Here are the timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast. 0:00 - Introduction & sponsor mentions: - ExpressVPN: expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free - Grammarly: grammarly.com/lex to get 20% off premium - SimpliSafe: simplisafe.com/lex and use code LEX to get a free security camera - Magic Spoon: magicspoon.com/lex and use code LEX to get $5 off 1:38 - Philosophy becomes dangerous in difficult times 7:01 - The power of radical ideas 11:52 - Changing your mind 16:06 - Fear 17:45 - Labels 22:48 - Thomas Aquinas 27:18 - Nietzsche 31:49 - Nature of truth 34:09 - Jordan Peterson 39:41 - Mediums of communication 48:10 - Free will 52:34 - Simulation 56:51 - Transcending the limits of human life 59:56 - Elon Musk 1:04:17 - Aliens 1:07:48 - Is math invented or discovered? 1:10:22 - Theory of everything 1:12:17 - Eric Weinstein as a dad 1:28:04 - Music 1:35:19 - Advice for young people 1:37:18 - Mortality 1:41:05 - Meaning of life
Lex, I'm deeply grateful to you for doing this podcast. I'm 17 now and have been listening for about a year. It is one of the things I use in my journey to become a deep thinker and discover all the interesting things in this world so that I could study them further and see clearly where my help is needed. Your podcast also helped me uncover a passion for physics that was covered with unpleasant experiences of it left by the flawed school system we have in Ukraine. I wish you all the best and ask to keep going. Your work made a difference for me and, I believe, for many others as well
I love how unpredictable this podcast is. I'm never sure who Lex is going to have next, but inevitably the conversation is always eye opening and interesting.
I don't care. Lex seems to care but I think it's a facade whether he'll admit it or not. I just dig the questions. Great questions digging into the core for everyone to try to parse. He could be better but has tact enough to know when enough is enough.
yeah. Could be Lex's mother or may be Jack Bezos, or Alex J etc... Lex always get us by surprise. Whoever it may Lex will always ask the meaning of Life.
Wow, what an intelligent man and Zev does not even appear as precocious Would say, never listened to a smarter young man this young age. Not surprising has he the genes, attitudes, discipline and smartness overrepresented inside the hebrew tribe, following generational training and subsequent genetic expressions. I don't belong to that tribe, but seeing mentality is and must be king. Members of them were proving throughout history how to deal best with suppression, being mostly a hindered minority. Not playing victim, using resilience and discipline to overcome disadvantages by getting better than the rest, often a source for envy culminating in atrocities which was then camouflaged by whatever. This mentality is totally against the current narrative of poisonous victimhood, why Zev gets some critical comments here, fostered by the same mentality as usual. I just say, go on young man and follow your inner guidance.
@Boris Castillo So you say, the tribe was isolated and hence to their religious laws it was not allowed to mix inside close relationships, another wise track to keep their pool of genes healthy avoiding incest dangers. So the glue of love did not come through familial genetic proximity but through the close binding which is normal inside a group under pressure from the outside. Hostility has two main drivers I'd say, envy and aggression against a tendency not to mix with the general public. But the most fascinating aspect still is, how the tribe managed not to choose the track of victimhood as so many others did, but to fight back with quality, discipline, education and skills against their opponents, mostly winning by this style through the argument of the better, is envy also a hidden compliment with often high costs to pay, as they paid throughout millennia. Their role model would be much healthier than the poisonous victimizers one of the left, which is a disaster for dignity and personal progress, why the left ignores their path, as they also are critical against asians wit their confucian branding, also celebrating merits and not failure.
@Boris Castillo Well, in little villages it was equal, the gene pool kept on being isolated. Only in the last 70 years this changed, before even catholics were not allowed to marry protestants... But true in the spheres of the tribe it was surely stricter, but still 25% of all nobel prizes were won by this tribe of about 15million people, an incredible achievement and other good reason to study what's the foundation for their excellence, since I'm an admirer of merits and a strong critic of downsizing mediocrity in which every leftish system falls when crossing the line of a critical mass.
As a father, I felt like I was sitting alongside Eric, smiling with pride. Such a rich present and future. I’d do whatever possible to propel Zev wherever wisdom leads him in the future.
Longest lasting civilization was based on slavery, so slavery is good? Sounds like a meaningless statement that can mean anything that you want it to mean.
@@mistycloud4455 I got to that part of interview, so yeah he says that slavery is good. Making women effectively a sex slaves to they husband (as it is in many cultures) is good. Marring a child off to an adult is good. He says that stability = good, if you have a culture where adult man marry kids and rape them, it would be evil to be against it because it would challenge the stability.
@@RainbowDevourer No machines aren't slaves, that is pretty bad analogy as it dodges the moral problem of slavery. Also slaves can work, and do work in factories, construction and doing other jobs to this day. Stable civilization could use mass slave work to this day.
@@RainbowDevourer Survival of fittest has nothing to do with good or bad. You could have absolutely horrible bad life for most ppl, and it could be evolutionary stable. Evolution is about what survives, and reproduce, not about good or bad.
@@RainbowDevourer I didn't question that ppl had, and have different views on morality. I am saying that this isn't morality or good, and bad it is just ppl beliefs about it. And even then there were "evil ppl" who did think that slavery is bad. If you think that good, and bad are so arbitrary then why you even care one way or another, caring about civilization existing or stability is also arbitrary.
This is what happens when intelligent people are given the right environment and mentors to grow and learn. Positive traits that can take 30 to 40 years to manifest in a corrupt environment can hardly take 10 in a healthy one.
other then not trying to use general words or labels, its the only defense against people using words and labels to silence or dismiss genuine discourse. When someone says an 'ism", before wasting time on the conversation, i usually ask them what their definition is. It neutralizes a lot of disingenuous discussion.
He reminds me of myself when I was younger but far more focused and definitely smarter. The future will hold great things for him and I hope to watch him grow more. I'm not too much older than he is so I really appreciate seeing someone younger really explore their thoughts about the world. When I did, it felt isolating so I would hold it back so it feels relieving to see a young person push back against the younger (and older) people who would prefer they keep their thoughts to themselves.
I totally agree👍 That was a swagger filled moment for this young man! I was like a proud dad. I am impressed with his young brain.... Gives me hope for our future. I was definitely not thinking that deeply fresh out of high school
It has taken me 72 years to come even close to his understanding of life! What a remarkable young man. I’m with you, he will be a masterful asset to the future world. Gives me hope in humanity! Great guest on your podcast, Lex. I so enjoy the variety you present.
His father literally imprinted his necessary ideas unto Zev. Zev can afford to be more accessible because of his undoubtedly brilliant and young mind. Beautiful.
I love having no expectations coming into a podcast and getting blown away! What a bright young brain on Zev!! Excited to see what this kid can bring to the table
Be the change you seek brother. It does no good to dwell on what could have been, and we must all take full responsibility for our own lives in the end. Just use what you have to the best of your ability, and don't compare yourself to others but to who you were yesterday.
@@plantstho6599 I think the majority of people live under the idea that what they do is sustainable, most do not think in terms of resource scarcity, so I do not see how that would make a difference. Not that I disagree with you on resource effiiciency being important, in the general sense.
