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
OG21: DS9 Dax and Queer Personhood
September 05, 2018 04:00 - 36 minutes - 41.3 MBI have seized the means of pod production and installed Callie Wright as our new leader. Long live Callie Wright! Thomas had a thing this week, so Callie and I recorded on the Deep Space Nine episode "Dax" (ep1.7 or 1.8 depending on service). We talk about queer theory and Star Trek, as well as persistence of personhood after radical changes in personality. And there should actually be new intro quotes this week unlike the lies I told last week that no one read anyway. And! Next week we're...
Listener Qs 4
September 04, 2018 11:31 - 35 minutes - 39.9 MBBack again for part two of answering your questions and speaking your unspeakable names. Hope you enjoy! Next week we're back to our regular schedule with another top requested movie: Ex Machina! 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 sho...
Listener Qs 3
August 29, 2018 04:30 - 36 minutes - 41 MBWe're taking two episodes to say thanks to all the people making this show possible and to answer their excellent questions. This episode is special too. Aaron drops the most radioactive take he has ever dropped on record. Definitely make sure you're on the Facebook group, as the fallout is likely to be Chernobleque. 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 quest...
0G20: Black Mirror, Hang the DJ, Part 2: Predicting Compatibility
August 29, 2018 04:00 - 38 minutes - 42.4 MBHang the DJ continues. Again and again and again, probably about 1000 times, depending on which number you're fixated on. There is a way you can tell it's a new version, though, cause we got all new intro quotes! Thanks so much for sending those in, such a great selection to choose from, and if you didn't hear yours, don't worry it is in the hopper for future rounds. A breakdown of Newcomb's Paradox: https://brilliant.org/wiki/newcombs-paradox/ Bostrom's Simulation Theory Paper: https:...
0G19: Black Mirror, Hang the DJ, Part 1: Newcomb's Paradox
August 22, 2018 04:00 - 34 minutes - 39.1 MBWe've returned to Black Mirror to talk about one of the episodes that started this all, Hand the DJ. Or maybe we're just yet another simulation of that in a test by a marketing brand to see if this show would work. Hard to say, really. Speaking of endless cycles, we're due for a new set of intro quotes so if you're a $5+ patron make sure you head over to the patreon site to submit suggestions and vote for your favorites! And we've got the signed book raffle on July 4 for Hamilton and Philo...
0G18: Dune Part Three, The Cycle of Politics
August 15, 2018 04:00 - 36 minutes - 40.8 MBFor the last (or is it?) part of our Dune saga, we look at the political aspects of the universe and dive into the theory that all societies go through cycles of government none of which are stable. Primary Text: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyklos 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/ ...
OG17: Dune Part Two, Kwisatz Haderach and Self-Perfection
August 08, 2018 04:00 - 36 minutes - 40.7 MBThe time for exposition is over! The one who can be in many places at once has finally arrived, metaphorically. Learn all about Aaron's crackpot theory for how to be the Kwisatz Haderach that you want to see in the world. More useful material on Virtue Theory: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/#VirDefConInc 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 answe...
OG16: Dune Part One, the Expositioning
August 01, 2018 04:00 - 40 minutes - 44.6 MBFor many episodes our people have waited for the poda al Gaib, the pod from the outer world. Finally, the prophecy is fulfilled. Yet many questions remain unanswered. Can we successfully explain the plot of Dune, and thereby avoid the podcast jihad? How many side characters with weird makeup choices do we have to cover before we can actually get to the philosophy? What philosophy are we even going to talk about in this jumbled acid trip of a christ tale? Stay tuned for however many parts thi...
OG15: Orville and the Prime Directive
July 25, 2018 04:00 - 39 minutes - 43.9 MBPrepare to have your destiny as a listener reshaped by paternalistic influences! We have on a wonderful guest, David Kyle Johnson of the Great Courses series to talk about the Season 1 Finale of The Orville (available on Hulu) and the ethics of the prime directive, a classic of the Star Trek Universe. Also, does anyone get a Brigadoon vibe from the planet in this episode? Didn't get to bring that up in the show, so easter egg for folks who actually read these. David's Sci-Phi Great Courses...
