Shows
Prosthetic GodsAI and the Future of Higher EducationEpisode 22 - AI and the Future of Higher Education
This week on Prosthetic Gods, J and Nir discuss how AI will impact the demand for higher education, the structure of higher education institutions, and the way we teach and learn.
Show Notes
J. Hughes “The Deskilling of Teaching and the Case for Intelligent Tutoring Systems” (2021) https://jeet.ieet.org/index.php/home/article/view/90
IEET White Paper - Emerging Technologies & Higher Education
Grok Rolls Out Pornographic Anime Companion, Lands Department of Defense Contract
Grok as ‘MechaHitler’ could be making content considered violent ex...2025-07-231h 15Prosthetic GodsThe Future of Work & The Value of LeisureEpisode 21 - The Future of Work & The Value of Leisure
This week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J discuss whether we are witnessing a decline in work, and if so, can that be a good thing?
Credits:
Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits
Produced by Jake Burley
Music by Jake Burley
2025-07-0957 minProsthetic GodsIs Writing Like Hip-Hop? Stephen Marche on Writing with AIEpisode 20 - Is Writing Like Hip-Hop? Stephen Marche on Writing with AI
This week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J. speak with Stephen Marche, author of most recently The Next Civil War and Death of an Author. He has begun to write about his collaborative process using AI tools, comparing it to the advent of hip-hop and sampling.
Show Notes:
https://www.stephenmarche.com/
Stephen Marche. “The Future of Writing Is a Lot Like Hip-Hop” The Atlantic May 9, 2023.
Credits:
Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits
Produced by Jake Burley
Music...2025-06-041h 02Prosthetic GodsWill AI Kill Creativity?Episode 19 - Will AI Kill Creativity?
This week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J wrestle with creativity in the age of generative AI. Are there aesthetic or moral reasons to avoid AI art? Can copyright law protect artists from being displaced by AI slop?
Show Notes:
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
AlphaEvolve: A Gemini-powered coding agent for designing advanced algorithms
ChatGPT’s viral Studio Ghibli-style images highlight AI copyright concerns
Trump fires top US copyright official
ChatGPT, DALL-E 2 and the collapse of the cre...2025-05-2151 minProsthetic GodsDe-extinctionEpisode 18 - De-extinction
This week Nir and J discuss the hottest topic in fantasy ecoscience, the genetic resurrection of extinct species. In particular we are discussing the work of Colossal, a firm working on modern versions of the mammoth, dire wolf, thylacine and dodo.
Show Notes:
The Direwolf is Back
Amazon in White House crosshairs over report of displaying tariff costs
Credits:
Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits
Produced by Jake Burley
Music by Jake Burley
2025-05-0552 minProsthetic GodsDesigner BabiesEpisode 17 - Designer Babies
This week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J discuss the ethics of parents being able to choose the genetic characteristics of their children. Is “germinal choice” good for parents, children, society?
Show Notes:
He Jiankui and Gene-Edited Babies
Sandel Michael J. 2007. The Case Against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering. Cambrige: Harvard University Press
De-extinction of Direwolves
Credits:
Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits
Produced by Jake Burley
Music by Jake Burley
2025-04-211h 15Prosthetic GodsCognitive OffloadingEpisode 16 - Cognitive Offloading
This week on Prosthetic Gods Nir and J discuss the problem, and opportunity, of “cognitive off-loading,” our tendency to forget knowledge and skills once we have reliable digital tools. Is it possible to educate ourselves and our students to use these tools in ways that enrich and extend their cognitive skills and productivity? Along the way, we discuss Ted Chiang’s short story “The Truth of Fact The Truth of Feeling,” which compares the transition to literacy to the adoption of 24/7 lifelogging.
Show Notes:
Gong & Yang 2024. “Google effects on memory: a meta-analytical review of the...2025-03-311h 06Prosthetic GodsMachines of Loving GraceEpisode 15 - Machines of Loving Grace
In this episode of Prosthetic Gods Nir and J. discuss Dario Amodei’s essay “Machines of Loving Grace,” which lays out the best case scenario for AI’s impact on health, economics and world peace.