It suits the elites to keep the rest down by degrading education, misinformation and distraction. They are easier to exploit and enslave. Draining the American educational swamp for all levels of American society might be first step towards slowing the head-along rush into superstition, stupidity, gullibility and fascism that the lack of enlightened parenting could provide. The condition of poor parenting though is mostly not about individual responsibility, as many deceivers would have you believe, but systematic and increasing poverty. So you have to be a rare lucky one, if you’re not rich and don’t have a culture which values learning. Good luck America.
@@JohnC-iv8jo Does a "reliably accurate instruction manual" exist today (in some sort of concise package that can be learned deliberately, rather than a broad "shift in modern culture")?
Thank you Lex. Listening to you and Zev gives me hope for the future. Allot of anger out in the world, these podcasts are relaxing and informative. Congratulations on the consistently high level of discussion! Kudos and many positive vibes coming from Atlanta 🌸
It's taken me a lifetime to compose and articulate thoughts in such a manner. Good on you young Zev, somehow I'm proud of you as your father must be. Smart and brave to realize the gifts bestowed upon you and those you've grown into. Lex - you've done it again! It is good of you to make these things important and share them with the world. I'm just so thankful.
I’ve led adult philosophy groups for ten years and he’d be a valuable member beyond his years. My constructive criticism is that Nietzsche cannot be characterized so easily. Excellent program!
@@kreek22 Nietzsche definitely doesn’t encourage envy, To be honest zev doesn’t really know what he’s talking about since he’s only 16 and probably hasn’t read his work but it’s ok
Great Kid. He admits his opinion is probably going to drastically change over time. So i give him that. I agree Nietzsche never influences people to envy others. I doubt he has ever read any of his books. Nietzsche cant be summed up to such a simplistic manner.
What a fantastic conversation. "Embrace abstraction" is such a beautiful mantra for our times. Where the "concrete" is so often at odds with our purpose perhaps we can journey to a deeper level where we can find consensus from first principles in order to uncover the moment where disagreement occurs in order to avoid conflict. Bravo.
Zev's dead right about the power of learning music abstractly, although in my case I learned it abstractly through a concrete instrument. What he leaves out is the importance of listening. Even most professional musicians can't actually listen (the only consistent exception being jazz musicians). This is why correct transcriptions of famous songs on UA-cam are so rare. Some people aren't even conscious of the existence of bass, and even if they are their ability to directly hear what's going on melodically & chordally, distinctly from the bass, is virtually nonexistent. When you build a super-reliable translation layer in your brain between what you hear and the intervalic/harmonic geometry underlying it, you can not only play any instrument - you can analyse literally everything you hear, wherever you are - shopping mall, TV/film, street buskers. In this sense the discipline of that auditory training translates into total freedom. When you can do that, you begin building a catalogue of musical vernacular that you never stop adding to, and that makes music truly an integral part of your conscious life rather than just a hobby. It also maximises any tendencies to become a competent creator of original music.
I'm enjoying this immensely. I love how you both took your time with difficult questions. I love the defense of language as a tool. I share the admiration for Thomas Aquinas. Though I listen to podcasts, I recognize that for deep thinking and immersion my own mind relies on writing - not only because I was brought up this way: the written text transcends the linearity of an audio stream. Also, the comments here are a great example for content co-creation: often unpredictable and eye-opening by themselves. Wonderful work, Lex & Zev. @Zev: don't discard writing. Texts are as durable as the truth. It may be a "recent technology" (compared to oral communication) but it has led some of our best work. Though I'm a teacher I also have no idea though, alas, how to save reading/writing for your generation. Couldn't do it for my own daughter!
These two young men. This discussion. Give me hope for the future. One of your best Lex! And (I assume 😄) Eric - brilliant guidance and development of your sons future by having Lex be his first interviewer 👏
Having Eric for a Dad means having to rationalize everything. Talking as a 16yo teen about music as a way to trigger dopamine is very contrived. Fun is allowed. It’s definitely true that everyone learning some music means we won’t continue devolving into electronic crap and rap.
Thoroughly enjoyed the interview. Had to rewind, pause at times to give myself time to think deeply as well :). Would love to see Naval Ravikant in your podcast!
I'm 22 and have ambitions to be a public intellectual the likes of which could make it on to this podcast. For this reason, my inner monkey was thrown into a rage at seeing a 15 yr old interviewed by Lex. That being said, it's unbelievable what I just heard. Sure, the kid's got a lot to learn - I'm impatiently posting a comment after only a half hour, but already he's had rather glib treatments of both philosophy in the Middle Ages and Nietzche's views. But it's a total given he's got a lot to learn - he's fifteen! Keep it up Zev, one day, you and I will have a discourse, and I look forward to it.
Great podcast Zev!!! Your intelligence and awareness at your age gives me hope. Where I live so many kids of your generation our like walking zombies. No ambition, no care, unwilling to work. Im having a hard time figuring out the root cause. I believe a lot of it is being raised by a Ipad or IPhone. Poor parent hood or no parents at all. Its almost like they feel everything should be handed to them or their is an easier way to make it in life. I don’t know the answer but it really gives me concerns about our future generations. I also blame our government for basically dropping the ball on the importance of properly educating our youth. So its an inspiration listening to you speak. Good luck Zev be very careful in who you trust through out life and most of all enjoy your life!
Zev is the most articulate young man I have ever heard in my career, and I have been working with kids for 30 years. He gives me hope for the future, given that his generation is growing up in what I call "an epidemic of a lack of resiliency".
In my view, every human being who have died, or is dead, have at least one time, in their time living, thought about their mortality. And, one thing that strikes me to this day is the notion that the living is meant to live as if we are already dead----it is rather morbid to think about that, to which one may feel a sense of dread or fear from its pondering, but, to the contrary, I feel a sense of freedom, of gratitude, of peace, and of excitement for what, both, life and the future hold. Indeed, there is a period at the end of our life in which no other words may be spoken, no actions to be made. But, that gives one every sense of purpose, and freedom, in each and everything that one does in life, given that they are wholesome deeds of body, speech and mind that are dedicated to the advancement of the world, one's community, and oneself. This was a marvelous episode of the podcast, Lex, it was great to hear from such an enlightened mind of the new generation, major props to you on that Zev, and major props to Mr. Eric Weinstein on birthing and raising such a bright young man. Kudos. Please have Zev on the podcast every 6 months, at least twice a year, we need more from both of you guys. Take care of yourself, both of you. Note to ZEV WEINSTEIN: Please read up on Hans-Georg Gadamer, I would love to see how you think about his theories and philosophies.
Eric and Zev Weinstein have the same dress code and both are amazing humans for this world thank you Lex for this podcast love you man and good look with 4x4x48 i am going to be with you bother stay hard
I like what Zev says of course it’s very intelligent but I like more that he just seems like a really nice person. Zev’s parents have done a good job. Also Lex and Zev are cool names I haven’t heard in England.
Thank you lex for this conversation I can't put into words how influential this is to me. As a young mind myself I had always felt that my generation has become less intuitive but listening to Zev ideas and seeing his hope in our generation has left me deeply motivated. I'm very excited for contributing myself in the future of humanity.
I didn't rush to listen to this one and realize my predisposed judgements I often think I have conquered are still firmly embedded within me. I have to say thank you for having Zev on Lex. He is a unique and clearly brilliant mind that communicates his thoughts in a way that many with such qualities often cant. He is a beacon of hope for the future and a role model for the many lost youth to imitate. Thank you again for another great and needed conversation with the questions that often are never asked of the people rarely given a platform. Keep up the great work and stay true as you always do.
