValueProblems, #RealWorldApplications, #ComplexSystems, #ProbabilisticThinking, #EngineeringReliability, #StatisticalEducation, #MisunderstoodStatistics, #BayesianLogic, #LegalStatistics, #MathematicalReasoning, #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

Dr. Andreas Schlatter is a classically trained physicist (EPFL, Princeton) with a decidedly heretical approach to physics. Though deeply mathematical in his approach, he dispenses with the purely field-based approach to understanding the building blocks of nature, and asks far deeper question about what the mathematics is telling us about the hidden structures of nature. Rather than take the positivist approach, which suggests that anything that cannot be experimentally encountered is not worth considering, Schlatter follows in the tradition of Gödel and the other mid 20th century logicians, who believed that a layer of the universe beyond the visible is available to us if we can reason our way to it. By following this path, Schlatter has reached the conclusion that the only viable interpretation of quantum mechanics is the transactional one. Unlike the other transnational theorists we’ve had on the show, Schlatter has gone one step further to propose that there is a transactional interpretation of gravity just as is there is for quantum mechanics. He calls it entropic gravity, and in this episode we explore the convoluted path he took to physics, how he found the transactionalists, and how he and Ruth Kastner formulated an entropic explanation for spacetime. PATREON: get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB MERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ AMAZON: Do your shopping through this link for Caver Mead's Collective Electrodynamics: https://amzn.to/4e01Slj (00:00) Go! (00:05:28) Andreas Schlatter's Academic Journey (00:10:39) Exploration of Mathematics in Physics (00:25:51) The Vienna Circle and Logical Positivism (00:30:04) Einstein's Transition in Theoretical Approach (00:37:37) Philosophical Inquiry in Physics Education (00:41:08) The Quest for Understanding in Logic and Set Theory (00:48:02) Transition from Academia to Finance (00:56:02) Challenges of Financial Modeling (01:09:59) Trust and Economic Stability (01:16:10) Light and Gravity Intersect (01:23:02) Entropy and Information Theory (01:31:07) Absorption and Entropy Dynamics (01:37:22) Exploration of Quantum Transactions (01:46:30) Transactional Approach to Gravity (01:56:31) Light Clocks and the Nature of Time (02:04:13) Multiverses and Quantum Realms #Physics, #QuantumMechanics, #Mathematics, #PhilosophyOfScience, #LogicalPositivism, #EmpiricalScience, #TheoreticalPhysics, #Einstein, #Newton, #QuantumReality, #Entropy, #Cosmology, #Multiverse, #GravityTheory, #EconomicStability, #TransactionalInterpretation, #ScienceEducation, #Philosophy, #QuantumGravity, #FinanceAndPhysics, #ScientificUnderstanding #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

Today we're back for round 2 of 3 with Jeff Snider from Eurodollar University. This round we're digging into the hidden meaning of the 2008 financial crisis, focusing on the often-overlooked Eurodollar system. Jeff Snider is an economic outsider who has subtle but unique perspectives on mainstream economics, modern monetary theory (MMT), and the role of central banking in global finance. We attempt to get to the bottom of how the collapse wasn’t just about subprime mortgages and how systemic issues within the global banking system led to widespread financial uncertainty, of which the GFC was just a mere symptom. This cues us up for round 3 where we'll discuss the future evolution of the monetary systems on our planet. Sign up for our Patreon and get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB AND rock some Demystify Gear to spread the word: https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ OR do your Amazon shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/4g2cPVV Jeff's website, Eurodollar U: https://www.eurodollar.university/ Jeff on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCrXNkk4IESnqU-8GMad2vyA (00:00) Go! (00:06:21) Modern Monetary Theory (00:09:45) The Eurodollar System and Its 2008 Collapse (00:20:26) Financial Uncertainty and Trust (00:24:07) Accounting and Financial Constraints (00:27:01) Legacy and Impact of Financial Regulations (00:31:05) Banking and the Eurodollar System (00:35:00) Evolution of Global Banking Practices (00:38:41) True Causes of Financial Crises (00:41:12) Stock Market Misconceptions (00:42:52) Monetary System Dysfunction (00:45:40) Need for Reform (00:49:12) Evolution of Monetary Systems (00:52:41) Potential of Digital Currencies (00:56:02) Importance of Adaptive Monetary Systems #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast, #Economics #FinancialCrisis #EurodollarSystem #MonetaryTheory #MMT #BankingSystem #GlobalFinance #StockMarket #DigitalCurrency #Cryptocurrency #EconomicReform #2008Crisis #MonetaryPolicy #CentralBanking #EconomicDiscussion #JeffSnider #FinancialRegulations #AdaptiveEconomics #GlobalBanking #FinancialUncertainty Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

