web02.fireside.fm Mon, 04 May 2026 03:44:07 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Increments - Episodes Tagged with “Ethics” https://www.incrementspodcast.com/tags/ethics Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:00:00 -0700 Vaden Masrani, a senior research scientist in machine learning, and Ben Chugg, a PhD student in statistics, get into trouble arguing about everything except machine learning and statistics. Coherence is somewhere on the horizon. Bribes, suggestions, love-mail and hate-mail all welcome at incrementspodcast@gmail.com. en-us episodic Science, Philosophy, Epistemology, Mayhem Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani Vaden Masrani, a senior research scientist in machine learning, and Ben Chugg, a PhD student in statistics, get into trouble arguing about everything except machine learning and statistics. Coherence is somewhere on the horizon. Bribes, suggestions, love-mail and hate-mail all welcome at incrementspodcast@gmail.com. no Philosophy,Science,Ethics,Progress,Knowledge,Computer Science,Conversation,Error-Correction Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani incrementspodcast@gmail.com #100 - Celebrating the Centennial https://www.incrementspodcast.com/100 9a3b2d28-eb42-464f-8851-a62c791eb30e Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:00:00 -0700 Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani full Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani The boys reflect on nearly five years of podcasting, realize they haven't grown too much, and nearly call it quits. 1:21:16 no <p>100 episodes! To celebrate, Vaden tries to get personal with Ben, while Ben dodges his questions and wants to know how Vaden feels about incest. All in all, a pretty typical episode. </p> The questions <p>From Vaden to Ben: </p> <ol> <li>How is your side hustle going? </li> <li>Who are some of your major influences outside of Popper?</li> <li>How has the Popperian worldview influenced your day-to-day?</li> <li>What is the life of a nomadic academic like?</li> <li>What would you say to people who are considering mathematics as a career? </li> <li>Which charities do you recommend?</li> </ol> <p>From Ben to Vaden: </p> <ol> <li>How do you feel about looksmaxxing? </li> <li>Thoughts on medical assistance in dying? </li> <li>Ethics of Alex Honnold free soloing Taipei 101? </li> <li>Thoughts on Nation-Buiding?</li> <li>Incest - into it? </li> </ol> Episode References <ul> <li><a href="https://www.incrementspodcast.com/76" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">#22 - Thinking Through Thought Experiments</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.incrementspodcast.com/66" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">#66 - Sex Research, Addiction, and Financial Domination (w/ Aella)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.incrementspodcast.com/58" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">#58 - Ask Us Anything V: How to Read and What to Read</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.incrementspodcast.com/70" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">#70 - ... and Bayes Bites Back (w/ Richard Meadows)</a></li> <li> <a href="https://www.incrementspodcast.com/76" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">#76 (Bonus) - Is P(doom) meaningful? Debating epistemology (w/ Liron Shapira)</a> </li> </ul> References <ul> <li>Angus Deaton debates Abhijit Banerjee: <a href="https://nyudri.wordpress.com/initiatives/deaton-v-banerjee/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">https://nyudri.wordpress.com/initiatives/deaton-v-banerjee/</a> </li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JnWvP2UDQM" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Christopher Hitchens and Robert Wright</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwJqYP4Mf6c" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Sam Harris and Garry Kasparov</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Private-Empire-ExxonMobil-American-Power/dp/0143123548" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Bomb-My-Garden-Secrets-Mastermind/dp/0471679658" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">The Bomb in My Garden: The Secrets of Saddam's Nuclear Mastermind</a></li> </ul> Socials <ul> <li>Follow us on Twitter at @IncrementsPod, @BennyChugg, @VadenMasrani</li> <li>Come join our discord server! DM us on twitter or send us an email to get a supersecret link</li> <li>Become a patreon subscriber <a href="https://www.patreon.com/Increments" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>. Or give us one-time cash donations to help cover our lack of cash donations <a href="https://ko-fi.com/increments" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>.</li> <li>Click dem like buttons on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_4wZzQyoW4s4ZuE4FY9DQQ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube</a> </li> </ul> <p>What is your favorite form of ince... actually nevermind, too much. Just email us at <a href="mailto:incrementspodcast@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">incrementspodcast@gmail.com</a>. </p> retrospective, ethics, popper 100 episodes! To celebrate, Vaden tries to get personal with Ben, while Ben dodges his questions and wants to know how Vaden feels about incest. All in all, a pretty typical episode.

The questions

From Vaden to Ben:

  1. How is your side hustle going?
  2. Who are some of your major influences outside of Popper?
  3. How has the Popperian worldview influenced your day-to-day?
  4. What is the life of a nomadic academic like?
  5. What would you say to people who are considering mathematics as a career?
  6. Which charities do you recommend?

From Ben to Vaden:

  1. How do you feel about looksmaxxing?
  2. Thoughts on medical assistance in dying?
  3. Ethics of Alex Honnold free soloing Taipei 101?
  4. Thoughts on Nation-Buiding?
  5. Incest - into it?

Episode References

References

Socials

  • Follow us on Twitter at @IncrementsPod, @BennyChugg, @VadenMasrani
  • Come join our discord server! DM us on twitter or send us an email to get a supersecret link
  • Become a patreon subscriber here. Or give us one-time cash donations to help cover our lack of cash donations here.
  • Click dem like buttons on youtube

What is your favorite form of ince... actually nevermind, too much. Just email us at incrementspodcast@gmail.com.

Support Increments

]]> 100 episodes! To celebrate, Vaden tries to get personal with Ben, while Ben dodges his questions and wants to know how Vaden feels about incest. All in all, a pretty typical episode.

