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I had the pleasure of sitting down with Tyler Cowen at the Mercatus Center last December. Here’s our conversation. Watch on Youtube or Twitter. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Read the transcript. Click here to support my work. Timestamps 0:00 - We’re discovering talent quicker than ever 5:14 - Being in San Francisco is more important than ever 8:01 - There is such a thing like a winning organization 11:43 - Talent and conformity on startup and big businesses 19:17 - Giving money to poor people vs talented people 22:18 - EA is fragmenting 25:44 - Longtermism and existential risks 33:24 - Religious conformity is weaker than secular conformity 36:38 - GMU Econ professors religious beliefs 39:34 - The west would be better off with more religion 43:05 - What makes you a philosopher 45:25 - CEOs are becoming more generalists 49:06 - Traveling and eating 53:25 - Technology drives the growth of government? 56:08 - Blogging and writing 58:18 - Takes on Aella, Scott Alexander, Noah Smith and more 1:02:51 - The future of Portugal 1:06:27 - New aesthetics program with Patrick Collison Follow me on twitter. Follow Tyler on twitter. Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

Sarah Fitz-Claridge is a writer, speaker, and the founder of Taking Children Seriously together with David Deutsch. Taking Children Seriously is a new/different view of children—as being full people whose wishes matter just like ours do, whose lack of consent matters just as much as ours does, whose reasons for their wishes make sense, just like ours do, follow Sarah on Twitter We talk about coercion, education, freedom, parenting, happiness, and what it means to truly take children seriously. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Watch on YouTube. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 00:38 – Why civilisations overlook children 11:39 – Do we still lack the knowledge of how to raise children otherwise? 15:25 – Is coercion increasing in the way children are raised 27:28 – Inexplicit coercion, is it intentional? 30:28 – Rationalize your reasons to your children 33:03 – We experience the childhood coercion and do the same to our kids 36:56 – Does internal coercion precedes external coercion 43:57 – Teaching problem solving to children 45:46 – Balancing parental desires and child autonomy 56:08 – Coercion is not always wrong 1:01:57 – Raising children without an agenda 1:05:07 – Outcome oriented philosophies are mistaken 1:07:04 – The bucket theory of the mind 1:17:31 – Why having the right epistemology is crucial 1:31:40 – Optimism and pessimism in life 1:37:53 – The most important thing Sarah learned 1:39:24 – Advice to people Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

Scott Aaronson is a theoretical computer scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, known for his pioneering work on quantum computing and computational complexity. He writes the widely read blog Shtetl-Optimized and has shaped how researchers and the public understand both the possibilities and limits of quantum technology. We talk about the reality of quantum computing, cryptography, AI progress, large language models, and what the future might look like when these technologies converge. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Watch on YouTube. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 03:25 – How computer science views quantum mechanics today 06:50 – Superconducting qubits and how quantum machines are built 10:15 – The rules of quantum probability explained 13:41 – Quantum error correction and protecting fragile states 17:06 – When quantum algorithms provide a speed-up (and when they don’t) 20:31 – Skepticism and testing the limits of quantum hype 23:56 – Why Scott is optimistic about scalable quantum computing 27:22 – Potential applications: materials, chemistry, and beyond 30:47 – Shor’s algorithm and breaking classical encryption 34:12 – Bitcoin, cryptography, and the risks of a working quantum computer 37:37 – Grover’s algorithm and the reality of search speedups 41:03 – Large language models vs hard computational problems 44:28 – What tasks AI still can’t solve (and how to test them) 47:53 – GPT-4 vs GPT-3: progress, hype, and possible limits 51:18 – How companies train and deploy models responsibly 54:44 – The pace of change since ChatGPT launched 58:09 – Power and danger: capability without aligned goals 1:01:34 – Why AI is not just another technology but a civilizational shift Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

Michael Huemer is a professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado Boulder and the author of Ethical Intuitionism, The Problem of Political Authority, and more six books. He is known for his clarity, rigor, and no-nonsense philosophical reasoning and is in my opinion one of the best philosophers alive, follow Mike on Twitter We talk about the logic of free will, the illusion of the self, moral responsibility, philosophical anarchism, and how rationality might still matter in a deterministic universe. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Watch on YouTube. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 03:22 – Is the bias for determinism just another historical mistake? 06:44 – Deliberation presupposes freedom 10:06 – On truth, imperfection, and rational discourse 13:28 – Is Huemer’s argument for free will a deductive proof? 16:50 – Robots, compatibilism, and why freedom needs alternatives 20:12 – You didn’t create yourself — but can you still be free? 23:34 – The no-self doctrine and what it really means 26:56 – Unconscious influence and degrees of freedom 30:18 – Who gave the government the right to rule? 33:41 – Philosophical vs political anarchism 37:03 – Why most people misunderstand both government and anarchy 40:25 – Defunding the police, private courts, and anarchist reform 43:47 – Why civil disobedience is rare (and should happen more) 47:09 – Can we have progress without chaos? 50:31 – Moral progress and the abolition of slavery 53:53 – What’s changing now and what’s next 57:15 – Why being rational might be a moral obligation 1:00:37 – One philosophical idea everyone should understand Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

