Steve Sailer is an American journalist and blogger known for his writings on race, genetics, and intelligence. Tyler Cowen has described Sailer as the "most significant neo-reaction thinker today." He has contributed to a variety of publications, sparking both acclaim and controversy. With a background in business and sports writing, Sailer often approaches topics from a data-driven perspective. His work prompts robust discussions in both academic and popular circles.

See the full conversation at AporiaMagazine.com

Watch or listen to the full conversation at AporiaMagazine.com

Watch or listen to the full discussion on AporiaMagazine.com

Jon Roozenbeek is the Google Jigsaw Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab in the Department of Psychology. His research focuses on inoculation theory. Aside from this, he works on media theory, content analytics, social media, the dynamics of online debate, and development of the mass media landscape in Eastern Ukraine. He co-developed the award-winning Fake News Game, Bad News, and coordinates the testing of this game. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge and his research won the 2020 Frank Prize in Public Interest Communications from the University of Florida College of Journalism.  

Listen to the full discussion at AporiaMagazine.com

See the full conversation at AporiaMagazine.com

Watch the full interview at AporiaMagazine.com

Watch or listen the full interview at AporiaMagazine.com

Listen to the full podcast on AporiaMagazine.com

Listen to the full podcast on AporiaMagazine.com

Watch or listen to the full interview at AporiaMagazine.com

Watch and listen to the full interview at AporiaMagazine.com

Listen to the full interview at AporiaMagazine.com

Are the labels of "alpha" and "beta" males in the manosphere a reflection of reality or a gross oversimplification? Alex joins us on Aporia to dissect the dual mate hypothesis, also known as strategic pluralism, and its implications for understanding human mating strategies. Far from the clear-cut narratives often spun in certain corners of the internet, Alex explains that the concept has been distorted beyond its scientific origins, leading to some pervasive myths about women’s mating behaviors. We invite you to listen in as we unravel the threads of evolutionary psychology, challenging the notion that women universally adopt short-term mating strategies at the drop of a hat.

Watch or listen to the full discussion at AporiaMagazine.com

Watch the full inteview at AporiaMagazine.com

See the full interview at AporiaMagazine.com

From the overrepresentation of Muslims in UK prisons to the nuances of racial disparities in crime rates, our conversation traverses the delicate terrain of British society and its criminal justice system. We confront the controversial grooming gangs topic, explore the effects of police bias and public perception, and address the criticism aimed at previous analyses of ethnic crime data. With Noah's expertise, we navigate the intricate tapestry of societal views, law enforcement, and the media's role in shaping our understanding of crime.

Rob Kurzban is an evolutionary psychologist and former University of Pennsylvania Professor who now hosts the substack Living Fossils. His book, Why Everyone Else is a Hypocrite is a great exploration of human evolved moral psychology

We talked about a number of Living Fossils Blogs like "What to do with Emotions", "The Trials of Academic Publishing",  "The Existential Relief of Having Children" and "The Thief of Joy". 

Rob has also written some articles for Aporia. We frequently mentioned the recently passed evolutionary scientist John Tooby, who Rob wrote an obituary for here.

We talked about many different aspects of Rob's academic work:

• The side taking view of morality

• Erasing Race

• Sex, drugs, and moral goals

In this episode, Harvard's Dr. Michael Rosen joins Bo Winegard for a deep exploration of Nietzsche, Kant, Hegel, and the Passage from Heaven to History. At issue is the fundamental question of life without God. If God is dead, then how do humans find meaning or justice? Should they accept that the funeral of God is also the funeral of humanism, of objective morality, et cetera—or should they adjust their metaphysical premises while preserving their ideals?

Read a review of Michael’s book here.

