Robinson's Podcast

• 262 - Slavoj Žižek: Marxism, Quantum Mechanics, and Artificial Intelligence

  Visit our sponsor, Wealthfront!: wealthfront.com/robinsonSlavoj Žižek is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London, visiting professor at New York University, and a senior researcher at the University of Ljubljana’s Department of Philosophy. This is Slavoj’s fifth appearance on the show. On episode 109, he and Robinson discussed wokeness and psychoanalysis. On episode 118, he, Sean Carroll, and Robinson discussed quantum physics, the multiverse, and time travel. And on episode 206 he, Lee Smolin, and Robinson discussed quantum physics. In episode 212, Robinson and Slavoj talk about ancient philosophy, god, communism, quantum mechanics, and psychoanalysis. In this episode, they discuss current political events, marxism, quantum mechanics, and artificial intelligence. Slavoj’s upcoming book is Quantum History: A New Materialist Philosophy (Bloomsbury, 2025).Quantum History: https://a.co/d/7WFcAGiVisit our sponsor, Wealthfront!: wealthfront.com/robinsonPromo terms & conditions apply. See our affiliated link for more details.Robinson Erhardt is a Wealthfront client and was compensated for the testimonial and promotion of the Wealthfront Cash Account. This compensation creates a conflict of interest. Experiences may vary among Cash Account clients, and results are not guaranteed. The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of September 26, 2025, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY.If you are eligible for the overall boosted rate of 4.25% offered in connection with this promo, your boosted rate is also subject to change if the base rate decreases during the three-month promotional period.OUTLINE00:00 Introduction01:07 Marxism and Quantum Mechanics07:34 Why We Aren’t Pessimistic Enough16:29 The Wisdom of the First Philosopher29:27 The Assassination of Charlie Kirk38:10 On Curtis Yarvin49:23 The Naivety of Pete Hegseth51:06 The Contradiction in American Fascism57:43 Could a Coup Overthrow Trump?01:04:17 The Utter Shamelessness of Today’s Society01:14:15 The Danger of the Disappearing Left01:18:06 AI Is a Tool of Authoritarian SuppressionRobinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.comRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

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• 261 - Tyler Cowen: The Economics of Artificial Intelligence

  Go to https://surfshark.com/robinsonerhardt and use code robinsonerhardt at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!Tyler Cowen is the Holbert L. Harris Chair of Economics at George Mason University and serves as chairman and faculty director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. A dedicated writer and communicator of economic ideas, Tyler is the author of several bestselling books and is widely published in academic journals and the popular media. In this episode, Robinson and Tyler discuss the economics of artificial intelligence. More particularly, they touch on whether AI will destroy humanity, how it will affect employment, whether there will no longer be a place for art in the marketplace, and more. Tyler’s latest book is Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World (St. Martin’s Press, 2022).Marginal Revolution: https://marginalrevolution.comTyler’s X: https://x.com/tylercowenTalent: https://a.co/d/ftqNWcnOUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:03 What is State-Capacity Libertarianism?00:04:32 Should Government Regulate AI?00:05:54 Is AI an Existential Threat to Humanity?00:07:33 The Fallacy of Mood Affiliation00:11:11 AI Music and the Velvet Sundown00:15:03 Is AI Ending America’s Great Stagnation?00:19:45 How Will Top-Tier AI Cognition Impact the Labor Market?00:30:17 How Will AI Transform Education?00:42:15 Does AI Doom Human-Generated Research?00:45:21 Why Is AI Taking Off So Slowly?00:48:39 Does AI Mean the End of Lawyers?00:51:41 Is Harvard Just a Dating Hack in the World of AI?00:54:53 Does AI Help or End Social Mobility?00:57:03 How We Should Write When AI Is Reading It All?01:02:24 Will AI Enable Us to Eat All We Want?Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.comRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

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• 260 - Reid Hoffman: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity

  Reid Hoffman is the co-founder of LinkedIn, Manas AI, and Inflection AI. As an investor at Greylock, he is one of the leading figures in the tech industry, working at the forefront of AI development. In this episode, Reid and Robinson talk all about the future of AI. They begin by covering the worst case scenario—doomsday—and why Reid is optimistic about our chances. From there, they turn to how AI could help us cure cancer, replace therapists, enable us to be more powerful agents, and make our lives better. Reid’s most recent book is Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future (2025).Reid’s Website: https://www.reidhoffman.orgSuperagency: https://a.co/d/hdSZeCYOUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:09 Why Won’t AI Destroy Humanity?00:06:39 Will AI Be Good or Bad for Employment?00:08:20 On Optimism00:10:10 It Isn’t Inevitable that AI Will Wipe Out Human Life00:19:03 How to Align AI with Human Interests00:24:40 Reid’s Interest in Friendship00:32:13 Why AI Can’t be Our Friends00:36:33 Could AI Replace Therapists?00:45:18 Using AI to Cure Cancer00:52:04 Will AI Extinguish Humanity with a Virus?01:00:02 How Will AI Make Us More Powerful Agents?01:07:06 Will Academia Be Revolutionized by AI?01:15:10 Are You an AI Native?01:17:36 How to Invest in AIRobinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.comRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

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• 259 - Kenneth Roth: Genocide, Ethnic Cleansing, and How to Shame a Dictator

  Support our sponsor, FarmKind, to fix factory farming: https://www.farmkind.givingThe code “ROBINSON” will increase your donation by 50% with a bump from large donors.Kenneth Roth is the Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor at the Princeton School for Public and International Affairs. Until August 2022, he served for nearly three decades as the executive director of Human Rights Watch. In this episode, Robinson and Ken discuss his work with HRW and what he has been doing since. More particularly, they get into the details of how HRW operated, how shaming tactics can be deployed against figures like Putin, Trump, and Orban, Israel and Palestine, the relationship between genocide and ethnic cleansing, and more. For more, read Ken’s recent book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments (Knopf, 2025).Righting Wrongs: https://a.co/d/gHkbmmwOUTLINE00:00 Introduction00:00:53 Why Human Rights?00:08:23 How Does Human Rights Watch Work?00:14:04 Can Putin or Orban Be Shamed?00:21:14 Can Trump Be Shamed into Standing Up to Putin?00:26:53 Libya, Gaddafi, and Forcing the Release of Political Prisoners00:29:14 Fighting the Dreaded M23 Rebel Group in Congo00:31:56 Why Governments Always Violate Human Rights00:33:57 Is Torture Ever Justified?00:38:21 Facts and Investigations00:46:27 Verifying Starvation and Famine in Gaza00:51:29 Can Netanyahu Be Shamed?00:58:24 Genocide vs. Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine01:04:16 The United States’ Biggest Human Rights Violations01:09:24 Sudan: The World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis

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• 258 - Richard Wolff: Donald Trump’s Tariff War Dissected

  Support our sponsor, FarmKind, to fix factory farming: https://www.farmkind.givingThe code “ROBINSON” will increase your donation by 50% with a bump from large donors.Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. This is Richard’s ninth  appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. In this episode, Richard and Robinson discuss the tariffs that President Donald Trump would like to place on goods imported from around the world. More particularly, they cover the real problems America is facing that Trump has to solve, the connection to Russia, China, and the BRICS, Elon Musk and electric vehicles, and more. Richard’s latest book is Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024).Understanding Capitalism (Book): https://www.democracyatwork.info/understanding_capitalismRichard’s Website: https://www.rdwolff.comEconomic Update: https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdateOUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:07 Is Trump’s Tariff Plan Nuts?00:06:31 Is the United States Unsustainable?00:15:33 Can Tariffs Solve America’s Debt Problems?00:19:17 Tesla’s Electric Vehicle Tariff War on China00:25:19 The Declining American Empire00:32:53 Exposing the Myths About Trump’s Tariffs00:44:55 The Empty Promises of American Politics00:53:54 Why DC Doesn’t Have Representation in Congress01:00:22 The Bizarre Alliance Between Israel and the United States01:04:48 Why Russia Is Exempt from Trump’s Tariffs01:13:48 Are Israel and the United States “Winning” Against Gaza?01:24:25 How Wealth Now Controls the United States01:27:52 On The Impending Economic Downturn in the United States01:31:47 How Trump is Turning Allies into Enemies01:37:12 America’s Terrible Healthcare01:42:25 Who Really Rules America?01:57:04 How Should Trump Solve America’s Real Problems?02:04:39 What America Can Learn from Britain’s CollapseRobinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.comRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

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