Rephonic
Artwork for Increments
Karl Popper
Artificial Intelligence
Philosophy
Critical Rationalism
Bayesian Epistemology
Libertarianism
Determinism
Effective Altruism
Free Will
Superintelligence
Donald Trump
Scott Alexander
Knowledge Creation
Immanuel Kant
David Deutsch
Social Media
Mental Health
National Self-Determination
Patriarchy
Philosophy Of Science

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.

PublishesMonthlyEpisodes104Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
PhilosophyScienceSociety & Culture

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Artwork for Increments

Latest Episodes

Did you ever see the video of two regular people trying to fight Eddie Hall, the strongest man on earth? Ben and Vaden bring that same energy to this conversation, where they gang up on Robert Wright on the subject of his forthcoming book The God Tes... more

YouTube

Turning on our own! Vaden sits down with Bruce Nielson and Peter Johansen to discuss some of the bad memes that run rampant in the online "crit-rat" community, in an attempt of some intra-tribal error-correction. Ben, scared of the retribution, runs ... more

Wasn't Popper a falsificationist? Then why did he try to develop ideas about corroboration and versimilitude - the extent to which a theory was closer to truth than another theory? Isn't this verging dangerously close to verificationist territory?

I... more

YouTube

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:

• How is your side hustle going... more

YouTube

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Conversations with TylerMercatus Center at George Mason University
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EconTalkRuss Roberts

Recent Guests

Robert Wright
Author of The God Test; host of NonZero podcast
NonZero (author/podcaster)
Episode: #103 - AI, Evolution, and The God Test (w/ Robert Wright)
Peter Johansen
Co-host of Theory of Anything; contributor to CritRat discourse
Theory of Anything
Episode: #102 - Criticizing Crit-rats (w/ Bruce Nielson and Peter Johansen)
Don Robinson
Guest invited to challenge the hosts' views and contribute a perspective on Trump and the political landscape
Unspecified
Episode: #99 - Debating Trump in Good Faith (w/ Don Robinson)
Scott Aaronson
Schlumberger Centennial Chair of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin and Director of its Quantum Information Center.
University of Texas at Austin
Episode: #94 - Is AI Just a Tool? (w/ Scott Aaronson)
Jonathan Rauch
Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution and author
Brookings Institution
Episode: #92 - Confronting the Paradox of Tolerance: Christianity in the age of Trump (w/ Jonathan Rauch)
Ben Recht
Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Episode: #91 - The Uses and Abuses of Statistics (w/ Ben Recht)
Rich Meadows
Co-host of Do You Even Lit
Do You Even Lit
Episode: #88 (Bonus) - Homer's Odyssey
Cam Peters
Co-host of Do You Even Lit
Do You Even Lit
Episode: #88 (Bonus) - Homer's Odyssey
Hugo Mercier
Author and social psychologist
Episode: #84 - A Primer on Not Born Yesterday by Hugo Mercier

Hosts

Vaden Masrani
Co-host; Senior Research Scientist in Machine Learning; discusses political/philosophical topics with guests
Ben Chugg
Co-host; PhD student in statistics; provides statistical/analytical perspective

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 87 ratings
  • For people who say “thought leader”, “Overton window” and “steel man” a lot.

    If you think of ideas (especially the received kind) as fashion accessories that can’t shield you from the elements (or complexity), look no further. You’ll find the lack of epistemological humility here needed to produce the type of human who thinks “I was just doing my job” is a valid excuse for treating the other as means.

    The last episode was telling as you could listen to a group of people realizing in real time that when ideas, like facts, are be used only to prop up one’s a priori withou... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Arnej K
    United States3 months ago
  • The only podcast I always listen to.

    Interesting and insightful discussions of broad, deep, and important ideas in a fun way. I look forward to every episode.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    lukeconibear
    United Kingdom2 years ago
  • :)

    This podcast is a wonderful testament to the value of a humanities education, especially when the statistics student opens his mouth

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    JerryFodor
    United Kingdom2 years ago
  • Deep and important ideas excellently presented

    Rigorous, lively and entertaining discussions about the best ideas in the philosophy of how humans create knowledge and make progress. Highly recommend.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AndrewGleave
    United Kingdom2 years ago
  • One of the great up-and-coming podcasts

    Really interesting under-explored topics, a great recent find. The hosts know their stuff, it’s just a pity about the ben shapiro guy

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ricardo Vegas 69
    New Zealand2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Thought-provoking and rigorous, with deep dives into complex ideas
High-quality conversations with credible guests and thoughtful perspectives
A mix of entertaining banter and serious analysis
Occasional provocative prompts that spark strong viewpoints

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

#103 - AI, Evolution, and The God Test (w/ Robert Wright)
Q: What is the connection between evolution and the coming AI revolution?
Wright argues that technological evolution, like biological evolution, tends to push societies toward larger-scale cooperation and global governance, and that AI is a transformative technology that will intensify this trend if managed with international collaboration.
#99 - Debating Trump in Good Faith (w/ Don Robinson)
Q: Do you think Trump's approach is more about working within the system or breaking its norms?
The hosts present a nuanced view that Trump operates within the system's boundaries but pushes them to their limits; the guest challenges this, suggesting some actions stretch or bypass norms, illustrating the tension between accountability and disruption.
#99 - Debating Trump in Good Faith (w/ Don Robinson)
Q: What are your thoughts on the right's criticisms of immigration policy and how to balance enforcement with humanitarian concerns?
The guest argues that there are valid economic and cultural concerns behind stricter immigration enforcement, while acknowledging the complexity and ethical dimensions, and emphasizes evaluating policies on outcomes rather than pure ideology.
#98 (C&R Chap 10, Part III) - What is truth?
Q: Are you the kind of person to say something when obnoxious guys are talking in public?
No, I'm the kind of person who would pretend that my headphones were in fact working.
#87 - Gullibility, Belief, and Conformity (with Hugo Mercier)
Q: If you could talk about your work and your theory of the mind contrasts and is different from Daniel Kahneman and dual process theories.
Hugo Mercier discusses how dual process theories, while popular, tend to oversimplify human reasoning by positing an overly neat division between intuitive and reasoned thought. He suggests that reasoning is often affected by social context and that people can arrive at conclusions through discussion rather than correction of errors by a separate reasoning process.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Increments

What is Increments about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Increment-focused conversations mix philosophy, science, and societal issues with a playful banter style. Episodes frequently explore philosophy of science, epistemology, and the policy/tech intersection, often featuring guests who challenge established viewpoints or bring technical expertise to broad debates. The show stands out for its rigorous yet accessible discussions, willingness to tackle controversial topics, and a collaborative dynamic between two co-hosts who bring statistical and ML perspectives to wide-ranging topics. This combination makes it appealing to listeners who enjoy deep, idea-driven dialogue that bridges theory and real-world implications, with a penchant for provocative prompts and thoughtful critique.

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Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Increments. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Increments and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Increments get?

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What are the audience demographics for Increments?

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How many subscribers and views does Increments have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Increments has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Increments?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Increments:

1. The Theory of Anything
2. Conjecture Institute
3. Conversations with Tyler
4. Making Sense with Sam Harris
5. EconTalk

How many episodes of Increments are there?

Increments launched 6 years ago and published 104 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Increments?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Increments?

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What guests have appeared on Increments?

Recent guests on Increments include:

1. Robert Wright
2. Peter Johansen
3. Don Robinson
4. Scott Aaronson
5. Jonathan Rauch
6. Ben Recht
7. Rich Meadows
8. Cam Peters

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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