The Methods of Rationality Podcast

Kindness to Kin, by Eliezer Yudkowsky Original text here  

A short story by Ben Pace. Original can be found here . Donate to the fundraiser here ! Harry sings karaoke here . Happy New Year. :)

Welcome back to Unum! We’re so happy you can join us! We’re eager to share this conversation about the season one finale of Pluribus. Rest assured that we can’t harm you without your consent (though we can look for loopholes to force you to join our club). Remember, your choices are your own. Thanks for listening, everyone. Brian and I plan to do more stuff between now and season...

A short story by Prerat. Original can be found here . Merry Xmas!

Welcome back to Unum! We’re so happy you can join us! We’re eager to share this conversation about episode 8 of Pluribus. You’re welcome to join us in our giant cuddle puddle. Don’t worry, it’s way less sexy than it sounds. Remember, your choices are your own.

Welcome back to Unum! We’re so happy you can join us! We’re eager to share this conversation about episode 7 of Pluribus. Please don’t walk through 100 kilometers of deadly jungle – we’re happy to give you a ride. Remember, your choices are your own. This episode had some scheduling issues around recording and a nicely timed tech problem. It’s not our best work....

Welcome back to Unum! We’re so happy you can join us! We’re eager to share this conversation about episode 6 of Pluribus. You’re welcome to consume human-derived protein, but we don’t think that’s likely. Remember, your choices are your own.

Welcome back to Unum! We’re so happy you can join us! We’re eager to share this conversation about episode 5 of Pluribus. We hope you enjoy this exploration of the complexities of handling the unassimilated. Remember, your choices are your own.

Welcome back to Unum! We’re so happy you can join us! We’re eager to share this conversation about episode 4 of Pluribus. We hope you enjoy this exploration of the complexities of handling the unassimilated. Remember, your choices are your own.

Welcome back to Unum! We’re so happy you can join us! We’re eager to share this conversation about episode 3 of Pluribus. We hope you enjoy this exploration of the complexities of handling the unassimilated. Remember, your choices are your own.

Welcome back to Unum! Steven and Brian discuss the second episode, gush about their favorite parts, and have fun speculating wildly about what “reasonable” people might do in this situation. The format of this show will be full spoilers for the episode we’re covering and we’ll do an accelerated release schedule to catch up with the show. We hope you have fun!

Welcome to Unum! Steven loved Pluribus so much that he needed to talk about it and Brian was on board to join! The format of this show will be full spoilers for the episode we’re covering and we’ll do an accelerated release schedule to catch up with the show. We hope you have fun!

Join Brian and Steven as we wrap up our journey through the awesome and thought provoking world of Blindsight. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. The starting quote for this episode is: “You cannot prevent and prepare for war at the same time.” —Ei...

Join Brian and Steven as the scramblers and the vampire demon challenge the value of the very essence of of what makes us us. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. The starting quote for this episode is: “If the human brain were so simple that we could unde...

Brian and Steven continue their journey into space madness. Buckle up – this one gets nuts! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “If I can but make the words awake the feeling” —Ian Anderson, Stand Up Thi...

Join Brian and Steven as we put jumper cables on this roomba to see if it feels pain! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by What is above him when he shows no...

Join Brian and Steven as we wrangle up some aliens of dubious sentience so we can confine them and do some mad science at them! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awa...

Hold on tight – Brian and Steven throw themselves back into the mysterious alien spacecraft after punching a hole in it with antimatter! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “You have eyes, but you do not see&#...

Brian and Steven continue diving into the madness-inducing meat-grinder over and over. Come on and join the party! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Predators run for their dinner. Prey run for their lives.&#8221...

Join Brian and Steven as they throw caution to the winds, don their Big Daddy costumes, and get ready to rumble with some space ghosts! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Mothers are fonder than fathers of their c...

Join Brian and Steven, who are maybe trapped inside of a Chinese Room. Or maybe banging on it from the outside. Who knows? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “They know the music but not the words.&#8221...

Join Brian and Steven as we talk with some maybe-super-smart aliens in our discussion of part 3 of Blindsight! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “They know the music but not the words.” — Hare, Without Consc...

Join Brian and Steven on their expedition to the edge of the solar system with part 2 of Blindsight! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. (I read the wrong quote at the top of the episode. Whoopsie!) Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Leaders are vis...

Steven and Brian take their first real dive into the strange world of Blindsight. I hope you are having as much as we are. :) The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Try to touch the past. Try to deal with the past. It...

Steven and Brian announce their latest reading project – Blindsight by Peter Watts! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. The first week we’ll be reading up until: “When it is dark enough, you can see the stars. — Emerson” Everyone should buy a copy and check it out!