In this episode Bo and Noah discuss the ethical maze surrounding AI's integration into our lives and its encroachment upon areas once believed to be exclusively human. They examine the effect of AI on the arts, the possible future where AI surpasses human abilities in intellectual creativity, and the societal shifts that could arise from such changes. From the ethics of using AI in creative fields to the emotional consequences for those who find meaning in their intellectual work, our conversation challenges audiences to reflect on the true value of human expression in the age of technological wonders.

Join us on the Aporia podcast where Bo Winegard and Noah Carl explore free will and moral responsibility. Bo brings to the table a defense of compatibilist free will and retributive justice, challenging those like Robert Sapolsky who believe we should eschew free will and moral agency. The discussion peels back the layers of this philosophical debate, contrasting libertarian views with compatibilist perspectives and explores the complex interplay between human autonomy, moral agency, and the nature of punishment.

Our guest today is Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation. Steve is an entrepreneur and has started successful ventures in embryo selection, forensic genetics and artificial intelligence. Steve Hsu- Steve is a polymath- you can see just how wide his interests are on his blog infoproc. Despite his mathematical chops Steve is great at having conversations- I recommend Aporia listeners check out his podcast Manifold.

During the 2020 racial reckoning, after some controversy, Steve stepped down as Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at Michigan State University. You can see his response to the allegations against him here and his resignation here.

Steve published the first paper showing that polygenic scores can predict phenotype with accuracy- see his paper on height here. Steve and his team also have shown that Genomic Prediction's aneuploidy testing improves pregnancy outcomes. We also talked about my article for Aporia on ethical objections to polygenic screening.

In China, Yousheng, loosely translated as "eugenics" doesn't have a bad connotation- as Steve points out here.

Steve is skeptical about the deleterious effects of polygenic screening or gene editing due to pleiotropy.

Simone Collins, former Aporia guest, was also interviewed on Manifold. She used Genomic Prediction's health index.

We talked about Bryan Caplan's books, The Case Against Education and "Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids"

Expanding upon last week's conversation about the race/IQ taboo, Bo Winegard and Noah Carl discuss the ethics of honesty about race differences in cognitive ability. They both agree that candor is better than silence or dishonesty. But they discuss alternative positions sympathetically before forwarding arguments against them.

Is there truly a veil of silence in academic circles when it comes to discussing race and IQ? Noah Carl and Bo Weingard unravel this question by dissecting the assertions of Jackson Jr. and Winston, who deny the existence of such a taboo. They argue controversies in intelligence research stem from poor scholarship rather than an aversion to the topic. Our spirited dialogue challenges their viewpoint, as we scrutinize the nature of academic critique and the undeniable presence of a taboo that, we believe, stifles open conversation on this polarizing subject. By examining our intelligence research controversies database, we aim to separate the wheat from the chaff, identifying where legitimate debate ends and where political or racist rhetoric begins.

Join Walter Veit, University of Reading scholar and pioneering author, as we navigate the intriguing and complex world of animal consciousness. Walter's expertise breathes new life into our understanding of how consciousness could have evolved across species, from the depths of the ocean with the octopus to the humble existence of the worm. Our conversation challenges long-standing human-centric views, uncovering the ethical ramifications of our interactions with animals, and sparking debate over the moral intricacies of artificial sentience, animal farming practices, and the future of lab-grown meat.

Links to Dr. Veit's works:

1. His website: https://walterveit.com/

1. His podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrWalterVeit

2. His paper on clean meat: https://philarchive.org/rec/ANOFWB

3. Can eugenics be defended?: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8321981/

4. Is humane slaughter possible?: https://philpapers.org/rec/BROIHA-7

5. Should parents genetically engineer their children?https://philarchive.org/archive/VEISPG

6. Cognitive enhancement and inequality: https://philarchive.org/rec/VEICEA

7. Mentioned in the episode: Do video game characters matter morally? https://reducing-suffering.org/do-video-game-characters-matter-morally/

8. The logic of the larder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replaceability_argument#:~:text=The%20replaceability%20argument%2C%20or%20the,would%20be%20brought%20into%20existence.

