web02.fireside.fm Fri, 15 May 2026 18:15:24 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Increments - Episodes Tagged with “Quantum Mechanics” https://www.incrementspodcast.com/tags/quantum%20mechanics Thu, 06 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0800 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 #94 - Is AI Just a Tool? (w/ Scott Aaronson) https://www.incrementspodcast.com/94 b36467e9-f3b2-4477-86e8-14586cc5a5a9 Thu, 06 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0800 Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani full Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani Is there any reason to believe that AI's capabilities are fundamentally limited? Scott Aaronson comes on to scare us straight. 1:24:46 no <p>The time has come for Vaden to defend his faith in the face of cold, hard scientific rationality. Will AI take over the world, automating away everything that makes humans distinct? Or can Vaden defend the church of just-ism, the radical belief that AI is simply "just a tool." Scott Aaronson, professor of computer science at UT Austin, goes to head to head against the zealotry. </p> <p>Check out Scott's <a href="https://www.scottaaronson.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">website</a> and his blog, <a href="https://scottaaronson.blog/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Shtetl Optimized</a>. </p> We discuss <ul> <li>Scott view's on education. Should we radically reform K-12? </li> <li>Is ChatGPT changing Scott's approach to teaching </li> <li>The religion of "justa-ism" </li> <li>Is AI just a tool? </li> <li>Is there any principle which lets us say that AI won't be as general as humans? </li> <li>Aaronson's thesis of Artificial Intelligence </li> <li>Computational universality vs explanatory universality </li> <li>The many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics </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>Have you been converted? Tell us at <a href="mailto:incrementspodcast@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">incrementspodcast@gmail.com</a></p> <p>Special Guest: Scott Aaronson.</p> AI, induction, AI doom, computation, quantum mechanics The time has come for Vaden to defend his faith in the face of cold, hard scientific rationality. Will AI take over the world, automating away everything that makes humans distinct? Or can Vaden defend the church of just-ism, the radical belief that AI is simply "just a tool." Scott Aaronson, professor of computer science at UT Austin, goes to head to head against the zealotry.

Check out Scott's website and his blog, Shtetl Optimized.

We discuss

  • Scott view's on education. Should we radically reform K-12?
  • Is ChatGPT changing Scott's approach to teaching
  • The religion of "justa-ism"
  • Is AI just a tool?
  • Is there any principle which lets us say that AI won't be as general as humans?
  • Aaronson's thesis of Artificial Intelligence
  • Computational universality vs explanatory universality
  • The many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics

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

Have you been converted? Tell us at incrementspodcast@gmail.com

Special Guest: Scott Aaronson.

Support Increments

]]> The time has come for Vaden to defend his faith in the face of cold, hard scientific rationality. Will AI take over the world, automating away everything that makes humans distinct? Or can Vaden defend the church of just-ism, the radical belief that AI is simply "just a tool." Scott Aaronson, professor of computer science at UT Austin, goes to head to head against the zealotry.

Check out Scott's website and his blog, Shtetl Optimized.

We discuss

  • Scott view's on education. Should we radically reform K-12?
  • Is ChatGPT changing Scott's approach to teaching
  • The religion of "justa-ism"
  • Is AI just a tool?
  • Is there any principle which lets us say that AI won't be as general as humans?
  • Aaronson's thesis of Artificial Intelligence
  • Computational universality vs explanatory universality
  • The many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics

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

Have you been converted? Tell us at incrementspodcast@gmail.com

Special Guest: Scott Aaronson.

