Philosophers In Space
275 episodes - English - Latest episode: 28 days ago - ★★★★★ - 218 ratingsWelcome to Philosophers In Space, where the intrepid trekker captain Callie Wright and their questionable Chief Ethics Officer Aaron Rabinowitz explore the weird, gooey world of sci-fi, searching for tantalizing hypotheticals and gear-stripping questions in a space odyssey of meaning and amusement.
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Episodes
0G66: Striking Vipers and Multifaceted Virtual Identities
July 24, 2019 04:00 - 37 minutes - 39 MBSooooo, we introduced someone new into the podcast this week and things got...weird...We're joined by Heath of the PiaT crowd to discuss episode one of Black Mirror's new season. The BM episode is called Striking Vipers, but it really should have been called Mauling Bears. Lotta ursine erotica is what I'm saying. We also squeeze in a little bit of philosophy on the multifaceted nature of identity and how virtual worlds change what is possible and what feels so so right. I think it's fair to ...
0G65: The Evitable Conflict and The Zeroth Law
July 17, 2019 04:00 - 38 minutes - 39.9 MBI built a superintelligent robot to write these show notes, and it just kept repeating the word "meta" over and over and over again. Not sure if it's a feature or a bug. While we sort it out, enjoy our episode on Asimov's The Evitable conflict, where he first describes The Zeroth Law of robotics. We explain the law, the problems it faces, and how they connect to issues like virtue theory and questions about god. This episode is perfectly calibrated to produce the ideal outcome for all beings...
0G64: I Am Mother and Care Ethics
July 10, 2019 04:00 - 37 minutes - 39.3 MBAnd now another installment in the deeply caring relationship that is our show. Can caring be shared through podwaves? I like to think so. Feel the care just flow out over you. Try not to think about how this relationship also feels like creepy paternalistic programming. This is all totally normal. This week we're covering I Am Mother, a new piece of sci fi horror by Netflix. There's a lot of good philosophy packed into this middle of the road production, and we set some of it aside to com...
0G63: Fury Road and Ecofeminism
July 03, 2019 04:00 - 41 minutes - 41.8 MBWitness our attempt to gain entry into a post gendered Valhalla! Led by the feminist valkyrie Jamie M. Lombardi (@euthyphro), Professor of philosophy at Bergen Community College, we EXPLODE the feminist symbolism and environmental messaging of Mad Max: Fury Road! ::fire guitar solo:: Seriously, this episode has everything. Top 10 action movie, progressive messaging, a guest who steals the show, and quality malapropisms. Oh what a pod, what a beautiful pod. Warren on Ecofeminism: http...
0G62: One Punch Man and Process vs. Product
June 26, 2019 04:00 - 37 minutes - 38.9 MBUgh, woe is me. I used to find passion in the challenge of writing these show notes, but now that I've mastered the art of meta show notes-fu, there's no challenge left. I must seek out a show now with content so boring and straightforward that no amount of meta show notes will make it palatable. This is my hero's journey. Also, we're doing One Punch Man and discussing the tension between wanting to reach our goals easily and enjoying the challenges of the journey itself, and lots of other...
0G61: The Waldo Moment and Politics as Entertainment
June 19, 2019 04:00 - 45 minutes - 49.2 MBAfter such a meta conversation like this about the intricate relationship of media and information, it's really hard to do a meta writeup without going double meta, so here we are. Some episodes we're very much on the same page, and in many places (partly cause of internet issues) we were not in this episode. And I think that's great! There's a lot of moving parts here and it's hard to slow them all down and I think it's good to see how that process goes. No prepackaged bite sized material h...
0G60: Voyager and Procreation
June 12, 2019 04:00 - 40 minutes - 44.7 MBThis week we're bring together a variety of fan favorites: 1. The best Star Trek captain 2. The right to procreate 3. Substrate Chauvanism Hopefully this will be enough fan service to pay off the rage we'll likely incur with next weeks episode. The topic for this week is Voyager season 2, episode 13: Prototype. It's one of many in the constellation of AI reproduction trek episodes and a fun intro to the Voyager crew. Procreation: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/parenthood/ Sup...
