Lee Cronin is Regius Chair of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow. Among his many pursuits are the digitization of chemistry, the discovery of alien life, and the creation of artificial life. Lee was most recently on the show for episode 264, in which he and Robinson and Lee discussed astrobiology, the chemistry of life as we know it, and the controversies surrounding artificial intelligence. In this follow-up conversation, they focused primarily on artificial intelligence, aliens, and assembly theory.

Lee’s Website: https://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/cronin/

Lee’s Twitter: https://x.com/leecronin

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

01:01 AI or Aliens?
02:46 What Is Intelligence?
13:57 Are Autonomous Vehicles Intelligent?
21:39 Assembly Theory and the Origin of Life
28:23 Is ChatGPT Intelligent?
34:12 What Would Genuine Artificial Intelligence Really Look Like?
41:13 Are “AI Skills” Just Product Placement?
49:45 Are AI Actually Intelligent “Agents”?
56:21 Concluding Thoughts
59:16 Will Aliens Be Biological?
01:00:01 How Common Are Aliens in the Universe?
01:05:51 How Will Aliens Search for Life on Earth?
01:12:58 The Chemistry of Minds
01:17:10 The Biggest Myths About Aliens

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Annaka Harris is the New York Times bestselling author of CONSCIOUS: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind and writer and producer of the audio documentary series, LIGHTS ON. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Nautilus Magazine, the Journal of Consciousness Studies, and IAI Magazine. She is also an editor and consultant for science writers, specializing in neuroscience and physics. In this episode, Robinson and Annaka discuss panpsychism and the case that consciousness is fundamental. More particularly, they talk about complexity and emergence, the relationship between consciousness and physics, and artificial intelligence.

Lights On: https://a.co/d/cy8YTpd

Conscious: https://a.co/d/3uFZ2Jq

Annaka’s Website: https://annakaharris.com

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

00:52 Annaka’s Obsession with Consciousness

06:09 How Should We Define Consciousness?

13:06 Why the Complexity Might Not Explain Consciousness

25:30 Is Consciousness Emergent or Fundamental?

29:45 Are Fundamentalia Conscious?

45:18 How Can Consciousness Solve Deep Problems of Physics?

52:14 Consciousness and Quantum Entanglement

01:00:11 Consciousness and the Many Worlds Theory of Quantum Mechanics

01:10:50 What Does an Electron Feel?

01:13:41 AI and Consciousness

01:22:42 Science and the Fundamentality of Consciousness

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Jacob Barandes is Senior Preceptor in Physics at Harvard University, where he works widely across the philosophy of physics, with focuses on the foundations of quantum mechanics, the philosophy of spacetime, and the metaphysics of laws. In this episode, Robinson and Jacob focus on the foundations of quantum mechanics. They discuss the importance of history and philosophy in the same, its connections to mathematics, many of the biggest puzzles in quantum physics, and Jacob’s new approach to the foundations, which he refers to as the “Indivisibility” approach.

Jacob's Website: https://www.jacobbarandes.com

OUTLINE

00:00 Mathematics, Nature, and Physics

07:55 The Deep Link Between Math and Physics CLIP

15:21 Scrutinizing the History and Philosophy of Physics

28:11 A Digression on Achille Varzi

36:53 The Etymology of “Matrix”

41:17 Learning from the History of Physics

52:38 Why Does Quantum Mechanics Need New Foundations?

59:04 Does Quantum Gravity Need New Quantum Foundations?

01;08:26 What Is a Constructive Physical Theory?

01:32:31 Markov Laws and Determinism

01:45:30 The Wave Function

02:06:53 Inconsistencies in Quantum Mechanics

02:12:20 What Is Quantum Decoherence?

02:23:10 The Biggest Problems in Quantum Foundations?

02:33:49 Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics

02:38:57 Quantum Mechanics, Many Worlds, and the Problem of Induction

02:50:05 The Indivisibility Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

03:04:42 What Are the Fundamentalia of the Universe?

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Lee Cronin is Regius Chair of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow. Among his many pursuits are the digitization of chemistry, the discovery of alien life, and the creation of artificial life. In this episode, Robinson and Lee focus on astrobiology, the chemistry of life as we know it, and the controversies surrounding artificial intelligence.

Lee’s Website: https://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/cronin/

Lee’s Twitter: https://x.com/leecronin

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

00:55 Lee’s Interests in the Origin of Life

10:29 Is Life Unique to Earth?

18:16 What Is the Self?

24:05 Is the Selfish Gene Hypothesis Wrong?

30:46 How Does Sand Turn into Cells?

44:02 What Is Chemputation?

45:41 What Is Assembly Theory?

01:11:33 Why Won’t We Find a Mine of Coffee Mugs on an Asteroid?

01:25:09 Has AI Become a Cult?

01:32:16 Will AI Use Biological Weapons to Wipe Out Humanity?

01:55:24 Why AI Can’t Be Agents

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Sara Imari Walker is Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, where she is Deputy Director of the Beyond Center. Sara is an astrobiologist and theoretical physicist, with research interests in the origins of life, artificial life, life and detection on other worlds. In this episode, Robinson and Sara discuss the physics that makes life possible. More particularly, they discuss assembly theory, the growing field of astrobiology, the difficulties of defining life, and where we are most likely to find aliens. Sara’s latest book is Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life’s Emergence (Riverhead Books, 2024).

