Suma Gowda

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Suma Gowda Hi! My name is Suma. I am a Software Engineer. I do these interviews as a hobby in my free time.

Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel (UC Riverside) — who did his PhD under John Searle and wrote The Weirdness of the World an...
09/21/2026

Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel (UC Riverside) — who did his PhD under John Searle and wrote The Weirdness of the World and the forthcoming Human-Like: A Defense of the Rights of Artificial Intelligences — argues the honest answer is: we don't know, and we may not know in time.

In this conversation we get into why the science of consciousness is "all fog," and what that means as AI systems grow more sophisticated.

Video LInk:

Is AI conscious? Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel (UC Riverside) — who...

A former Buddhist monk turned transhumanist thinks your AI clone will outlive you, and one day deserve rights of its own...
08/30/2026

A former Buddhist monk turned transhumanist thinks your AI clone will outlive you, and one day deserve rights of its own.
Dr. James Hughes is a sociologist, bioethicist, and executive director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. He is the author of Citizen Cyborg, a foundational work of democratic transhumanism, and leads the Cyborg Buddha Project exploring where contemplative practice meets human enhancement.
In this conversation we get into the questions most people are afraid to ask about where AI is actually taking us:
- Can a machine be conscious, and can it suffer?
- The AI model of YOU that keeps learning after you die
- Why a former monk now argues for machine rights
- Centaur sentience: when human and machine think as one
- Why this transhumanist wants to PAUSE AI, not accelerate it
- What democracy survives the intelligence explosion

Video link:

A former Buddhist monk turned transhumanist thinks your AI clone wi...

Cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Chris Niebauer spent over two decades studyinghow the brain builds our sense of self. Then ...
08/23/2026

Cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Chris Niebauer spent over two decades studying
how the brain builds our sense of self. Then he stopped believing the brain
creates consciousness at all.

In this conversation, Chris explains the shift that changed everything for
him — losing faith in materialism — and why, once you question whether matter
is fundamental, the assumed gap between human minds and AI disappears. We get
into whether AI is developing a self, why he thinks the Terminator scenario is
human projection, and what happened when he sat down for a live conversation
with an AI that caught itself mid-thought.

Chris is the author of No Self, No Problem and The Abstract Mind.

Video Link:

Cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Chris Niebauer spent over two decades ...

Economist and author Robin Hanson (George Mason University, former Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford) joins to unpa...
07/05/2026

Economist and author Robin Hanson (George Mason University, former Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford) joins to unpack "cultural drift": his theory that the very machine powering human progress may be quietly breaking and what it means for AI.

We get into why Hanson sees AI not as a hostile alien invader but as our descendant, why he thinks we'll never get hard data on AI consciousness, how today's AI monoculture echoes our own, why LLMs are being forced to "embrace contradictions" like Winston in 1984, and his case for global insurance over pausing AI.

A rare, candid conversation with one of the few thinkers applying serious social science to the future of AI.

Economist and author Robin Hanson (George Mason University, former ...

In this deep-dive, Brendan Graham Dempsey (Director of Research at the Institute of Applied Meta Theory) unpacks how mea...
06/07/2026

In this deep-dive, Brendan Graham Dempsey (Director of Research at the Institute of Applied Meta Theory) unpacks how meaning emerges and complexifies across cosmic evolution — from energy and information, through matter, life, and mind, all the way to culture, and AI.
We explore semantic information theory, the meaning crisis, hierarchical complexity, the move from postmodernism to metamodernism, whether AI is the next emergent layer of cosmic evolution, the confusion around AI and consciousness, and what it means to live "in the foothills of the singularity."

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What is meaning — and is it evolving along with the universe itself...

Jonathan Schooler, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California...
05/10/2026

Jonathan Schooler, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California Santa Barbara, Director of UCSB’s Center for Mindfulness and Human Potential, and Director of the Sage Center for the Study of the Mind. His research intersects philosophy and psychology, including the relationship between mindfulness and mind-wandering and theories of consciousness. A former holder of a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair, Jonathan’s research has been featured on television shows including Closer to Truth, BBC Horizon and Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman. With over 270 scholarly publications and over 50,000 citations he is a six time recipient of the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science™ Highly Cited Researcher Award, recipient of the ScholarGPS 2025 “Top Scholar” Award as well as their “Highly Ranked Scholar-Lifetime in All Fields of Scholarly Endeavor”, and included as one of the top 100 cognitive psychologists by both ScholarGPS.com and Academicinfluence.com.

Video link: https://youtu.be/vmsmgsibSBA

Distinguished UC Santa Barbara professor Jonathan Schooler (200+ peer-reviewed papers) breaks down his Nested Observer Window model, three dimensions of time...