Brett Hall is the host of the TokCast podcast, a physicist and teacher, and one of the most insightful explainers of David Deutsch’s philosophy. He’s been writing and speaking about Popperian epistemology, optimism, and the universal reach of explanation for over a decade, follow Brett on Twitter We talk about what makes people people, why consciousness might be rarer than we think, why explanatory knowledge is the most powerful force in the universe, and what AGI and progress really mean. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 03:18 – How The Fabric of Reality changed Brett’s worldview 06:42 – Optimism, meaning, and the rejection of mysticism 09:52 – What makes humans unique: universal explainers 13:07 – Consciousness, personhood, and moral status 16:44 – Popper’s critiques of academia and progress 19:59 – Why Brett rejects labels like “Popperian” or “Deutschian” 23:15 – What it means to explain something — and why we can’t define it 26:21 – Explanations vs metaphors and epistemic clarity 29:33 – Are good predictions overrated in science? 32:55 – Why AI isn’t approaching AGI (and might be moving away) 36:20 – Creativity, disobedience, and what people really are 39:40 – Tools vs tool users: moral error in anthropomorphizing AI 42:16 – Is empathy overrated? Sympathy, kindness, and curiosity 45:02 – Why “facts” are interpretations too 48:20 – Stagnation, error correction, and what still blocks progress 51:14 – Brett’s vision of extending the Enlightenment 54:38 – The path to AGI — and why forecasts are mostly fake 58:01 – Final thoughts on truth, individuality, and cosmic responsibility Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

David Deutsch is a physicist at the University of Oxford, widely considered one of the most profound thinkers alive today. He’s the author of The Beginning of Infinity and The Fabric of Reality, and a pioneer of quantum computing and Popperian epistemology, follow David on Twitter We talk about the nature of truth, creativity, optimism, education, AGI, and why error correction is the key to human progress. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 03:13 – Can we eliminate error without ever knowing the final truth? 06:21 – Why knowledge is always incomplete 08:22 – Sam Harris, meditation, and mental frameworks 09:41 – The mind as an explanation-generator 13:22 – Anti-rational memes and the Enlightenment break 17:28 – What caused progress to finally take off? 20:29 – The nature of universal theories 23:43 – Epistemic patience vs persuasive narratives 27:16 – Institutions and pruning the “search tree” of ideas 30:21 – AGI, refusal to respond, and creative isolation 33:16 – Political promises and the irrationality of reelection incentives 37:45 – School vs justice systems: arbitrary rules and real freedom 41:43 – Creativity and the labor market 44:25 – Henry Ford and the problem of sameness 47:15 – Innovation, taxation, and punishment 50:16 – How to become a better problem solver 54:27 – Blind optimism vs blind pessimism 57:59 – Popper, Bronowski, and the power of explanation 1:01:22 – David’s most important lesson: Popperian epistemology Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

Garett Jones is an economist at George Mason University and the author of Hive Mind, 10% Less Democracy, and The Culture Transplant. His work explores how intelligence, institutions, and ancestry shape national prosperity — often in surprising ways, follow Garett on Twitter We talk about national IQ, smarter governance, immigration policy, and why “less democracy” might sometimes mean better results. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 03:11 – Smart people build better institutions that help everyone 06:22 – IQ gaps, immigration, and intergenerational convergence 09:33 – IVF, embryo selection, and boosting intelligence 12:44 – Should we optimize our children’s genetics? 15:55 – Axelrod, cooperation, and designing better institutions 19:06 – What does “10% less democracy” really mean? 22:17 – Making the case for longer political terms and elite control 25:28 – Populism, Trump, and democratic decisions 28:39 – Education, cosmopolitanism, and political tolerance 31:50 – Why Europe is less market-friendly than the U.S. 35:01 – Does democracy really cause economic growth? 38:12 – Governance, boards, and the myth of top-down control 41:23 – Iceland, open borders, and testing migration theory 44:34 – Capitalism, communism, and cultural risk 47:45 – Guest worker models and citizenship debates 50:56 – Global elite summits and influence networks 54:07 – Teaching general principles that stick 57:18 – Public choice and win-win cooperation over 10,000 years Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