Life as No One Knows It: https://a.co/d/2fdKa2e

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

00:35 The Connection Between Physics and Biology

07:15 Philosophy and the Origin of Life

10:03 Is the Selfish Gene Theory Wrong?

22:17 On Her Work with Lee Cronin

38:47 Experiments To Discover the Origin of Life

48:52 What Is Assembly Theory?

01:00:42 Are Boltzmann Brains Possible?

01:05:53 The Paradox of Defining Life

01:31:10 Is Life a Vague Concept?

01:38:13 Where Are All the Aliens?

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Visit our sponsor, Wealthfront!: wealthfront.com/robinson

Slavoj Žižek is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London, visiting professor at New York University, and a senior researcher at the University of Ljubljana’s Department of Philosophy. This is Slavoj’s fifth appearance on the show. On episode 109, he and Robinson discussed wokeness and psychoanalysis. On episode 118, he, Sean Carroll, and Robinson discussed quantum physics, the multiverse, and time travel. And on episode 206 he, Lee Smolin, and Robinson discussed quantum physics. In episode 212, Robinson and Slavoj talk about ancient philosophy, god, communism, quantum mechanics, and psychoanalysis. In this episode, they discuss current political events, marxism, quantum mechanics, and artificial intelligence. Slavoj’s upcoming book is Quantum History: A New Materialist Philosophy (Bloomsbury, 2025).
Quantum History: https://a.co/d/7WFcAGi

Visit our sponsor, Wealthfront!: wealthfront.com/robinson

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OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

01:07 Marxism and Quantum Mechanics

07:34 Why We Aren’t Pessimistic Enough

16:29 The Wisdom of the First Philosopher

29:27 The Assassination of Charlie Kirk

38:10 On Curtis Yarvin

49:23 The Naivety of Pete Hegseth

51:06 The Contradiction in American Fascism

57:43 Could a Coup Overthrow Trump?

01:04:17 The Utter Shamelessness of Today’s Society

01:14:15 The Danger of the Disappearing Left

01:18:06 AI Is a Tool of Authoritarian Suppression

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Go to https://surfshark.com/robinsonerhardt and use code robinsonerhardt at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!

Tyler Cowen is the Holbert L. Harris Chair of Economics at George Mason University and serves as chairman and faculty director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. A dedicated writer and communicator of economic ideas, Tyler is the author of several bestselling books and is widely published in academic journals and the popular media. In this episode, Robinson and Tyler discuss the economics of artificial intelligence. More particularly, they touch on whether AI will destroy humanity, how it will affect employment, whether there will no longer be a place for art in the marketplace, and more. Tyler’s latest book is Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World (St. Martin’s Press, 2022).

Marginal Revolution: https://marginalrevolution.com

Tyler’s X: https://x.com/tylercowen

Talent: https://a.co/d/ftqNWcn

OUTLINE

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:09 Why Won’t AI Destroy Humanity?

00:06:39 Will AI Be Good or Bad for Employment?

00:08:20 On Optimism

00:10:10 It Isn’t Inevitable that AI Will Wipe Out Human Life

00:19:03 How to Align AI with Human Interests

00:24:40 Reid’s Interest in Friendship

00:32:13 Why AI Can’t be Our Friends

00:36:33 Could AI Replace Therapists?

00:45:18 Using AI to Cure Cancer

00:52:04 Will AI Extinguish Humanity with a Virus?

01:00:02 How Will AI Make Us More Powerful Agents?

01:07:06 Will Academia Be Revolutionized by AI?

01:15:10 Are You an AI Native?

01:17:36 How to Invest in AI

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Reid Hoffman is the co-founder of LinkedIn, Manas AI, and Inflection AI. As an investor at Greylock, he is one of the leading figures in the tech industry, working at the forefront of AI development. In this episode, Reid and Robinson talk all about the future of AI. They begin by covering the worst case scenario—doomsday—and why Reid is optimistic about our chances. From there, they turn to how AI could help us cure cancer, replace therapists, enable us to be more powerful agents, and make our lives better. Reid’s most recent book is Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future (2025).

Reid’s Website: https://www.reidhoffman.org

Superagency: https://a.co/d/hdSZeCY

OUTLINE

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:09 Why Won’t AI Destroy Humanity?

00:06:39 Will AI Be Good or Bad for Employment?

00:08:20 On Optimism

00:10:10 It Isn’t Inevitable that AI Will Wipe Out Human Life

00:19:03 How to Align AI with Human Interests

00:24:40 Reid’s Interest in Friendship

00:32:13 Why AI Can’t be Our Friends

00:36:33 Could AI Replace Therapists?

00:45:18 Using AI to Cure Cancer

00:52:04 Will AI Extinguish Humanity with a Virus?

01:00:02 How Will AI Make Us More Powerful Agents?

01:07:06 Will Academia Be Revolutionized by AI?

01:15:10 Are You an AI Native?

01:17:36 How to Invest in AI

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.