#292 – Robin Hanson: Alien Civilizations, UFOs, and the Future of Humanity

About this episode

<p>Robin Hanson is a professor at George Mason University and researcher at Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:<br /> &#8211; <b>Lambda</b>: <a href="https://lambdalabs.com/lex">https://lambdalabs.com/lex</a><br /> &#8211; <b>Audible</b>: <a href="https://audible.com/lex">https://audible.com/lex</a><br /> &#8211; <b>BiOptimizers</b>: <a href="http://www.magbreakthrough.com/lex">http://www.magbreakthrough.com/lex</a> to get 10% off<br /> &#8211; <b>BetterHelp</b>: <a href="https://betterhelp.com/lex">https://betterhelp.com/lex</a> to get 10% off<br /> &#8211; <b>ExpressVPN</b>: <a href="https://expressvpn.com/lexpod">https://expressvpn.com/lexpod</a> and use code LexPod to get 3 months free</p> <p><b>EPISODE LINKS:</b><br /> Robin&#8217;s Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/robinhanson">https://twitter.com/robinhanson</a><br /> Robin&#8217;s Website: <a href="https://mason.gmu.edu/~rhanson">https://mason.gmu.edu/~rhanson</a><br /> Grabby Aliens (paper): <a href="https://grabbyaliens.com/paper">https://grabbyaliens.com/paper</a><br /> The Elephant in the Brain (book): <a href="https://amazon.com/dp/0197551955/ref=nosim?tag=turingmachi08-20">https://amazon.com/dp/0197551955/ref=nosim?tag=turingmachi08-20</a><br /> The Age of Em (book): <a href="https://amazon.com/dp/0198817827/ref=nosim?tag=turingmachi08-20">https://amazon.com/dp/0198817827/ref=nosim?tag=turingmachi08-20</a></p> <p><b>PODCAST INFO:</b><br /> Podcast website: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/podcast">https://lexfridman.com/podcast</a><br /> Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://apple.co/2lwqZIr">https://apple.co/2lwqZIr</a><br /> Spotify: <a href="https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8">https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8</a><br /> RSS: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/">https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/</a><br /> YouTube Full Episodes: <a href="https://youtube.com/lexfridman">https://youtube.com/lexfridman</a><br /> YouTube Clips: <a href="https://youtube.com/lexclips">https://youtube.com/lexclips</a></p> <p><b>SUPPORT &#38; CONNECT:</b><br /> &#8211; Check out the sponsors above, it&#8217;s the best way to support this podcast<br /> &#8211; Support on Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman">https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/lexfridman">https://twitter.com/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman">https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman">https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman">https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; Medium: <a href="https://medium.com/@lexfridman">https://medium.com/@lexfridman</a></p> <p><b>OUTLINE:</b><br /> Here&#8217;s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.<br /> (00:00) &#8211; Introduction<br /> (06:49) &#8211; Grabby aliens<br /> (44:33) &#8211; War and competition<br /> (50:07) &#8211; Global government<br /> (1:02:58) &#8211; Humanity&#8217;s future<br /> (1:13:00) &#8211; Hello aliens<br /> (1:40:03) &#8211; UFO sightings<br /> (2:04:40) &#8211; Conspiracy theories<br /> (2:12:58) &#8211; Elephant in the brain<br /> (2:26:29) &#8211; Medicine<br /> (2:38:58) &#8211; Institutions<br /> (3:05:52) &#8211; Physics<br /> (3:10:43) &#8211; Artificial intelligence<br /> (3:28:32) &#8211; Economics<br /> (3:31:53) &#8211; Political science<br /> (3:37:42) &#8211; Advice for young people<br /> (3:46:33) &#8211; Darkest moments<br /> (3:49:34) &#8211; Love and loss<br /> (3:58:57) &#8211; Immortality<br /> (4:02:53) &#8211; Simulation hypothesis<br /> (4:13:10) &#8211; Meaning of life</p>