Really enjoyed this chat with Dan Williams. On Henrich & cultural evo, ‘markets for rationalisations’, ‘luxury beliefs’, AI persuasion, AI fact-checking, misinformation, ‘inoculation’ against fake news, ‘mind viruses’ (variously under- and overrated…)

Enjoyed this wide-ranging conversation with the excellent Fin Moorhouse 👇

I thought it was supposed to be 50-50? But exactly one outcome 100% happened!

What kinds of (moral) progress or harmless social change might you struggle to accept, against your better angels? Wondering how much is predictable ahead of time here. One guess is vestigal, overly dismissive, attitudes to leisure. Or discounting AI advice as ‘inauthentic’?

Sustained improvements in crop yields are an underrated human achievement

The Dangers of Mirrored Life 🦠 In a Science article published today, 30+ scientists call on the broader community to confront the serious risks of creating "mirrored" lifeforms. They lay out their case in a compelling, 300-page technical report. Check out our Special Report🔻

We just published a big report at Asimov Press about the dangers from mirrored life. It accompanies an article that just came out in Science Magazine. I hope you'll check it out!

When biosecurity experts decide to publicize biorisks, you know it's time to listen. Today's article by Niko McCarty 🧫 and Fin Moorhouse breaks down a problem confronting synthetic biology and urges us to preempt a line of research that could be catastrophic in the worst case.

I really enjoyed the questions from mattclancy and Fin Moorhouse at the Hear This Idea podcast. We discussed influence without authority, DARPA's early support for Moderna and other work on mRNA vaccines, and how to create positive, self-fulfilling prophecies.