Johan Norberg is a Swedish author and historian of ideas. He’s a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author of Progress, In Defense of Global Capitalism, The Capitalist Manifesto and more recently Peak Human. His work explores the roots of prosperity, the case for open societies, and why freedom leads to human flourishing, follow Johan on Twitter We talk about what really drives progress, how innovation emerges, the false promises of degrowth, and why optimism is a moral stance. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 02:31 – Why trade and openness drive innovation 05:03 – The mindset of responsibility and agency 07:36 – Capitalism, sustainability, and environmental progress 10:10 – Why human flourishing isn’t guaranteed 12:42 – How human creativity builds prosperity 15:17 – What profit really means in free markets 17:51 – Risk-taking and the power of entrepreneurship 20:27 – The decline of global inequality 23:03 – Can markets handle externalities fairly? 25:41 – Why regulation doesn’t mean anti-market 28:15 – Cultural mixing and progress through diversity 30:54 – Embracing uncertainty instead of fearing it 33:20 – Against utopia: why hope must stay grounded 35:59 – Degrowth and the real moral risks of stopping progress 38:36 – Lockdowns, poverty, and policy trade-offs 41:10 – The future of work, leisure, and meaning 43:45 – Green growth and energy optimism 46:12 – Literature, imagination, and moral insight 48:50 – Final reflections on freedom and fallibility Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

Leigh Brasington is a meditation teacher in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition and the author of Right Concentration: A Practical Guide to the Jhānas. He was authorized to teach by Ayya Khema and is known for his deep knowledge of jhāna practice and insight meditation. We talk about altered states of concentration, awakening without dogma, what it feels like to perceive without ego, and how practice transforms life. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 02:37 – Seeing reality beyond the ego 05:15 – Learning the jhānas with Ayya Khema 07:53 – Insight that follows deep concentration 10:31 – What real meditation absorption feels like 13:09 – Leigh’s critique of lighter jhāna methods 15:47 – Retreat environments and access to jhānas 18:25 – Teaching online vs in-person 21:03 – What helps students succeed 23:41 – Stories from students’ breakthroughs 26:18 – Is jhāna possible for everyone? 28:56 – Why we procrastinate on practice 31:34 – Insight meditation and Satipaṭṭhāna 34:12 – How meditation shapes happiness 36:50 – Is full awakening really possible? 39:28 – Letting go of the sense of self 42:06 – Dependent origination explained 44:44 – Emptiness and early perception 47:22 – Final reflections and recommended books Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

Max More is a philosopher, futurist, and one of the world’s most influential advocates for cryonics and life extension. He’s the former CEO of Alcor and a leading thinker on transhumanism, personal identity, and long-term survival, follow Max on Twitter We talk about cryopreservation, memory, the limits of death, technological ethics, and why future generations might live radically longer and freer lives. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 02:37 – How memory works through death and anesthesia 05:15 – What happens to the body before legal death 07:53 – Ending the inevitability of aging 10:31 – How many people are signed up for cryopreservation? 13:09 – What embryos teach us about freezing humans 15:47 – How the procedure works: cryoprotectants and vitrification 18:25 – Clinical death and revival windows 21:03 – How advanced technology defines death 23:41 – Governance and the future of cryonics organizations 26:18 – Skepticism vs honest uncertainty 28:56 – Sci-fi myths and public misunderstanding 31:34 – Why Max sees biostasis as rational 34:12 – The precautionary principle and political risk-aversion 36:50 – What the IPCC really says about climate change 39:28 – Living in extreme conditions without panic 42:06 – Financial preparedness for uncertain futures 44:44 – What kind of world could revive you? 47:22 – Reprogramming mood and personality in the future Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

Richard Y. Chappell is a moral philosopher and Associate Professor at the University of Miami. He works on effective altruism, utilitarianism, moral realism, digital minds, and the ethics of the far future. He co-authored An Introduction to Utilitarianism and writes at the blog Good Thoughts, follow Richard on Twitter We talk about doing good effectively, moral truth, AI consciousness, and why compassion needs reason. Topics and ideas are outlined in the timestamps below. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 0:00 – Intro 0:24 – What is effective altruism? 4:08 – Longtermism & future risks 9:34 – Beneficentrism vs utilitarianism 14:56 – Donating 10% 17:16 – Emotions vs reason 19:09 – Writing with MacAskill 20:28 – What is moral realism? 24:35 – Liberalism vs relativism 25:12 – Why normativity matters 26:30 – Reason vs evolution 28:50 – Conscious AI 30:28 – Who counts morally? 33:55 – Mechanistic minds? 34:52 – Books that shaped him 35:24 – Defining personhood 37:30 – Should philosophers reach people? 40:43 – Status quo bias 43:07 – The meaning of life Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