0G59: Endgame and Moral Saints
May 29, 2019 04:00 - 39 minutes - 43.9 MBAs luck would have it, Mr. Smith, we're in the one and only timeline where you can make a difference. Snap your fingers and you can make the superhero movies go away forever, but only at the cost of never seeing the space babies ever again. Should you be expected to make that snap? This week we're talking Endgame and another famous concept by Susan Wolf, the issue of "moral saints". This topic relates to several others we've mentioned, including the demandingness objection to ethics and th...
0G58: Runaround and Three Laws of Robotics
May 22, 2019 04:00 - 46 minutes - 51.1 MBHere's my story, it's sad but true, about a bot that I once knew. It took my laws, and then ran around, all the science juice pools in town. This week we're beginning a journey through the robot short stories of Isaac Asimov, beginning with Runaround, the first story where Asimov specifically lays out the three laws of robotics. We discuss the many problems with these laws as well as why they're still important and why it's harder to dismiss them than some might think. AI top down vs bot...
0G57: Orphan Black and Human Cloning
May 15, 2019 04:00 - 46 minutes - 49.9 MBWell friends, I'm gonna level with you. We've been doing a little bit of mad sciencing on the side, and it appears some of the clones got loose and recorded an episode on Orphan Black and the Ethics of Cloning. It's a bit all over the place from what I'm told, but we thought it best to honor their plucky ingenuity and share the results with you, so that you can decide if the world is a better place with these strange creatures in it. "Goodbye Dolly": The Ethics of Human Cloning by Harris h...
0G56: Humans and Everyday AI
May 08, 2019 04:00 - 40 minutes - 44.2 MBHello [primary user] and welcome to the show notes for your brand new copy of our episode about Humans, a British show about how awkward it will be when we're all surrounded by vastly superior, extremely polite robits. We hope you will find this show to be...suitable. If you find it sup bar, and can overcome the British urge to never voice that feeling, do let us know. And of course, if you want to experience the adult package, nudge nudge wink wink: Support us at Patreon: https://www.pa...
0G55: Cube and Kafkaesque
May 01, 2019 04:00 - 42 minutes - 46.7 MB"Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a pool cleaning robot, or whether I am now a pool cleaning robot, dreaming I am a man." -RoboZhuangzi This week we're discussing the Canadian Classic, Cube! This movie really exemplifies the concept of "kafkaesque", and we're joined by the amazing Cecil of Cognitive dissonance to unpack this tricky concept. We also dive into the idea of social conditioning as its own kind of prison, and the cosmic horror of there being no "them" be...
0G54: The Fifth Element and Manacheanism
April 24, 2019 04:00 - 43 minutes - 47.4 MBWell, it looks like we're taking another beloved classic and ruining it with our patented ruining sauce. I'm not sure if that makes us team good or team evil, or maybe it proves that those things make no sense, like this movie. Of course we save most of the darkness for after dark and focus on a debate over the nature of evil between Manachean dualism and St. Augustine's "absence of good" model of evil. If the world depended on getting Thomas to buy into this distinction as valuable, I'd rec...
0G53: Zima Blue and Projects of Worth
April 17, 2019 04:00 - 38 minutes - 42.6 MBWelcome to the beginning of our show's blue period. Until I decide otherwise we'll only be doing sci-fi that's blue themed. Waterworld. The Shape of Water. Mr. MeSeeks. Yellow Submarine. Don't worry, there will be some deeper meaning to it all that you'll probably fail to grasp but will pretend you understand at parties. Okay, enough meta, we're doing the Zima Blue episode from the Netflix series Love, Death, and Robots. It's a stand alone episode, which is good for a variety of reasons. W...
0G52: Infinity Wars and Overpopulation
April 10, 2019 04:00 - 41 minutes - 45.7 MBLemme just get my witty banter beard on: Hey kids, do you like violence? Want to see Murtle the turtle stick needles in Dr. Strange's eyelids? Sorry, not current enough pop culture reference? How bout this? What's big, purple, has a jewelry fetish, and makes some really sound points about overpopulation? That's right! A Kardashian Oompa loompa. Too many references mashed together? Okay, how bout this: ::hour long battle scene, I timed it:: Okay okay, I'm not gonna give it all aw...
0G51: The Ricklantis Mixup and Artistic Improvement
April 03, 2019 04:00 - 45 minutes - 49.4 MBAfter a trilogy like this, what is left to be said? All the references have been made. All the Chidi'ing about better and worse art. And lets all be honest, after pouring our hearts into these episodes, we all know the buzz will be 95% about what we're doing next week, so go ahead and scroll on down. You've earned it. Tradition and the Individual talent: https://www.bartleby.com/200/sw4.html Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0...