Links:
Dario Amodei “Machines of Loving Grace: How AI Could Transform the World for the Better” October 2024
Richard Brautigan “All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace”
Marc Andreesen “The Techno-Optimist Manifesto”
Credits:
Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits
Produced by Jake Burley
Music by Jake Burley
2025-03-1757 minProsthetic GodsDamien Walter on Science Fiction and PhilosophyEpisode 14 - Damien Walter on Science Fiction and Philosophy
This week on Prosthetic Gods Nir and J. are joined by Damien G. Walter, a writer and a storyteller who has written for The Guardian, the BBC, Wired, The Independent, Aeon, and others. He teaches The Rhetoric of Story and Writing the 21st-Century Myth to over 35,000 students worldwide, and is the host of the Science Fiction Podcast. We discuss the interaction between the “New Mythos” of science fiction and philosophy.
Find out more about Damien Walter through the links below:
Website
Youtube
Substack
Credits...2025-03-0352 minProsthetic GodsGriefbotsEpisode 13 - Griefbots
Griefbots (also called deathbots, AI ghosts, AI clones, death avatars, and postmortem avatars) are large language models built on available information about the deceased, such as social media, letters, photos, diaries, and videos. Nir and J debate whether they are just another way to commemorate our loved ones or a violation of human dignity.
Links:
Dario Amodei, CEO Anthropic. Machines of Loving Grace: How AI Could Transform the World for the Better (October 2024)
Credits:
Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits
Produced by Jake Burley
Music by J...2025-02-1853 minProsthetic GodsLife-Hacking, or The Examined Life?Episode 12 - Life-Hacking, or The Examined Life?
This week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J discuss the pros and cons of life-tracking or “self-quantification,” with tools like health watches, and the “life-hacking” that these tools encourage, from dieting and exercise to sleep and meditation. How do we know when we are being distracted and made miserable by all this self-knowledge, and when it is helpful? Could AI life coaches, tracking every vital, help us live happier, longer lives?
Links:
Self-Absorption in the Digital Era: A Review of "Self-Improvement Technologies of the Soul in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" by Mark C...2025-01-2757 min
Doorknob CommentsWould You Rather Have An AI or a Human Therapist?On this episode of Doorknob Comments, Fara and Grant are joined by Professor Nir Eisikovits, a philosopher and the founding director of the Applied Ethics Center at UMass Boston. They delve into the intersection of artificial intelligence, ethics, and psychotherapy, exploring how AI technologies can impact therapeutic practices. The discussion highlights the growing loneliness crisis and the potential role of chatbots in providing accessible mental health support, while also addressing the ethical implications and potential hazards of automating therapy. Professor Eisikovits shares insights from his research on the moral dilemmas surrounding technology and war, questioning whether AI can genuinely...2025-01-1844 minProsthetic GodsDo You Want to Live Forever?Episode 11 - Death
On this week’s Prosthetic Gods Nir and J. discuss the ethics of life extension and anti-aging therapies. Is there a benefit to involuntary death? Would getting very old necessarily be boring or depressing? How can we ensure that everyone benefits?
Links:
Zuckerberg removes fact-checking from Facebook
Bezos imposes ban on criticism of Trump/Musk at WashPo
Sam Altman moves up the timelines for AGI and ASI
Journal abstracts written by asking LLMs to summarize papers are perceived as more authentic, clear and compelling than those created solely by...2025-01-131h 02Prosthetic GodsCan We Do Anything that Computers Can’t?Episode 10 - Can We Do Anything that Computers Can’t?
J and Nir talk to Tal Hassner, formerly of Amazon and Meta, about Deep Fakes, AGI, and whether there is such a thing as a tech-proof job.
Links:
Find out more about Tal here: https://talhassner.github.io/home/
Credits:
Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits
Produced by Jake Burley
Music by Jake Burley
2024-12-251h 03Prosthetic GodsCan we do anything that computers can’t?Episode 10 - Can We Do Anything That Computers Can’t?
J and Nir talk to Tal Hassner, formerly of Amazon and Meta, about Deep Fakes, AGI, and whether there is such a thing as a tech-proof job.
Links:
Find out more about Tal at his website: https://talhassner.github.io/home/
Is AI Coming for Your Job?
Anyone with an iPhone can now make Deepfakes
Credits:
Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits
Produced by Jake Burley
Music by Jake Burley
2024-12-231h 03Prosthetic GodsFacial RecognitionEpisode 9 - Facial Recognition
Nir and J. talk about facial recognition. Topics covered include considerations of bias, the role of privacy, and whether facial recognition is substantially different from other identification technologies.
