Author Archives: Lex Fridman

#229 – Richard Wrangham: Role of Violence, Sex, and Fire in Human Evolution

Richard Wrangham is a biological anthropologist at Harvard, specializing in the study of primates and the evolution of violence, sex, cooking, culture, and other aspects of ape and human behavior. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– ROKA: https://roka.com/ and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order
– Theragun: https://therabody.com/lex to get 30 day trial
– ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free
– NI: https://www.ni.com/perspectives
– Grammarly: https://grammarly.com/lex to get 20% off premium

EPISODE LINKS:
Richard’s Website: https://heb.fas.harvard.edu/people/richard-w-wrangham
The Goodness Paradox (book): https://amzn.to/3aqg9tg
Catching Fire (book): https://amzn.to/3FAZAcz

PODCAST INFO:
Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8
RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/
YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman
YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips

SUPPORT & CONNECT:
– Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast
– Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman
– Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman
– Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman

OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(08:13) – Violence in humans vs violence in chimps
(27:45) – Study of violence in chimps
(46:40) – Human evolution and violence
(1:43:08) – The Goodness Paradox and Catching Fire
(1:55:26) – How cooking changed our evolution
(2:10:11) – The beauty of the human mind emerges
(2:14:18) – A map of how chimps, gorillas, and humans are all related
(2:26:50) – Preserving nature
(2:34:41) – The meaning of life

#228 – RZA: Wu-Tang Clan, Kung Fu, Chess, God, Life, and Death

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RZA is a rapper, record producer, filmmaker, actor, writer, philosopher, and the mastermind of the legendary hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– ROKA: https://roka.com/ and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order
– Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex and use code LEX to get 1 month of fish oil
– SimpliSafe: https://simplisafe.com/lex and use code LEX to get a free security camera
– Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings
– BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off

EPISODE LINKS:
RZA’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/RZA
RZA’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rza
Wu-Tang Clan Website: https://wutangclan.net

OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(06:57) – Life and death
(14:16) – Quincy Jones
(19:39) – Quentin Tarantino
(23:05) – Kung Fu
(28:01) – Biggie
(29:48) – Tupac
(32:45) – Nas
(35:48) – Favorite verse
(39:46) – Who is God?
(44:56) – Wu-Tang Clan
(48:49) – Bruce Lee
(55:40) – Godfather
(1:01:36) – Veganism
(1:06:27) – AI
(1:10:41) – Chess
(1:14:00) – American Gangster
(1:19:55) – Creativity
(1:26:24) – Advice for young people
(1:29:47) – Meaning of life

#227 – Sean Kelly: Existentialism, Nihilism, and the Search for Meaning

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Sean Kelly is a philosopher at Harvard specializing in existentialism and the philosophy of mind. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– Coinbase: https://coinbase.com/lex to get $5 in free Bitcoin
– InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex and use code Lex25 to get 25% off
– NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour
– Ladder: https://ladderlife.com/lex
– Sunbasket: https://sunbasket.com/lex and use code LEX to get $35 off

EPISODE LINKS:
Sean’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/sean_d_kelly
Sean’s Website: https://scholar.harvard.edu/sdkelly
Sean’s Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Dorrance_Kelly

OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(06:50) – Existentialism
(26:58) – Nietzsche and nihilism
(44:35) – Dostoevsky
(1:00:02) – Camus and suicide
(1:18:31) – The Big Lebowski
(1:26:20) – Ayn Rand
(1:36:28) – Evil
(1:47:03) – Heidegger
(1:58:43) – Hubert Dreyfus
(2:04:35) – Moby Dick
(2:15:51) – David Foster Wallace
(2:36:03) – Can AI make art?
(2:55:46) – Meaning of life

#226 – Jo Boaler: How to Learn Math

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Jo Boaler is a professor of mathematics education at Stanford and the co-founder of youcubed. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– Truebill: https://truebill.com/lex
– Fundrise: https://fundrise.com/lex
– ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free
– Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit
– Stamps.com: https://stamps.com and use code LEX to get free postage & scale

EPISODE LINKS:
Jo’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/joboaler
youcubed: https://www.youcubed.org/
Jo’s Books: https://amzn.to/2Y3S2xW
Elastic by Leonard Mlodinow: https://amz.run/4tCk
Deep Work by Cal Newport: https://amz.run/4tCl
3Blue1Brown: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYO_jab_esuFRV4b17AJtAw
Manim: https://github.com/3b1b/manim

OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(06:48) – What is beautiful about mathematics?
(15:37) – How difficult should math really be?
(23:56) – Students giving up on math
(35:17) – Improving math education in schools
(45:14) – Inspiring mathematical creativity
(1:03:00) – youcubed
(1:07:20) – Best methods for studying math
(1:27:54) – Advice for young people

#225 – Jeffrey Shainline: Neuromorphic Computing and Optoelectronic Intelligence

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Jeffrey Shainline is a physicist at NIST working on. Note: Opinions expressed by Jeff do not represent NIST. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– Stripe: https://stripe.com
– Codecademy: https://codecademy.com and use code LEX to get 15% off
– Linode: https://linode.com/lex to get $100 free credit
– BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off

EPISODE LINKS:
Jeff’s Website: http://www.shainline.net
Jeff’s Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rnHpY3YAAAAJ
Jeff’s NIST Page: https://www.nist.gov/people/jeff-shainline

OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(05:56) – How are processors made?
(25:15) – Are engineers or physicists more important
(27:43) – Super-conductivity
(43:31) – Computation
(48:07) – Computation vs communication
(51:48) – Electrons for computation and light for communication
(1:02:32) – Neuromorphic computing
(1:27:23) – What is NIST?
(1:30:41) – Implementing super-conductivity
(1:38:20) – The future of neuromorphic computing
(1:57:54) – Loop neurons
(2:04:09) – Machine learning
(2:18:36) – Cosmological evolution
(2:25:44) – Cosmological natural selection
(2:43:05) – Life in the universe
(2:50:52) – The rare Earth hypothesis

#224 – Travis Oliphant: NumPy, SciPy, Anaconda, Python & Scientific Programming

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Travis Oliphant is a data scientist, entrepreneur, and creator of NumPy, SciPy, and Anaconda. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– Novo: https://banknovo.com/lex
– Allform: https://allform.com/lex to get 20% off
– Onnit: https://lexfridman.com/onnit to get up to 10% off
– Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex and use code LEX to get 1 month of fish oil
– Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium

EPISODE LINKS:
Travis’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/teoliphant
Travis’s Wiki Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_Oliphant
NumPy: https://numpy.org/
SciPy: https://scipy.org/about.html
Anaconda: https://www.anaconda.com/products/individual
Quansight: https://www.quansight.com

OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(07:06) – Early programming
(28:47) – SciPy
(45:41) – Open source
(57:23) – NumPy
(1:34:39) – Guido van Rossum
(1:46:57) – Efficiency
(1:55:49) – Objects
(2:02:47) – Numba
(2:11:53) – Anaconda
(2:16:20) – Conda
(2:31:56) – Quansight Labs
(2:35:32) – OpenTeams
(2:43:05) – GitHub
(2:48:35) – Marketing
(2:53:13) – Great programming
(3:04:03) – Hiring
(3:08:01) – Advice for young people

#223 – Travis Stevens: Judo, Olympics, and Mental Toughness

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Travis Stevens is the 2016 Olympic Judo silver medalist and BJJ black belt. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– Justworks: https://justworks.com
– Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit
– MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/lex to get 15% off
– Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings

EPISODE LINKS:
Travis’s Website: https://www.travisstevensgrappling.com/
Travis’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/judosilencer
Travis’s Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TravisStevensgrappling
Travis’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judosilencer

OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(10:08) – What is Judo?
(17:55) – Travis’s signature throw
(23:20) – Fundamentals
(25:12) – Throws
(38:04) – Gripping
(46:37) – Weight cutting
(1:15:50) – Injuries
(1:19:50) – Jiu-Jitsu
(1:23:33) – Lex on his judo competition experience
(1:26:58) – Levels of mastery
(1:40:09) – Matches
(1:54:10) – Travis inspired Lex to practice judo
(2:00:24) – London 2012 Olympic games
(2:42:01) – 2016 Olympic games
(3:16:24) – Mixed team competition
(3:23:50) – The value of epic throws
(3:27:17) – Shohei Ono
(3:33:39) – Chess
(3:38:42) – The coach
(3:45:18) – Advice for young people

