A lot of assumptions involved, but this paper says the total number of humans ever born is 106,456,367,669. According to Wikipedia -
Other estimates of the total number of people who have ever lived range approximately from 45 billion to 125 billion, with the more robust of these falling in the 90–110 billion range.

Thank you, Bob, for creating and sustaining the site that provides hundreds of intellectually stimulating and spiritually uplifting programs annually. Thank you, Bloggingheads collaborators, for Science Saturday, UN PLaza, Free Will and so many other treasures. And thank you, fellow commenters, for your passionate engagement in many conversations.

The debate over whether it "matters" if a planet full of zombies gets blown up is a little labored and, it seems to me, confused. The beginning of wisdom on all such questions is to recognize that the whole phenomenon of "mattering" is something that evolved in the same way that the phenomenon of "meaning" evolved. The beautiful mathematics of the physical world was there all along, and it's there whether there are conscious beings or not. It didn't exist as beauty, because the phenomenon of beauty is similarly evolved and depends on the existence of conscious beings able to have aesthetic experiences. Indeed, every aspect of subjectivity is something that evolved. (I don't mean that every aspect was selected for -- some things might be so-called "spandrels," by-products of evolution. But surely we can all agree that they didn't exist before the evolution of conscious beings!) The point is that you just can't answer questions about what "matters" or what is "meaningful" from some external, objective perspective. The very concepts are wrapped up in our existence as subjective beings, and rigorous thought on such matters requires keeping straight the analytical levels at

You should name this episode bloggingheads the movie and show it in movie theaters.

Bob and Joel's diavlogs are the epitome of leave 'em wanting more. Shoutout to Wonderment, too, for saying exactly what I feel about this whole site.

The discussion in this diavlog related to meaning reminded me of "Choice," the latest episode of RadioLab. I highly recommend everyone give it a listen.

Heather Mac Donald opines on what atheists are thankful for here: A secularist’s thoughts on Thanksgiving

Quoting bjkeefe: Bob and Joel's diavlogs are the epitome of leave 'em wanting more.

This is great, especially the part about the bacon cheeseburger. I'm laughing so hard I can hardly supply the dingalink. But we would be remiss not to point people to the greatest Bob&Joel diavlog ever recorded: http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/72

Can't get the MacDonald link to go. Nice, harmless but mostly vacuous discussion. I could have gotten the equivilant down at Caribou Coffee where the guy in the pea coat and beret and the kid with the hardware store hanging from his face often expound in a similar fashion; a recent chat they held was over America's pitiful addiction to $4/gal fuel while both participants were holding $4 cups of coffee. Give me Mickey any day. Love the site Bob, many thanks and it's yours to use as you see fit but punching robots, bunny rabbits on other planets and "thanks, Dad" doesn't do much for me. Joel's belief about 'thinking good thoughts' is not a very far leap from the 'Good News' clubs that both he and I experienced in our youth (I don't think I've heard anyone reference GNCs in over 30 years) although all I really remember about them is singing and painting plasters. The 'thinking good thoughts' philosophy taken to the extreme is (I guess) holding a Thanksgiving mass convergence or cosmic trigger or whatever they call those gatherings for the projection of positive energy, which in my mind is just

Quoting harkin: Can't get the MacDonald link to go.

It maybe opens a little slower, but it should work.
It is a link to a new website, Secular Right:
http://secularright.org/wordpress

Quoting JoeK: It maybe opens a little slower, but it should work.
It is a link to a new website, Secular Right:
http://secularright.org/wordpress

I just came across that new Secular Right blog. It looks like a good one. You're right about how sluggish it is. I wonder if this is due to a spike in traffic from my linking them. ;^) Well, maybe Sully's link had a little something to do with it, too.

I'd like to thank Mickey for doing a show once a week... umm, well...
I'd like to thank Mickey for doing a show once every 2 weeks... ah, umm, well,

Quoting cmonsour: The debate over whether it "matters" if a planet full of zombies gets blown up is a little labored and, it seems to me, confused. The beginning of wisdom on all such questions is to recognize that the whole phenomenon of "mattering" is something that evolved in the same way that the phenomenon of "meaning" evolved. The beautiful mathematics of the physical world was there all along, and it's there whether there are conscious beings or not. It didn't exist as beauty, because the phenomenon of beauty is similarly evolved and depends on the existence of conscious beings able to have aesthetic experiences. Indeed, every aspect of subjectivity is something that evolved. (I don't mean that every aspect was selected for -- some things might be so-called "spandrels," by-products of evolution. But surely we can all agree that they didn't exist before the evolution of conscious beings!)