9. Antechinus: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/why-a-little-mammal-has-so-much-sex-that-it-disintegrates

10. Octopus teacher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s0LTDhqe5A

Listen to the full interview on AporiaMagazine.com

Discover the surprising virtues of holding back in activism with Professor Michael Huemer as we ponder the nuanced realities of political engagement. Our discussion demystifies the often misguided enthusiasm within activism and policy predictions, showcasing how even seasoned experts reveal a humbling track record in forecasting political shifts. Huemer's insights challenge us to reconsider the impact of our actions, comparing societal experimentation to the delicate workings of a living organism, where random tampering can lead to unpredictable outcomes.

Are we truly nurturing Britain's bright young minds, or are we letting them slip through the cracks of an outdated education system? We sat down with the formidable Peter Hitchens, whose insights into the role of grammar schools and academic selection are as sharp as they are provocative. Together, we traverse the shifting landscape of the UK's educational standards, where Peter champions grammar schools as essential for social mobility and intellectual development, particularly for the working class. He recounts his own educational path with refreshing honesty, revealing the gaps in his learning journey and challenging the intellectual decline he perceives in today's society.

Aporia sat down with two giants in the field of intelligence research, Charles Murray and Helmuth Nyborg.

We spoke for nearly an hour about a variety of topics, including:

• Intelligence research, its past, present, and future.

• The smartest intelligence researchers and people Charles and Helmuth have met.

• Nationalism and white supremacy

• How societies are “coming apart”

• Whether America was a doomed project

• Whether multi-ethnic societies can be successful

Unlock the mysteries of the mind with our esteemed guest, Richard Haier, the editor-in-chief of the journal Intelligence. This episode promises to dismantle and dissect the concept of intelligence, bringing you a step closer to understanding the intricate workings of the human brain. We dare to venture into the labyrinth of the mind, tackling controversial discussions surrounding intelligence and its measurement.

We're thrilled to have Matt Goodwin, renowned writer, pollster, and professor of politics as our guest for a thought-provoking analysis of Britain's evolving attitudes towards immigration. Matt offers an in-depth look into the public's liberal shift in opinion over the past two decades, juxtaposed against a growing disquiet about the rapidity and magnitude of immigration. Yet, as he astutely notes, these concerns often don't echo within the elite echelons, potentially burdening the upcoming general election with its effects. With contentious policies like the Rwanda plan and border control under the spotlight, we're inviting you to join in on this insightful dialogue.
Timestamps:
(00:30 - 02:39) British Attitudes Towards Immigration and Politics

(05:51 - 07:04) Immigration's Public View and Elite Influence

(10:52 - 11:56) Immigration and Lack of Integration

(20:44 - 22:26) Housing, Immigration, and Medical School Places

(27:59 - 30:20) The Battle for British Conservatism

(32:12 - 34:40) Opinions on Swela Braverman's Political Career

(36:49 - 39:16) Boris Johnson's Migration Policy Backfire

(41:02 - 42:08) Conservative Immigration Policies and Brexit Effects

(46:09 - 47:28) Reforming British Politics

(56:52 - 59:24) Cultural Diversity and Integration Challenges

How does immigration impact public finances? That's the question we'll be tackling, alongside our guest for this episode, independent researcher Jan van de Beek. With insights from his controversial report, "Borderless Welfare State: The Consequences of Immigration for Public Finances," Jan brings to our discussion an in-depth understanding of the subject's intricacies. This episode is packed with thought-provoking discourses, tackling the methodology behind calculating the net fiscal effect of immigration and the academic struggles Jan encountered due to his interests.