Listener Qs 8
March 27, 2019 05:11 - 47 minutes - 51.3 MBWe survived another nominal gauntlet! Thanks again to everyone who contributes to the collective in any form. We'll merge into Roko's Basilisk in no time. Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/groups/985828008244018/ Email us at: [email protected] Sibling shows: Serious Inquiries Only: https://se...
0G50: The Ricklantis Mixup and Aesthetic Objectivity
March 27, 2019 04:00 - 41 minutes - 45.4 MBNow that the exposition zone is done, this seems like a time for a drink and a wild, twisty podcast with elitist overtones. A podcast about art, about objectivity, references, poetry! Podcasts are for philosophizing, and now is the time for Aesthetics! ::cue the creepy Morty music:: Tradition and the Individual talent: https://www.bartleby.com/200/sw4.html Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook disc...
Listener Qs 7
March 20, 2019 04:00 - 45 minutes - 49.2 MBNo snark or satire or pop culture references here, just a big earnest thank you for supporting us and making all this possible. We've had so much fun and we've just barely scratched the surface. So yeah, thanks! Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/groups/985828008244018/ Email us at: [email protected]...
0G49: The Ricklantis Mixup and Aesthetics, Part 1
March 20, 2019 04:00 - 41 minutes - 45.2 MBAw Jeez, we're grabbing all sorts of third rails on this one. We're doing a multi-parter on an episode of Rick and morty, some might say THE episode of Rick and Morty, and we're talking aesthetics, AND we're going to try to figure out why T.S. Eliot thinks art can't improve and what he means by that and is he right or is he proven wrong by Ricklantis being possibly the best episode of television ever made. Come home to the simple flavor of enraging all your listeners. Come home to Philosophe...
0G48: Groundhog Day and Buddhist Virtue Theory
March 13, 2019 04:00 - 38 minutes - 42.7 MBRise and shine, philosonaughts, and don't forget your space suit, cause it's voidy outside! We're stretching the concept of sci-fi to the brink by doing Groundhog Day and discussing how it's the perfect parable for the Buddhist version of virtue theory that Aaron finds so very tempting. Rise and shine, spacebrains, and don't forget your space vats, cause it's voidy outside! We're pushing the concept of sci-fi to the brink by doing Groundhog Day and discussing how it's the perfect parable f...
0G47: Annihilation and Deep Ecology, Part 2
March 06, 2019 05:00 - 38 minutes - 42.7 MB::Maynard James Keenan does weird synthesizer stuff in a way that totally works:: Strap in friends, it's time to get weird! We're taking that tasty body horror from part one and we're cranking up the David Lynch. Lean into the confusion and embrace the ambiguity, as a PZ Meyers alien clone walks us through the theory of Deep Ecology, a view that seeks to replace our individual centric models with holistic models, much the same way the blessed Shimmer will make us all one again. #TeamShimme...
0G46: Annihilation and Catastrophic Destruction, Part 1
February 27, 2019 05:00 - 37 minutes - 41.7 MB::Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young casually play in the background:: Oh, hey, didn't see you there. Welcome to part one of Annihilation. There's a supernatural doins a transpiring, but cause this is the south we're going to meander our way into it like an albino croc at feeding time. We're joined by special guest PZ Meyers for this journey into the heart or weirdness. He'll be playing the role of the biologist who survives but probably wished he hadn't. For part one, we discuss the topic o...
0G45: Star Trek Next Gen 4-22 and Cultural Relativism vs Ethical Pluralism
February 20, 2019 05:00 - 41 minutes - 45.5 MBIt's tempting to sweep into these show notes like a certain loudmouthed Betazoid and start spreading pate related puns, but it just doesn't feel right. This is a beautiful hour of television and y'all all deserve to go watch it unspoilered. Really the very best that Star Trek has to offer. Cultural Relativism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_relativism Ethical Pluralism: www.ethik.uzh.ch/static/afe/downloads/publikationen/schaber/Schaber_Pluralism.pdf Support us at Patreon...
OG44: Bandersnatch and the Ethics of Mental Illness Representation, Part 2
February 13, 2019 05:00 - 38 minutes - 43.2 MBLike Netflix, we're going to soak this thing for all its worth. How many hours of your life can we steal making you click through episodes trying to find easter eggs?! Really though, for all the innovations in this episode, it feel painfully underdeveloped in the arguably unethical way it makes use of tropes that are harmful to people with mental illness, and it felt like that deserved a main segment discussion. So we talk about those ethical problems in boring old timey linear fashion, as w...