So at half my age he's probably twice as smart as I am.. 😅 When I hear young people like this, I feel pretty damn positive about the future I keep discovering amazingly interesting people thanks to Lex, keep at it, this podcast spreads love, understanding and knowledge like nothing I've experienced before. My ears and mind are wide open!
This makes me more confident in one of the only things I disagree with George Orwell about... "If there was hope, it must lie in the proles..." I have hope in the youth regardless of upbringing. This interview reinstates that for me.
The reason their is such a desire for long form conversations is simple. The VAST majority of us do not have access to this type of communication in their lives.
Very interested to see where Zev’s thinking will take him in the future. Super interesting to hear an eloquent generation z exponent talk on various subjects.
Dude... this is blowing my mind and I'm 10 years his elder and taking Philosophy at Uni. Is Gen Z going to be a generation of philosophers? Thanks for giving someone so young a platform to think freely Lex.
I followed Lex’s podcast st since the very beginning. I am amazed and thrilled to see how far this has come and to speculate how far it can go both in terms of quality and audience outreach. Kudos, Lex!
Imagine yourself in Eric’s shoes contemplating all the potential outcomes of your son’s exposure to the full spectrum of potential mainstream/social media public condemnation that so easily latches on to so many insignificant quirks. Bravo for marshalling forward nonetheless. And thank you for your strong vote of confidence in the human race to interpret this podcast benevolently! Deeply impressive for such a young mind! Love it!
Lex, I think your questions are a great catalyser to Zev's current ideas! Greatly done! I also have enormous delight listening to your lights on the subjects
Lex you are my favourite podcast to listen to. The calibre of the people you have on is second to none. Channels and discussions like this the light at the end of the tunnel
What an amazing, deeply brilliant mind this young man has! I hope he expresses himself more and more, the world desperately needs thinkers like him and his dad's, and of course like Lex's! The love he expressed for his dad nearly made me cry! ❤
I have no doubt that you will become immortalized for being partially responsible for sparking a global wildfire...had it not been for people such as you, joe, and many more, I do not believe I would feel the same level of passion for facing this reality head on as I do now. I'm 24, and I've been blessed with living with ADHD. This means the normal paradigms have never really made sense to me and I have been fighting against the grain for my entire life. You both speak with the utmost precision and represent clear logical thoughts in an artistic manner. Greatly appreciative of this conversation. - Would love to play my own role in this with all of you
This might be the best conversation Lex has had thus far. On a personal level I understand Zev's anxiety about exposing himself intellectually, but I cannot wait for what he does decide to share. Even when he contradicts himself, as long as he continues to be intellectually honest, I'll eat it up like candy. I wish more people like Zev existed. Humanity needs more people him.
I don't know why, but I find it hilarious how casually and dismissively Lex shuffles papers around at 48:10 and asks off-hand as if crossing it off a monotonous list, "Do you think that there is free will, or is free will just an illusion?" I lol'd. This community makes me so happy.
Bravo Zev, I judge your launch into the podcast-thought-dialog stream to be a success. I' m 70 , of a fading generation that brought great changes to this world, ....I'm happy to see a voice of your generation capable of serious and profound contemplation of where humanity is headed, and why, and how we might navigate our way......good leadership gives good hope.
Would be nice if you’d do a podcast Zev, I’d definitely listen and I think it would be a good niche to find yourself as I don’t think a lot of very young people do podcasts.
Eric definitely passed down his natural genius to his son and on top of that was clearly an amazing father and having him to learn from would be unbelievably advantageous in the realm of being intelligent
As a representative of the same generation (being 20 rn), instead of academia, I focus heavily on business, specifically operations, and hope to utilize that framework of improvement and problem solving (taking into account the resource limitations, difficulties of implementing change, benefits of both radical and incremental improvements, etc.) towards making the world better. I'm sometimes sad I didn't get the capacity and time to read all these philosophy books, but I've learned to identify when I need expertise I don't have and how to incorporate it into what I'm doing, so I hope I'll manage it :)
Wondering if there was some prep for this podcast - what 15 year old kid has a favorite philosopher let alone an in depth understanding of so many philosophers? If there was one it'd be Eric Weinstein's kid, I guess
30:33 "Good is a proxy for the stability and fitness of a civilization." Sounds like something that Hitler would agree with. This is certainly not to impugn the motives of either Zev or Lex who agreed with him. But it sounds eerily authoritarian to me. As I understand it, the power of the Judaic tradition's notion of transcendent morality is that it motivates one to fight for the good even if every other member of his civilization is engaged in evil. Even if promoting the good would lead to the collapse of his civilization. As the Psalmist said, "Who will take my part against evil men? Who will stand up for me against wrongdoers? Were not the LORD my help, I should soon dwell in silence." (Psalms 94:16-17) Please forgive me if I misunderstood Zev's point or took it out of context. Certainly I do not mean to compare him to Hitler, only to point out what struck me as a flaw in his thinking.
Ben, I think more that he means it as a context through which to see the dichotomy of "good" and "bad". If you think about the meaning of "proxy" and the term "fitness" in the context of data science and computer programming, fitness is literally just a mathematical term that means that the word resolves to a "fit" of parameters inside of a solution space. I can tell by the way he talks and the words he chooses that he is a programmer. For non data-scientists that can be interpreted incorrectly as fitness meaning what an authoritative figure would see as "to be fit" ... meaning whatever pleases the dictator. If you look at it from a completely objective perspective, the "fitness" of a civilization is how efficiently the civilization solves the problems that it faces. You could argue that someone could opine that a "problem" is a very relative term, yes. But "problem" also has it's own proxy. More or less... good/bad is both relative to an individual, but global within a culture/group/society at the same time.
@@natecodesai This seems to me to be either a tautological definition which is therefore unhelpful in defining "good", or else an appeal to naturalism which is unhelpful in defining "morality." Tautological: Good is defined as a proxy for a set of parameters. The better something's fitness with respect to these parameters, the more "Good" it is. Unfortunately, if these parameters are left unspecified, we might as well say: "Good is a proxy for the parameters of Good." The closer fit something has to that which is "Good," the more "Good" it is. This is a tautology. Naturalism: I think, however, that Zev did propose independent parameters on which to define "Good." The "selected for trait" is "stability", and the scope of selection is "the civilization." My problem with these definitions is that they ignore the dignity of the individual. It is true that the "algorithm" of natural selection determines fitness on the basis of a genetic population's ability to survive and propagate (which I think is analogous to civilizational stability), but to make this parameter a basis for morality is to commit a naturalistic fallacy. The Social Darwinists essentially proposed this, and we do not consider them moral. Thank you so much for your considerate reply to my comment! Beni
@@benjaminromm8184 well put! I learned something, thanks. I will add that when scientific theory is used to back morality or a moralistic purpose, it fails to be true to the basic scientific principle of objectivity. Though I also get that objectivity is a slippery slope because the same objectivity has no cultural, traditional, or even humanity oriented values associated with it; it is simply the result of observation and testing. It's when this is used as a tool for any moral or political gain that the entire process becomes corrupt... even just in thought and logic. When you try to apply science to something that has more dimensions than the science you are applying, failure on some level is naught but guaranteed.
