Hidden Forces

In Episode 51, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Patrick Grim, a world-renowned philosopher, and bestselling author, about the roots of human consciousness. The human brain contains three pounds of gray matter, a few neurons, and a handful of synapses. How can our consciousness — everything that we think and feel — be explained by these few pounds of flesh? Here, Patrick Grim explores what the greatest mind-body philosophers have to say about thought and the hard problem of consciousness. @hiddenforcespod

In Episode 50, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Nevin Freeman, the founder of Reserve, a stable-value cryptocurrency project, about the hard problem of currency. It is said that the future of crypto depends on the success of stablecoins. According to Nevin Freeman, current stablecoin projects are doomed to fail. In an attempt to understand why, we explore the fundamental properties of money, the difference between price and value, and how existing stablecoins are trying to solve the hard problem of currency.

In Episode 49, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Vitalik Buterin and Vlad Zamfir about the future roadmap for Ethereum. In 2013, Buterin described an ambitious technology that offered an ambitious vision of the future — one that gives us a new way of governing interactions among nations, organizations, and individuals. But problems remain on the path to widespread adoption. Here, Vitalik Buterin and Vlad Zamfir discuss how to solve blockchain's biggest issues. Follow us at @hiddenforcespod

In Episode 48, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Annie Duke and about how we can make smart decisions and ensure our long-term success. How can we tell if we’re making a good choice? How can we make a sure bet and overcome feelings of fear and uncertainty? Here, Duke, a World Series Poker Champion, outlines why our success depends on our ability to shift our thinking from a need for certainty to a goal of accurately assessing what we know. In other words, why we need to think in bets.

In Episode 47, Demetri speaks with Jimmy Soni about the father of Information Theory, Claude Shannon. His foundational work, A Mathematical Theory of Communication, showed that information can be quantified, measured, and manipulated. The subsequent digitization of information transformed the foundation of our society, thrusting us into an era, and an economy, dominated by knowledge. In this episode, Soni dives into Shannon’s work, outlining why it is the most important thesis of the 20th century.

In Episode 46, Demetri speaks with Brian Keating, astrophysicist and author of Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition, and the Perils of Science's Highest Honor. Cosmologists stare into the abyss of space in an attempt to uncover the origins of the cosmos and the beginnings of time itself. However, they're often waylaid on their quest. Here, Keating discusses the most remarkable discoveries in physics and the biases and incentives that are shredding the fabric of modern science.

In Episode 45 Demetri speaks with Daniel Pink about the science of perfect timing. Life is a never-ending series of "when" decisions. When should we schedule a class? When should we do something creative? When should we start a business? The list goes on and on. Unfortunately, we make these “when” choices based on whims and what's most convenient, not the biological reality of our daily rhythms. Here, Pink shows us how chronobiology allows us to hack our biological clock. Follow us at @hiddenforcesp

In Episode 44, host Demetri Kofinas speaks with Sam Walker about how our love affair with athletic performance is about more than just competition and rivalry. Humans naturally gravitate towards sports. Society’s focus on athletic performance offers us a glimpse at millions of years of evolution – at the impulses and urges of our ancestors. Here, Sam Walker discusses what sports reveal about the traits we value and the evolutionary forces that shape team selection.

In Episode 43 of Hidden Forces, host Demetri Kofinas speaks with Elizabeth Economy about the emergence of a new imperial China and the rise of Xi Jinping. Since his reign began in 2012, Xi Jinping has managed to amass an extraordinary amount of power, seizing the most important leadership positions in the Chinese government — he’s head of the state, head of the military, and head of the Communist party. By centralizing institutional power, Xi may thrust China into a new imperial age. @hiddenforce

In Episode 42, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Fred Swaniker about the future of African leadership and education in the 21st century. By 2050, almost a quarter of the world’s population will live in African countries. Helping these individuals succeed and participate in the world economy can help us avert global catastrophe. The most effective way of doing that? Education. Here, Swaniker explains why our future depends on empowering Africa. @hiddenforcespod

In Episode 41, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Jim Holt about the philosophy of science, ethics, and metaphysics. Jim Holt is on a quest to understand the universe. Why does the world exist? What is infinity? Is time real? Unfortunately, answering the perennial questions posed by metaphysics is no easy task. Here, Jim Holt tests the limits of our explanatory powers, walking us towards the edge of science and philosophy by pursuing answers to the cosmos' greatest mysteries. Follow us at @hiddenforcespod

In Episode 40, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms about the forces reshaping politics, business, and society. Recently, our world has borne witness to a dramatic shift in power. Control no longer rests in the hands of the wealthy and powerful. It rests in the hands of the crowd and in those who know how to inspire the viral masses. Here, Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms explore crowdsourcing, new power, and how the dynamics of control are changing.

In Episode 39, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Mark Spiegel about how Elon Musk may very well be the personification of a bubble in tech. Elon Musk is widely heralded as the hero of the 21st century. He seems to be single-handedly revolutionizing neuroscience, travel, artificial intelligence, and even space flight. But are Musk’s actions more about sensationalism and showmanship than actual substance? Here, Mark Spiegel discusses bull markets, tech bubbles, and the cult of Elon Musk.

In Episode 38, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Charley Grant about whether or not Tesla can avoid an inexorable spiral towards bankruptcy. Tesla brought green cars to the forefront of our collective consciousness and put electric vehicles on the path to widespread adoption. However, financial troubles and production issues plague the company, and there may be no escape for the electric car manufacturer. Here, Charley Grant discusses why, for Tesla, they may be no path that leads to profitability.

In Episode 37, Demetri speaks with Josh Wolfe, co-founder of Lux Capital, a venture firm that specializes in the hard sciences. Josh shares his unique perspective on investing in this philosophical discussion that ranges from the material to the immaterial. We learn how to capitalize on the breakthroughs of science while freeing ourselves from the impulses of our herd instincts. Topics include artificial intelligence, investments in energy, and much, much more.