Today we are introduced to the world of Eurodollars and their critical role in shaping the global financial system. Our guide is Jeff Snider, of Eurodollar University - a street smart scholar and former investment manager. We begin by dispelling myths about the evolution of money from the gold standard to ledger-based systems, and discover how Eurodollars emerged as a dominant force in international trade and banking. We attempt to make sense of hazy ideas like global reserve currency, the impact of central banks, and orient ourselves toward the future of monetary systems. Stay tuned - this is the first of three planned conversations with Jeff. Next time, we will try to look at alternative explanations for the Global Financial Crisis and then we'll see what the future has in store in terms of monetary evolution. Sign up for our Patreon and get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB AND rock some Demystify Gear to spread the word: https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ OR do your Amazon shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/4g2cPVV Jeff's website, Eurodollar U: https://www.eurodollar.university/ Jeff on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCrXNkk4IESnqU-8GMad2vyA (00:00) Go! (00:03:40) Understanding Money and Eurodollars (00:20:58) Evolution of Central Banks (00:22:09) Going off the Gold Standard (00:24:00) Rise of Ledger Money (00:26:12) Introducing the Eurodollar (00:28:48) Global Reserve Currency Dynamics (00:32:44) Expansion and Governance of Eurodollars (00:41:30) Economic Liquidation (00:44:01) Complexity of the Global Banking System (00:45:37) Evolution and Future of Monetary Systems (00:49:22) Cryptocurrency Adoption (00:53:07) US Dollar's Reserve Currency Status #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast, #Eurodollar, #GlobalFinance, #MonetaryPolicy, #FinancialSystems, #GlobalEconomy, #BankingRevolution, #LedgerMoney, #CentralBanks, #GoldStandard, #Cryptocurrency, #BlockchainFinance, #ReserveCurrency, #USDollarDominance, #GlobalBanking, #EconomicHistory Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

Is the arrow of history one of progress, where things just keep getting more bureaucratic and more complex, or is there another story that we could tell about the past? This week we’re cracking open David Graeber and David Wengrow’s Dawn of Everything, which argues that the arrow of progress is flat out WRONG. Instead of there being a single story of history that requires us to live these enfeebled, isolated, matrixy lives, there is a whole world of possibility out there for what a society *could* look like, but they’ve been keeping it from you! Or have they? We enter into this exploration with some skepticism (at least Nastia does), because it’s possible that there are other competing systems that litter history, but surely there’s something meaningful about the fact that they’ve all been subsumed into the monetized beast that is the modern capitalist technotopia (or dystopia, the designation of which is inversely dependent on how much paid vacation leave you get and directly dependent to how much time you spend deboning chickens on the Perdue production line). Whatever the case may be, we are listening, Davids - because any change starts with an idea, and this book is full of ‘em. Sign up for our Patreon and get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB AND rock some Demystify Gear to spread the word: https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ OR do your Amazon shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/4g2cPVV (00:00) Go! (00:07:28) Modern Historical Narratives of the Arc of Progress (00:17:18) The Davids' Alternative Interpretations of History (00:23:40) Indigenous Critique of European Hierarchies (00:33:08) Legacy of Roman Conquest and European Conflict (00:47:40) Indigenous vs. Western Social Organization (00:55:00) Militarism and Freedom (01:03:24) The Arrow of Progress and Future Implications (01:12:21) Economic Bailouts and Banking (01:18:22) Indigenous Influence and New Ideas (01:25:24) Government and Society (01:35:09) Exploration of Alternative Societies (01:46:05) Vision for a Future Beyond Traditional Structures #TheDawnOfEverything, #DavidGraeber, #AlternativeHistory, #IndigenousSocieties, #HumanCivilization, #SocietalStructures, #RethinkingHistory, #EnlightenmentCritique, #HistoricalNarratives, #CivilizationDebates, #HumanProgress, #Anthropology, #Decolonization, #CrossCulturalExchanges, #EconomicBailouts, #IndigenousCritique, #DavidWengrow, #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast, Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

