<description>&lt;div&gt;Scientist and writer Sam Arbesman joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on AI, optimism, science, education, archives, science fiction, and why the history of computing still has so much to teach us.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;We talk about why pessimism is often mistaken for sophistication, why AI may reward open-mindedness more than intelligence, why science works even though scientists are imperfect, and why the future may depend on revisiting forgotten ideas from the past.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Important Links:&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Learn more about Sam here: &lt;a href= "https://arbesman.net/"&gt;https://arbesman.net/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Read Sam's latest book: &lt;a href= "https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/samuel-arbesman/the-magic-of-code/9781541704480/?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/samuel-arbesman/the-magic-of-code&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;br /&gt; Sam's Substack: &lt;a href= "https://arbesman.substack.com/about"&gt;https://arbesman.substack.com/about&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;br /&gt; Neal Stephenson's Innovation Starvation: &lt;a href= "https://www.wired.com/2011/10/stephenson-innovation-starvation/"&gt;https://www.wired.com/2011/10/stephenson-innovation-starvation/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;br /&gt; David Deutsch's The Beginning of Infinity: &lt;a href= "https://www.thebeginningofinfinity.com/"&gt;https://www.thebeginningofinfinity.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description>

Infinite Loops

Jim O'Shaughnessy

Sam Arbesman - Why Future Belongs to Curious People (Ep. 309)

APR 9, 2026106 MIN
Infinite Loops

Sam Arbesman - Why Future Belongs to Curious People (Ep. 309)

APR 9, 2026106 MIN

Description

Scientist and writer Sam Arbesman joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on AI, optimism, science, education, archives, science fiction, and why the history of computing still has so much to teach us. We talk about why pessimism is often mistaken for sophistication, why AI may reward open-mindedness more than intelligence, why science works even though scientists are imperfect, and why the future may depend on revisiting forgotten ideas from the past. Important Links: Learn more about Sam here: https://arbesman.net/ Read Sam's latest book: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/samuel-arbesman/the-magic-of-code Sam's Substack: https://arbesman.substack.com/about Neal Stephenson's Innovation Starvation: https://www.wired.com/2011/10/stephenson-innovation-starvation/ David Deutsch's The Beginning of Infinity: https://www.thebeginningofinfinity.com/