@@natecodesai Very well put yourself! The extent to which science is useful in moral decision making is an interesting question. But, as you note, and contra Sam Harris, science seems to be useful in determining how to apply a moral principle, but not to derive the principle itself. Where does the principle come from? Social contract? Revelation? The archetypes of mythology? I do not know. Thanks for this great discussion!
Great conversation! Knowing that young people like Zev are out there is helpful for a positive looking future. Definitely would listen to his podcast if he decides to go that route. Thanks again, Lex.
Eric has done a pretty damn good job raising Zev. I remember listening to Eric and Zev’s conversation and I just kept saying how is this kid 12 or 13years of age? Bright future ahead of him. P.S Eric stop slacking off with The Portal, we need something worth listening to.
Experiencing the universe of another is a wonderful experience, like a great poem, like this interview. Thank you. My amateur comments: 1) Zev, if you ever study economics, kindly consider the following problem, as I understand it, perhaps incorrectly. I believe that technology is relentlessly deflationary, reducing the costs of production exponentially; leading to depressions, with storms of hyperinflation when desperate governments attempt to re-inflate economies. Depression and hyperinflation both reduce modern societies to primitive barter economies and exacerbate economic disparity. Social conflict, and war result. The middle-aged man facing foreclosure of his home, or the young barista with 200K of student loan debt have no future, no hope. Zev, if I am wrong please tell me why; if I am right, please tell us how we can have the benefits of technology and freedom, without depression and war. The ideas of State and Revolution by Lenin and the staggering amounts of global debt show (to me, at least) the failures of capitalism; the books of Ayn Rand and the example of the USSR show the failures of communism. Taxing tech billionaires or governments buying their own debt will not save us. What will? In what new way should we think about technology, deflation, and the economy? 2) Regarding free will, I believe that while the totality of the multi-universe may be determined (or maybe not), we have free will to pick which alternate universe we end up in. In the multitude of alternate universes, a brazillion (a large number which originated in South America) other me(s) are writing something to you(s), but we will never meet any of them. Thank you. William L. Ramseyer
I appreciate the discussion on labels. It seems beneficial to when seeing , to allow the label and non label to exist simultaneously. A being or even a thing has an abstract field of potential that labels effect. For example, you can center your life around any one of a myriad of group identity , from cowboy to niner fan to race identity to geographic identity and so on but your perceived labels are real and not real simultaneously and you can't own the group identity or vice versa because your most real object in life is your unseen field of potential.
There is a greater than zero chance I am laying on my bed and have just finished eating chips, I wasn't feeling terrible about myself until he brought it up though xD
The world is in good hands … with people like Zev and Lex involved at some level, hopefully a persuasive level if that’s what they desire. For Zev, one historic problem I think we have had is the “behind closed doors”, “deep state” type of thinking, certainly in politics. Transparency is appreciated, those who turn and keep the bright lights on are important.
It's definitely a good thing to be open to changing public opinions, but the key is to be transparent about the evolution of your thinking and bring the audience along on your intellectual journey
I would love to see this kid and his dad have a conversation...it'll be interesting to see their ideas based off of different perspectives and generational timelines...young ideas versus experience based ones, etc
Zev mentioned in passing our four-dimensional universe, when I think he meant a 14-dimensional space within which our 4-dimensional manifold is embedded. But he was being kind, to not confuse all of us.
When talking about the freedom in the system, that line of thinking implies that the freedom we experience is nothing more than being free to do mistakes. Wonderful
Hey Lex, have you considered the similarities between the "long form conversations" of today and 2 to 3 hour sports broadcasts (with a regular team of 2 to 3) which we've had for the last 70 years or so which typically involved quite a bit of sidebar pontification?
Here are the timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast.
0:00 - Introduction & sponsor mentions:
- ExpressVPN: expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free
- Grammarly: grammarly.com/lex to get 20% off premium
- SimpliSafe: simplisafe.com/lex and use code LEX to get a free security camera
- Magic Spoon: magicspoon.com/lex and use code LEX to get $5 off
1:38 - Philosophy becomes dangerous in difficult times
7:01 - The power of radical ideas
11:52 - Changing your mind
16:06 - Fear
17:45 - Labels
22:48 - Thomas Aquinas
27:18 - Nietzsche
31:49 - Nature of truth
34:09 - Jordan Peterson
39:41 - Mediums of communication
48:10 - Free will
52:34 - Simulation
56:51 - Transcending the limits of human life
59:56 - Elon Musk
1:04:17 - Aliens
1:07:48 - Is math invented or discovered?
1:10:22 - Theory of everything
1:12:17 - Eric Weinstein as a dad
1:28:04 - Music
1:35:19 - Advice for young people
1:37:18 - Mortality
1:41:05 - Meaning of life
God bless you Lex, you are doing good work
God bless you Lex. Your a legend for these series. I love your classical approach and aTiere.
Another great episode. Who is more intimidating to talk to, the father, the son or the uncle?
(Btw: nice watch)
Joe rogan only made himself look like an ass when you were on his show what a bafoon, Keep up the good work Lex.
I’m 50 and my new life goal is to be as articulate as this young man when I grow up.
Lex, I'm deeply grateful to you for doing this podcast. I'm 17 now and have been listening for about a year. It is one of the things I use in my journey to become a deep thinker and discover all the interesting things in this world so that I could study them further and see clearly where my help is needed. Your podcast also helped me uncover a passion for physics that was covered with unpleasant experiences of it left by the flawed school system we have in Ukraine.
I wish you all the best and ask to keep going. Your work made a difference for me and, I believe, for many others as well
@@AngelWest58 I'm female, but thank you so much for your encouragement
@Анастасія Романчук - Much love from AU.
And I wish you the best, Anastasiya. This world is in dire need of people like you who care to think beyond what is asked of them.
If I could like your comment 100 times, I would do that. Best of luck on your journey, Анастасiя!
I'm sure your comment would fill Lex with joy. Good luck, Anastasya!
I love how unpredictable this podcast is. I'm never sure who Lex is going to have next, but inevitably the conversation is always eye opening and interesting.
I don't care. Lex seems to care but I think it's a facade whether he'll admit it or not. I just dig the questions. Great questions digging into the core for everyone to try to parse. He could be better but has tact enough to know when enough is enough.
yeah. Could be Lex's mother or may be Jack Bezos, or Alex J etc...
Lex always get us by surprise.
Whoever it may Lex will always ask the meaning of Life.
Wow, what an intelligent man and Zev does not even appear as precocious
Would say, never listened to a smarter young man this young age. Not surprising has he the genes, attitudes, discipline and smartness overrepresented inside the hebrew tribe, following generational training and subsequent genetic expressions. I don't belong to that tribe, but seeing mentality is and must be king. Members of them were proving throughout history how to deal best with suppression, being mostly a hindered minority. Not playing victim, using resilience and discipline to overcome disadvantages by getting better than the rest, often a source for envy culminating in atrocities which was then camouflaged by whatever.
This mentality is totally against the current narrative of poisonous victimhood, why Zev gets some critical comments here, fostered by the same mentality as usual. I just say, go on young man and follow your inner guidance.