The questions

From Vaden to Ben:

  1. How is your side hustle going?
  2. Who are some of your major influences outside of Popper?
  3. How has the Popperian worldview influenced your day-to-day?
  4. What is the life of a nomadic academic like?
  5. What would you say to people who are considering mathematics as a career?
  6. Which charities do you recommend?

From Ben to Vaden:

  1. How do you feel about looksmaxxing?
  2. Thoughts on medical assistance in dying?
  3. Ethics of Alex Honnold free soloing Taipei 101?
  4. Thoughts on Nation-Buiding?
  5. Incest - into it?

Episode References

References

Socials

  • Follow us on Twitter at @IncrementsPod, @BennyChugg, @VadenMasrani
  • Come join our discord server! DM us on twitter or send us an email to get a supersecret link
  • Become a patreon subscriber here. Or give us one-time cash donations to help cover our lack of cash donations here.
  • Click dem like buttons on youtube

What is your favorite form of ince... actually nevermind, too much. Just email us at incrementspodcast@gmail.com.

Support Increments

]]> #44 - Longtermism Revisited: What We Owe the Future https://www.incrementspodcast.com/44 6c02f356-e380-4b16-a69c-d43b882b4746 Mon, 03 Oct 2022 10:45:00 -0700 Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani full Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani Could have seen this one coming. We discuss Will MacAskill's new book "What We Owe the Future." 1:02:04 no <p>Like moths to a flame, we come back to longtermism once again. But it's not our fault. Will MacAskill published a new book, <em>What We Owe the Future</em>, and billions (trillions!) of lives are at stake if we don't review it. Sisyphus had his task and we have ours. We're doing it for the (great great great ... great) grandchildren. </p> <p><strong>We discuss:</strong> </p> <ul> <li>Whether longtermism is actionable </li> <li>Whether the book is a faithful representation of longtermism as practiced </li> <li>Why humans are actually cool, despite what you might hear </li> <li>Some cool ideas from the book including career advice and allowing vaccines on the free market </li> <li>Ben's love of charter cities and whether he's is a totalitarian at heart </li> <li>The plausability of "value lock-in"</li> <li>The bizarro world of population ethics </li> </ul> <p><strong>References</strong>:<br> "Bait-and-switch" critique from a longtermist blogger: <a href="https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/9Y6Y6qoAigRC7A8eX/my-take-on-what-we-owe-the-future" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/9Y6Y6qoAigRC7A8eX/my-take-on-what-we-owe-the-future</a></p> <p>Quote: "For instance, I’m worried people will feel bait-and-switched if they get into EA via WWOTF then do an 80,000 Hours call or hang out around their EA university group and realize most people think AI risk is the biggest longtermist priority, many thinking this by a large margin."</p> <p><strong>Contact us</strong> </p> <ul> <li>Follow us on Twitter at @IncrementsPod, @BennyChugg, @VadenMasrani</li> <li>Check us out on youtube at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_4wZzQyoW4s4ZuE4FY9DQQ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_4wZzQyoW4s4ZuE4FY9DQQ</a> </li> <li>Come join our discord server! DM us on twitter or send us an email to get a supersecret link</li> </ul> <p>How long is your termist? Tell us at <a href="mailto:incrementspodcast@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">incrementspodcast@gmail.com</a> </p> longtermism, effective altruism, philosophy, ethics Like moths to a flame, we come back to longtermism once again. But it's not our fault. Will MacAskill published a new book, What We Owe the Future, and billions (trillions!) of lives are at stake if we don't review it. Sisyphus had his task and we have ours. We're doing it for the (great great great ... great) grandchildren.

We discuss:

  • Whether longtermism is actionable
  • Whether the book is a faithful representation of longtermism as practiced
  • Why humans are actually cool, despite what you might hear
  • Some cool ideas from the book including career advice and allowing vaccines on the free market
  • Ben's love of charter cities and whether he's is a totalitarian at heart
  • The plausability of "value lock-in"
  • The bizarro world of population ethics

References:
"Bait-and-switch" critique from a longtermist blogger: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/9Y6Y6qoAigRC7A8eX/my-take-on-what-we-owe-the-future

Quote: "For instance, I’m worried people will feel bait-and-switched if they get into EA via WWOTF then do an 80,000 Hours call or hang out around their EA university group and realize most people think AI risk is the biggest longtermist priority, many thinking this by a large margin."

Contact us

How long is your termist? Tell us at incrementspodcast@gmail.com

Support Increments

]]> Like moths to a flame, we come back to longtermism once again. But it's not our fault. Will MacAskill published a new book, What We Owe the Future, and billions (trillions!) of lives are at stake if we don't review it. Sisyphus had his task and we have ours. We're doing it for the (great great great ... great) grandchildren.

We discuss:

  • Whether longtermism is actionable
  • Whether the book is a faithful representation of longtermism as practiced
  • Why humans are actually cool, despite what you might hear
  • Some cool ideas from the book including career advice and allowing vaccines on the free market
  • Ben's love of charter cities and whether he's is a totalitarian at heart
  • The plausability of "value lock-in"
  • The bizarro world of population ethics

References:
"Bait-and-switch" critique from a longtermist blogger: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/9Y6Y6qoAigRC7A8eX/my-take-on-what-we-owe-the-future

Quote: "For instance, I’m worried people will feel bait-and-switched if they get into EA via WWOTF then do an 80,000 Hours call or hang out around their EA university group and realize most people think AI risk is the biggest longtermist priority, many thinking this by a large margin."

Contact us

How long is your termist? Tell us at incrementspodcast@gmail.com

Support Increments

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