Timestamps
(03:28 - 04:53) Dissident Economists and Immigration Research (85 Seconds)

(07:57 - 11:31) Dutch Government Analyzes Borderless Welfare State (214 Seconds)

(15:32 - 19:41) Analyze Data Sets, Calculate Fiscal Effect (249 Seconds)

(23:59 - 31:20) Impact of Immigrants' Education and Origin (441 Seconds)

(35:30 - 38:27) Welfare State's Effects on Immigration (177 Seconds)

(51:20 - 58:06) Reducing Education and Labor Disparities (405 Seconds)

(01:02:12 - 01:03:41) Migration Patterns in European Countries (89 Seconds)

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Open Borders and Immigration

(07:09) - The Fiscal Effects of Immigration

(19:21) - Impact of Migrants and Immigration Policies

(28:15) - Assimilation and Cultural Differences in Immigration

(34:30) - Immigrants and IQ in First-World Countries

(45:06) - Cultural Preservation and Immigration Considerations

(54:44) - Debate on Immigration and Its Impact

(01:03:49) - Immigration's Impact on Politics

(01:12:27) - Open Borders and Immigration Benefits

Join us for a fascinating exploration as we're joined by Simone Collins, an entrepreneur, pronatalist mother, and a consistent Twitter presence. Simone offers an enlightening perspective on pronatalism and its relation to eugenics. Listen in as we discuss the complexities of demographic collapse and the role of diversity in cultural survival. Simone shares insights on how certain cultures, like South Koreans and Native Americans, are at risk of cultural mass extinction, and how a pluralistic approach to pronatalism could help.

For Bonus Questions: https://www.aporiamagazine.com/

What kind of society do we create if human nature is no longer a limitation? This captivating question serves as the foundation for our in-depth discussion with British social commentator, Toby Young. We navigate the challenging landscapes of meritocracy, conservatism, and the idea of inherited wealth. Inspired by the perspectives of Toby's father, Michael Young, found in his book 'The Rise of the Meritocracy', we critique the concept, entering a thought-provoking debate on the illusions it creates and its potential to extend the lifeline of capitalism. Our conversation also challenges the notion of entitlement, questions the moral balance of a child's inherited advantage, and scrutinizes the genetic lottery's place in a meritocratic society.

Timestamps:

0:00:00) - Critiquing the Concept of Meritocracy

(0:14:08) - Protecting Liberties and Addressing Socioeconomic Inequality

(0:22:10) - Critiquing Meritocracy and Inherited Wealth

(0:38:12) - Addressing Inequality Through Genetic Redistribution

(0:52:13) - Technology's Impact on Equality and Genetics

(0:59:47) - Debating the Feasibility of Utopian Socialism

(1:06:11) - Human Nature and Genetic Alteration

Joseph Bronski is a Substack writer and researcher working in quantitative sociobiology. He’s also the author of An Empirical Introduction to Youth.

Find him on Twitter/X and YouTube.

Timestamps:

(0:00:00) - Components of Political Agency

(0:13:24) - Political Agency and Union Formation

(0:20:09) - Literature Education's Impact on Society

(0:28:41) - Elite Theory and Frustration With Regurgitation

(0:36:39) - Debate on IQ and Genetic Influence

(0:45:17) - Racial Bias in GWAS Studies Debate

(0:53:01) - Controversial Perspectives on Genetic Traits

(0:56:40) - Controversial Views on Genetic Modification

(1:04:39) - Debunking Historical Idealism and Cultural Evolution

(1:21:00) - Genetic Decline and the Rise of Leftism

(1:32:58) - Culture, Mutational Load, and Leftism

(1:43:10) - Mutational Load's Impact on Lefties' Beliefs

(1:58:49) - Genetic Improvement and Mutational Load

Watch/listen to the full interview at AporiaMagazine.com

Get access to our Bonus Questions with Heather here: www.aporiamagazine.com

Heather Mac Donald is a conservative commentator, Thomas W. Smith Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and the author of books such as The War on Cops, The Diversity Delusion, and When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives. She frequently contributes to publications like The Wall Street Journal and City Journal. Find her on Twitter/X here.

