Episode
#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
3:18:56
Published: Sat Aug 21 2021
Description
Joscha Bach is a cognitive scientist, AI researcher, and philosopher. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Coinbase: https://coinbase.com/lex to get $5 in free Bitcoin - Codecademy: https://codecademy.com and use code LEX to get 15% off - Linode: https://linode.com/lex to get $100 free credit - NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour - ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free EPISODE LINKS: Joscha's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Plinz Joscha's Website: http://bach.ai PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (07:15) - Life is hard (09:38) - Consciousness (16:24) - What is life? (26:33) - Free will (40:38) - Simulation (42:49) - Base layer of reality (58:24) - Boston Dynamics (1:06:43) - Engineering consciousness (1:17:12) - Suffering (1:26:06) - Postmodernism (1:30:25) - Psychedelics (1:43:40) - GPT-3 (1:52:22) - GPT-4 (1:58:47) - OpenAI Codex (2:01:02) - Humans vs AI: Who is more dangerous? (2:17:47) - Hitler (2:22:44) - Autonomous weapon systems (2:30:11) - Mark Zuckerberg (2:35:47) - Love (2:50:00) - Michael Malice and anarchism (3:06:57) - Love (3:11:05) - Advice for young people (3:15:42) - Meaning of life
Chapters
Learn Python 3 at Code Academy Pro using promo code Lex to get 15% discount.
00:00 - 04:35 (04:35)
Summary
Learn Python 3 at Code Academy Pro using promo code Lex to get 15% discount. Code Academy Pro has quality customer service available 24/7, making it the best way to learn to code.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The idea of personal identity is a fiction, and adopting this realization can help us avoid taking things personally.
04:35 - 10:21 (05:45)
Summary
The idea of personal identity is a fiction, and adopting this realization can help us avoid taking things personally. (No mention of the product advertised in the transcript)
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The episode discusses the concept of agents and control systems, how they work, how they differ, and how they relate to minimizing their own set points.
10:21 - 16:54 (06:32)
Summary
The episode discusses the concept of agents and control systems, how they work, how they differ, and how they relate to minimizing their own set points.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This episode explores the boundaries of life, as the host and guest discuss complexity, hierarchy and where we currently draw the line between non-life and life, delving into the possibility that other life-like entities could exist.
16:54 - 24:12 (07:18)
Summary
This episode explores the boundaries of life, as the host and guest discuss complexity, hierarchy and where we currently draw the line between non-life and life, delving into the possibility that other life-like entities could exist.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast episode explores the concept of agents in decision making and how our brains often create an illusion of agents even in deterministic systems.
24:12 - 32:32 (08:20)
Summary
This podcast episode explores the concept of agents in decision making and how our brains often create an illusion of agents even in deterministic systems. Through examining the behavior of cells in our body, the podcast highlights how coherent behavior can be mistaken for serving a common goal.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The dynamics of the dream world match the dynamics of the physical world to a certain degree and our actions within it can have an impact on the real world.
32:33 - 37:49 (05:15)
Summary
The dynamics of the dream world match the dynamics of the physical world to a certain degree and our actions within it can have an impact on the real world. Despite not having direct perception of the underlying zeros and ones, our decisions still feel like they have an impact.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Donald Hoffman's evolutionary argument about the simulation theory proposes that a consistent dream world is not necessary for evolution, and it could be an advantage to have the dream world drift away from physical reality as we know it.
37:49 - 42:36 (04:46)
Summary
Donald Hoffman's evolutionary argument about the simulation theory proposes that a consistent dream world is not necessary for evolution, and it could be an advantage to have the dream world drift away from physical reality as we know it.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The human brain needs a language - a mathematical language that can refer to something in the world.
42:37 - 47:06 (04:29)
Summary
The human brain needs a language - a mathematical language that can refer to something in the world. However, we cannot construct a notion of infinity without running into contradictions, showing that such a language may not be valid.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The human mind is capable of performing certain mathematical tasks that lie beyond the capability of a universal Turing machine, such as dealing with infinities.
