Afleveringen
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Journalist and political communications specialist Gil Duran joins Dave for a discussion of The Network State, the latest in a long line of Libertarian Exit ideologies. Based on the ideas of people like Patri Friedman, Balaji Srinavasan, and Curtis Yarvin, the movement ultimately aims to dismantle the American government in favor of a network of federated states, all competing for citizens. The ideology has found a home in the second Trump administration and is gaining momentum quickly. Dave and Gil discuss what it is, where it came from, and how to go about stopping its spread.
Interview starts at 02:47
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:05 Exploring the Network State Concept
02:47 Mainstream Media's Reluctance
03:40 Historical Context and Silicon Valley's Influence
04:42 Local Politics and Billionaire Influence
05:22 Acceleration of Network State Ideologies
07:54 Freedom Cities and Corporate Dystopias
11:59 Exit vs. Voice: Libertarian Ideals
17:36 Cultish Movements and Apocalyptic Visions
22:48 Autocracy Inc. and Global Implications
33:12 Bitcoin and Right-Wing Politics
34:02 Network State and Democracy
34:29 Media and Political Awareness
35:37 Democrats and Cryptocurrency
43:51 Technocracy and Historical Parallels
51:43 Substack vs. Ghost Platform
55:00 Future Political Landscape
01:02:45 Grassroots Movements and Conclusion
Links:
https://thenerdreich.com
https://x.com/gilduran76
https://theframelab.org
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Donald Trump wasn't the first presidential candidate to be groomed by the KGB to advance Russian interests. That dubious honor belongs to Henry A. Wallace, who ran for president in 1948.
Dave interviews Benn Steil, an economist and historian from the Council on Foreign Relations. They discuss his latest book, 'The World That Wasn't, Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century.' The conversation explores Wallace's intriguing political and personal life, his contributions as Agriculture Secretary under FDR, his mystical beliefs, and his controversial political career. The discussion includes the impact of Wallace's policies, his interactions with and influence from historical figures like Nicholas Roerich, and his eventual fall from political grace leading up to the 1944 Democratic Convention. The guest also draws parallels between Wallace's complex legacy and contemporary political narratives, including potential influences on modern American politics.
Links:
https://america2.news/donald-trump-isnt-the-first-presidential-candidate-groomed-by-the-kgb/
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/genuine-case-collusion?ref=america2.news
https://www.cfr.org/expert/benn-steil
https://x.com/bennsteil
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/14/nyregion/nyc-911-calls-riverside-drive.html
https://www.roerich.org/
Interview begins at 02:47.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Background
00:20 Henry Wallace: A Counterfactual History
02:27 Henry Wallace's Early Life and Agricultural Innovations
06:39 Wallace's Mystical Pursuits and Political Controversies
12:39 Wallace's Political Ideologies and Economic Views
23:25 Wallace's Vice Presidency and Political Challenges
29:06 Wallace's Diplomatic Missions and Downfall
33:51 Manipulating Visits: The Russian Blueprint
34:30 The DNC's Maneuvering for a New VP
37:47 The 1944 Democratic Convention Chaos
41:02 Wallace's Downfall and Truman's Rise
45:50 Wallace's Post-VP Career and Conflicts
48:43 Wallace's 1948 Presidential Run and Communist Ties
54:40 Parallels Between Wallace and Trump
58:38 The Masonic Dollar Bill Redesign
01:00:49 Conclusion and Future Prospects
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Dave interviews Katherine Stewart about her new book 'Money, Lies, and God,' which explores extremist movements in the United States, particularly focusing on the rise of anti-democratic sentiment and Christian nationalism. Katherine shares her background in reporting over the past 16 years and discusses how she began investigating these movements after a 'Good News Club' appeared at her daughter's school. She categorizes the key players in these movements into 'funders,' 'thinkers,' and 'foot soldiers' and discusses how their interactions threaten the foundations of American democracy. The interview also touches on the disinformation campaigns, the international dimension of these extremist networks, and the importance of engaging in local politics and voting to sustain democracy.