Timestamps:

0:06:52 - America's Racial History and White Supremacy

0:11:56 - Inner City Classrooms and Behavioral Differences

0:14:18 - Behavioral Disparities and Lack of Awareness

0:18:54 - Diversity's Impact on STEM Fields

0:26:33 - Race and Intelligence in Academic Hiring

0:31:25 - Racial Preferences and Self-Doubt

0:36:04 - Race Activism and Civil Rights Advocacy

0:39:40 - Media's Racist Coverage and Black Lives

0:59:50 - Defending White Civilization

Aella is an independent researcher and data scientist with a focus on sex and relationships. Before that, Aella ran a popular OnlyFans account, earning as much as $100,000 per month. Subscribe to her Substack here:

Richard Hanania is the founder and president of the Center for the Study of Partizan Ship and Ideology, and author of Origins of Woke. Richard shares enlightening perspectives on how pivotal moments in history, like the Civil Rights Act and the advent of technological developments, shaped the contours of the wokeness debate. We dissect the evolution of Civil Rights Law, exploring critical cases like Griggs v Duke Power Company and interpretations of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that redefined the concept of potential discrimination.

We explore strategies to combat wokeness, assess its impact on the political landscape, and ponder over the power of winning elections and the role of the judiciary. Finally, we uncover the philosophical roots of Richard Hanania's libertarianism, reconciling his non-libertarian ideas and influences.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Origins of Woke

05:41 - The Evolution of Civil Rights Law

15:39 - Standardized Testing's Impact on Hiring

22:17 - Causes and Impact of Wokeness

33:09 - Causes of the Great Awakening Exploration

43:57 - Corporations and the Origins of Wokeness

51:34 - Trans Issues, Corporations, Foreign Policy

59:21 - Strategies for Combating Wokeness in Government

1:06:02 - Analysis of Wokeness and Political Landscape

1:13:51 - Explaining the Complexity of Libertarianism

We tackle the controversial topic of the morality of colonialism with Anglican priest, theologian, and ethicist, Nigel Bigger. Throughout this discussion, we trace the trajectory of the British Empire from its inception through imperialism and colonialism, and its influence across Ireland, North America, India, and Africa. As we compare the British Empire with Nazi Germany, we grapple with questions of ethics, genocide, and the role of private interest groups like the East India Company.

Timestamps: 00:00 - The Morality of Colonialism 22:31 - Comparing British Empire and Nazi Germany 30:04 - The Evils of the British Empire 35:44 - Evaluating British Empire Violence 43:53 - Colonialism's Impact on Economic Development 49:17 - British Empire's Impact on Africa 1:04:49 - Debates on Statues and Colonial Legacy 1:12:59 - Contemporary Politics and Reparations for Slavery 1:20:26 - Reforming Weak States Through Foreign Aid

The final video from our 2023 ISIR series is a brilliant interview with Professor Greg Clark, one of the most important hereditarian scholars. We mainly talk about Greg’s groundbreaking study published in June: The inheritance of social status: England, 1600 to 2022. It’s worth quoting at length:

There is widespread belief across the social sciences in the ability of social interventions and social institutions to significantly influence rates of social mobility. In England, 1600 to 2022, we see considerable change in social institutions across time. Half the population was illiterate in 1800, and not until 1880 was compulsory primary education introduced. Progressively after this, educational provision and other social supports for poorer families expanded greatly. The paper shows, however, that these interventions did not change in any measurable way the strong familial persistence of social status across generations.

Greg is a Danish National Research Foundation Professor in Economics at Southern Denmark University (Odense), as well as a Chair at the Danish Institute for Advanced Study. He’s also a Visiting Professor in the Economic History Department at LSE. This year, he became a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Davis.

As we discussed in the interview, Greg has a penchant for Hemingway puns (something that got him in trouble) when it comes to book titles. You should buy both of them. And follow him on Twitter/X.