47:06 - 52:56 (05:49)
Summary
The human mind is capable of performing certain mathematical tasks that lie beyond the capability of a universal Turing machine, such as dealing with infinities. This raises the question of whether the human mind is fundamentally more capable as a thinking machine than a computer.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The possibility of consciousness emerging from a robot's hyper parameters is discussed, where the robot constructs a model of its space in relation to the world and predicts its behavior based on this model.
52:56 - 58:06 (05:09)
Summary
The possibility of consciousness emerging from a robot's hyper parameters is discussed, where the robot constructs a model of its space in relation to the world and predicts its behavior based on this model.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast discusses the cybernetic control architecture developed to synchronize the pursuit of different conflicting goals in robots and how motion capture is not effective due to the weight distribution differences between humans and robots.
58:06 - 1:05:18 (07:12)
Summary
This podcast discusses the cybernetic control architecture developed to synchronize the pursuit of different conflicting goals in robots and how motion capture is not effective due to the weight distribution differences between humans and robots.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker discusses the concept of consciousness in robotics, distinguishing between the colloquial self-awareness and the subjective experience.
1:05:18 - 1:10:37 (05:18)
Summary
The speaker discusses the concept of consciousness in robotics, distinguishing between the colloquial self-awareness and the subjective experience. He emphasizes the significance of creating an adequate representation of the world in building a robot story.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
A perceptual system that predicts sensory data from previous and current frames and interacts with a motivational system to maximize expected rewards through modeling and tracking important information.
1:10:38 - 1:16:06 (05:27)
Summary
A perceptual system that predicts sensory data from previous and current frames and interacts with a motivational system to maximize expected rewards through modeling and tracking important information.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Pain is a signal that regulates behavior, telling the brain that the current behavior needs improvement.
1:16:06 - 1:21:31 (05:25)
Summary
Pain is a signal that regulates behavior, telling the brain that the current behavior needs improvement. Consciousness serves to create coherence and predict the future so individuals can coordinate their actions, and suffering is a property of consciousness that affects behavior.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Our understanding of the world is heavily influenced by the ontologies or ways we separate it, but these ontologies are not necessarily true or complete.
1:21:31 - 1:27:26 (05:54)
Summary
Our understanding of the world is heavily influenced by the ontologies or ways we separate it, but these ontologies are not necessarily true or complete. While different societies have placed value on different aspects, the idea that our concept of the world is arbitrary is false.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This episode discusses the ways in which taking psychedelics is like traveling to a foreign land, expanding the mind and challenging one's model of the world.
1:27:26 - 1:34:38 (07:11)
Summary
This episode discusses the ways in which taking psychedelics is like traveling to a foreign land, expanding the mind and challenging one's model of the world. It touches on the ability of psychedelics to transport users to different universes and the benefits of forcing oneself to think outside of one's predictive model.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The effect of psychedelics on people can be vastly different due to their personalities, social environments, and counterculture beliefs.
1:34:38 - 1:40:11 (05:33)
Summary
The effect of psychedelics on people can be vastly different due to their personalities, social environments, and counterculture beliefs. While some may feel liberated, others may not experience any significant change in their perspectives or ideologies.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Researchers fed an AI model with a significant amount of internet trim to find out it can reproduce styles and detailed semantics like adding and multiplying numbers or translating between languages efficiently.
1:40:11 - 1:50:14 (10:03)
Summary
Researchers fed an AI model with a significant amount of internet trim to find out it can reproduce styles and detailed semantics like adding and multiplying numbers or translating between languages efficiently. However, having issues with distant and adjacent words in the same sentence or text, which made it complicated for language construction.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The potential for multi-resolutional language models in AI allows for the selection of the most useful data based on the context of the user's needs, creating a more efficient and effective system.
1:50:17 - 1:58:19 (08:02)
Summary
The potential for multi-resolutional language models in AI allows for the selection of the most useful data based on the context of the user's needs, creating a more efficient and effective system. However, there is a need to balance larger and faster systems with coherent models for a better AI experience.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
There are concerns on the reliability of code generated by language models as a minor error could greatly affect the final output of the program.
