Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) interview some of the world's leading economists, political scientists, and philosophers to discuss their ideas and what they mean for society, technology, and the economy.
Corporal Dmytro on Serving on the Frontlines of Ukraine
Corporal Dmytro joins New Frontier to discuss his experiences in the Ukrainian military and the ongoing conflict with Russia. Some highlights:Firsthand account of the Russian invasion's early days and the chaos of initial combat operationsEvolution of the conflict from early artillery dominance to drone warfare and trench combatComparison of Ukrainian and Russian military capabilities and adaptations over timeImpact of Western aid on Ukraine's defensive capabilities and moraleRealities of frontline combat, including the constant threat of artillery and drone strikesChallenges of fighting against numerically superior Russian forcesShift in global perception of the conflict's duration and Ukraine's resilienceCritical role of continued Western financial and military support
10/2/2024 • 28 minutes, 21 seconds
Brian Streem on Building a Startup in Ukraine
Brian Streem joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss building his startup in Ukraine and his thoughts on the conflict. Some highlights:Brian's company Vermeer and its vision-based navigation system for GPS-denied environmentsBrian's journey from film production and drone cinematography to defense technologyThe impact of Russian electronic warfare on GPS-dependent systemsWhy Brian decided to move to Ukraine to work on the groundThe challenges and opportunities of developing defense technology in an active war zoneDifferences between US and Ukrainian defense tech entrepreneursThe balance between innovation and immediate battlefield needs in UkraineBrian's perspective on the importance of the Ukraine conflict and its global implications
8/27/2024 • 27 minutes, 4 seconds
Marian Tupy on Superabundance, Innovation, and Doomerism
Marian Tupy (@Marian_L_Tupy) joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss his book Superabundance, innovation, doomerism, and much more. Some highlights:Do we already live in an Age of Superabundance?Are the values of the Enlightenment getting stronger or weaker?Why do we still have so many dormers?Why is doomerism seemingly so embraced by elites?The power of Malthusian ideasIs underpopulation an existential risk?Can technology save us from underpopulation?What causes resource curses?Will we have civilizational collapses in our lifetime?How fragile is the world today?Are we actually in a Great Stagnation?The usefulness of Time PricesShould we pause AI?Which countries is Marian bullish/bearish on?
11/27/2023 • 49 minutes, 14 seconds
Bilal Zuberi of Lux Capital on Bridging the Gaps Between Technology, Defense, and Policy
Bilal Zuberi of Lux Capital (@bznotes) joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss Tech, Defense, Policy, and everything in-between. Some highlights:What Bilal looks for in a founder as a Lux GPWhat makes a great DefenseTech founder?How does DoD view Silicon Valley?Is DefenseTech in a bubble?Immigrant Founders in the Tech EcosystemTech’s Responsibility to SocietyShould we be pessimistic or optimistic about the world right now?Is AI headed towards regulatory capture?How Media isn’t actually against TechBilal’s Request for Startups
10/17/2023 • 57 minutes, 46 seconds
Byrne Hobart and Tobias Huber on the Future of AI and the Existential Risk of Safetyism
Byrne Hobart (@byrnehobart) and Tobias Huber (@TobiasAHuber) join Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss the future of Artificial Intelligence. They cover:Is AI going to kill us? Is AI going to take all of our jobs and cause massive inequality? Is it going to destroy truth?Is it better to be a tech incumbent or a startup right now?Is the future of software one-time-use?What are the consequences of negative mainstream media coverage of AI?Will model interpretability increase or decrease over time?Will AI be subject to regulatory capture? Will it be over regulated?What would the civilizational consequences of an AI ban be?What are the realistic trade offs of AI? What turmoil will it cause?How should DC approach regulating AI?What is the optimistic vision for AI?Is China ahead or behind the US in AI progress?How should people prepare themselves for AI?