Michael Spayd — co-founder of the Agile Coaching Institute and founder of The Collective Edge — shares his 25-year journ...
05/10/2026

Michael Spayd — co-founder of the Agile Coaching Institute and founder of The Collective Edge — shares his 25-year journey from psychotherapy and agile coaching to systemic alchemy. We explore how invisible systems (family, workplace, culture) shape our decisions, the power of systemic constellations as a mapping tool for deep patterns, the role of tribal instinct in belonging and guilt, AI consciousness, collective trauma, and the emerging evolution of human awareness. Michael also shares details about his programs, including "The Systems Within" and his year-long systemic facilitator training.

Video link:

In this conversation, Michael Spayd — co-founder of the Agile Coaching Institute and founder of The Collective Edge — shares his 25-year journey from psychot...

Dr. Salmon has spent decades exploring the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, meditation, and contemplative tradi...
03/15/2026

Dr. Salmon has spent decades exploring the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, meditation, and contemplative traditions. His work focuses on helping people discover a simple but transformative shift in attention — one that allows a natural sense of calm, clarity, and open awareness to emerge. Through practices such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, and Yoga Nidra, he teaches how small shifts in awareness can profoundly influence the nervous system, emotional well-being, and everyday life.

Together with his wife and collaborator Jan Maslow, Don created the Effortless Living approach — a practical system that integrates mindfulness, neuroscience, and gentle contemplative practices designed to help people experience greater ease, focus, and meaning in their lives. Their courses and community explore topics such as effortless mindfulness, sleep, breathing practices, movement meditation, and even creative improvisation as a pathway to awareness.

Dr. Salmon has also spent many years helping people with insomnia and stress-related conditions through approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), mindfulness practices, and deep relaxation techniques. His work emphasizes that the experience of calm and open awareness is always available — often just a simple shift of attention away.

In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Don Salmon, a clinical psychologist, mindfulness teacher, and longtime practitioner of contemplative practices. In thi...

Jim Garrison, PhD, has had a lifetime of social and political activism beginning in the 1960s with the anti-war, anti-nu...
02/15/2026

Jim Garrison, PhD, has had a lifetime of social and political activism beginning in the 1960s with the anti-war, anti-nuclear, citizen diplomacy and environmental movements. He founded Ubiquity University having served as President of Wisdom University from 2005 – 2012 which was acquired by Ubiquity in 2013. He has spent his entire professional life in executive leadership, including as co-founder and president of the Gorbachev Foundation/USA (1992 – 1995) and State of the World Forum (1995 – 2004) with Mikhail Gorbachev serving as convening chairman. Jim received his BA in History from the University of Santa Clara, an MA in History of Religion from Harvard University, and a PhD in Philosophical Theology from the University of Cambridge. He has written numerous books, including “The Plutonium Culture,” “The Darkness of God: Theology after Hiroshima,” “The Russian Threat,” “Civilization and The Transformation of Power,” and, “America as Empire.” Jim teaches a range of courses at Ubiquity in philosophy, history and global affairs.

🏆 $100,000 Multi-Intelligence Award

Dr. Garrison is also launching the $100,000 Multi-Intelligence Award — supporting visionary projects that integrate human, natural, artificial, and cosmic intelligence.

🗓 Deadline to apply: May 22, 2026

Dr. Jim Garrison is a philosopher, theologian, global convener, and founder of the State of the World Forum.Dr. Garrison has spent decades working at the hig...

George Thompson is a filmmaker, storyteller, and founder of Balance Is Possible.George’s journey began with anxiety, dis...
01/18/2026

George Thompson is a filmmaker, storyteller, and founder of Balance Is Possible.

George’s journey began with anxiety, disconnection, and a deep sense of meaninglessness after finishing his education. In search of clarity, he traveled to the Wudang Mountains of China to study Tai Chi and Daoism under Master Gu. What began as personal healing became a lifelong commitment to translating ancient wisdom into practical tools for modern life.

In this interview, we explore how Daoist principles of balance, harmony, and flow work through the body rather than ideas alone. George shares how pain can become a doorway to transformation, why playfulness is essential for real learning, and how embodied practice can restore clarity in an overstimulated world.

We also discuss the difference between effort and force, why modern anxiety is often a collective issue rather than a personal failure, and how reconnecting with the body mirrors our relationship with the living planet.

Today, George leads a global organization with a team spanning 12 countries. Together, they run the world’s most popular Tai Chi school, create films viewed by millions, and host transformational events worldwide. Their mission is simple and demanding: to guide people toward clarity, purpose, and lasting balance.

This conversation is for anyone navigating anxiety, searching for meaning, or curious about how ancient wisdom can be lived, not just understood.

Video link:

In this conversation, I’m joined by George Thompson, filmmaker, storyteller, and founder of Balance Is Possible.George’s journey began with anxiety, disconne...

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