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Topical Storm

Oct 25, 2020

We take on the harrowing topic of existential risk and examine the many ways that things could go very badly for humanity. On the bright side, Nick Bostrom is always an enjoyable read.


Oct 7, 2020

It’s widely known that humans tend to sacrifice long term rewards for smaller, more immediate gains. We tackle a less widely disseminated model of behavior called hyperbolic discounting that implies our impulsive decisions have some very surprising characteristics.


Sep 29, 2020

We’re back! Today we tackle cryonics, the movement that suggests cryo-preserving the body moments after legal death will enable humanity to one day greatly extend our lifespans.


Feb 16, 2020

We have a wacky one for you today! Roko’s Basilisk, a thought experiment grounded in decision theory, suggests that a future AI could be incentivized to punish most of humanity for not helping bring it into existence.


Feb 9, 2020

We take a break from heavy philosophy to discuss a fun topic: Jazz! This serves as a good introduction to the genre for any novice jazz listener or player.