0G43: Bandersnatch and Quantum Immortality
February 06, 2019 05:00 - 43 minutes - 47.5 MBWelp, for better or worse, you're in the timeline where the will of the collective has pulled the pod suddenly back to Black Mirror. Everyone spent some portion of their holiday deep in some Bandersnatch, and we're here to stack meta analysis on meta analysis till the whole thing becomes a satirical singularity, which I'm now calling a Satirelarity (that's terrible, don't ever use that). If you feel like this episode doesn't address the problems of Bandersnatch enough, keep refreshing and an...
0G42: Today I am Paul and AI Elder Care
January 30, 2019 05:00 - 38 minutes - 42.5 MB::alters chassis into show notes mode:: Hello. In keeping with my programming, I've done my best to anticipate all your needs as a podcast consumer. My empathy net tells me you'll desire a link to our subject: Today I am Paul: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/shoemaker_08_15/ and to maximize your comfort here is an audio version: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/audio_08_15/ I've also located a paper for you on the issues addressing our nascent robotics culture: web.mit.edu/~sturk...
0G41: A Christmas Carol and Moral Motivation
January 23, 2019 05:00 - 38 minutes - 42.8 MBWhat's this? Is it possible? Could Brian have managed to edit the surprise episode all in one night?! It's a space Santa miracle! You there, young listener! Tell me, are everyone's favorite childhood movies still sitting in the window at the butchers? Run and purchase them all, and buy some new intro quotes for yourself! I've been such a fool. Basic and broad are good things. I love them now, especially that little singing frog. Gets me right in the feels. Fandom bless us, every one of us! ...
NASA1: Battlefield Earth
January 21, 2019 13:40 - 2 minutes - 8.81 MBWe watched Battlefield Earth so you don't have to! Except maybe you should, you silly rat brain man animals! In order to delight in our pain, sign up at patreon.com/0G at the $10 level or above!
0G40: Total Recall and Locke's Theory of Personal Identity, Part 2
January 16, 2019 05:00 - 36 minutes - 41.2 MBWas 0G39 a little too short for you? Did you feel ultimately unfilled after listening to it? Well, good news! Here at Podcall, we can implant a part two that will feel so real and lifelike and enriching, it will make you forget your drab existence before hearing it. And that's not all! Pay extra and we'll throw in some paranoid delusions. Already feeling them? That's how you know it's working. Wondering when you'll know that it's stopped working?! That's the great part, you'll never be able ...
0G39: Total Recall and Locke's Theory of Personal Identity, Part 1
January 09, 2019 05:00 - 33 minutes - 38.3 MBImagine if you could clean up any part of your memories, would you? Are there any days in the past few years, perhaps, that you might wish to remember differently? Would you worry that changing the memory would result in a different you? Would you worry it was wrong to trade a real memory for a fake one? Good, now hop in, cause we're going to mars! That's right, it's Total Recall time, and we've got a wonderful special guest to join us. Elizabeth Picciuto (@epicciuto on twitter) writer and...
0G38: Terminator 2 and Roko's Basilisk, Part 2
January 02, 2019 05:00 - 38 minutes - 42.9 MBWARNING: THIS PODCAST CONTAINS A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT THAT MAY CAUSE FUTURE VERSIONS OF YOU TO BE TORTURED BY A ROBOT GOD. ^Technically not a joke. Okay, if you're still reading, you're a brave soul indeed. This week we're wrapping up Terminator 2 with a discussion of one of the wildest thought experiments of the modern age, Roko's Basilisk, an idea so terrifying it was banned from the Lesswrong website for five years. We'll also be discussing some not so crazy fan interpretations of the g...
0G37: Terminator 2 and the Bootstrap Paradox, Part 1
December 26, 2018 05:00 - 37 minutes - 41.5 MBDownload me if you want to live! J/K nothing can save you from the impending robopocalypse, but at least you can hear us talk about how the causal narrative makes no sense and John Connor is even better than Jesus because he appears to spring fully formed into the universe at some point. Maybe you can chat about it with the murderbot on the way to the human camps. That would actually be great, we're looking for new audiences and murderbots are a reliable demo. Time Travel Paradoxes: cds...