00:00 Introduction and Book Overview
00:19 Katherine's Background and Initial Interest
00:38 The Good News Club and Its Impact
02:57 Researching the Legal Advocacy Groups
04:03 The Larger Agenda and War on Public Education
04:59 Categorizing the Networks: Funders, Thinkers, and Foot Soldiers
07:45 Christian Nationalism and Its Political Machine
12:51 The Role of Spirit Warriors and Spiritual Warfare
16:56 Influence of Thinkers: Leo Strauss and Carl Schmitt
22:02 The Concept of a Red Caesar
31:24 Global Reactionary Movements and Religious Nationalism
37:38 The Role of Funders and Money in Politics
42:19 Pro-Democracy Initiatives and Individual Actions
46:38 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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Dave interviews Dina Khapaeva, Russian culture expert at Georgia Tech, about the book "Third Empire: Russia as it ought to be," written by Mikhail Yuriev, one of the authors of Project Russia, which we have also covered in the last two episodes.
Dina specializes in Russian historical memory and contemporary issues. She provides an in-depth background on her research and her personal history, including her family's experience with Stalinist terror. The discussion focuses on the troubling, far-right ideologies that have been shaping Russia's political strategy, particularly explored through the lens of Mikhail Yuryev's novel 'Third Empire, The Russia That Ought To Be' and the Project Russia texts. Dr. Penkrmanova explains how these narratives, rooted in neo-Eurasianist ideology and medieval Russian history, inform Putin's geopolitics and expansionist aims. The conversation also touches on the implications of these ideologies for Western policymakers and the political landscape, emphasizing the urgent need to recognize and respond to these Russian ambitions.
The Utopian Russian Novel that Predicted Putin's War Plan, March 26, 2022
The West Doesn't Realize How Much Danger It's In, August 24, 2022
Putin's Dark Ages, 2023
Dina Khapaeva website
00:00 Introduction and Guest Background
00:17 Early Career and Shift to Sociology
01:00 Focus on Historical Memory
02:24 Current Role at Georgia Tech
02:59 Discussion on Mikhail Yuryev's Book
03:49 Yuryev's Influence and Political Connections
07:05 Fortress Russia and Far-Right Ideology
10:18 Neo-Eurasianism and Western Perception
19:57 Summary of 'Third Empire' Plot
23:07 Implications of Yuryev's Vision
32:04 The Devastation of War: Casualties and Destruction
32:58 Russian Ideology: Antichrist and Apocalypse
33:42 Western Perception and Putin's Strategy
34:34 The Primakov Doctrine and Nuclear Threats
38:14 Yuriev's Vision: A New Social Order
45:58 The Role of Memory Politics in Russia
51:49 Yuriev's Influence in the United States
57:21 The Patriarchal Society and Gender Issues
01:00:41 The Urgency of Recognizing the Russian Threat
01:03:10 Conclusion: The Future of Russia and Global Implications
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Dave interviews noted British journalist and documentarian Lucy Ash about her new book, The Baton and the Cross: Russia's Church from Pagans to Putin.
They discuss intricate relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the modern Russian state. The interview explores the history of Orthodoxy in Russia, tracing its origins from medieval times through periods of upheaval, including the Bolshevik Revolution and the Stalinist era. Lucy discusses the personal connections that inspired her to write the book, her early perceptions of the church's potential for good, and how current events are influenced by historical precedents. The conversation examines key figures such as Patriarch Kirill and President Vladimir Putin, highlighting how orthodoxy has been used to underpin Russian nationalism and policy. The dialogue also touches on the broader social impacts of this relationship, including attitudes towards LGBTQ+ issues and women's rights. The interview concludes with reflections on Putin's personal religiosity and his regime's strategic use of the church to consolidate power.