Listener Qs 2
July 18, 2018 04:00 - 33 minutes - 38.1 MBWe take another week to answer your questions, as sponsored by the super fun game of torturing Aaron by making him say names out loud. Thank you all so so much for supporting the show and we will continue to periodically do these Q and A's, with plenty of heads up so you can all change your patreon names like the monsters that you are. Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure ...
0G14: The Good Place and Justice vs. Mercy
July 11, 2018 04:00 - 43 minutes - 67.4 MBWelcome! Everything is fine. You're listening to the good podcast now. You're extremely lucky. Only a tiny portion of the population with high podcasting scores ever get to hear this show. You're here because you earned it. Congrats! Today we'll be discussing the overall concept of the show "The Good Place" (no spoilers) and how it relates to Justice and Mercy. Forking Awesome! Primary source material: http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/osjcl/Articles/Volume4_2/Dolinko-PDF-03-11-07.pdf Secondar...
0G13: Westworld and Virtue Theory, Part 2 - with Eli Bosnick!
July 04, 2018 04:00 - 39 minutes - 44 MBDo these violent delights really have violent ends? Does the park show you who you really are, or does it shape who you become? Is there any way we can use artificial entities to help humans be better, or is it doomed to make us worse? We'll fail to answer these questions and more in our thrilling conclusion to our Westworld two parter. Primary source material: Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics book 2 http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0054%3Abook%3D2 (Che...
0G12: Westworld and Morality Simulators, Part 1 - with Eli Bosnick!
June 27, 2018 04:00 - 35 minutes - 39.7 MBWithin our podcasts exists a maze. It is a maze built for you, to help you achieve your philosophical becoming. Each step in the maze is essential, though it may not always be clear why at the time. At this step in the maze, we discuss the rapey origins of Westworld and why they could never get the park insured. Primary source material: Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics book 2 http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0054%3Abook%3D2 (Check out Embrace the Void ...
0G11: Full Metal Alchemist and Death
June 13, 2018 04:00 - 34 minutes - 39.1 MBThe first rule of podcasting is the law of equivalent awesome. To obtain an awesome podcast, something of equal awesomeness must be lost: One paper on the philosophy of death: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/death/#ImmMis One article on the myths of immortality: http://www.senescence.info/physical_immortality_myths.html One pop culture survey of reasons not to bring people back from the dead. https://io9.gizmodo.com/5375693/10-reasons-not-to-bring-someone-back-from-the-dead On...
0G10: Brave New world and Genetic Engineering, Part 2
May 30, 2018 04:00 - 41 minutes - 45.3 MBPodcast genome editing complete. Newly synthesized entity contains: Beta level paper on Genetic Determinism: https://peh-med.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1747-5341-1-9 Beta Plus level paper on Genetic Engineering and Virtue Theory: http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/element/bwmeta1.element.desklight-c188f72b-ddd2-4f3e-ae0b-552fb8e64aee/c/6_kraj.pdf Alpha Plus level reminder to offer up intro quotes: https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-intro-quote-18211052?utm_medium=social&utm_source=...
0G9: Brave New World and Utilitarianism, Part 1
May 16, 2018 04:00 - 46 minutes - 49.6 MBOh Brave New Podcast, that has such accessible philosophies in it! Solid Animated Synopsis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raqVySPrDUE Hilariously bad live action version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek5vse2_Aq0 There are more things in Heaven and Earth Horatio than are dreamed of in your Utilitarianism. Whether tis nobler to be a pig satisfied or a Socrates dissatisfied. Aye, there's the rub! Primary reading: https://www.utilitarianism.com/mill2.htm If these philosophers h...
0G8: Autofac and Self-Replicating Systems
May 02, 2018 04:00 - 37 minutes - 41.6 MBPodcast Delivery Contents: 1 mediocre Philip K. Dick adaptation by Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Philip-K-Dicks-Electric-Dreams/dp/B075NTXMN9 1 Brilliant Philip K. Dick short story that you need to read: https://archive.org/stream/galaxymagazine-1955-11/Galaxy_1955_11#page/n71/mode/2up 2 Philosophical readings on the risks of AI: https://nickbostrom.com/ethics/ai.html https://hackernoon.com/the-parable-of-the-paperclip-maximizer-3ed4cccc669a 1 Mind blowing youtube vide...
