How do traditions preserve inherited knowledge while continuing to grow? Moshe Koppel brings ideas from mathematics and computer science to questions about meaning, creativity, and religious life. We start with sophistication, a mathematical concept he developed to distinguish underlying structure from randomness, and discuss how he uses it as an analogy for creativity and the continuing development of Jewish law.

We then turn to his book, Judaism Straight Up, and his account of how religious communities cooperate and survive. Why might societies need loyalty and restraint alongside fairness? How can seemingly arbitrary rituals build trust, and when do their costs become excessive? We discuss how much belief religious commitment requires, how traditions evolve through the interaction of texts, communal practice, and recognized authorities, and whether survival is enough to tell us that a society is doing well.

From there, Moshe explains his research on identifying the authors of texts, uncovering forgeries, and analyzing stylistic divisions in the Torah. We discuss what these computational methods can establish, what they leave open, and how he thinks about the theological questions they raise.

We finish with AI and human purpose: why Moshe is optimistic about the progress of language models, why he worries about people outsourcing their thinking, and where meaning might come from in a world with less need for human labor. He and describes how his lab, Dicta, is designing AI tools to guide people through Jewish sources while encouraging them to think and interpret for themselves.

Guest: Moshe Koppel is professor emeritus of computer science at Bar-Ilan University. His research spans complexity theory, authorship attribution, and social choice. He is the founder of Dicta, which develops AI tools for studying Jewish texts, and the author of Meta-Halakhah and Judaism Straight Up.

Get the episode transcript on Zappable.

Spencer Greenberg and clinical psychologist Jeremy Stevenson set out to answer one question: what are all the psychological strategies you can use to improve your life? They read over a hundred self-improvement books, surveyed more than 20 types of therapy, and found that everything collapsed into twelve high-level strategies - the basis of their new book, The 12 Levers.

We start with Spencer's life philosophy, valuism: figure out what you intrinsically value, then take effective actions to create it. That turns out to be harder than it sounds, because our brains don't cleanly separate what we truly value from what we want as a means to something else. It also leads to a surprising finding from his research about the kinds of values that people have. We discuss additional questions about valuism, and Spencer also includes an analogy to a cheese-fetching robot.

We then dive into a discussion of his book, starting with how it's organized. From there: a worry technique most people have never heard of, why behavior change usually fails for a different reason than you'd guess, how you build a rigorous book on a field that went through a replication crisis, why he reads the Dodo Bird verdict differently than most people do, what today's chatbots get wrong about therapy, and why almost none of this is taught in school.

Guest: Spencer Greenberg has a PhD in applied math from NYU and co-founded one of the first financial firms to use machine learning. He left finance to start Spark Wave, which runs psychology research and builds products from it, including ClearerThinking.org, ⁠Ten Conditions for Change⁠ and One Helpful Idea. He hosts the podcast Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg, and he's the co-author, with clinical psychologist Jeremy Stevenson, of The 12 Levers: The Complete Psychological Toolkit for Improving Your Life.

Books mentioned (paid links):

• ⁠The 12 Levers ⁠
• ⁠Feeling Good ⁠
• ⁠Atomic Habits ⁠

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

00:55 Focus and Follow-Through

03:45 Intrinsic Values and Valuism

06:22 Should Values be Taken As-Is

11:46 Spencer's Intrinsic Values

15:18 How to Have Better Conversations

17:15 The Twelve Levers Framework

20:16 Worry Time and Rumination

24:35 What's Missing from the Book

29:03 Evaluating Psychological Evidence

34:07 Turning Ideas Into Action

37:17 Self-Help, Coaching and Therapy

43:01 The Dodo Bird Verdict

46:11 AI and Self-Improvement

51:20 Life Skills and the Education System

54:32 Recommended Books and Closing

Get the transcript here.

Dr. Shaanan Cohney is a computer scientist and legal scholar, and he draws on all his areas of expertise in this discussion of AI. We talk about what draws him to both music and code and whether AI-generated music counts as the real thing. He explains what lockpicking teaches about how systems really fail, and what your front door lock is actually for, and how this relates to software security. Next we discuss how generative AI has upended teaching computer science, and the purpose of a CS education today. We dig into what the research actually says about social media and teenagers, including Shaanan's own work on Australia's under-16 ban, and whether there's a better way to regulate.

The second half covers AI risk: what today's models can and can't do to find security vulnerabilities, how governments and labs are responding, the risks of using agentic AI, the general risks of being online today, and whether the defenders or the scammers win in the long run.

Guest: Dr. Shaanan Cohney has a Ph.D. in Computer & Information Science and a Master in Law from the University of Pennsylvania. He's a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne and has advised the FTC and the US Senate on tech policy. Find Shaanan on Google Scholar, on X @shaananc, and on YouTube.