@Boris Castillo So you say, the tribe was isolated and hence to their religious laws it was not allowed to mix inside close relationships, another wise track to keep their pool of genes healthy avoiding incest dangers. So the glue of love did not come through familial genetic proximity but through the close binding which is normal inside a group under pressure from the outside. Hostility has two main drivers I'd say, envy and aggression against a tendency not to mix with the general public. But the most fascinating aspect still is, how the tribe managed not to choose the track of victimhood as so many others did, but to fight back with quality, discipline, education and skills against their opponents, mostly winning by this style through the argument of the better, is envy also a hidden compliment with often high costs to pay, as they paid throughout millennia. Their role model would be much healthier than the poisonous victimizers one of the left, which is a disaster for dignity and personal progress, why the left ignores their path, as they also are critical against asians wit their confucian branding, also celebrating merits and not failure.
@Boris Castillo Well, in little villages it was equal, the gene pool kept on being isolated. Only in the last 70 years this changed, before even catholics were not allowed to marry protestants... But true in the spheres of the tribe it was surely stricter, but still 25% of all nobel prizes were won by this tribe of about 15million people, an incredible achievement and other good reason to study what's the foundation for their excellence, since I'm an admirer of merits and a strong critic of downsizing mediocrity in which every leftish system falls when crossing the line of a critical mass.
Lex, you should interview Jordan Peterson once he’s recovered
I second this
@@skwrrskwr 😂 sarcasm. I love it.
And yes, Jordan Peterson does seem to be doing quite well again. I loved his recent podcast with Douglas Murray.
He's recovered . .all good
Tim Ferriss just did a very good interview with him. Past the first 20 minutes it really takes off.
As a father, I felt like I was sitting alongside Eric, smiling with pride. Such a rich present and future. I’d do whatever possible to propel Zev wherever wisdom leads him in the future.
Well said
"Good is a proxy, for the stability and fitness of a civilization."
"Language often destroys our ability to think"
-Zev Weinstein
Longest lasting civilization was based on slavery, so slavery is good? Sounds like a meaningless statement that can mean anything that you want it to mean.
@@mistycloud4455 I got to that part of interview, so yeah he says that slavery is good. Making women effectively a sex slaves to they husband (as it is in many cultures) is good. Marring a child off to an adult is good. He says that stability = good, if you have a culture where adult man marry kids and rape them, it would be evil to be against it because it would challenge the stability.
@@RainbowDevourer No machines aren't slaves, that is pretty bad analogy as it dodges the moral problem of slavery. Also slaves can work, and do work in factories, construction and doing other jobs to this day. Stable civilization could use mass slave work to this day.
@@RainbowDevourer Survival of fittest has nothing to do with good or bad. You could have absolutely horrible bad life for most ppl, and it could be evolutionary stable. Evolution is about what survives, and reproduce, not about good or bad.
@@RainbowDevourer I didn't question that ppl had, and have different views on morality. I am saying that this isn't morality or good, and bad it is just ppl beliefs about it. And even then there were "evil ppl" who did think that slavery is bad.
If you think that good, and bad are so arbitrary then why you even care one way or another, caring about civilization existing or stability is also arbitrary.
I think most people don't even realize he is only 15 years old
@@JonathanGoslan amazingly, this is true.
Oh man I had him pegged as college aged. Now the offhand comment Lex made about his father being in the room makes so much more sense
Holy shit!
This is what happens when intelligent people are given the right environment and mentors to grow and learn. Positive traits that can take 30 to 40 years to manifest in a corrupt environment can hardly take 10 in a healthy one.
Here I am thinking we’re similar in age, sike! I’m 10 years older than this kid 😭 I am not worthy. He’s going places for sure!
I like how he defines each word that he uses or comes up in conversation. I feel like that is very important.
Probably a feature of having Eric as a dad lol
I'm 3 minutes in and I already am very appreciative that he does this
He sees how his dad is never understood so he corrected
other then not trying to use general words or labels, its the only defense against people using words and labels to silence or dismiss genuine discourse. When someone says an 'ism", before wasting time on the conversation, i usually ask them what their definition is. It neutralizes a lot of disingenuous discussion.
He should talk about the unabomber, that shit is crazy.
I respect how Lex did not hold back on exploring the mind of this young brilliance. The world is yours Zev
At age 20, about to embark upon a career in physics research, seeing this kid makes me both hopeful for humanity and fearful for my own career.
Haha 👌😅
How did the physics studies turn out?
He reminds me of myself when I was younger but far more focused and definitely smarter. The future will hold great things for him and I hope to watch him grow more. I'm not too much older than he is so I really appreciate seeing someone younger really explore their thoughts about the world. When I did, it felt isolating so I would hold it back so it feels relieving to see a young person push back against the younger (and older) people who would prefer they keep their thoughts to themselves.
So true!
@@yamishogun6501 or it could be a bright utopia right, who knows, and if they do.... they should spill the beans.
00p
@@jimjiminyjaroo300 - Old and bitter much? Or just plain jelly?
Son of a gun... he’s done it. I had always wondered if I’d be present when lex made his ai break through.
Honestly, this young man is the future.
Zev: I would like to slow you down there...
Lex: smiles.
That was the best moment imo.
Can you please put a time stamp?
Thanks in advance
@@AA-jb5cs 36:20
Thanks a lot, it's nice of you to bother yourself and respond.
@@gerardmulder7656 😂
I totally agree👍 That was a swagger filled moment for this young man! I was like a proud dad. I am impressed with his young brain.... Gives me hope for our future. I was definitely not thinking that deeply fresh out of high school
Good to see Lex wearing Joe Rogans gift proudly.
What kind of watch is it?
⌚️👀
@@cooIbeans Omega, I think a speedmaster with moonphase.
It has taken me 72 years to come even close to his understanding of life! What a remarkable young man. I’m with you, he will be a masterful asset to the future world. Gives me hope in humanity! Great guest on your podcast, Lex. I so enjoy the variety you present.
77 here. 😊
Much love for the big brain family
His father literally imprinted his necessary ideas unto Zev. Zev can afford to be more accessible because of his undoubtedly brilliant and young mind. Beautiful.
I love having no expectations coming into a podcast and getting blown away! What a bright young brain on Zev!! Excited to see what this kid can bring to the table
But brain matter has no luminous attributes.......bruh
Look at the big brain on brad
Thank you for allowing yourself to be interviewed zev.
It gave me hope.
Continue to be brave.
Only if I had good parents. Hell if everyone had good parents the world to be a better place.
Be the change you seek brother. It does no good to dwell on what could have been, and we must all take full responsibility for our own lives in the end. Just use what you have to the best of your ability, and don't compare yourself to others but to who you were yesterday.
Start with Socrates, he is your new daddy, congrats!
@@plantstho6599 I think the majority of people live under the idea that what they do is sustainable, most do not think in terms of resource scarcity, so I do not see how that would make a difference. Not that I disagree with you on resource effiiciency being important, in the general sense.
It suits the elites to keep the rest down by degrading education, misinformation and distraction. They are easier to exploit and enslave. Draining the American educational swamp for all levels of American society might be first step towards slowing the head-along rush into superstition, stupidity, gullibility and fascism that the lack of enlightened parenting could provide. The condition of poor parenting though is mostly not about individual responsibility, as many deceivers would have you believe, but systematic and increasing poverty. So you have to be a rare lucky one, if you’re not rich and don’t have a culture which values learning. Good luck America.
@@JohnC-iv8jo Does a "reliably accurate instruction manual" exist today (in some sort of concise package that can be learned deliberately, rather than a broad "shift in modern culture")?