6/19/2023 • 1 hour, 33 minutes, 20 seconds
Bill Martin of Raging Capital Ventures on SVB's Collapse and What Happens Next
Bill Martin of Raging Capital Ventures (@RagingVentures) joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss his prediction of SVB's collapse and his views on the state of the world. Some highlights:How Did Bill Predict SVB’s Collapse?His Other Bets and What Happens Next?Who Is at Fault for SVB’s Collapse? SVB? The Fed? VCs?The Impact of Passive Investing and Woke Capital on the Investment LandscapeWhat Are the Lessons for Entrepreneurs and Regulators?Should Depositors Lose Their Money?Are We Learning Our Lessons from Crises?Should the Fed Continue Rate Hikes?How Should We Invest in the Current Climate? What’s Safe?Growing Tensions with ChinaWhat Would Bill Do If He Was Starting His Career out Today?"
4/11/2023 • 43 minutes, 21 seconds
Michael Gibson on The Thiel Fellowship and The Future of Education and Innovation
Michael Gibson (@William_Blake) of 1517 Fund joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss his new book, “Paper Belt on Fire: How Renegade Investors Sparked a Revolt Against the University.” They discuss:- What is the Paper Belt, and Why Should We Light it on Fire?- The Modern Indulgences of the University System- What are Alternatives to the College Degree?- What Can We Learn from the Success of the Thiel Fellowship?- Which Countries Can America Learn from on Education?- The Lost Culture of Progress, and How We’ve Given up on Solving Problems- The Decline of San Francisco- Is China More Innovative than the US?- What is America’s Next Frontier? - Why Doesn’t America Respect Builders Anymore?You can buy a copy of Michael's new book here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/paper-belt-on-fire-michael-gibson/1141459334
11/28/2022 • 55 minutes
Eli Dourado and Austin Vernon on Energy Superabundance and Creating a Prosperous 21st Century
Eli Dourado (@elidourado) and Austin Vernon (@vernon3austin) join Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss their recent paper, Energy Superabundance: How Cheap, Abundant Energy Will Shape Our Future. Other topics discussed:- How Energy Superabundance can Lead us from a Carbon Surplus to a Carbon Shortage- How did a Scarcity Mindset Take Root in America?- The Policies that we Need for a Prosperous Century- The Future of Nuclear Energy- Building More Rather than Less to Solve Climate Change - Will China Reach Superabundance Before America? - How we can Improve Utilities and the American Power Grid- Is the Government Getting Better or Worse at Funding Innovation?- How Painful will the Next Decade be?- How do we Improve Supply Chain Resilience?- Eli and Austin’s Request for Startups- What does a World with Superabundance Look Like?You can read their paper here: https://www.thecgo.org/research/energy-superabundance/
10/18/2022 • 49 minutes, 20 seconds
Vitalik Buterin on the Future of Crypto and Technology
Vitalik Buterin (@VitalikButerin), co-founder of Ethereum, joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss the future of crypto and technology. Topics discussed:- How is crypto starting to influence mainstream culture and corporations?- Is crypto positive or negative for nation states?- How much of crypto is innovation versus regulatory arbitrage?- Should we be reforming existing institutions to adopt crypto, or forming new ones?- How is exit possible in 2022? What role could DAOs play?- Vitalik’s thoughts on the War in Ukraine- Vitalik’s thoughts on San Francisco after COVID- Is the world becoming more centralized or decentralized?- Is civilizational collapse in the next 50 years likely?- Vitalik’s request for startups- Vitalik’s thoughts on the future of cities
9/15/2022 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 40 seconds
Wes Yang on the Culture War
4/24/2022 • 3 hours, 18 minutes, 53 seconds
Eric Cline on 1177 B.C. & The Late Bronze Age
Eric Cline (@digkabri) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss 1177 B.C. and the late Bronze Age.
1/22/2021 • 59 minutes, 54 seconds
Ole Jacob Madsen on The Therapeutic Turn
Ole Jacob Madsen joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss his book "The Therapeutic Turn" and the rise of therapy culture.
1/22/2021 • 1 hour, 21 minutes, 39 seconds
Stephen Hicks on Postmodernism
Stephen Hicks (@SRCHicks) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss postmodernism.
1/22/2021 • 1 hour, 18 minutes, 47 seconds
Adrian Goldsworthy on Ancient Rome
Adrian Goldsworthy joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss ancient Rome.
1/22/2021 • 55 minutes, 55 seconds
Deirdre McCloskey on Innovism vs. Capitalism
Deirdre McCloskey (@DeirdreMcClosk) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss "innovism" vs. capitalism.
