The World's Smartest Mind: Exploring the Extremes of Thought with Benjamin Labatut

Bestselling author Benjamin Labatut joins Brian Greene for an exploration of the extremes of the human mind, centering on one of its most extraordinary incarnations—polymath John von Neumann--delving into existential dilemmas, moral quandaries, and the profound impacts of scientific discovery.

This program is part of the Big Ideas series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation.

Participant: Benjamin Labatut
Moderator: Brian Greene

00:00 - Introduction
01:27 - Benjamin Labatut Introduction
02:23 - Introduction to Labatut's Maniac
03:56 - Pain and Woe Coming From the Faculty of Reason
09:30 - Father of AI, John von Neumann
14:01 - How AI Might Change Humanity
16:22 - Examining Extreme Personalities
18:20 - Kurt Gödel and Von Neumann
23:20 - Balancing the Rational with Belief
27:29 - Von Neumann's Conception of God
28:56 - Labatut's mixing of reality and imaginary
31:55 - Labatut's view of the medium of the novel
34:46 - Von Neumann's Desire for Legacy
39:48 - Labatut's view of mortality
42:21 - Credits

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