#78 – Ann Druyan: Cosmos, Carl Sagan, Voyager, and the Beauty of Science

Jocko Willink is a retired Navy SEAL, co-author of Extreme Ownership, and host of Jocko Podcast. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Linode: https://linode.com/lex to get $100 free credit – Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit – SimpliSafe: https://simplisafe.com/lex and use code LEX to get a free security camera – Ground News: https://ground.news/lex EPISODE LINKS: Jocko’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jockowillink Jocko’s Website: https://jocko.com/ Jocko’s Podcast: https://jockopodcast.com/ Extreme Ownership (book): https://amzn.to/3qYmcgh Discipline Equals Freedom (book): https://amzn.to/3hFXOMa The Dichotomy of Leadership (book): https://amzn.to/36ehH7C 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 (09:01) – The beauty and tragedy of war (14:35) – Soviet Union in World War II (20:54) – What makes a just war? (34:30) – Jordan Peterson (37:42) – Fear of death (41:53) – Autonomous weapons systems (53:28) – What makes a great leader? (56:15) – Elon Musk – a leadership case study (1:10:03) – Steve Jobs – a leadership case study (1:20:16) – Sundar Pichai – a leadership case study (1:27:15) – Young Jamie (1:31:23) – Discipline (1:34:15) – A day in the life of Jocko (1:40:30) – Jiu Jitsu (1:56:18) – Books

5 Jul 20212h 3min

Yeonmi Park is a North Korean defector, human rights activist, and author of the book In Order to Live. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Belcampo: https://belcampo.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off first order – Gala Games: https://gala.games/lex – BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off – Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings EPISODE LINKS: Yeonmi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/YeonmiParkNK Yeonmi’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialyeonmipark Yeonmi’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/YeonmiParkOfficial In Order to Live (book): https://amzn.to/3wdtKfL 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 (09:20) – Growing up in North Korea (14:45) – Animal Farm (21:00) – Search for meaning (25:48) – Love (28:05) – Language (32:28) – Yeonmi’s dad (34:30) – Escaping North Korea (39:47) – The world is ignoring the genocide in North Korea (51:49) – Evil (54:40) – Nuclear war (55:30) – Marxist origins of North Korea (1:00:43) – Famine (1:05:30) – Kim Jong-un is pure evil (1:12:06) – Freedom (1:15:18) – Michael Malice (1:18:57) – Diversity (1:26:18) – Political correctness (1:35:50) – Jordan Peterson (1:40:01) – Michael Malice book on North Korea (1:45:31) – Advice for young people (1:48:33) – Facing assassination (1:58:47) – Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (2:01:20) – Meaning of life

1 Jul 20212h 6min

Clara Sousa-Silva is a quantum astrochemist at Harvard. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Onnit: https://lexfridman.com/onnit to get up to 10% off – Grammarly: https://grammarly.com/lex to get 20% off premium – Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium – Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit EPISODE LINKS: Clara’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/drphosphine Clara’s Website: https://clarasousasilva.com 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 (07:57) – Discovery of phosphine on Venus (20:34) – Phosphine gas (30:47) – Searching for molecular fingerprints (41:44) – What does a quantum astrochemist do? (56:48) – Spectroscopic networks (1:01:13) – Biosignature gases (1:04:06) – UFOs and aliens (1:17:24) – Alien civilizations (1:34:59) – Programming (1:42:15) – Why science is beautiful (1:46:07) – How to be productive (1:56:27) – Books (1:57:59) – Meaning of life

28 Jun 20212h 4min

Bret Weinstein is and evolutionary biologist, author, and co-host of the DarkHorse Podcast. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – The Jordan Harbinger Show: https://www.youtube.com/thejordanharbingershow – ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free – Magic Spoon: https://magicspoon.com/lex and use code LEX to get $5 off – Four Sigmatic: https://foursigmatic.com/lex and use code LexPod to get up to 60% off EPISODE LINKS: Bret’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/BretWeinstein Bret’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/BretWeinsteinDarkHorse Bret’s Website: https://bretweinstein.net/ Bret’s Book: https://amzn.to/3dhVWrv 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 (09:04) – Why biology is beautiful (16:38) – Boston Dynamics (20:02) – Being self-critical (30:09) – Theory of close calls (38:46) – Lab leak hypothesis (1:12:41) – Joe Rogan (1:21:50) – Censorship (1:58:40) – Vaccines (2:12:26) – The paper on mice with long telomeres (2:40:09) – Martyrdom (2:48:54) – Eric Weinstein (2:58:13) – Monogamy (3:10:31) – Advice for young people (3:17:16) – Meaning of life

25 Jun 20213h 22min

Rob Reid is an author and podcaster. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex and use code LEX to get 1 month of fish oil – Belcampo: https://belcampo.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off first order – Fundrise: https://fundrise.com/lex – NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour EPISODE LINKS: Rob’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/rob_reid After On Podcast: https://after-on.com/ 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 (08:33) – The most entertaining outcome is the most likely (14:52) – Meme theory (18:12) – Writing process (24:59) – Engineered viruses as a threat to human civilization (32:45) – Gain-of-function research on viruses (44:54) – Did COVID leak from a lab? (52:15) – Virus detection (1:00:04) – Failure of institutions (1:07:48) – Using AI to engineer viruses (1:12:07) – Evil and competence (1:21:26) – Where are the aliens? (1:25:19) – Backing up human consciousness by colonizing space (1:34:48) – Superintelligence and consciousness (1:46:12) – Meditation (1:54:20) – Fasting (2:00:20) – Greatest song of all time (2:05:46) – Early days of music streaming (2:17:39) – Startup advice (2:30:50) – Podcasting (2:46:12) – Advice for young people (2:55:15) – Mortality (3:00:41) – Meaning of life