The Baton and the Cross
Lucy Ash on X
Lucy Ash Website
00:00 Introduction and Personal Connection to Russia
03:55 Historical Background of the Orthodox Church in Russia
08:27 Ivan the Terrible and the Oprichniki
11:40 Peter the Great and Catherine the Great's Influence
29:13 The Bolshevik Revolution and Its Impact on the Church
40:54 Smuggling Bibles into Eastern Europe
42:33 Religion and State in Russia
44:06 Russian Mysticism and Superstition
46:09 Orthodoxy and Russian Identity
47:44 LGBTQ Issues and Russian Orthodoxy
50:49 Pussy Riot and Church-State Relations
53:03 Domestic Violence and the Church
57:01 Putin's Spirituality and the Church
01:00:45 The Military Cathedral
01:06:47 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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You've heard of Project 2025, but there's another framework that may be even more important for understanding the current assault on Western democracies. "Project Russia" is a series of books published between 2005 and 2010, and it outlines a strategic vision for total war on the West, against democracies, and against the US dollar and other fiat currencies.
Nearly unknown to Western analysts, the concepts described in Project Russia increasingly reflect the events we see playing out on a daily basis: a war over competing worldviews with capture of media, the use of podcasts and other alternative media to challenge the mainstream press, and the emergence of a new class of unelected 'elite' demagogues who seem to be taking control of global affairs. This episode analyzes the four original Project Russia books with the help of Google's NotebookLM, and offers 'deep dives' into specific areas of the texts.
More on Project Russia from Dave Troy:
https://washingtonspectator.org/project-russia-reveals-putins-playbook/
Keywords: Project Russia, conservatism, nationalism, religion, Orthodoxy, geopolitics, ideology, Antichrist, apocalypse, conspiracy, collapse, future, prediction, The Idea, world order, West, elites, manipulation, control, change, modernity, post-modernity, capitalism, consumerism, society, state, power, authority, history, monarchy.
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Big tech companies are playing an outsized role in our world and are increasingly involved in creating policy that has negative impacts on democracies. In her book The Tech Coup, Marietje Schaake argues that companies need to be reined in, and that democracies need to organize themselves in ways that can withstand the challenges posed by these companies and their increasingly imperious owners.
Marietje joins Dave for a spirited post-election conversation about how the Tech Coup is playing out right now, and what we can do about it.
MarietjeSchaake (X, Bluesky, Mastodon)
"The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley"
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691241173/the-tech-coup
Keywords:
Tech Coup, Democracy, Elon Musk, Regulation, Cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, Global Governance, Public Stack, Resilience, Alternative Platforms, Geopolitics, Cybersecurity, Social Inequality, Ukraine War, Authoritarianism, Disinformation, Digital Infrastructure, Data Centers, Procurement, Investments, AI, Cables, Data Centers
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In this special bonus episode, Dave interviews author Peter Pomerantsev about his new book "How to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler." The book explores the work of Sefton Delmer, a journalist who developed unique ways to destabilize Hitler's propaganda programming. Their conversation was recorded on October 28, 2024, at Bird In Hand Books in Baltimore, Maryland.
Pomerantsev is the author of two other books on disinformation and propaganda, "Nothing Is True and Everything is Possible," and "This Is Not Propaganda." He is currently based at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
Pomerantsev also delivered a TED Talk at TEDxMidAtlantic in Washington, D.C. in June 2024.
Links:
TED Talk (2024)
How To Win an Information War (2024)
This Is Not Propaganda (2019)
Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible (2014)
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The term "October Surprise" has come to mean any kind of shock that might upend a November election. But the original October Surprise was in 1980, when Ronald Reagan's campaign operatives conspired with the fundamentalist Iranian regime to keep 52 American hostages in Tehran until after the presidential election of 1980 — all but ensuring a loss for incumbent candidate Jimmy Carter.
This is the account provided by author Craig Unger, who has been following the "October Surprise" story since 1991, and during that time has been able accumulate evidence to confirm that yes, the October Surprise really happened. This almost unbelievable story is documented in his new book, "Den of Spies: Reagan, Carter, and the Secret History of the Treason That Stole the White House, " recently published by Harper Collins.
