Episode · The Tim Ferriss Show · 2022-08-02
Books mentioned on #612: Will MacAskill of Effective Altruism Fame — The Value of Longtermism, Tools for Beating Stress and Overwhelm, AI Scenarios, High-Impact Books, and How to Save the World and Be an Agent of Change
Will MacAskill of Effective Altruism Fame — The Value of Longtermism, Tools for Beating Stress and Overwhelm, AI Scenarios, High-Impact Books, and How to Save the World and Be an Agent of Change | Bro
Tim Ferriss discussed Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom, Practical ethics by Peter Singer, and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. William MacAskill recommended The Precipice by Toby Ord, The Secret of Our Success by Joseph Henrich and others, and The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Patrick Henrich and others.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Superintelligence
Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom is a foundational book exploring the future of artificial intelligence and the existential risks posed by the creation of superintelligent systems.
Discussed“I know we talked already about practical ethics by Peter Singer and then Super intelligence by Nick Bostrom last time”
Where to get it
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Practical ethics
Practical ethics by Peter Singer is a prominent philosophy book that addresses applied ethical issues, including the definition of equality, the moral status of animals, and complex dilemmas surrounding life and death.
Discussed“I know we talked already about practical ethics by Peter Singer and then Super intelligence by Nick Bostrom last time”
Where to get it
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The Precipice
The Precipice by Toby Ord is an influential examination of existential risks and the long-term future of humanity written by a researcher at Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute.
Recommended“one is the precipice by my colleague Toby or who I co-founded giving what we can with back in 2009 and it's on the topic of existential risks”
Where to get it
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The Secret of Our Success
The Secret of Our Success by Joseph Henrich explores how human cultural learning, cooperation, and cumulative knowledge have driven evolutionary success far beyond raw intelligence alone.
Recommended“uh so I have like another kind of set of books which are quite different but they've had some of the biggest impact on just the background of my thinking over the last few years in very subtle ways and that's Joe heinrich's books secret of our success and the EST people in the world”
Where to get it
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The WEIRDest People in the World
The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Patrick Henrich, Joseph Henrich, and Korey Jackson is an exploration of how psychology, anthropology, and culture intersect to shape distinct societal structures.
Recommended“uh so I have like another kind of set of books which are quite different but they've had some of the biggest impact on just the background of my thinking over the last few years in very subtle ways and that's Joe heinrich's books secret of our success and the EST people in the world”
Where to get it
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Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a psychological masterpiece that explores the crushing guilt, moral torment, and eventual redemption of a destitute former student who commits a brutal murder in St.
Discussed“and I have a number of questions related to this not surprisingly but I want to touch upon first perhaps an unexpected Insertion I have in my notes Here Crime and Punishment by dooi as a book that was important to you and I would like know why that is the case”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (5) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“his new book is what we owe the future”
“because in the book in what we are the future I talk about the analogy between the present world and humanity”
“so in the what we are the future I give a story of ancient China so during this period that's known as the hund schools of thought the zuu dynasty had fallen”
“you know I've tried to pack as much as I can into a book but I think is yeah there's a lot to engage with”
“I use it very heavily to like Orient myself for the book”