1:58:19 - 2:03:29 (05:10)
Summary
There are concerns on the reliability of code generated by language models as a minor error could greatly affect the final output of the program. This raises questions on whether machines can determine the importance of certain aspects of programming where messing up could have consequences.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The US healthcare system is becoming increasingly unaffordable for many people, rendering it unsustainable.
2:03:30 - 2:09:51 (06:20)
Summary
The US healthcare system is becoming increasingly unaffordable for many people, rendering it unsustainable. This issue is compounded by a lack of belief in the future and apathy towards saving for it, as well as the existence of a job placement program within the system to maintain a middle class lifestyle for those with low productivity.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The closure of the economy has severely impacted small business owners, leading to a possible uprising.
2:09:51 - 2:21:29 (11:38)
Summary
The closure of the economy has severely impacted small business owners, leading to a possible uprising. Additionally, the lack of solutions to the virus has led to issues such as infections in nursing homes that could have been prevented through policy changes.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
By deploying technological systems with the correct incentives, there is potential to achieve a level of control beyond what humans are capable of, while also avoiding the scale of mistakes and destruction associated with human error.
2:21:29 - 2:30:04 (08:34)
Summary
By deploying technological systems with the correct incentives, there is potential to achieve a level of control beyond what humans are capable of, while also avoiding the scale of mistakes and destruction associated with human error.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The need for a vision of what a nonviolent society looks like amid the push towards making social media more like traditional media, with limited projection of opinions, is highlighted.
2:30:04 - 2:36:32 (06:28)
Summary
The need for a vision of what a nonviolent society looks like amid the push towards making social media more like traditional media, with limited projection of opinions, is highlighted. Dead serious discussions and statistical analysis are crucial, but there is growing concern over the role of tech entrepreneurs in social media moderation.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast explores the deep appreciation of the world around oneself, including those who are different, living creatures, and different ideas, through the lens of the movie, Mononoka.
2:36:32 - 2:43:02 (06:29)
Summary
This podcast explores the deep appreciation of the world around oneself, including those who are different, living creatures, and different ideas, through the lens of the movie, Mononoka. It also touches on the influence of past experiences in shaping one's perspective and aesthetic appreciation.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The ability to discern good from evil lies in one's commitment to a transcendent principle, which allows for the distinction between individual aesthetics and a moral code that serves a higher agency or principle.
2:43:02 - 2:49:34 (06:32)
Summary
The ability to discern good from evil lies in one's commitment to a transcendent principle, which allows for the distinction between individual aesthetics and a moral code that serves a higher agency or principle.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Integrating the digital revolution to the government’s mechanisms can improve the interaction between the citizenry and the government, resolve prisoner dilemmas, and automate tasks that do not require human ingenuity.
2:49:40 - 2:59:44 (10:04)
Summary
Integrating the digital revolution to the government’s mechanisms can improve the interaction between the citizenry and the government, resolve prisoner dilemmas, and automate tasks that do not require human ingenuity.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The FDA needs to be incentivized to perform their duties optimally, rather than just creating an institution.
2:59:44 - 3:08:30 (08:45)
Summary
The FDA needs to be incentivized to perform their duties optimally, rather than just creating an institution. Also, the idea of a utopia is impossible to achieve because of human nature and the greed for power, leading to its use for propaganda.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
It is not enough to simply read the room or follow the high-status people in your in-group.
3:08:30 - 3:14:34 (06:03)
Summary
It is not enough to simply read the room or follow the high-status people in your in-group. True integrity means actively living out your values and supporting others who also act with integrity, even when it means going against the norm.
Episode#212 – Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The podcast episode explores the idea of projecting an aesthetic of the world that you want to see in the future and finding meaning in creating a vibrant and unique blip in the world and raising a multi-generational organism into the future.
3:14:34 - 3:18:19 (03:45)
Summary
The podcast episode explores the idea of projecting an aesthetic of the world that you want to see in the future and finding meaning in creating a vibrant and unique blip in the world and raising a multi-generational organism into the future.