Timestamps

00:27 Music and Computer Science

07:47 Exploring Security: Physical vs. Software

15:23 The Impact of AI on Computer Science Education

31:46 Social Media and Its Effects on Youth

48:37 Anthropic & the Risk of Powerful AI

01:05:01 Agentic AI: Risks and User Protections

01:12:32 Addressing Scams in the Age of AI

⁠Read an abridged transcript here.

Bryan Caplan argues that roughly 80% of schooling is wasted time, and that the primary value of a degree comes from signaling - demonstrating intelligence, conscientiousness, and conformity to employers rather than building useful skills. In this conversation, we discuss the evidence behind that claim, what "conformity" really means, why the system is so resistant to change, what Bryan would do if he was in charge, and whether AI will change the equilibrium.

Some questions we discuss:

• How much does education actually increase abilities or intelligence?
• The Flynn effect points to an increase in IQ scores over time. Do schools get any credit ?
• Bryan has argued that a college degree is important for signaling conformity and skipping it demonstrates non-conformity. But if conformity just means "professionalism" - can you demonstrate it without a degree?
• Classes are no longer entirely in-person, and tech will change education even more. Will people still need a four-year degree from a brick-and-mortar institution?
• What happens to universities once AI can do most intellectual work?

Guest: Bryan Caplan, Economics professor at George Mason University and author of The Case Against Education. Check out his Substack and YouTube Channel.

Timestamps

00:00 How Much of School is a Waste?

04:39 The Flynn Effect

08:29 The Importance of Literacy & Numeracy

12:35 Signaling and Conformity in Education

18:57 The Practicality of College Education

20:41 Will Online Education Become Accepted?

25:28 AI's Impact on Education

29:50 Will AI Asymptote

32:11 Reimagining the Education System

35:27 Curiosity and Tailored Learning

37:12 Talented STEM Students

40:16 Libertarian Perspectives on Education

Ariel speaks with Mike Todasco about practical AI usage strategies and broader implications of AI adoption. Mike shares his "Borg Chart" framework for organizing AI tools, explains how he uses multiple AI subscriptions, and discusses his recent research on LLMs and prediction markets. The conversation covers where to draw the line with AI assistance, the risks of over-reliance on AI companions, how education needs to adapt, and how solopreneurs are now empowered with AI.

Guest

Michael (Mike) Todasco is a Visiting Fellow at San Diego State University’s AI Center and the former Senior Director of Innovation at Paypal. Find him online at todasco.com.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to AI and Personal Journey

03:12 AI Borg Chart

05:01 Human Touch vs. AI Automation

07:52 Exploring Multiple AI Tools

11:57 Recognizing AI Errors & Limitations

15:32 Using Deep Research

19:09 AI Betting & Confidence

24:38 The Risks of AI

28:20 AI in Education

32:23 The Purpose of Learning

37:51 AI Alignment and Corporate Alignment

44:18 The GDPVal Metric

In this conversation, Ariel interviews Dr. Orin Davis to explore the science of "Flow" - the state of complete immersion and energized focus often described as "being in the zone". Orin breaks down the characteristics of flow, its relationship with happiness, and how to identify the activities that help you cultivate it. They discuss the differences between flow and meditation and offer a critical look at how modern schools and workplaces may inhibit optimal performance. They explore real-world examples of flow in tennis, chess, coding, and dancing. Finally, they discuss "microflow" - salvaging optimal experiences in short bursts even under suboptimal conditions.

Guest

Dr. Orin Davis studied under Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and is holder of the first doctorate awarded in Positive Psychology, a lecturer at Columbia University, and Principal Investigator of the Quality of Life Laboratory. You can find more about his work at qllab.org.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Positive Psychology and Flow

01:49 Understanding Flow: Definition and Characteristics

04:22 The Spectrum of Flow Experiences

06:02 Flow and Happiness

07:49 Frequency and Spillover Effects of Flow

10:06 The Nature of Flow: Struggle and Enjoyment

12:59 Flow vs. Mastery: Short-term vs. Long-term Satisfaction

14:40 Flow and Meditation: Similarities and Differences

17:48 Effort and Enjoyment: The Balance in Flow

20:21 The Importance of Doing for Its Own Sake

22:48 Work-Life Balance and the Startup Culture

27:32 Cultivating Flow: Tips and Strategies

30:08 The Art of Collaboration in Dance

31:01 Flow in Physical vs. Intellectual Activities

33:33 The Impact of Distractions on Flow

36:46 Rethinking Education for Flow Experiences

40:11 Grouping in Schools and Flow Opportunities

44:20 Understanding Microflow

48:03 Flow When Playing Chess & Volleyball

53:40 Benefits of Microflow in Daily Life

58:19 Creating Opportunities for Flow at Work

In this wide-ranging conversation, Ariel interviews economist Robin Hanson about the hidden motives that drive human behavior, the central theme of his book The Elephant in the Brain. Hanson argues that much of what we do is not for the reasons we consciously believe, but rather for signaling our value as allies, mates, and group members. Our conscious mind acts as a "press secretary," creating socially acceptable narratives for our actions, while the real, often selfish, motives remain hidden. Hanson illustrates this thesis with examples from medicine, charity, and art, contending that our actions in these domains are better explained by a desire to signal care, loyalty, and status than by the stated goals of health, altruism, or aesthetic appreciation.