Craig joins Dave for a fascinating discussion of this complicated history, and its implications on American politics today.
Purchase: Den of Spies
Follow Craig Unger on X
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No joke: Peter Thiel envisioned PayPal as a way to challenge to the global political order. And that vision is just now coming into place in 2024. In this election cycle, cryptocurrency interests have surpassed $120 million, surpassing even big oil, in trying to capture candidates from both political parties. This episode features a recording of a Twitter (X) space recorded on September 12, 2024 exploring this set of topics. The space was coordinated by Jake Donoghue, and includes several leading crypto critics: me, David Gerard, Mark Hays, John Reed Stark, and Mark R. Smith.
Follow on X: @JDonoghueAuthor, @JohnReedStark, @DavidGerard, @AmScream, @Miercoles_Hays, @davetroy
Jake Donoghue Twitter Space
Peter Thiel at Libertopia 2010
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The secretive Catholic sect Opus Dei seems to be popping up everywhere. But what is it? Many people are familiar with it from depictions in fiction like "The Davinci Code," but the reality is both more mundane and in many ways, more sinister.
Dave is joined by financial journalist Gareth Gore, who got into the story by covering the failure of Spanish bank Banco Popular. He found that the bank led to a rabbit hole — and in the center of it was Opus Dei. Part classic authoritarian mind control cult, part spiritual organization, part fraud, and part geopolitical powerhouse, Gore's new book "Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church" is a page-turning account of one of the most influential groups in the last 100 years.
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Generative Artificial Intelligence has topped tech headlines for the last two years, but it's possible we may be reaching a limit of what can be achieved using current approaches. Concerns about reliability and now, return on investment for the countless billions invested in the sector, may put AI's short-term future in doubt.
Dave interviews AI expert Gary Marcus, a psychologist, cognitive scientist, and author, known for his research at the intersection of cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. He's also a professor emeritus of psychology and neuroscience at New York university.
While both Gary and Dave notably have a pro-tech stance, they also want to ensure that we build tools that work well, are sustainable, and are ethically sound. They explore this topic and more in a wide ranging discussion.
Gary Marcus: X Substack TED
GenAI: Too Much Spend, Too Little Benefit? (Goldman Sachs)
The Hardware Lottery by Sara Hooker
KAN: Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks (multiple authors)
Keywords: AI, LLMs, OpenAI, GenAI, Gary Marcus, ROI, truth, System 1, System 2, Kahneman, hardware lottery, Sara Hooker.
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It's shaping up to be the hottest July on record, and things couldn't be more strange in the political realm. From multiple bombshell rulings from the Supreme Court to widespread speculation about whether Joe Biden should step aside after his halting debate performance, it feels like things couldn't get any crazier. Yet, that's entirely possible.
Dave talks with Jack Bryan, director of the film ACTIVE MEASURES and creator of the podcasts AMERICAN PSYOP and LAWYERS, GUNS, and MONEY about what's happened, what's at stake, and where things might go next. Recorded during the July 4th holiday, at the beach in Delaware.
Keywords: SCOTUS, Immunity, Chevron, SEC, Jarkesy, debate, Biden, convention, institutions, rule of law, democracy, autocracy, authoritarianism, Trump, fascism.
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For decades, a highly entrepreneurial group of researchers, scientists, and journalists has been at the center of the movement to “disclose” the existence of extraterrestrial visitors to Earth — and they’ve scored what may be their biggest legislative victory yet.
The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed in December, includes a provision that requires the federal government to provide any and all records on UAP.
Activists hope that a deluge of new UAP information will be disclosed later this year — smack in the middle of election season. The new law requires that all UAP-related records created more than 25 years ago must be made public — unless personally blocked by President Biden.
Dave talks with researcher Jack Brewer and veteran journalist Art Levine in two separate interviews, to hear each of their perspectives on what's going on. It's a rich, detailed conversation you won't want to miss.
