Best of the Pod: Reid Hoffman on How AI Is Answering Our Biggest Questions

Learn how to use philosophy to run your business more effectively. Reid Hoffman thinks a masters in philosophy will help you run your business better than an MBA. Reid is a founder, investor, podcaster, and author. But before he did any of these things, he studied philosophy—and it changed the way he thinks. Studying philosophy trains you to think deeply about truth, human nature, and the meaning of life. It helps you see the big picture and reason through complex problems—invaluable skills for founders grappling with existential questions about their business. I usually bring guests onto my podcast to discuss the actionable ways in which people have incorporated ChatGPT into their lives. But this episode is different. I sat down with Reid to tackle a deeper question: How is AI changing what it means to be human? It was honestly one of the most meaningful shows I’ve recorded yet. We dive into: - How philosophy prepares you to be a better founder - The importance of interdisciplinary thinking - Essentialism v. nominalism in the context of AI - How language models are evolving to be more “essentialist” - The co-evolution of humans and technology Reid also shares actionable uses of ChatGPT for people who want to think more clearly, like: - Input your argument and ask ChatGPT for alternative perspectives - Generate custom explanations of complex ideas - Leverage ChatGPT as an on-demand research assistant This episode is a must-watch for anyone curious about some of the bigger questions prompted by the rapid development of AI. If you found this episode interesting, please like, subscribe, comment, and share! Want even more? Sign up for Every to unlock our ultimate guide to prompting ChatGPT here: https://every.ck.page/ultimate-guide-to-prompting-chatgpt. It’s usually only for paying subscribers, but you can get it here for free. To hear more from Dan Shipper: Subscribe to Every: https://every.to/subscribe Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/danshipper Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Launch your site for free at framer.com, and use code DAN to get your first month of Pro on the house! Timestamps: 00:00:00 - START 00:04:35 - Why philosophy will make you a better founder 00:08:22 - The fundamental problem with “trolley problems” 00:14:27 - How AI is changing the essentialism v. nominalism debate 00:29:33 - Why embeddings align with nominalism 00:34:26 - How LLMs are being trained to reason better 00:44:52 - How technology changes the way we see ourselves and the world around us 00:46:24 - Why most psychology literature is wrong 00:52:46 - Why philosophers didn’t come up with AI 00:56:30 - How to use ChatGPT to be more philosophically inclined Links to resources mentioned in the episode: Reid Hoffman: https://twitter.com/reidhoffman The podcasts that Reid hosts: Possible (possible.fm) and Masters of Scale (https://mastersofscale.com/) Reid’s book: Impromptu https://www.impromptubook.com/ The book Reid recommends if you want to be more philosophically inclined: Gödel, Escher, Bach https://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567 Reid’s article in the Atlantic: "Technology Makes Us More Human" https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/chatgpt-ai-technology-techo-humanism-reid-hoffman/672872/ The book about why psychology literature is wrong: The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Henrich https://www.amazon.com/WEIRDest-People-World-Psychologically-Particularly/dp/0374173222 The book about how culture is driving human evolution: The Secrets of Our Success by Joseph Henrich https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691178431/the-secret-of-our-success