Robert Wright: Evolution, Empathy, and the Future of Humanity

Homebrewed Christianity

Dr. Tripp Fuller | Theologian, Philosopher, Minister

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.6 • 612 Ratings

🗓️ 19 August 2024

⏱️ 95 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, I am joined by one of my favorite scholars in the public square, Robert Wright, the editor of the Nonzero Newsletter. This is a captivating discussion about artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the future of humanity. We explore Wright's extensive work, including 'Nonzero,' 'The Evolution of God,' and 'Why Buddhism is True,' while delving into the intersections of science, religion, and philosophy. Discover the implications of AI for humanity, the critical role of international cooperation in technology governance, and the moral and spiritual dimensions needed to navigate rapid technological changes. The conversation also addresses the complexities of sentience, cognitive empathy, and the evolutionary drives in AI, with insights from philosophers like Teilhard de Chardin and Alfred North Whitehead. Robert Wright is president of The Nonzero Foundation. He is the author, most recently, of Why Buddhism Is True. His previous book, The Evolution of God (2009), was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His other books include The Moral Animal, Nonzero, and Three Scientists and Their Gods. He has written for Time, Slate, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New Republic, The New York Times Magazine, Foreign Policy, and the op-ed pages of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Financial Times. In 2009 Foreign Policy magazine named him as one of the top 100 global thinkers. He has taught courses in philosophy and religion at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania. He is Visiting Professor of Science and Religion at Union Theological Seminary in New York, and is editor-in-chief of the websites Bloggingheads.tv and MeaningofLife.tv. WATCH the conversation on YouTube Previous Episodes with Robert Wright From Mindful Resistance to the New Agnosticism The Evolution of God _____________________ Join my Substack - Process This! Join our upcoming class - THE GOD OF THE BIBLE: An Absolutely Clear and Final Guide to Ultimate Mystery ;) Come to THEOLOGY BEER CAMP. Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What is up theology nerds?
0:04.8	This is Tripp.
0:06.4	And today on the podcast, you're going to get to hear from the author of Non Zero,
0:12.9	the author of The Evolution of God, the author of why Buddhism is right,
0:17.2	the author of the Non Zero newsletter and the podcast, the inventor of blockingheads.
0:22.6	And you know what else?
0:24.9	You know what else?
0:25.8	He's my favorite substack.
0:27.4	That's what I'm just saying.
0:28.6	The non-zero newsletter, Bob Wright or Robert Wright, on substack is there.
0:33.4	He's a journalist, but he's always had a deep interest in science, religion, philosophy,
0:39.0	questions of consciousness.
0:40.9	He's a progressive realist when it goes to thinking about foreign policy and insist that the bipartisan
0:45.7	consensus of the way America relates in the world is deeply problematic and not leading to
0:50.5	the flourishing of humanity and this horizon.
0:52.9	And he's in the middle of writing a book
0:55.1	on artificial intelligence. So I said, Bob, can I have you back on the podcast? And he said, yes.
1:02.5	So here it is. So I was talking about artificial intelligence, cognitive empathy, and a whole
1:08.4	bunch of things related to his books and how it shows up.
1:11.6	I want to let you know.
1:12.9	If you are not already on my substack process, this dot substack.com, then head over there
1:18.8	because it's a great time to get on substack.
	...

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