Is a UFO Hoax a Ticking Time Bomb for Biden by Dave Troy, Washington Spectator
Spaceship of Fools by Art Levine, Washington Spectator
AARO Historical Report (March 2024)
Expanding Frontiers Research
Keywords: Danny Sheehan, NDAA, Robert Bigelow, Brandon Fugal, Skinwalker Ranch, Luis Elizondo, Hal Puthoff, Russell Targ, Institute of Noetic Sciences, Christopher Mellon, Timothy Mellon, RFK Jr., Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Noosphere, Vladimir Vernadsky, Vladimir Putin, KGB, UFO, UAP, Noosphere.
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American society seems to be devolving into two bitterly opposed and diametrically polarized camps. Not just around politics, but around culture as well.
Jonathan Stray studies conflict, and tries to identify ways in which we can learn to conflict with each other more productively. He is a researcher at the Center for Human Compatible AI at the University of California Berkeley, where his work looks at a range of scientific and academic study of conflict and online behaviors.
He talks with Dave about his work, why Americans are so divided, and what we might do about it. They also discuss where some of his funding comes from, and the messy world of think tanks.
Keywords: conflict, polarization, social media, online interaction, CHAI, Center for Human Compatible AI, Jonathan Stray, Better Conflict Bulletin, University of California Berkeley, Mercatus Center.
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On January 8, 2024, Dave hosted a space on "X" (formerly Twitter) for an overview of what to expect in geopolitics in 2024. In this wide ranging monologue, Dave covers many topics including the US elections, Russia's war against Ukraine, the brewing conflict in the Middle East, and rising tensions in Asia between Taiwan, China, and Japan.
Keywords: geopolitics, 2024, election, Russia, Ukraine, Putin, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, China, Taiwan, Japan, Trump, RFK Jr, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Red-Brown Alliance, Dugin, conscious evolution, history, atomic bomb, Leo Szilard, Robert Oppenheimer, Katechon, Eschaton, Eschatology, Nuclear War, Apocalypse, end times, Christian Nationalism, Barbara Marx Hubbard, New Age, cults.
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Psychedelic drugs are having a moment, like SSRI's and Valium did decades before. What if there's a simple way for people to feel happier and more connected to the world while ushering in world peace at the same time? That's what many advocates of psychedelic drugs claim, but the reality is a lot more complicated.
Dave talks with Neşe Devenot, a writer and early psychedelics advocate who has increasingly become a critic of the attitudes and capital that are lining up behind the popularization of these drugs. While they do hold some promise, some are advocating that they be used as a salve to dampen the negative externalities caused by crony capitalism and extractive resource use. Devenot and her co-authors on multiple papers think that's not okay — and we get to explore all the reasons why.
TESCREAL hallucinations: Psychedelic and AI hype as inequality engines
Dark Side of the Shroom: Erasing Indigenous and Counterculture Wisdoms with Psychedelic Capitalism, and the Open Source Alternative
‘More evolved than you’: Evolutionary spirituality as a cultural frame for psychedelic experiences
Right-Wing Psychedelia: Case Studies in Cultural Plasticity and Political Pluripotency
"Starseed," by Timothy Leary
Spirituality & Psychedelics with Rick Doblin (The Marianne Williamson Podcast)
Keywords: Rick Doblin, MAPS, Marianne Williamson, Neşe Devenot, LSD, Ketamine, MDMA, DMT, Ecstasy, Rebekah Mercer, Elizabeth Koch, Elon Musk, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Conscious Evolution, Fundamentalism, Jules Evans, Teilhard, Vernadsky, Noosphere, Psilocybin, Magic Mushrooms, Ayahuasca, Mescaline, TESCREAL, AI, Longtermism, Artificial Intelligence, Silicon Valley, hierarchy, aristocracy, metanoia, overview effect.