Support Increments

]]> #23 - Physics, Philosophy, and Free Will with Sam Kuypers https://www.incrementspodcast.com/23 Buzzsprout-8450979 Mon, 03 May 2021 10:00:00 -0700 Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani full Ben Chugg and Vaden Masrani 1:33:44 no <p></p><p>We are joined by the great Sam Kuypers for a conversation on physics, philosophy, and free will. <br><br>Vaden spends most of the episode preparing for a huge debate on free-will, and Ben spends it worried about what alternate versions of himself are up to in parallel universes. Still, we manage to touch on a few topics: </p><ul> <br> <li>Realism and antirealist interpretations of quantum theory</li> <br> <li>The advisory styles of Dennis Sciama and John Wheeler and the standardization of education </li> <br> <li>Reconciling the Harris / Deutsch perspectives on Free Will</li> <br> <li>Restorative and Rehabilitative justice</li> <br> <li>A universe in which Ben spontaneously explodes into dust while speaking</li> <br> </ul><p>Links: </p><ul> <br> <li>Sam's <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.02328" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">recent paper</a> with David Deutsch</li> <br> <li> <br> <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Micro-Macro-Adventures-Wandering-Physicist-ebook/dp/B077YXQ2C8?sa-no-redirect=1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">From Micro to Macro</a>, by Vlatko Vedral </li> <br> <li>Hayek's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Constitution_of_Liberty" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Constitution of Liberty</a><br> </li> <br> </ul><p><br><em>Sam Kuypers is a  DPhil student at the University of Oxford, where he researches foundational issues in quantum theory. He's also one of the founders of the </em><a href="https://oxfkarlpopper.squarespace.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"><em>Oxford Karl Popper Society</em></a><em>, an Oxford-based student society created to facilitate discussions about science and philosophy.<br></em><br><em>Follow him on Twitter at: </em><a href="https://twitter.com/crit_rat" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"><em><a href="https://twitter.com/crit_rat" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">https://twitter.com/crit_rat</a></em></a><em>.</em></p><p>Send us an email or explode into dust - your choice:  <em><a href="mailto:incrementspodcast@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">incrementspodcast@gmail.com</a></em>. </p> Special Guest: Sam Kuypers. free will, education, learning, justice, physics, quantum mechanics, many worlds We are joined by the great Sam Kuypers for a conversation on physics, philosophy, and free will. 

Vaden spends most of the episode preparing for a huge debate on free-will, and Ben spends it worried about what alternate versions of himself are up to in parallel universes. Still, we manage to touch on a few topics: 

  • Realism and antirealist interpretations of quantum theory
  • The advisory styles of Dennis Sciama and John Wheeler and the standardization of education 
  • Reconciling the Harris / Deutsch perspectives on Free Will
  • Restorative and Rehabilitative justice
  • A universe in which Ben spontaneously explodes into dust while speaking

Links: 


Sam Kuypers is a  DPhil student at the University of Oxford, where he researches foundational issues in quantum theory. He's also one of the founders of the Oxford Karl Popper Society, an Oxford-based student society created to facilitate discussions about science and philosophy.

Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/crit_rat.

Send us an email or explode into dust - your choice:  incrementspodcast@gmail.com. 

Special Guest: Sam Kuypers.

Support Increments

]]> We are joined by the great Sam Kuypers for a conversation on physics, philosophy, and free will. 

Vaden spends most of the episode preparing for a huge debate on free-will, and Ben spends it worried about what alternate versions of himself are up to in parallel universes. Still, we manage to touch on a few topics: 

  • Realism and antirealist interpretations of quantum theory
  • The advisory styles of Dennis Sciama and John Wheeler and the standardization of education 
  • Reconciling the Harris / Deutsch perspectives on Free Will
  • Restorative and Rehabilitative justice
  • A universe in which Ben spontaneously explodes into dust while speaking

Links: 


Sam Kuypers is a  DPhil student at the University of Oxford, where he researches foundational issues in quantum theory. He's also one of the founders of the Oxford Karl Popper Society, an Oxford-based student society created to facilitate discussions about science and philosophy.

Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/crit_rat.

Send us an email or explode into dust - your choice:  incrementspodcast@gmail.com. 

Special Guest: Sam Kuypers.

Support Increments

]]>