Links:
“Halt the use of facial-recognition technology until it is regulated" by Kate Crawford
On Liberty by John Stuart Mills
The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution by C.P. Snow
Credits:
Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits
Produced by Jake Burley
Music by Jake Burley
2024-12-0353 minProsthetic GodsTech Policy Under Trump 2Episode 8 - Tech Policy Under Trump 2
Nir and J. talk about the prospects for tech policy under Trump's second term. They discuss the new administration's attitudes toward content moderation, what the next four years mean for Artificial Intelligence, and Elon Musk's potential influence on tech policy moving forward.
Credits:
Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits
Produced by Jake Burley
Music by Jake Burley
2024-11-1853 minProsthetic GodsSupersoldiersEpisode 7 - Supersoldiers
Nir and J. discuss ethical issues surrounding so-called super soldiers and human augmentation in warfare.
Additional Resources:
Human Augmentation - The Dawn of a New Paradigm
Can A.I. Be Blamed for a Teen’s Suicide?
Credits:
Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits
Produced by Jake Burley
Music by Jake Burley
2024-11-041h 09Prosthetic GodsMoral MachinesEpisode 6 - Moral Machines
In this episode, Nir and J. discuss whether machines can be moral. What does it take for something to be a moral patient or moral subject? Can morality be distilled down to a set of rules? Is the red-teaming and safety testing of large language models a way to teach machines morality?
Additional Resources:
Moral Machines by Colin Allen and Wendell Wallach
Credits:
Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits
Produced by Jake Burley
Music by Jake Burley
2024-10-211h 02Prosthetic GodsArtificial General IntelligenceProsthetic Gods: Artificial General Intelligence
In this episode of Prosthetic Gods, J. Hughes and Nir Eisikovits dive into artificial general intelligence (AGI), AI that has reached a human level of consciousness and common sense. Is AI currently a "philosophical zombie," mimicking human behavior without true awareness? Will AGIs be the perfect 24/7 slaves, replacing expensive humans in workplace? Would AGI be the beginning of AI evolving beyond human control?
Also, check out this week’s Ethics in Action podcast conversation with philosopher Susan Schneider: https://ethics.podbean.com/e/ai-consciousness-and-the-future-mind-a-conversation-with-susan-schneider/
Hosted by: Jam...2024-10-071h 09Prosthetic GodsAI ClonesAI Clones
This week Drs. Nir and J. discuss the concept of AI clones with postdoctoral fellow Cody Turner, and in particular the short podcast series Shell Game from journalist Evan Ratliff. Will AI clones augment or disorient us? Our bonus round discusses J’s recent piece of “free IVF.”
Links:
Shell Game podcast https://www.shellgame.co/podcast
Vapi voice clone: https://vapi.ai/
“Digital Duplicates and the Scarcity Problem: Might AI Make Us Less Scarce and Therefore Less Valuable?” by John Danaher & Sven Nyholm https://philpapers.org/rec/DANDDA-32024-09-161h 06Prosthetic GodsBad KnowledgeCan There Be Bad Knowledge?
In medical ethics there are debates about when people should be encouraged to get tested for diseases or conditions for which there is no therapy, such as Alzheimer’s disease. In the case of knowing you have a risk or diagnosis of incurable disease, is ignorance really bliss, or does “true happiness” require knowledge? What are the ethics of these "bad knowledge" situations?
How early is too early to find out you've got an incurable disease?
https://www.wired.com/story/alzheimers-disease-dementia-medicine-prediction-ethics/
The Woman Who Could S...2024-09-0353 minProsthetic GodsDigital DemocracyTaiwan’s Experiments with E-democracy:
Can AI be good for democracy? Taiwan has been experimenting with digital democracy for a decade. In this week’s Prosthetic Gods Nir and J review the advantages and disadvantages of using electronic tools for citizen participation in politics. And we also talk about the Harris Zoom rallies and the Google anti-trust case.
Tools for Citizen Participation:
Taiwan has experimented with two platforms for engaging citizens in collaborative policymaking, vTaiwan and Join.
