Scott Douglas Jacobsen interviews Rick Rosner in a wide-ranging conversation starting with swear words and diving into utilitarianism, longtermism, effective altruism, AI ethics, simulated consciousness, moral uncertainty, and capitalism. Rosner critiques modern frameworks, explores future consciousness, and calls for ethical clarity amid rapid technological change.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen interviews Rick Rosner about the nature of therapy, particularly couples counseling. Rosner shares his extensive experience in therapy, noting the importance of unbiased therapists. He reflects on the complexity of discussing current events, like the Israel-Palestine conflict, within therapeutic environments, recognizing the emotional weight it carries for many, including American Jews. Rosner expresses frustration over politicization in counseling and stresses the need for impartiality. He relates this dynamic to personal communication challenges with his wife, emphasizing the role of therapy in fostering constructive dialogue about personal and external issues, including political tensions, without ideological bias.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: You have been listening to a country song designed for people who do not usually enjoy country music—not the traditional kind aimed at long-time fans, but rather a version that tries to appeal to outsiders. Rick Rosner: There is crossover country, of course. However, in Albuquerque, I could only find stations playing formulaic country …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1353: GPT-5, AI Consciousness, and Crossover Country
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What do you think are the best attributes of JD Mata and Lance Richlin? Rick Rosner: Yeah. I know it sounds like we’re talking behind their backs, but... I mean, they’re both talented. JD is a really good musician — performance-wise, vocally, as a composer. And they both have this level of …
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, four studies often come up in the discussion on the inefficacy of intercessory prayer. In some cases, prayer not only fails to help, but even backfires. When people found out they were being prayed for, their stress levels went up — likely due to performance anxiety about recovery. That stress may …
Rick Rosner: So, Carole doesn’t want me tweeting about Trump anymore. She doesn’t want me doing Lance versus Rick anymore either, because she saw a report today involving the U.S. Attorney General and the head of the FBI — Pam Bondi and Kash Patel — going after people. Now, the deal with the Attorney General …
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, I tapped the bar. Rick Rosner: I said, “Go to okay.” Jacobsen: You said, “Go to okay,” and the first thing that popped into my mind was Billy Connolly. I think this was even well before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Basically, the joke was that, as you get older, …
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: I've got an idea—we will discuss quantum mechanics misinterpretations. Rick Rosner: I'm down. I just cracked open the book again, and it was so dusty that it triggered a sneeze. Jacobsen: And I'm not talking about mistakes professionals make—I'm talking about the New Age-y, crystal-alignment, "quantum healing" stuff. Rosner: Yeah. All right. Jacobsen: So what do you …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1348: Debunking Quantum Myths: Misused Science in Pop Culture
Rick Rosner: So, I took out my old quantum mechanics textbook—which, honestly, I never got all the way through. I made it partway, I guess. I don’t even remember if I passed the course that used this book. But I’ve been thinking—there’s still a ton I don’t know about quantum mechanics. And, as you know, …
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Okay, so, panpsychism. The opening question is: what foundational definition does panpsychism propose? So, panpsychism posits that consciousness is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of the physical world. In this view, all forms of matter—from elementary particles to complex organisms—possess some form of consciousness or proto-consciousness. There are six major philosophical arguments …
Rick Rosner 