#222 – Jay McClelland: Neural Networks and the Emergence of Cognition

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Jay McClelland is a cognitive scientist at Stanford. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– Paperspace: https://gradient.run/lex to get $15 credit
– Skiff: https://skiff.org/lex to get early access
– Uprising Food: https://uprisingfood.com/lex to get $10 off 1st starter bundle
– Four Sigmatic: https://foursigmatic.com/lex and use code LexPod to get up to 60% off
– Onnit: https://lexfridman.com/onnit to get up to 10% off

EPISODE LINKS:
Jay’s Website: https://stanford.edu/~jlmcc/

OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(07:12) – Beauty in neural networks
(11:31) – Darwin and evolution
(17:16) – The origin of intelligence
(23:58) – Explorations in cognition
(30:02) – Learning representations by back-propagating errors
(36:27) – Dave Rumelhart and cognitive modeling
(49:30) – Connectionism
(1:12:23) – Geoffrey Hinton
(1:14:19) – Learning in a neural network
(1:31:11) – Mathematics & reality
(1:38:19) – Modeling intelligence
(1:48:57) – Noam Chomsky and linguistic cognition
(2:03:18) – Advice for young people
(2:14:26) – Psychiatry and exploring the mind
(2:27:04) – Legacy
(2:32:53) – Meaning of life

#221 – Douglas Lenat: Cyc and the Quest to Solve Common Sense Reasoning in AI

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Douglas Lenat is the founder of Cyc, a 37 year project aiming to solve common-sense knowledge and reasoning in AI. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– Squarespace: https://lexfridman.com/squarespace and use code LEX to get 10% off
– BiOptimizers: http://www.magbreakthrough.com/lex to get 10% off
– Stamps.com: https://stamps.com and use code LEX to get free postage & scale
– LMNT: https://drinkLMNT.com/lex to get free sample pack
– ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free

EPISODE LINKS:
Douglas’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/cycorpai
Cyc’s Website: https://cyc.com

OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(07:39) – What is Cyc?
(15:45) – How to form a knowledge base of the universe
(26:11) – How to train an AI knowledge base
(30:32) – Global consistency versus local consistency
(54:53) – Automated reasoning
(1:00:33) – Direct uses of AI and machine learning
(1:13:11) – The semantic web
(1:23:44) – Tools to help Cyc interpret data
(1:32:54) – The most beautiful idea about Cyc
(1:38:53) – Love and consciousness in AI
(1:45:52) – The greatness of Marvin Minsky
(1:50:46) – Is Cyc just a beautiful dream?
(1:55:31) – What is OpenCyc and how was it born?
(2:01:21) – The open source community and OpenCyc
(2:11:48) – The inference problem
(2:13:31) – Cyc’s programming language
(2:21:05) – Ontological engineering
(2:28:30) – Do machines think?
(2:37:15) – Death and consciousness
(2:47:16) – What would you say to AI?
(2:51:52) – Advice to young people
(2:53:48) – Mortality

#220 – Niels Jorgensen: New York Firefighters and the Heroes of 9/11

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Niels Jorgensen is a former New York firefighter for over 21 years, who was there at Ground Zero on September 11th, 2001. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– ROKA: https://roka.com/ and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order
– MUD\WTR: https://mudwtr.com/lex and use code LEX to get 5% off
– Magic Spoon: https://magicspoon.com/lex and use code LEX to get $5 off
– Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium

EPISODE LINKS:
Niels’s 20 for 20 Podcast: https://ironlightlabs.org/20-for-20/

OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(08:52) – September 11, 2001
(36:48) – Falling man
(40:58) – Ground Zero
(47:17) – 20 for 20
(50:27) – What it means to be a great firefighter
(53:11) – Why did you become a firefighter?
(55:00) – Tally Ho
(57:46) – New view of the world
(1:05:16) – Empathy
(1:09:49) – Leukemia
(1:25:18) – New York City
(1:31:28) – John Feal
(1:44:57) – Conspiracy theories
(1:53:45) – Faith
(1:55:44) – Modern communication
(2:00:11) – Hand written letters
(2:14:02) – Love
(2:25:45) – War in Afghanistan
(2:37:24) – Brave stories from 9/11