The conversation then shifts to the implications of this theory and the rise of Artificial Intelligence. Hanson suggests that while individuals can only make modest changes to their ingrained behaviors, society can foster more rationality by creating institutions like prediction markets. They discuss the implications of AI on human value creation and the future of work in an AI-driven economy. Hanson places the latest AI technology within the overall context of AI booms and busts, and revisits his analysis from The Age of Em. Hanson is less worried about AI risk than many, but appreciates modern AI as a powerful research tool for integrating knowledge across disciplines. They discuss the potential influence of AI on art and culture, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of artistic expression.

Guest: Robin Hanson, economist at George Mason University, author of The Age of Em and co-author of The Elephant in the Brain, and writer at the blog Overcoming Bias.

Timestamps

00:00 Understanding Motivations: The Drive to Explore

04:06 The Elephant in the Brain: Unpacking Hidden Motivations

07:43 Controversial Insights: Medicine and Health

15:14 Signaling and Status: The Social Dynamics of Behavior

24:30 Behavior Beyond Signaling: Exploring Basic Drives

28:29 The Role of Constants in Human Behavior

29:33 Signaling in Art and Consumption

30:58 Uniqueness and Social Preferences

34:11 Distal vs. Proximate Explanations of Behavior

36:30 The Nature of Helping Behavior

37:16 Effective Altruism and Individual Behavior

38:54 Understanding Human Behavior and Policy

41:25 Individual Change vs. Societal Change

43:00 Institutions and Rational Decision-Making

45:31 Betting Markets and Prediction Accuracy

49:09 AI's Impact on Human Value and Signaling

52:38 The Future of Work in an AI-Driven Economy

55:34 The Human-Like Evolution of AI

58:23 The Near View vs. Far View of AI

59:52 Investment Cycles in AI Development

01:01:46 Paths to Artificial Intelligence: Ems vs. LLMs

01:02:41 The Challenge of Regulating AI Development

01:05:25 Knowledge Spread and Its Risks

01:07:46 The Future of AI and Personal Investment

01:09:29 AI as a Tool for Integration and Discovery

01:14:05 The Impact of AI on Art and Culture

In this conversation, Ariel speaks with Matthew Immergut, an associate professor of sociology and co-author of the acclaimed guide to meditation "The Mind Illuminated'. They dive deep into the nature of meditation, moving beyond the pop-culture view of it as a simple tool for relaxation. Matthew shares his journey into meditation, discussing its nature, goals, and the challenges faced by practitioners. He emphasizes the distinction between meditation as a formal practice and meditative activities, the importance of attention and awareness, and the potential for insights gained through meditation. Matthew provides practical advice for both beginners who are skeptical and for practitioners who have hit a plateau, and emphasizes the importance of joy in meditation. He discusses how there is no "silver bullet" for self-transformation, and the evolving gifts of meditation over time. They also discuss the role of neuroscience in understanding meditation, the balance between concentration and insight, the paradox of "letting go," and the complex relationship between meditative states and a person's everyday behavior.

Topics with Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Meditation and Background

04:34 Secular vs. Spiritual Approaches to Meditation

07:30 The Purpose of Meditation: Beyond Self-Improvement

10:33 Defining Meditation: Formal Practice vs. Meditative Activities

11:49 Training the Mind: Skills and Intentions in Meditation

14:01 Experiential Curiosity: Insights from Meditation

19:07 Skepticism, Setting Small Goals and Finding Enjoyment

25:27 Navigating Plateaus in Meditation Practice and Appreciating Noticing

29:43 The Role of Teachers in Meditation

31:27 Meditation: Universal Necessity or Personal Choice?

37:52 The Evolving Gifts of Meditation

39:46 Personal Journeys: From Orthodox Judaism to Meditation

45:01 The Mind Illuminated: Understanding Attention and Awareness

48:54 Meditation and Neuroscience

54:26 Shamatha & Vipassana, Insights and Awakening

1:01:21 Direct Approaches to Awareness

1:04:56 States vs. Traits in Meditation

01:09:00 Practical Meditation Tips and Finding Balance