0G36: The Matrix and Skepticism, Part 2
December 19, 2018 05:00 - 39 minutes - 43.8 MBWhat if I were to tell you that everything you know is wrong? What if I told you that the story you know is a system of control made up by people who want to keep you from the one real truth: The Matrix lacks a clear message on the problem of skepticism. On its own, it's kind of a confused mess of messaging. We dive into this issue, starting with a discussion of Plato's allegory of the cave and moving through Sextus Empiricus into the modern epistemic crisis we face. Can I justify forcing Th...
OG35: The Matrix and Skepticism, Part 1
December 12, 2018 05:00 - 36 minutes - 58.1 MBDo you hear that? That's the sound of conceptual inevitability. We all know this was coming, so grab your bondage gear and chug some red pills, cause Kansas is going bye bye! We're doing The Matrix and Skepticism. There's so much skepticism packed into this classic, we're gonna spread it out and let it breathe some. For part one, we cover the Cartesian style external world skepticism and the simulation theory skepticism. Next week we'll get to Plato's allegory of the Cave and some critiq...
Listener Qs 6
December 05, 2018 07:49 - 44 minutes - 48.1 MBListener Q's 6, or 5 pt.2 depending on how you keep count. We get through every question and patron name there is! Plus, it's looking like we're gonna have a fun special guest next week back on the Patron feed. Stay tuned! Principia Discordia: https://principiadiscordia.com/ Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/...
0G34: The Good Place and Moral Luck
December 05, 2018 05:00 - 38 minutes - 42.6 MBWell, the cats out of the bag now. Everyone knows this is really The Bad Show. You'd think all the bickering between Thomas and I would have given it away sooner, but it's a relief to have it out in the open. Kidding! Everything is great! We're doing season two of The Good Place, a show we both think is great, and we're talking about Moral Luck, something you will all soon think is great! I strongly recommend the paper this week, I think it's an acceptable level of readable and has some re...
Listener Qs 5
November 28, 2018 07:05 - 38 minutes - 42.5 MBHey y'all! No jokes on this one, just a sincere thank you to our listeners and especially our patrons for keeping us in orbit. We had so much fun doing these, and as you'll here there's more fun on the way! Principia Discordia: https://principiadiscordia.com/ Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/groups/985828008...
0G33: Aliens and The Second Sex
November 28, 2018 05:00 - 38 minutes - 42.5 MBHop to, marines! We've got feminist critiques to drop on some unsuspecting sex monsters. We're breaking down the blockbuster hit Aliens, and putting it through the ringer in ways that make me deeply uncomfortable, given I was raised on this movie. Luckily we have Thomas on hand to remind us how terrible it is. Here are some links on The Second Sex: The Second Sex: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/beauvoir/ ETV episode on Beauvoir: https://voidpod.com/podcasts/2018/10/12/ev-064-better-...
0G32: Alien and The Corporation as Sociopath
November 21, 2018 05:00 - 41 minutes - 45.2 MBThis week we're breaking out the big guns, except not really because one of the greatest horror movies of all time ain't got no guns. Just some ineffective flamethrowers misused by some schluby rockhoppers. Best in class on all fronts, Alien! We're mixing it up with the 2003 cultural touchstone The Corporation. A book/movie about how corporate persons are functionally sociopaths. We attempt some pushback on that, which goes about as well as the pushback humans give in the corporation dominat...
0G31: Snow Crash and Universal Language, Part 2
November 14, 2018 05:00 - 38 minutes - 42.4 MBAi Oh EH ME PA TI Congrats, you're all our language slaves now. We learned the secret words of the Ur language developed by the ancient masters to code the behavior of their followers and now our cult is going to really kick in to high gear. Hope you enjoy this part two, featuring both a new set of intro quotes and our returning special guest Noah Lugeons of Puzzle in a Thunderstorm fame. Universal Languages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_language Support us at Patreon: http...
0G30: Snow Crash and Libertarianism, Part 1
November 07, 2018 05:00 - 39 minutes - 43.9 MBGrab your poons and crank your toons, we're blasting into the wild world of Snow Crash. With the help of our amazing special guest, Noah Lugeons from the Puzzle in a Thunderstorm crew, we're diving deep into the political symbolism of Stevenson's most famous work, and next week we'll be back to talk the philosophy of language in Snow Crash. Wiki on Anarcho-Capitalism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho-capitalism Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twit...