21 Jun 20213h 5min

Charles Hoskinson is the founder of Cardano, co-founder of Ethereum, a mathematician, and a farmer. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Gala Games: https://gala.games/lex – Allform: https://allform.com/lex to get 20% off – Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit – ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free – Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings EPISODE LINKS: Charles’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IOHK_Charles Charles’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/charleshoskinson Cardano Website: https://cardano.org/ IOHK Website: https://iohk.io/ 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 (09:12) – What programming language is the simulation written in? (14:17) – Favorite philosophers (23:18) – Theory vs engineering in cryptocurrency (34:27) – What programming languages should everyone learn (42:42) – Haskell and beyond (46:26) – Plutus: Cardano’s smart contract platform based on Haskell (50:53) – What is a blockchain? (55:05) – Hybrid smart contracts (1:00:55) – Proof of work vs proof of stake (1:09:42) – Cardano’s proof of stake consensus algorithm (1:20:14) – What is Cardano? (1:28:55) – Cardano vs Ethereum vs Bitcoin (1:38:50) – The problem with Bitcoin (1:48:24) – Bitcoin Conference (1:52:05) – Ergo and Alex Chepurnoy (1:59:15) – Cardano’s Extended UTXO Model (2:06:27) – Chainlink and Oracle Networks (2:13:40) – Cardano and Wolfram Alpha (2:18:35) – The future of video games (2:27:10) – Smart contracts timeline for Cardano (2:34:40) – Decentralized exchanges (2:40:21) – Jack Dorsey and Bitcoin (2:46:33) – Elon Musk and Tesla: Cardano, Ethereum, Bitcoin (2:49:50) – Dogecoin and Elon Musk (3:01:11) – Hydra vs Lightning Network (3:08:45) – Non-Interactive Proofs of Proof-of-Work (NIPoPoWs) (3:12:39) – Cardano failure modes (3:21:00) – Cardano vs Polkadot (3:26:05) – Vitalik Buterin (3:34:16) – Corrupting nature of power (3:44:26) – Satoshi Nakamoto (3:50:37) – Cardano’s vision for decentralized governance (4:03:31) – Cardano in Ethiopia (4:07:33) – El Salvador and Bitcoin (4:13:50) – Cryptocurrency will inject capitalism with long-term incentives (4:23:42) – Day in the life of Charles Hoskinson (4:30:59) – Mushrooms (4:37:07) – Joe Rogan (4:42:00) – Video games (4:54:14) – Advice for young people (4:57:23) – Meaning of life

16 Jun 20215h 4min

Daniel Schmachtenberger is a philosopher interested understanding the rise and fall of societies and individuals. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Ground News: https://ground.news/lex – NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour – Four Sigmatic: https://foursigmatic.com/lex and use code LexPod to get up to 60% off – Magic Spoon: https://magicspoon.com/lex and use code LEX to get $5 off – BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off EPISODE LINKS: Daniel’s Website: https://civilizationemerging.com/ The Consilience Project: https://consilienceproject.org/ 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 (08:05) – Aliens and UFOs (26:50) – Collective intelligence of human civilization (34:46) – Consciousness (46:08) – How much computation does the human brain perform? (49:47) – Humans vs ants (57:04) – Humans are apex predators (1:04:08) – Girard’s Mimetic Theory of Desire (1:24:05) – We can never completely understand reality (1:27:29) – Self-terminating systems (1:37:52) – Catastrophic risk (2:08:04) – Adding more love to the world (2:35:29) – How to build a better world (2:52:41) – Meaning of life (3:00:23) – Death (3:06:04) – The role of government in society (3:23:29) – Exponential growth of technology (4:09:10) – Lessons from my father (4:14:46) – Even suffering is filled with beauty

14 Jun 20214h 21min

Jordan Ellenberg is a mathematician and author of Shape and How Not to Be Wrong. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Secret Sauce: https://wondery.com/shows/secret-sauce/ – ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free – Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium – Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit EPISODE LINKS: Jordan’s Website: http://www.jordanellenberg.com Jordan’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JSEllenberg 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 (06:44) – Mathematical thinking (10:21) – Geometry (14:58) – Symmetry (25:29) – Math and science in the Soviet Union (33:09) – Topology (47:57) – Do we live in many more than 4 dimensions? (52:28) – How many holes does a straw have (1:01:53) – 3Blue1Brown (1:07:40) – Will AI ever win a Fields Medal? (1:16:05) – Fermat’s last theorem (1:33:23) – Reality cannot be explained simply (1:39:08) – Prime numbers (2:00:37) – John Conway’s Game of Life (2:12:29) – Group theory (2:15:45) – Gauge theory (2:23:47) – Grigori Perelman and the Poincare Conjecture (2:33:59) – How to learn math (2:41:08) – Advice for young people (2:43:13) – Meaning of life

13 Jun 20212h 47min