Our magazine: https://www.aporiamagazine.com/ Steve Sailer is an American journalist and blogger known for his writings on race, genetics, and intelligence. Tyler Cowen has described Sailer as the "most significant neo-reaction thinker today." He has contributed to a variety of publications, sparking both acclaim and controversy. With a background in business and sports writing, Sailer often approaches topics from a data-driven perspective. His work prompts robust discussions in both academic and popular circles.

Read our magazine: https://www.aporiamagazine.com/ Christopher Rufo is a writer, filmmaker, and activist. His work is organized around a simple mission: to challenge and then overthrow the left-wing ideological regime that has dominated American life for a generation. Subscribe to his Substack, follow him on Twitter, and get a copy of his latest book: America's Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything. https://rufo.substack.com/ https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo https://www.amazon.com/dp/0063227533?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_S303678PFEN5J9HFMKBN

Read our magazine: https://www.aporiamagazine.com/ Agnes Callard is an American philosopher and an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago. Her primary areas of specialization are ancient philosophy and ethics. New Yorker piece: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/03/13/agnes-callard-profile-marriage-philosophy

John Michael Bailey is an American psychologist, behavioural geneticist, and professor at Northwestern University best known for his work on the etiology of sexual orientation. His research indicates that sexual orientation is heavily influenced by biology and male homosexuality is most likely inborn. Bailey wrote The Man Who Would Be Queen, a book intended to explain the biology of male sexual orientation and gender to a general audience, focusing on gender nonconforming boys, gay men and transgender women.

Ed West is a journalist, essayist, and author.

He has one of the best Substacks out there: https://www.edwest.co.uk/

This is an excerpt from the debate between Nathan Cofnas and Eric Kaufmann on how to end wokeness. See if the full debate at AporiaMagazine.com

Sander van der Linden is Professor of Social Psychology in Society in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab. His research interests center around the psychology of human judgment and decision-making. In particular, he is interested in the social influence and persuasion process and how people are influenced by (mis)information and gain resistance to persuasion through psychological inoculation. He is also interested in the study of fake news, media effects, social networks, and belief systems (e.g., conspiracy theories), as well as the emergence of social norms, polarization, reasoning about evidence, and public understanding of risk and uncertainty. His research spans from social psychology to cognitive science using a variety of techniques, from virtual reality to survey and lab studies to computational social science and large-scale (online) interventions.

His book FOOLPROOF: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity (HarperCollins/WW Norton, www.foolproofbook.com) was listed by the BBC, Cosmopolitan, Apple, Men's Health, and Next Big Idea's as one of the most anticipated non-fiction books of 2023.

He has published around 150 papers and is ranked among the top 1% of all social scientists worldwide (Clarivate ISI Highly Cited Researcher) and among the top 2% across all scientific fields.

Cory Clark received my Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine. She worked as the Director of Academic Engagement for Heterodox Academy and is now the Director of the Adversarial Collaboration Project and a Visiting Faculty Scholar in The Wharton School and School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.

​Her hobbies include phojography (taking pictures while jogging), phodography (taking pictures of her dog), solo travel to beautiful or weird and murdery places, and planning for her future beet farm/live music venue/goat sanctuary, to be called Beets, Beats, & Bleats.

Dr. Russell T. Warne earned his Bachelor’s of Science degree in psychology from Brigham Young University in 2007 and his PhD in educational psychology (with an emphasis in research, measurement, and statistics) from Texas A&M University in 2011. Between 2011 and 2022, he taught at Utah Valley University and obtained tenure and the rank of associate professor. Currently, Dr. Warne serves on the editorial board for Intelligence. He was the associate editor for the Journal for the Education of the Gifted and a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of School Psychology, Gifted Child Quarterly, and the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment.

Dr. Warne has published over 60 scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals and is the author of the acclaimed undergraduate statistics textbook Statistics for the Social Sciences: A General Linear Model Approach. His book, In the Know: Debunking 35 Myths About Human Intelligence was published by Cambridge University Press in October 2020.