I'm laying on my bed listening to this and feeling terrible about myself. I may as well go and buy some chips
It's not the chip or the bed that makes the man :)
Why??
lol :D
Be responsible for your generation
When I was Zev's age I just wanted to live in the woods and sleep in trees
you're the smart one
Who doesn't want to live in the woods and sleep in trees.
What made you come back out of it?
Thank you Lex. Listening to you and Zev gives me hope for the future. Allot of anger out in the world, these podcasts are relaxing and informative. Congratulations on the consistently high level of discussion! Kudos and many positive vibes coming from Atlanta 🌸
It's taken me a lifetime to compose and articulate thoughts in such a manner. Good on you young Zev, somehow I'm proud of you as your father must be. Smart and brave to realize the gifts bestowed upon you and those you've grown into. Lex - you've done it again! It is good of you to make these things important and share them with the world. I'm just so thankful.
1:17:57 “It wasn’t my own stupidity that alienated me from certain aspects of standard living of life. “ fantastic quote for introverts
I’ve led adult philosophy groups for ten years and he’d be a valuable member beyond his years. My constructive criticism is that Nietzsche cannot be characterized so easily. Excellent program!
@@kreek22 Nietzsche definitely doesn’t encourage envy, To be honest zev doesn’t really know what he’s talking about since he’s only 16 and probably hasn’t read his work but it’s ok
Great Kid. He admits his opinion is probably going to drastically change over time. So i give him that. I agree Nietzsche never influences people to envy others. I doubt he has ever read any of his books. Nietzsche cant be summed up to such a simplistic manner.
What a fantastic conversation. "Embrace abstraction" is such a beautiful mantra for our times. Where the "concrete" is so often at odds with our purpose perhaps we can journey to a deeper level where we can find consensus from first principles in order to uncover the moment where disagreement occurs in order to avoid conflict. Bravo.
Zev's dead right about the power of learning music abstractly, although in my case I learned it abstractly through a concrete instrument. What he leaves out is the importance of listening. Even most professional musicians can't actually listen (the only consistent exception being jazz musicians). This is why correct transcriptions of famous songs on UA-cam are so rare. Some people aren't even conscious of the existence of bass, and even if they are their ability to directly hear what's going on melodically & chordally, distinctly from the bass, is virtually nonexistent.
When you build a super-reliable translation layer in your brain between what you hear and the intervalic/harmonic geometry underlying it, you can not only play any instrument - you can analyse literally everything you hear, wherever you are - shopping mall, TV/film, street buskers. In this sense the discipline of that auditory training translates into total freedom.
When you can do that, you begin building a catalogue of musical vernacular that you never stop adding to, and that makes music truly an integral part of your conscious life rather than just a hobby. It also maximises any tendencies to become a competent creator of original music.
"thinking publicly" at 16:10 is a great way to explain what stepping into the internet limelight is.
I'm enjoying this immensely. I love how you both took your time with difficult questions. I love the defense of language as a tool. I share the admiration for Thomas Aquinas. Though I listen to podcasts, I recognize that for deep thinking and immersion my own mind relies on writing - not only because I was brought up this way: the written text transcends the linearity of an audio stream. Also, the comments here are a great example for content co-creation: often unpredictable and eye-opening by themselves. Wonderful work, Lex & Zev. @Zev: don't discard writing. Texts are as durable as the truth. It may be a "recent technology" (compared to oral communication) but it has led some of our best work. Though I'm a teacher I also have no idea though, alas, how to save reading/writing for your generation. Couldn't do it for my own daughter!
These two young men.
This discussion.
Give me hope for the future.
One of your best Lex!
And (I assume 😄) Eric - brilliant guidance and development of your sons future by having Lex be his first interviewer 👏
Having Eric for a Dad means having to rationalize everything. Talking as a 16yo teen about music as a way to trigger dopamine is very contrived. Fun is allowed. It’s definitely true that everyone learning some music means we won’t continue devolving into electronic crap and rap.
As a 17-year-old, I would definitely listen to Zev's podcast
Your podcast always gives me hope for humanity and the state of our minuscule world. Thank you 😊
Thoroughly enjoyed the interview. Had to rewind, pause at times to give myself time to think deeply as well :). Would love to see Naval Ravikant in your podcast!
I'm 22 and have ambitions to be a public intellectual the likes of which could make it on to this podcast. For this reason, my inner monkey was thrown into a rage at seeing a 15 yr old interviewed by Lex.
That being said, it's unbelievable what I just heard. Sure, the kid's got a lot to learn - I'm impatiently posting a comment after only a half hour, but already he's had rather glib treatments of both philosophy in the Middle Ages and Nietzche's views. But it's a total given he's got a lot to learn - he's fifteen! Keep it up Zev, one day, you and I will have a discourse, and I look forward to it.
Great podcast Zev!!! Your intelligence and awareness at your age gives me hope. Where I live so many kids of your generation our like walking zombies. No ambition, no care, unwilling to work. Im having a hard time figuring out the root cause. I believe a lot of it is being raised by a Ipad or IPhone. Poor parent hood or no parents at all. Its almost like they feel everything should be handed to them or their is an easier way to make it in life. I don’t know the answer but it really gives me concerns about our future generations. I also blame our government for basically dropping the ball on the importance of properly educating our youth. So its an inspiration listening to you speak. Good luck Zev be very careful in who you trust through out life and most of all enjoy your life!
Zev reminds me of John Stuart Mill. Having a regular childhood is important because you are going to have the rest of your life to accomplish things.
Zev is the most articulate young man I have ever heard in my career, and I have been working with kids for 30 years. He gives me hope for the future, given that his generation is growing up in what I call "an epidemic of a lack of resiliency".
In my view, every human being who have died, or is dead, have at least one time, in their time living, thought about their mortality. And, one thing that strikes me to this day is the notion that the living is meant to live as if we are already dead----it is rather morbid to think about that, to which one may feel a sense of dread or fear from its pondering, but, to the contrary, I feel a sense of freedom, of gratitude, of peace, and of excitement for what, both, life and the future hold. Indeed, there is a period at the end of our life in which no other words may be spoken, no actions to be made. But, that gives one every sense of purpose, and freedom, in each and everything that one does in life, given that they are wholesome deeds of body, speech and mind that are dedicated to the advancement of the world, one's community, and oneself.
This was a marvelous episode of the podcast, Lex, it was great to hear from such an enlightened mind of the new generation, major props to you on that Zev, and major props to Mr. Eric Weinstein on birthing and raising such a bright young man. Kudos. Please have Zev on the podcast every 6 months, at least twice a year, we need more from both of you guys. Take care of yourself, both of you.
Note to ZEV WEINSTEIN: Please read up on Hans-Georg Gadamer, I would love to see how you think about his theories and philosophies.
Anyone feel like Zevs pretty vague about nearly everything he says in this conversation?
I find him very specific and lucid in expressing his views on philosophy. It could be that you just don’t get him
Your probably right
I'm 4 mins in and can't comprehend a solid point he's made so far. He's just rambling??
@@MapleGlazedDonuts do you mean a thesaurus?
The apple does not fall far from the tree!
Eric and Zev Weinstein have the same dress code and both are amazing humans for this world thank you Lex for this podcast love you man and good look with 4x4x48 i am going to be with you bother stay hard
I'll be with you too man good luck Jim!