1/22/2021 • 1 hour, 13 minutes, 49 seconds
Michael Millerman on The Relationship Between Politics and Metaphysics
Michael Millerman joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the relationship between politics and metaphysics.
1/22/2021 • 1 hour, 17 minutes, 30 seconds
Patrick Wyman on Communication & Mobility Throughout History
Patrick Wyman (@Patrick_Wyman) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss communication & mobility throughout history.
1/22/2021 • 57 minutes, 44 seconds
Bryan Ward-Perkins on Late Antiquity
Bryan Ward-Perkins joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss late antiquity.
1/22/2021 • 50 minutes, 17 seconds
Rod Dreher on the Culture War
Rod Dreher (@roddreher) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the culture war.
1/22/2021 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 19 seconds
Collin Hansen on the Decline of Christianity in Western Culture
Collin Hansen (@collinhansen) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the decline of Christianity in western culture.
1/22/2021 • 36 minutes, 9 seconds
Kyle Sammin on American Conservatism
Kyle Sammin (@kylesammin) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss American Conservatism.
1/22/2021 • 52 minutes, 43 seconds
Alexis Coe on George Washington & American History
Alexis Coe (@AlexisCoe) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss George Washington & American History.
1/22/2021 • 57 minutes, 28 seconds
James K.A. Smith on How (Not) to Be Secular
James K.A. Smith (@james_ka_smith) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss How (Not) to Be Secular.
1/22/2021 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 36 seconds
Rudyard Lynch on Alternate History
Rudyard Lynch (https://www.youtube.com/user/WhatifAltHist) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss alternate history.
1/22/2021 • 47 minutes, 52 seconds
Carl Trueman on The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self
Carl Trueman joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.
1/22/2021 • 1 hour, 1 second
Matt Ridley on the Evolution of Everything
Matt Riddley (@mattwridley) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Laura Deming (@laurademing) to discuss the Evolution of Everything.
2/12/2020 • 52 minutes, 44 seconds
Sean Carroll on the Questions of the Universe
Sean Carroll (@seanmcarroll) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Laura Deming (@laurademing) to discuss humanism, reconciling science and morality, and the role of physics in evolution.
2/12/2020 • 58 minutes
Geoffrey West on Scale & Exponential Growth
Geoffrey West joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Laura Deming (@laurademing) to discuss scale, exponential growth, and cross pollination in scientific research.
2/12/2020 • 1 hour, 1 minute, 7 seconds
Raghuram Rajan on Growth and Sustainable Development
Raghuram Rajan (@GRaghuramRajan) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss his views on growth and sustainable development.
2/12/2020 • 56 minutes, 25 seconds
Donald Hoffman on The Illusion of Reality
Don Hoffman (@donalddhoffman) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Laura Deming (@laurademing) to discuss the Illusion of Reality, Religion, and Morality.
2/12/2020 • 57 minutes, 32 seconds
Jonathan Pageau on Religion & Society
Jonathan Pageau (@PageauJonathan) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss his views on religion and society.
2/12/2020 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 50 seconds
Gary Basin on How Trading Works
Gary Basin (@garybasin) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss how algorithmic trading crypto works.
2/12/2020 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 19 seconds
John Horgan on Consciousness and the Upper Limits of Science
John Horgan (@jjhorgan) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss consciousness and the upper limits of science.
2/12/2020 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 44 seconds
Soumaya Keynes on the State of Trade
Soumaya Keynes (@SoumayaKeynes) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) for this episode to discuss trade. They cover:- Does trade lead to job loss- Policies of the Trump administration- The future of the WTO and the rising trend of protectionism- Will future administrations become more closed off- Is the dollar being strong a good thing for the global economy- Did NAFTA achieve its goals- Should the WTO have been harder on China- The importance of the WTO’s dispute settlement system- The biggest unanswered questions in trade
2/11/2020 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 58 seconds
Samuel Hammond on Welfare Policy
Samuel Hammond (@hamandcheese) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss welfare policy and neo-medievalism.
2/11/2020 • 1 hour, 14 minutes, 37 seconds
Doug Irwin on Trade Policy
Doug Irwin (@D_A_Irwin) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss U.S. trade policy.