The point is that you just can't answer questions about what "matters" or what is "meaningful" from some external, objective perspective. The very concepts are wrapped up in our existence as subjective beings, and rigorous thought on such matters requires keeping straight the analytical levels at

Wow, a counterpart as funny as Bob. And who shares enough of a rapport with him that he doesn't need visual cues to recognize get his jokes. Even Bob had to show his appreciation toward the end. Also, does anyone else relish each time someone swears on Bloggingheads? Possibly, that's just me.

Quoting bjkeefe: The discussion in this diavlog related to meaning reminded me of "Choice," the latest episode of RadioLab. I highly recommend everyone give it a listen.

Thank you, Brendan. I found the program not only very informative, but it made me laugh quite a bit (see my other post). I thought I had something else I wanted to say, but I can't remember. And I can't decide whether I should try to remember or not. I won't flip a coin because that's just too risky. What if the coin tells me to do something I don't want to do? And what do I want to do anyhow? ... Don't answer that please. Happy Thanksgiving!

Quoting Ocean: Thank you, Brendan. I found the program not only very informative, but it made me laugh quite a bit (see my other post).

I thought I had something else I wanted to say, but I can't remember. And I can't decide whether I should try to remember or not. I won't flip a coin because that's just too risky. What if the coin tells me to do something I don't want to do? And what do I want to do anyhow? ...

Don't answer that please.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Glad you liked it. Thanks for letting me know. And Happy Thanksgiving to you. BTW, RadioLab is always, always good. Browse the archives if you've got some time. Some of the episodes are real brain-stretchers, and they're always entertaining. Here are a few recommendations, if you want them: Space, Placebo, Laughter, Emergence, Space Capsules, Deception, Time, and best for last: Musical Language. There's no canonical archive index page, but this link will get you started.

Quoting bjkeefe: Glad you liked it. Thanks for letting me know. And Happy Thanksgiving to you.

BTW, RadioLab is always, always good. Browse the archives if you've got some time. Some of the episodes are real brain-stretchers, and they're always entertaining. Here are a few recommendations, if you want them: Space, Placebo, Laughter, Emergence, Space Capsules, Deception, Time, and best for last: Musical Language.

There's no canonical archive index page, but this link will get you started.

Thanks! I'll get to them a little later. I'm busy cooking and stuff.

great diavlog. funny as hell too. i was so thankfully i would have even hit a 'Donate" button, bob!

Damn this Joel guy is super funny. Make him a regular Bob!

http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/161...0:38&out=40:46 hahahahahah

Quoting BeachFrontView: Damn this Joel guy is super funny. Make him a regular Bob!

He already is a regular. It's just that his rate of appearance is even lower than Mickey's . Previous diavlogues: May 27, 2006
Now for Something Completely Different Sep 13, 2007
Achenback!

Quoting harkin: I could have gotten the equivilant down at Caribou Coffee where the guy in the pea coat and beret and the kid with the hardware store hanging from his face often expound in a similar fashion; a recent chat they held was over America's pitiful addiction to $4/gal fuel while both participants were holding $4 cups of coffee.

You're right! All four dollars are the same! That's why--given the recent collapse in oil prices--I have no choice but to practice my conspicuous consumption by filling up the Hummer with mocha latte.

a technical note: sociopathy is a phenotype, not a genotype.

Quoting harkin: One thing about this dialogue......why is it that so many people think that a successful and/or fulfilling life in the USA is determined mostly by luck? The only real quantity of luck involved is that we are lucky to live here, where you have a much higher control over your destiny than in most countries.

No part of this paragraph made sense to me.

Quoting Ray: You're right! All four dollars are the same! That's why--given the recent collapse in oil prices--I have no choice but to practice my conspicuous consumption by filling up the Hummer with mocha latte.

We're looking to have 10% chocomotive vehicles on the road by 2015.

Testimony: Shrewsbury, New Jersey is a real place and the Red Bank Register was a real newspaper in the county (Monmouth) that I grew up in.

Why do all you yanks think us Europeans are socialist?
Because sick people aren't turned away from emergancy rooms if they've no health insurance, or the lower classes aren't just left down there to rot?
As an irish person i was a little insulted by Joels comment about Europeans.

It is always great to see you, Joel.

i LOVE joel achenbach! The good-natured sparing between Joel and Bob is always a treat. Love it guys.