0G29: Ex Machina and the AI Box Problem, Part 2
October 31, 2018 04:00 - 36 minutes - 40.6 MBWelcome back to our thrilling conclusion of Ex Machina. Since this was a such a heavily requested fan favorite we took suggestions for topics for this part two, so we end up spending a fair bit of time discussing the AI Box problem and male gaze. Don't forget to post quotes for the intro on the patreon thread, and get your hopes up about a special guest for next show! AI Box problem: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/AI-box_experiment Male Gaze: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_gaze ...
0G28: Ex Machina and Mary the Color Scientist, Part 1
October 23, 2018 16:00 - 34 minutes - 38.8 MBYou requested, and requested, and requested, and we finally got there! Ex Machina, one of the strongest horror sci-fi movies to come out in the past decade. There is so much wonderful content to this movie we're spreading it out over two episodes. For this first one, we focus on the thought experiment of Mary in the colorless room, and how it relates to the problem of consciousness for AI that we first addressed in episodes 4 and 5 (which we strongly recommend you re-listen to if you). And t...
0G27: Galaxy Quest and Toxic Fandom, Part 2
October 17, 2018 04:00 - 45 minutes - 49.4 MBNever give up your fandom! Never surrender shipping! Today we're fanning out over the amazing Galaxy Quest, a gem that just keeps getting better with age. We talk about how it was a roadmap for the kinds of fandom that have since gone from fringe to mainstream. Then we discuss some of the textbook features of toxic fandom and practices fans can engage in to enjoy their art without it becoming harmful. Hopefully we managed to cover everything possible, but I doubt it. Announcement: Next wee...
0G26: Pickle Rick and Toxic Fandom, Part 1
October 10, 2018 04:00 - 39 minutes - 43.3 MBWub a lub a dub dub and other overused catchphrases! What up my squanches? This week we dive into the beating heart of Rick and Morty fandom. We're talking Pickle Rick, arguably the best episode in the best season of one of the best shows in any possible universe. We talk about the whole arc of the show and why some fans who identify strongly with Rick have trouble keeping up with the character's personal growth, to the detriment of everyone who wants to enjoy Rick and Morty. Aw Geeze Next...
0G25: Minority Report and Time Paradoxes
October 03, 2018 04:00 - 48 minutes - 51.8 MBAs sometimes happens, we've generated a minority report to last episode's majority report. The differences between the short story and the movie are substantial, including a reversal in the outcome. While we have much debate over whether this minority report reflects a flaw in the system or a feature, we're putting it forward in the spirit of transparency and to avoid space fascism. By listening to this report, you may create an infinite regress of your own reports, but we're willing to take...
0G24: Minority Report and Prescient Utilitarianism
September 26, 2018 04:00 - 38 minutes - 42.6 MBThis episode will serve as our majority report on the movie Minority Report. We cover the movie's relationship to Utilitarianism and the common objection that we can't predict the future. Next week we will present our minority report on the short story Minority Report, where we'll cover how the story addresses prescience and determinism. The major difference is that this episodes content is beefed up with about 40 minutes of Tom Cruise running. Paper on the epistemic objection to Utilitari...
0G23: Harrison Bergeron and Equality of Outcome
September 19, 2018 04:00 - 39 minutes - 44 MBThrow off your shackles, sheeple! This is the podcast the gubment doesn't want you to hear. We're discussing the famous short story Harrison Bergeron and why it seems like people so often interpret it in problematic ways. Paper arguing for revising our interpretation of Harrison Bergeron: http://coffmanenglish1.wikispaces.com/file/view/HB+Criticism.pdf Article on reclaiming Harrison Bergeron: https://betterlivingthroughbeowulf.com/liberals-must-reclaim-harrison-bergeron/ Excellent shor...
0G22: Gattaca and Genetic Determinism
September 12, 2018 04:00 - 42 minutes - 46.6 MBOur first ever patron selected episode topic, and suspiciously Thomas's favorite. I'm sure that has nothing to do with it winning the tie vote over Aaron's choice, Minority Report. Kidding! We love all our topics equally. This is a really fun one and we cover several important ethical and philosophical issues relating to genetic programming. Also, we're happy to announce the winners of our book raffle: Robert Kristin Devyn Lennex Thank y'all so much for supporting the show! Paper...