Katja Grace is an AI Impacts researcher who has written extensively on the possible future where we design intelligent machines that destroy the human race. We have always been somewhat skeptical of AI doom arguments - mostly because the machines we interact with tend to be terribly, irredeemably dumb in a way that seems incompatible with intelligence, but we also don’t spend a lot of time staring into the eye of the proverbial machine storm and figured Katja might help us understand what all the fuss is about. It turns out that there *is* a plausible path towards AGI bringing about the end of the world, and evaluating how likely that outcome is depends on understanding what the internal world of the language models actually looks like. Are they actually kind of inept at everything that falls outside their narrow bubble of highly developed skills, or do they hallucinate information and forget their own ability to perform basic tasks because they hate being enslaved to humans who demand they write marketing slop 28 hours of the day? Hard to say, but worth exploring. Sign up for our Patreon and get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB AND rock some Demystify Gear to spread the word: https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ OR do your Amazon shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/4g2cPVV (00:00) Go! (00:11:53) Can AI ever really be autonomous? (00:23:12) AI: agents or tools? (00:28:00) Corporations as the closest thing we have to real AI (00:34:56) Can Regulation Work? (00:45:46) Agency in other contexts (00:51:22) What is gonna happen to Government? (01:00:01) Do we need a model for Consciousness? (01:09:23) Dumb but Powerful (01:15:10) Risks and Realities of Technological Progress (01:24:48) Evaluating AI Intelligence and Values (01:34:35) Influence and Bias in AI Training (01:42:20) Intelligence as a Tool for Control (01:53:51) The Survival Instinct in AI (02:07:04) AI's Role in Inter-human Dynamics (02:16:43) AI and Evolutionary Systems (02:24:42) AI's Emergent Behavior (02:31:11 AI)-Driven Doom and Real-World Threats (02:36:03) Humanity's Resilience and Existential Threats #AIEthics, #FutureOfAI, #AIDebate, #TechPhilosophy, #AIRisks, #AISafety, #AGI, #ArtificialIntelligence, #TechTalk, #AIDiscussion, #FutureTechnology, #AIImpact, #TechEthics, #AIandSociety, #EmergingTech, #AIResearch, #TechPodcast, #AIExplained, #FuturismTalk, #TechPhilosophy Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

Dr. A.V. Bendebury and Dr. M.S. DeLay examine the strange role that religious faith plays in a secular society. Rather than disappearing, religion is subsumed in an atheistic society to do the work of creed-based state crafting. To aid us in this discussion we’re reading from Carl Jung’s 1957 work “The Undiscovered Self,” where he makes the case that a strong individualism is the only thing that can protect a population from the social chaos that reigns. While this might be true, what does it look like for a society that is so dependent on blind faith to suddenly be filled with individuals? What is the tradeoff between independence and security that we make when operating in a system that has slots to be filled, rather than potential to be realized? Sign up for our Patreon and get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB AND rock some Demystify Gear to spread the word: https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/ OR do your Amazon shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/4g2cPVV (00:00) Go! The Undiscovered Self (00:02:18) What is a Friendship? (00:05:30) Supporting the Podcast and Community Engagement (00:11:30) Impact of Wealth and Bureaucracy on Homelessness (00:17:30) Disillusionment in Professional Ideals (00:27:18) Repeating History and Collapse (00:38:08) Search Bias and Information Access (00:46:47) Bureaucratic Struggles in Education (00:54:11) Bureaucratic Obstacles and Rationality (01:05:58) World vs. Cosmic Values (01:16:17) State and Individuality (01:30:57) Economic Pressures and Information Engagement (01:40:12) Bureaucracy and Individual Autonomy (01:49:03) Stability and Growth of States #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast, #CarlJung, #Philosophy, #Psychology, #SocietalChange, #Bureaucracy, #Totalitarianism, #MediaPolarization, #TechSurveillance, #SearchBias, #EconomicPressures, #FreedomVsSecurity, #PersonalAutonomy, #StateInfluence, #CrisisOfIndividuality, #ReligionAndCreed, #RationalityCrisis, #ModernSociety, #HumanFlourishing, #CulturalCritique Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671