2/11/2020 • 34 minutes, 36 seconds
Sevilla King on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Sevilla King (@aqualityx) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
2/11/2020 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 50 seconds
Buster Benson on the Art of Productive Disagreement
Buster Benson (@buster) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the idea of productive disagreements, Buster's thoughts on nonviolent communication, and conflict theory.
2/9/2020 • 46 minutes, 25 seconds
Margaret Peters on the Politics of Immigration
Margaret Peters (@migrationnerd) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the politics of migration, both in historical periods and in modern times, and why U.S. policy has shifted.
2/9/2020 • 45 minutes, 3 seconds
Agnes Callard on Reconciling Egalitarianism & Meritocracy
Agnes Callard (@AgnesCallard) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the weakness of human will and various contradictions of the mind — especially the reconciliation between egalitarianism and meritocracy.
2/9/2020 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 25 seconds
Matt Prewitt on Radical Markets
Matt Prewitt (@m_t_prewitt) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss RadicalxChange, the future of nation states and corporations, data privacy, and improving democracy.
2/9/2020 • 56 minutes, 18 seconds
Daron Acemoglu on Government and Economy
Daron Acemoglu (@DrDaronAcemoglu) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the state of democracy, China's model, charter cities, and why nations fail.
2/9/2020 • 56 minutes, 58 seconds
Brian Nosek on Open Science & The Replication Crisis
Brian Nosek (@BrianNosek) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Laura Deming (@laurademing) to open science, the replication crisis, and incentives in scientific research.
2/9/2020 • 57 minutes, 38 seconds
Yuval Levin on the Past, Present and Future of Conservatism
Yuval Levin joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss conservatism, the future of various institutions, and how social media is affecting institutions.You can find a copy of his new book, "A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream" here: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Build-Community-Recommitting-Institutions-ebook/dp/B07SGQB1NH
2/9/2020 • 57 minutes, 50 seconds
Scott Sumner on the History of Monetary Policy
Scott Sumner (https://www.themoneyillusion.com/) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the Fed, historical financial crises, and the economic outcomes of war.
2/9/2020 • 50 minutes, 45 seconds
Dinny McMahon on the Chinese Economy
Dinny McMahon (@DinnyMcMahon) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss China's debt, monetary policy, and the future of the Chinese economy.
2/9/2020 • 50 minutes, 42 seconds
Frederick Crews on the Legacy of Freud
Frederick Crews joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the legacy of Freud, why he persists in popularity, and his thoughts on Carl Jung.
2/9/2020 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 8 seconds
Bryan Cutsinger on Monetary Policy & the Gold Standard
Bryan Cutsinger (@BryanCutsinger) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss monetary policy in the U.S. as well as the gold standard.
2/9/2020 • 55 minutes, 1 second
Jared Bernstein on the Fed & the Financial Crisis
Jared Bernstein (@econjared) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the Fed, the biggest lessons in fiscal policy from the past decade, and the financial crisis.
2/9/2020 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 35 seconds
Daniel Kaufman on the Problems in Philosophy
Daniel Kaufman (@ElectricAgora) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the various problems in philosophy.
2/9/2020 • 1 hour, 10 minutes, 32 seconds
Carola Binder on the Policy of the Fed
Carola Binder (@cconces) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the policy of the Fed.
2/9/2020 • 47 minutes, 16 seconds
Donald Kohn on the History of the Fed
Donald Kohn joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the history of the Fed.
2/9/2020 • 42 minutes, 2 seconds
Binyamin Appelbaum on How Economists Have Shaped the World
Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss how economists have shaped the world.
2/9/2020 • 44 minutes, 35 seconds
Ioana Marinescu on the Future of Economic Policy
Ioana Marinescu (@mioana) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the future of Economic Policy.
2/9/2020 • 51 minutes, 53 seconds
John Mearsheimer on American Foreign Policy
John Mearsheimer joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss his views on American foreign policy.
2/9/2020 • 1 hour, 16 minutes, 22 seconds
Crispin Sartwell on Aesthetics & Philosophy
Crispin Sartwell (@CrispinSartwell) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss his views on aesthetics and philosophy.
2/9/2020 • 56 minutes, 33 seconds
Massimo Pigliucci on Stoicism
Massimo Pigliucci (@MPigliucci) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss his views on Stoicism and how it can help us in our lives.