5 minute summaries
1 quote, 3 ideas & 1 question from each episode
__________
25 Jun 2021
3hr 22mins
FEATURING
Owltail Summaries
1 quote, 3 ideas & 1 question from each episode
_________
#194 – Bret Weinstein: Truth, Science, and Censorship in the Time of a Pandemic
25 Jun 2021
3hr 22mins
Quote
"The only thing certain about the future is that it's uncertain. So you best prepare yourself to deal with uncertainty"
Ideas
1
Every creature is two things simultaneously; a machine and a potential.
It's a machine that does the sufficient things to continue surviving and reproducing in the current environment.
But it is also a potential, where it has the potential to adapt and become the most recent common ancestor of some future creature.
If a creature is really good at being a creature or machine, but not really good in terms of the potential it has going forward, it's not going to last very long into the future because change will throw it challenges that it can't meet.
Humans are a generalist platform that has the ability to update and change our software for us to be able to survive in all sorts of different conditions.
But it is also a potential, where it has the potential to adapt and become the most recent common ancestor of some future creature.
If a creature is really good at being a creature or machine, but not really good in terms of the potential it has going forward, it's not going to last very long into the future because change will throw it challenges that it can't meet.
Humans are a generalist platform that has the ability to update and change our software for us to be able to survive in all sorts of different conditions.
1
Every creature is two things simultaneously; a machine and a potential.
It's a machine that does the sufficient things to continue surviving and reproducing in the current environment.
But it is also a potential, where it has the potential to adapt and become the most recent common ancestor of some future creature.
If a creature is really good at being a creature or machine, but not really good in terms of the potential it has going forward, it's not going to last very long into the future because change will throw it challenges that it can't meet.
Humans are a generalist platform that has the ability to update and change our software for us to be able to survive in all sorts of different conditions.
But it is also a potential, where it has the potential to adapt and become the most recent common ancestor of some future creature.
If a creature is really good at being a creature or machine, but not really good in terms of the potential it has going forward, it's not going to last very long into the future because change will throw it challenges that it can't meet.
Humans are a generalist platform that has the ability to update and change our software for us to be able to survive in all sorts of different conditions.
2
We miscategorise the events in their life that something almost went wrong.
Major disasters that don't completely kill us such as the Fukushima melt down, the Global Financial Crisis, COVID-19 potentially coming from a lab, are all catastrophic events but didn't completely wipe us out, they could've been a lot worse.
When we have events like these, it tells us that the process we have needs to change, because the reason between what happened and a significantly worse event, is luck.
Whenever something almost goes terribly wrong, we never want the reason why it didn't go wrong to be luck.
When we have events like these, it tells us that the process we have needs to change, because the reason between what happened and a significantly worse event, is luck.
Whenever something almost goes terribly wrong, we never want the reason why it didn't go wrong to be luck.
2
We miscategorise the events in their life that something almost went wrong.
Major disasters that don't completely kill us such as the Fukushima melt down, the Global Financial Crisis, COVID-19 potentially coming from a lab, are all catastrophic events but didn't completely wipe us out, they could've been a lot worse.
When we have events like these, it tells us that the process we have needs to change, because the reason between what happened and a significantly worse event, is luck.
Whenever something almost goes terribly wrong, we never want the reason why it didn't go wrong to be luck.
When we have events like these, it tells us that the process we have needs to change, because the reason between what happened and a significantly worse event, is luck.
Whenever something almost goes terribly wrong, we never want the reason why it didn't go wrong to be luck.
3
You don't know what's coming, you don't know where the opportunities will be.
So you should invest in tools rather than knowledge, particularly tools that you can repurpose no matter what the future brings.
If you become a robot expert, lives in a world that was destroyed and the market for building robots disappeared, you'd still have the mind of a robot expert.
The best tools are the ones that can be easily repurposed. And investing in a combination of different tools is your best way to differentiate yourself.
Many people will be a lot better than you in a single area or tool, finding the intersection and combination of two different but valuable fields, significantly increases your ability to differentiate yourself.
If you become a robot expert, lives in a world that was destroyed and the market for building robots disappeared, you'd still have the mind of a robot expert.
The best tools are the ones that can be easily repurposed. And investing in a combination of different tools is your best way to differentiate yourself.
Many people will be a lot better than you in a single area or tool, finding the intersection and combination of two different but valuable fields, significantly increases your ability to differentiate yourself.
3
You don't know what's coming, you don't know where the opportunities will be.
So you should invest in tools rather than knowledge, particularly tools that you can repurpose no matter what the future brings.
If you become a robot expert, lives in a world that was destroyed and the market for building robots disappeared, you'd still have the mind of a robot expert.
The best tools are the ones that can be easily repurposed. And investing in a combination of different tools is your best way to differentiate yourself.
Many people will be a lot better than you in a single area or tool, finding the intersection and combination of two different but valuable fields, significantly increases your ability to differentiate yourself.
If you become a robot expert, lives in a world that was destroyed and the market for building robots disappeared, you'd still have the mind of a robot expert.
The best tools are the ones that can be easily repurposed. And investing in a combination of different tools is your best way to differentiate yourself.
Many people will be a lot better than you in a single area or tool, finding the intersection and combination of two different but valuable fields, significantly increases your ability to differentiate yourself.
Questions
1
Can you think of something happening significantly different than it could have only because of luck?
1
Can you think of something happening significantly different than it could have only because of luck?
What else is in the episode
1
Being self-critical
1
Being self-critical
2
The lab leak hypothesis of COVID-19
2
The lab leak hypothesis of COVID-19
3
Monogamy and polygamy
3
Monogamy and polygamy
Who is Bret Weinstein?
1
A Theoretical Evolutionary Biologist and Former Professor Biology Professor at The Evergreen State College. He is focused on adaptive patterns within complex, dynamic systems and his work revolves around trade-offs that force selection to balance competing values within fluctuating or patchy habitats. He's also the co-host of the Dark Horse podcast.
1
A Theoretical Evolutionary Biologist and Former Professor Biology Professor at The Evergreen State College. He is focused on adaptive patterns within complex, dynamic systems and his work revolves around trade-offs that force selection to balance competing values within fluctuating or patchy habitats. He's also the co-host of the Dark Horse podcast.
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