Shows
The Interesting Times podcastBorderlines: LA, Immigration, the US, & the WorldIt is our great pleasure to welcome back the one and only Dr. Ira Allen. He is Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Writing, and Digital Media Studies at Northern Arizona University as well as author of the recent book Panic Now?: Tools for Humanizing. As always, Ira adds so much to not only our understanding of ‘what’s going on,’ but more importantly provides a set of frames for (re)considering how we approach these troubled times in the first place. Thanks as always for your support. This is a public episode. If you would like to discus...2025-06-131h 44
The Interesting Times podcastPanic Now?So happy to welcome back Prof. Ira Allen (Northern Arizona University) to discuss his soon-to-be-released book (July 28), Panic Now? Tools for Humanizing (Univ. of Tennessee Press). In short, Prof. Allen challenges us to consider what steps we must begin to put in motion now—i.e., to think boldly, but cooly, about what ‘world’ will replace the one driven by what he dubs CaCaCo (Carbon, Capitalism, & Colonialism). Indeed, Ira is one of the sharpest intellects I have had the opportunity to know, so I think you’ll want to hear how he thinks about our current...2024-06-161h 17
The Interesting Times podcastThe Data WhisperersThe Interesting Times podcast is back with a new episode featuring a discussion with Prof. Lydia Wilkes of Auburn University and Prof. Ira Allen of Northern Arizona University. We use the recent cases of data manipulation by Harvard professor Francesca Gino as a point of entry to explore much wider (and more important) issues tied to how ‘knowledge’ about society is produced. As promised in the show, here is a link to the blog Data Colada where several experts in the field of quantitative analysis point to extremely convincing evidence that a series of studies co-authored by Gino...2023-07-311h 11
The Interesting Times podcastWe Need to Talk About Effective AltruismThis latest installment of The Interesting Times podcast features two exceptional guests well-positioned to explore the significant issues with the effective altruism (EA) framework. Though certainly the recent meltdown of the FTX empire and EA stalwart Sam Bankman-Fried provide a point of entry. As I discuss with Abagail Schneider of Regis University and Ira Allen from Northern Arizona University, the problems with EA go far beyond the person of Bankman-Fried and speak to much larger issues with how we go about framing the mounting crises we are facing in this moment. It’s a great conversation that dives into th...2022-12-011h 06
The IntellectualPragmatic Utopias Podcast: The Interesting Times podcastEpisode: Pragmatic UtopiasPub date: 2022-06-21Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationWelcome to Episode 2 of The Interesting Times podcast. We are joined by the indomitable Ira Allen, an associate professor serving in both the English and political science departments at Northern Arizona University, to discuss the potential shapes of the lights at the end of the dark tunnel we seem to be becoming further encased in by the day. He wields a joyful and fascinating intellect that challenges us...2022-06-281h 33
The Interesting Times podcastPragmatic UtopiasWelcome to Episode 2 of The Interesting Times podcast. We are joined by the indomitable Ira Allen, an associate professor serving in both the English and political science departments at Northern Arizona University, to discuss the potential shapes of the lights at the end of the dark tunnel we seem to be becoming further encased in by the day. He wields a joyful and fascinating intellect that challenges us to think not only about grandiose possibilities but also the constraints that we must assume will necessarily attenuate these visions. We are so lucky to have him on the show and...2022-06-211h 33