0G7: Altered Carbon and the Mind/Body Problem
April 18, 2018 04:00 - 36 minutes - 41.3 MBThis week we're spinning up our stacks for some endless psychological torture. That's right, it's episode one of Altered Carbon and the Mind/Body problem. Weekly reading: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/dualism/ 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: philosophersins...
0G6: Arrival and Sapir-Whorf
April 04, 2018 04:00 - 37 minutes - 41.4 MBIncoming Alien Language Translation: (Event-Podcast-Source Material-Arrival Film) (Idea-Topic-Sapir/Whorf-Language-Experience) (After Dark-Free Will-Sexy Timelessness) End of Translation. (This would have been much easier if Thomas would have just let me teach y'all Heptapod B) Weekly reading: http://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/whorf.scienceandlinguistics.pdf Supplemental readings: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/does-century-old-linguistic-hypothesis-center-film-ar...
Listener Qs #1
March 28, 2018 05:04 - 34 minutes - 39.3 MBWe wanted to say thank you for the overwhelming support, and to do that we've mixed in two things we think you will enjoy. Hearing us thank you each personally alternating with answering your in depth patron questions on episodes 1-5. For those we didn't get to yet, we will definitely do more of these so please keep posting your questions and help us find more patrons so we can do more bonus content sooner!
0G5: Twilight Zone and the Chinese Room
March 21, 2018 04:00 - 41 minutes - 45.1 MBImagine a premise so implausible, it makes you question the very nature of personhood. Now imagine a thought experiment so implausible, it makes you question your own mind. The Twilight Zone ep1.7 The Lonely and the Chinese Room, they go together like Rob'ts and consciousness. Weekly reading: cogprints.org/7150/1/10.1.1.83.5248.pdf Weekly video: https://vimeo.com/141205172 Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy ...
0G4: Star Trek: TNG and AI Personhood
March 07, 2018 05:00 - 37 minutes - 41.5 MBPhilosopher's log, showdate 02272018. We've encountered Season 2, Episode 9 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and are currently studying it for clues to the nature of artificial personhood. Attempts to address the subject have failed, so we've turned to a thought experiment from 20th century earth; the Turing Test. Weekly reading: https://www.csee.umbc.edu/courses/471/papers/turing.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus Weekly video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39EdqUbj...
0G3: Futurama and Mereology
February 28, 2018 02:00 - 36 minutes - 41.3 MBGood news, everyone! On this weeks episode we're diving into Futurama and into Fry himself. We're breaking down ep3.4 Parasites Lost and discussing the classic philosophical problem, the Ship of Theseus. After Dark, we rally sympathy for symbiote rights. #AllWormsMatter Weekly reading: https://io9.gizmodo.com/humans-with-amplified-intelligence-could-be-more-powerf-509309984 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on ...
0G2: Rick and Morty and Possible Worlds
February 14, 2018 22:10 - 35 minutes - 40 MBSource material: Rick and Morty season 1 episode 8 Rixty Minutes Ooooweeee, this week we’re breaking down some Rick and Morty and how the multiverse is really the ravings of a lunatic. Plus, after hours we convince all you versers to believe in god. Oh geez. Weekly Readings: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/possible-worlds/ (especially section 2.1) https://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/13992/how-do-quantum-mechanical-worlds-relate-to-possible-worlds Support ...
0G1: Black Mirror and The Experience Machine
February 14, 2018 08:26 - 36 minutes - 35.8 MBSource material: Black Mirror Season 4 Episode 1: USS Callister We break down one of the most popular episodes of Black Mirror and consider our first great thought experiment, Nozick’s experience machine. Then, after hours, Thomas breaks out the wet blankets for everyone. Weekly Readings: http://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil3160/Nozick1.pdf Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Follow us on Facebook...