Popping the China Balloon Story

This week, Eric, Dan, and Dylan try to pump the hot air out of the Chinese surveillance-balloon story. What was China up to? Should we have shot it down earlier? Was the purpose to induce Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to cancel his visit? Then the guys turn their attention to the murder of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. Is this an example of the police department and the city acting appropriately in quickly firing the officers involved? How can we use this awful tragedy to make changes that will result in increased trust between the police and citizens? And finally, a presentation at the World Economic Forum suggests that wearable technology will soon enable the reading of brainwaves, which employers could allegedly use to make us more productive, or police could use to prevent crimes before they happen. Are we really on the cusp of Minority Report? Or does this whole idea misunderstand the nature of the human person?
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Timeline: A Chinese spy balloon’s 7-day trip across the United States | Politico
Here is a timeline of events in the death of Tyre Nichols | New York Times
Davos AM23 — Ready for Brain Transparency? | World Economic Forum
The Metaverse Does Not Exist | Dan Hugger, Acton Institute
Suppose You Were an Idiot: On the Importance of Acknowledging Incompetence | Public Discourse
A Multi-Level Bayesian Analysis of Racial Bias in Police Shootings at the County-Level in the United States, 2011–2014 | PLOS ONE
Towards a Pure Theory of Threat Systems | The American Economic Review

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Eric, Dan, and Dylan try to pump the hot air out of the Chinese surveillance-balloon story. What was China up to? Should we have shot it down earlier? Was the purpose to induce Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to cancel his visit? Then the guys turn their attention to the murder of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. Is this an example of the police department and the city acting appropriately in quickly firing the officers involved? How can we use this awful tragedy to make changes that will result in increased trust between the police and citizens? And finally, a presentation at the World Economic Forum suggests that wearable technology will soon enable the reading of brainwaves, which employers could allegedly use to make us more productive, or police could use to prevent crimes before they happen. Are we really on the cusp of Minority Report? Or does this whole idea misunderstand the nature of the human person?

Subscribe to our podcasts

Register Now for Business Matters 2023

Apply Now for Acton University 2023 (Early Bird Pricing)

Timeline: A Chinese spy balloon’s 7-day trip across the United States | Politico

Here is a timeline of events in the death of Tyre Nichols | New York Times

Davos AM23 — Ready for Brain Transparency? | World Economic Forum

The Metaverse Does Not Exist | Dan Hugger, Acton Institute

Suppose You Were an Idiot: On the Importance of Acknowledging Incompetence | Public Discourse

A Multi-Level Bayesian Analysis of Racial Bias in Police Shootings at the County-Level in the United States, 2011–2014 | PLOS ONE

Towards a Pure Theory of Threat Systems | The American Economic Review

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.