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No discussion of the ways that the dollar and the United States are under attack would be complete without a contemporary exploration of the world of cryptocurrencies.
Zeke Faux, an investigative journalist with Bloomberg News, joins Dave to discuss his new book, "Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wide Rise and Staggering Fall," which is part research, part travelogue, and filled with bizarre schemes and colorful characters.
Number Go Up on Goodreads
Zeke Faux on X
NumberGoUpBook.com
Keywords: Bitcoin, Tether, NFTs, Crypto, FTX, Sam Bankman Fried, Axis, Brock Pierce, Pig Butchering, El Salvador, Bukele, Binance, CZ, Giancarlo Devasini, Jean Chalopin, Jean-Louis van der Velde, Inspector Gadget, Steve Bannon, Miami, Bored Ape, Libertarian, Gold Standard, Gamestop, Russia, Musk.
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The League of Nations was established in the wake of The Great War to prevent another war like it from ever happening again. While it was a noble effort, it became clear as Hitler and Mussolini rose to power, that such a design would not be capable of curbing rampant nationalism and conflicting national interests.
And Clarence Kirschman Streit saw it all unfold before his eyes. As a journalist for the New York Times covering the League of Nations in Geneva, he observed its operations in detail. At first, he thought he could offer ideas on how to fix it. But he came to realize that a new design was needed. He settled on a federated union, and wrote up his proposal in a book published in 1939 called "Union Now." It was well-received, but too late to prevent the horrors of World War II from unfolding.
In this episode, Dave talks with Dr. Tiziana Stella, Executive Director of the Streit Council, which works to help advance Clarence Streit's ideas. The fundamental design flaws he outlined in the 1930's are still threatening us today, and have left a door open for autocratic leaders like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
If we want a peaceful, democratic future, we would do well to listen to the lucid analysis of Clarence Streit.
More info:
https://www.streitcouncil.org/
https://twitter.com/tizistella
Union Now:
https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.262135
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Everyone's talking about AI, how it will change the world, and even suggesting it might end humanity as we know it. Dave is joined by Dr. Timnit Gebru and Émile Torres, two prominent critics of AI doomerism, to cut through the noise, and look at where these ideas really came from, and offer suggestions on how we might look at these problems differently. And they also offer a picture of the darker side of these ideas and how they connect to Eugenics and other ideologies historically.
Together Émile and Timnit coined an acronym called TESCREAL, which stands for Transhumanism, Extropianism, Singularitarianism, Cosmism, Rationalism, Effective Altruism, and Longtermism — and yeah, that's a lot of -isms. But it ties into other topics that we have covered in this series, including Russian Cosmism and Longtermism.
Dr. Gebru came to prominence in 2020 after she was fired from Google for speaking up about the company's lack of ethical guardrails in its AI development work. Émile Torres studies existential risk and has been a critic of the "longtermist" movement for several years. Dave last spoke with them last year in Season 1, Episode 23.
Here are some relevant articles from Timnit and Émile.
On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? (Bender, Gebru, McMillan-Major, Schmitchell)
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3442188.3445922
The Acronym Behind Our Wildest AI Dreams and Nightmares
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-acronym-behind-our-wildest-ai-dreams-and-nightmares/
Longtermism and Eugenics: A Primer, by Émile Torres
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/longtermism-and-eugenics-a-primer/
The Wide Angle: Understanding TESCREAL — the Weird Ideologies Behind Silicon Valley’s Rightward Turn, by Dave Troy
https://washingtonspectator.org/understanding-tescreal-silicon-valleys-rightward-turn/
Google Researcher Says She Was Fired Over Paper Highlighting Bias in A.I. (New York Times; Cade Metz, Daisuke Wakabayashi)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/03/technology/google-researcher-timnit-gebru.html
Keywords: existential risk, artificial intelligence, TESCREAL, Yudkowsky, Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Peter Diamandis, Ray Kurzweil, Timnit Gebru, Émile Torres, Gary Marcus, OpenAI, Google, doomerism.
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