I like what Zev says of course it’s very intelligent but I like more that he just seems like a really nice person. Zev’s parents have done a good job. Also Lex and Zev are cool names I haven’t heard in England.
Lex is just his nickname: short for "Alexei".
Zev, or Ze'ev, is Hebrew and means "wolf".
Thank you lex for this conversation I can't put into words how influential this is to me. As a young mind myself I had always felt that my generation has become less intuitive but listening to Zev ideas and seeing his hope in our generation has left me deeply motivated. I'm very excited for contributing myself in the future of humanity.
I didn't rush to listen to this one and realize my predisposed judgements I often think I have conquered are still firmly embedded within me. I have to say thank you for having Zev on Lex. He is a unique and clearly brilliant mind that communicates his thoughts in a way that many with such qualities often cant. He is a beacon of hope for the future and a role model for the many lost youth to imitate.
Thank you again for another great and needed conversation with the questions that often are never asked of the people rarely given a platform. Keep up the great work and stay true as you always do.
When Zev says let me slow you down a little bit, Lex laughs because he recognizes Eric immediately 😂
So at half my age he's probably twice as smart as I am.. 😅
When I hear young people like this, I feel pretty damn positive about the future
I keep discovering amazingly interesting people thanks to Lex, keep at it, this podcast spreads love, understanding and knowledge like nothing I've experienced before. My ears and mind are wide open!
I feel like a proud Aunt! Love your family! Can’t wait to see what you accomplish in the future
This makes me more confident in one of the only things I disagree with George Orwell about... "If there was hope, it must lie in the proles..." I have hope in the youth regardless of upbringing. This interview reinstates that for me.
The reason their is such a desire for long form conversations is simple. The VAST majority of us do not have access to this type of communication in their lives.
Very interested to see where Zev’s thinking will take him in the future. Super interesting to hear an eloquent generation z exponent talk on various subjects.
@@158-i6z right on
Dude... this is blowing my mind and I'm 10 years his elder and taking Philosophy at Uni. Is Gen Z going to be a generation of philosophers? Thanks for giving someone so young a platform to think freely Lex.
I followed Lex’s podcast st since the very beginning. I am amazed and thrilled to see how far this has come and to speculate how far it can go both in terms of quality and audience
outreach. Kudos, Lex!
Fun Fact:
Zev's Dad name (Eric), is Hebrew for Lion. Zev's name means Wolf in Hebrew.
Arie is lion in Hebrew, but close 😉
Suuuuch a cool name
@@LANCEtheBOIL 😂
@@SlavaC It's the Hebrew name that's all. Like Rebecca is pronounced Rivka in Hebrew. The meaning is Lion
Imagine yourself in Eric’s shoes contemplating all the potential outcomes of your son’s exposure to the full spectrum of potential mainstream/social media public condemnation that so easily latches on to so many insignificant quirks. Bravo for marshalling forward nonetheless. And thank you for your strong vote of confidence in the human race to interpret this podcast benevolently! Deeply impressive for such a young mind! Love it!
Lex, I think your questions are a great catalyser to Zev's current ideas! Greatly done! I also have enormous delight listening to your lights on the subjects
Lex you are my favourite podcast to listen to. The calibre of the people you have on is second to none. Channels and discussions like this the light at the end of the tunnel
A remarkable young man, I can only imagine how proud Eric must be.
how does he manage to make every guest look so attractive in the thumbnail
What an amazing, deeply brilliant mind this young man has! I hope he expresses himself more and more, the world desperately needs thinkers like him and his dad's, and of course like Lex's!
The love he expressed for his dad nearly made me cry! ❤
I have no doubt that you will become immortalized for being partially responsible for sparking a global wildfire...had it not been for people such as you, joe, and many more, I do not believe I would feel the same level of passion for facing this reality head on as I do now. I'm 24, and I've been blessed with living with ADHD. This means the normal paradigms have never really made sense to me and I have been fighting against the grain for my entire life. You both speak with the utmost precision and represent clear logical thoughts in an artistic manner.
Greatly appreciative of this conversation. - Would love to play my own role in this with all of you
Thank you Eric and Eric’s wife( no doubt brilliant as well) for having offspring. What a gift to the world
This might be the best conversation Lex has had thus far. On a personal level I understand Zev's anxiety about exposing himself intellectually, but I cannot wait for what he does decide to share. Even when he contradicts himself, as long as he continues to be intellectually honest, I'll eat it up like candy. I wish more people like Zev existed. Humanity needs more people him.
WOW! Can you imagine the joy of a teacher/instructor who had this young man in class?
I don't know why, but I find it hilarious how casually and dismissively Lex shuffles papers around at 48:10 and asks off-hand as if crossing it off a monotonous list, "Do you think that there is free will, or is free will just an illusion?" I lol'd. This community makes me so happy.
Bravo Zev, I judge your launch into the podcast-thought-dialog stream to be a success. I' m 70 , of a fading generation that brought great changes to this world, ....I'm happy to see a voice of your generation capable of serious and profound contemplation of where humanity is headed, and why, and how we might navigate our way......good leadership gives good hope.
"What does fastidious mean?" The humility and curiosity of Lex Fridman is what makes this the best podcast on the internet.
Would be nice if you’d do a podcast Zev, I’d definitely listen and I think it would be a good niche to find yourself as I don’t think a lot of very young people do podcasts.
Wow, the depth and maturity of his mind and the way he articulates his thoughts...that's the mind of a grownup in the head of a kid.
The chapter photos of you on this are priceless Lex , should really print them out in a reel type of collage for your podcast room
Eric definitely passed down his natural genius to his son and on top of that was clearly an amazing father and having him to learn from would be unbelievably advantageous in the realm of being intelligent
As a representative of the same generation (being 20 rn), instead of academia, I focus heavily on business, specifically operations, and hope to utilize that framework of improvement and problem solving (taking into account the resource limitations, difficulties of implementing change, benefits of both radical and incremental improvements, etc.) towards making the world better.
I'm sometimes sad I didn't get the capacity and time to read all these philosophy books, but I've learned to identify when I need expertise I don't have and how to incorporate it into what I'm doing, so I hope I'll manage it :)
Zev proves that it's both nature AND nurture.
Wondering if there was some prep for this podcast - what 15 year old kid has a favorite philosopher let alone an in depth understanding of so many philosophers? If there was one it'd be Eric Weinstein's kid, I guess
30:33 "Good is a proxy for the stability and fitness of a civilization." Sounds like something that Hitler would agree with.
This is certainly not to impugn the motives of either Zev or Lex who agreed with him. But it sounds eerily authoritarian to me. As I understand it, the power of the Judaic tradition's notion of transcendent morality is that it motivates one to fight for the good even if every other member of his civilization is engaged in evil. Even if promoting the good would lead to the collapse of his civilization. As the Psalmist said, "Who will take my part against evil men? Who will stand up for me against wrongdoers? Were not the LORD my help, I should soon dwell in silence." (Psalms 94:16-17)
Please forgive me if I misunderstood Zev's point or took it out of context. Certainly I do not mean to compare him to Hitler, only to point out what struck me as a flaw in his thinking.