Jac O’Keeffe is a spiritual teacher, author, and founder of the Association for Spiritual Integrity. She guides students on the path beyond ego, and speaks openly about awakening, trauma, power dynamics, and the mystery of consciousness. We talk about spiritual awakening, teacher-student dynamics, the traps of identity, and how integrity fits into the inner path. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 02:37 – Ego breakdowns and spontaneous mystical experiences 05:15 – Helping a spirit cross over 07:53 – Interactions with beings and inner dialogues 10:31 – Realizing her spiritual orientation 13:09 – The moment that changed everything 15:47 – Intuition, autism, and social trust 18:25 – Embodiment and energetic memory 21:03 – Why spiritual teachers sometimes behave badly 23:41 – Founding the Association for Spiritual Integrity 26:18 – Why students fear giving feedback to teachers 28:56 – When teachers project their unmet needs 31:34 – Empowering students to reclaim their authority 34:12 – Shared blind spots in the teacher-student dynamic 36:50 – Projecting and mirroring in spiritual relationships 39:28 – Becoming comfortable with full humanness 42:06 – Misunderstanding Jesus and obedience 44:44 – Doing spiritual service without funding 47:22 – Consciousness incarnating to experience separation Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

Avi Kahan is a writer and thinker exploring the relationship between science, metaphysics, and religious thought. His work touches on Judaism, psychology, and the philosophical foundations of belief. We talk about the metaphysics of God, the psychological architecture of religion, how science can take on religious roles, and why faith persists in the modern world. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 02:48 – God as a mental model and personal conviction 05:36 – Upbringing, exposure, and identity shaping 08:25 – Jewish history, struggle, and cultural continuity 11:13 – Jesus and the Inquisition story 14:01 – Leadership, law, and religious structure 16:50 – Religion and the suppression of doubt 19:38 – Greek gods and metaphysical abstractions 22:26 – Prayer, science, and embodied rituals 25:15 – Freud, Jung, and metaphysical psychology 28:03 – Can science itself become a religion? 30:52 – Scientific awe and religious feeling 33:40 – Why religion won’t die 36:28 – Religious cohesion across major traditions 39:17 – Community, healing, and harm through religion 42:05 – Optimism and human progress 44:53 – Connection, communication, and modern unity 47:42 – Moral convergence and global values 50:30 – Aristotle, Antiochus, and metaphysical struggle Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

BJ Campbell is the author of the Handwaving Freakoutery Substack and a systems engineer with deep experience in data analysis. His writing explores media dynamics, gun policy, polarization, and the complex incentives behind cultural panic, follow BJ on Twitter We talk about how freakouts form, how institutions lose trust, the mechanics of mass persuasion, and what we can do when truth breaks down. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 02:29 – The origin of “freakoutery” and viral moral panic 05:04 – How trust breaks and narratives take over 07:31 – Role of experts and institutional decay 09:58 – Why media can’t afford to be accurate 12:23 – Gun violence, data misuse, and tribal conclusions 14:50 – BJ’s breakdown of CDC messaging failure 17:18 – Do both sides cherry-pick gun data? 19:46 – Why no one really wants an honest debate 22:12 – The incentive systems of media and politics 24:39 – Are we already in a soft civil war? 27:06 – Public health as a rhetorical weapon 29:33 – How memes win and outcompete facts 31:59 – Algorithms and narrative feedback loops 34:26 – Chaos as performance and control 36:52 – Information overload and digital stress 39:19 – Epistemology and the limits of modeling 41:46 – Collapse of authority and search for coherence 44:13 – How to rebuild trust without central control 46:40 – Models, culture, and long-term thinking 49:07 – What optimism looks like under breakdown 51:34 – Freakoutery, faith, and the next wave 54:01 – Final thoughts on rebuilding rationality Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe

Michael Strong is an educational entrepreneur, author, and co-founder of several ventures focused on liberating human potential — including the Academy of Thought and Industry and The Socratic Experience. He writes about innovation in education, startup cities, and moral development, follow Michael on Twitter We talk about how schooling shapes society, what freedom means in practice, and why creating better institutional environments matters more than reforming broken ones. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 02:51 – The moral vision behind Socratic dialogue 05:42 – School as an obedience-training system 08:33 – The pain and purpose of adolescent development 11:24 – Why most schools kill intrinsic motivation 14:15 – Reimagining schools through freedom and trust 17:06 – Human capital and educational entrepreneurship 19:57 – Startup cities as moral ecosystems 22:48 – The importance of good rules vs lots of rules 25:39 – Why real liberty includes responsibility 28:30 – Institutions that align with human flourishing 31:21 – Virtue ethics, Aristotle, and thriving students 34:12 – How to scale good ideas without bureaucracy 37:03 – The future of self-directed learning 39:54 – Unschooling, discipline, and long-term outcomes 42:45 – Building a moral culture without coercion 45:36 – School as simulation vs engagement with reality 48:27 – The spiritual dimension of creative work 51:18 – Final thoughts on education, meaning, and freedom Get full access to Salvador’s Blog at www.progreshion.blog/subscribe