Ben, I think more that he means it as a context through which to see the dichotomy of "good" and "bad". If you think about the meaning of "proxy" and the term "fitness" in the context of data science and computer programming, fitness is literally just a mathematical term that means that the word resolves to a "fit" of parameters inside of a solution space. I can tell by the way he talks and the words he chooses that he is a programmer. For non data-scientists that can be interpreted incorrectly as fitness meaning what an authoritative figure would see as "to be fit" ... meaning whatever pleases the dictator. If you look at it from a completely objective perspective, the "fitness" of a civilization is how efficiently the civilization solves the problems that it faces. You could argue that someone could opine that a "problem" is a very relative term, yes. But "problem" also has it's own proxy. More or less... good/bad is both relative to an individual, but global within a culture/group/society at the same time.
@@natecodesai This seems to me to be either a tautological definition which is therefore unhelpful in defining "good", or else an appeal to naturalism which is unhelpful in defining "morality."
Tautological: Good is defined as a proxy for a set of parameters. The better something's fitness with respect to these parameters, the more "Good" it is. Unfortunately, if these parameters are left unspecified, we might as well say: "Good is a proxy for the parameters of Good." The closer fit something has to that which is "Good," the more "Good" it is. This is a tautology.
Naturalism: I think, however, that Zev did propose independent parameters on which to define "Good." The "selected for trait" is "stability", and the scope of selection is "the civilization." My problem with these definitions is that they ignore the dignity of the individual. It is true that the "algorithm" of natural selection determines fitness on the basis of a genetic population's ability to survive and propagate (which I think is analogous to civilizational stability), but to make this parameter a basis for morality is to commit a naturalistic fallacy. The Social Darwinists essentially proposed this, and we do not consider them moral.
Thank you so much for your considerate reply to my comment!
Beni
@@benjaminromm8184 well put! I learned something, thanks. I will add that when scientific theory is used to back morality or a moralistic purpose, it fails to be true to the basic scientific principle of objectivity. Though I also get that objectivity is a slippery slope because the same objectivity has no cultural, traditional, or even humanity oriented values associated with it; it is simply the result of observation and testing. It's when this is used as a tool for any moral or political gain that the entire process becomes corrupt... even just in thought and logic. When you try to apply science to something that has more dimensions than the science you are applying, failure on some level is naught but guaranteed.
@@natecodesai Very well put yourself! The extent to which science is useful in moral decision making is an interesting question. But, as you note, and contra Sam Harris, science seems to be useful in determining how to apply a moral principle, but not to derive the principle itself. Where does the principle come from? Social contract? Revelation? The archetypes of mythology? I do not know.
Thanks for this great discussion!
@@benjaminromm8184 likewise ;)
Is eric Weinstein 4 coming up?
I am waiting with excitement always great to hear this man talking with you.
It has recently
Lex about to hit 1 mil subs congrats my guy!!!
Great conversation! Knowing that young people like Zev are out there is helpful for a positive looking future. Definitely would listen to his podcast if he decides to go that route. Thanks again, Lex.
Brilliant young man. Hope that he finds courage as he matures.
He clearly has the courage if he goes on a podcast this big
@@goodwill_ken that's right.
Zev has so much potential, it is unbelievable. He needs courage to express his own theories and views.
I’m more than twice his age and I think he has more courage then me.
@@JesseMoffett everyone at their own pace
Eric has done a pretty damn good job raising Zev. I remember listening to Eric and Zev’s conversation and I just kept saying how is this kid 12 or 13years of age? Bright future ahead of him.
P.S Eric stop slacking off with The Portal, we need something worth listening to.
Experiencing the universe of another is a wonderful experience, like a great poem, like this interview. Thank you.
My amateur comments:
1) Zev, if you ever study economics, kindly consider the following problem, as I understand it, perhaps incorrectly. I believe that technology is relentlessly deflationary, reducing the costs of production exponentially; leading to depressions, with storms of hyperinflation when desperate governments attempt to re-inflate economies. Depression and hyperinflation both reduce modern societies to primitive barter economies and exacerbate economic disparity. Social conflict, and war result. The middle-aged man facing foreclosure of his home, or the young barista with 200K of student loan debt have no future, no hope. Zev, if I am wrong please tell me why; if I am right, please tell us how we can have the benefits of technology and freedom, without depression and war. The ideas of State and Revolution by Lenin and the staggering amounts of global debt show (to me, at least) the failures of capitalism; the books of Ayn Rand and the example of the USSR show the failures of communism. Taxing tech billionaires or governments buying their own debt will not save us. What will? In what new way should we think about technology, deflation, and the economy?
2) Regarding free will, I believe that while the totality of the multi-universe may be determined (or maybe not), we have free will to pick which alternate universe we end up in. In the multitude of alternate universes, a brazillion (a large number which originated in South America) other me(s) are writing something to you(s), but we will never meet any of them.
Thank you. William L. Ramseyer
I really enjoy listening to Zev, very sharp young mind
Still gives me hope 9 months later... would like to see the Eric, Bret and their families speak on their parenting tactics
Wow this dude matured exponentially since his podcast with his dad
I appreciate the discussion on labels. It seems beneficial to when seeing , to allow the label and non label to exist simultaneously. A being or even a thing has an abstract field of potential that labels effect. For example, you can center your life around any one of a myriad of group identity , from cowboy to niner fan to race identity to geographic identity and so on but your perceived labels are real and not real simultaneously and you can't own the group identity or vice versa because your most real object in life is your unseen field of potential.
There is a greater than zero chance I am laying on my bed and have just finished eating chips, I wasn't feeling terrible about myself until he brought it up though xD
Lex is a generational Portal between Eric (GenX) and Zev (GenZ)
Makes sense. He is Gen Y, after all ;)
The world is in good hands … with people like Zev and Lex involved at some level, hopefully a persuasive level if that’s what they desire. For Zev, one historic problem I think we have had is the “behind closed doors”, “deep state” type of thinking, certainly in politics. Transparency is appreciated, those who turn and keep the bright lights on are important.
This was wonderful! Huge fan of his father and uncle, so refreshing to see a member of the upcoming gen speak 🤘❤️
WOW! this was a STELLAR conversation Lex! I hope Zev starts his own podcast and has you to continue talking about deep stuff!
It's definitely a good thing to be open to changing public opinions, but the key is to be transparent about the evolution of your thinking and bring the audience along on your intellectual journey
39:00 I hate the destruction of language, but I for myself think visually and spatially first.
yes! continuously being open to changing our minds is critical to break us out from falling into dogma from habituation
What an amazing family!
So happy you gave us a chance to hear from Zev. Thank you again Lex.
Jade
I would love to see this kid and his dad have a conversation...it'll be interesting to see their ideas based off of different perspectives and generational timelines...young ideas versus experience based ones, etc
Man this one was heavy. I was getting a little misty eyed several times because you guys were saying some truly astounding stuff. Thank you so much
Zev mentioned in passing our four-dimensional universe, when I think he meant a 14-dimensional space within which our 4-dimensional manifold is embedded. But he was being kind, to not confuse all of us.
When talking about the freedom in the system, that line of thinking implies that the freedom we experience is nothing more than being free to do mistakes. Wonderful
Wow. As a young man I'm happy hearing another's perspectives and see someone who also has certain theory's on language and labels.
Hey Lex, have you considered the similarities between the "long form conversations" of today and 2 to 3 hour sports broadcasts (with a regular team of 2 to 3) which we've had for the last 70 years or so which typically involved quite a bit of sidebar pontification?
Eric is a good father.