vTaiwan uses the online deliberation system Pol.is to map opinions and promote consensus views...2024-08-1753 minProsthetic GodsWould You Want a Chatbot Therapist?ieet.org/white-papers
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/experimentations/202407/what-if-artificial-intelligence-replaces-human-therapists
www.npr.org/transcripts/1247296788
2024-07-291h 06
Ethics in Action PodcastThe Case for a UBI: A Conversation with Scott SantensIn our final episode in our mini-series on the future of work, we are joined by universal basic income (UBI) advocate and writer Scott Santens. Scott is the founder and president of the Income To Support All Foundation (ITSA Foundation), the Senior Advisor for Humanity Forward, and he also serves on the board of directors of the Gerald Huff Fund for Humanity and as the editor of Basic Income Today. In this episode, we chat with Scott about the viability of a UBI, the philosophical and political arguments in favor of a UBI, and the importance of destigmatizing the conce...2023-11-141h 05
Ethics in Action PodcastBreaking Things at Work: A Conversation with Gavin MuellerOur fourth episode of our mini-series on the future of work features Gavin Mueller, Assistant Professor of New Media and Digital Culture at the University of Amsterdam and the author of Breaking Things at Work: The Luddites Are Right About Why You Hate Your Job. We speak with Gavin about the history of the Luddite movement, technological unemployment, and the possibilities of interstitial political action. Listeners interested in working-class efforts to subvert the technology that dominates our working lives are encouraged to read Gavin's latest book.2023-11-0253 min
Ethics in Action PodcastThe Value of Idleness: A Conversation with Brian O’ConnorIn the third episode of our mini-series on the future of work, we are joined by Brian O'Connor, Professor of Philosophy at University College Dublin. Brian and I discuss the value of idleness in our lives, the burnout caused by the work ethic, and the pressure to view oneself as a project to be continuously realized. We discuss the goods of learning to live more with more idleness - to place less emphasis on our contemporary obsession with purposeful, achievement-oriented pursuits. We encourage listeners to read Brian's excellent book Idleness for a rich discussion of the history of idleness a...2023-10-111h 08
Ethics in Action PodcastMeaningful Work: A Conversation with Andrea VeltmanIn our second episode of our mini-series on the future of work, we are joined by Andrea Veltman, Professor of Philosophy at James Madison University. We speak with Andrea about what it takes for work to be meaningful, if meaningful work is available to all, and what kinds of economic and social changes are necessary to help others find meaningful work. Please check out Andrea's excellent book Meaningful Work to learn more.
2023-09-2558 min
Ethics in Action PodcastMaking Light Work - A Conversation with David SpencerIn the first episode of our mini-series on the future of work, we are joined by University of Leeds economist David Spencer. We discuss the experience of alienated labor under contemporary capitalism, the importance of work for meaning and dignity in our lives, and the reduction of the working week. Spencer persuasively makes the case for less but better work and how we might imagine a better world of work. Check out his excellent new book Making Light Work: An End to Toil in the Twenty-First Century.
2023-09-181h 10
Ethics in Action PodcastBreaking up the United States: A Conversation with Chris ZurnPolitical philosopher Chris Zurn has just published Splitsville USA, a bombshell book arguing for the dissolution of the US. We talk about why Chris thinks this has become necessary, how history unnecessarily prejudices us against such a split, and what a post Splitsville future might look like.
Draw your own new national maps!
2023-06-201h 03
רעב לידע עם אור דניאלאתיקה בבינה מלאכותית | פרופסור ניר איזיקוביץ' | פרק בונוסקישור פודלינק להאזנה מהירה בכל האפליקציות: https://pod.link/OrDaniel
להאזנה לפרק באתר 'לרנטק', סיכום וקישורים רלוונטיים: https://www.learntech.co.il/podcast/B9/
*או חפשו 'רעב לידע' באפליקציית הפודקאסט שלכם והאזינו לפרק.
תכירו את פרופ' ניר איזיקוביץ', מנהל המרכז לאתיקה יישומית ב-Umass. המרכז לאתיקה יישומית מקדם חשיבה, מחקר ודיון ציבורי על היבטים פילוסופיים ואתים של שאלות של מדינות ושאלות פוליטיות. בשנים האחרונות מתמקדים באתיקה של טכנולוגיות ומאז 2017 מתמקדים בבינה מלאכותית ואיך היא משפיעה על אנשים שמשתמשים בה באופן נרחב. נדון במגוון שאלות מעניינות האם צריך לעשות שימוש בבינה מלאכותית בחינוך? אם תפקיד החינוך הוא חקר האמת ובינה מלאכותית לא יודעת להבדיל בין אמת ושקר האם זה נכון להשתמש בחינוך בבינה מלאכותית? ועוד.
בפרק נדבר בין השאר על הסוגיות הבאות:
o הכרות
o בשנה האחרונה הבינה המלאכותית הייתה כמו התפרצות הר געש. מה הנושאים הבוערים ביותר שאתם חוקרים כיום?
o האם הבינה המלאכותית בעלת 'תודעה'/'מודעות' (Sentient)? למה אנחנו 'מאנישים' מכונות (ANTHROPOMORPHIZE)?
o מה אתה חושב שמורה בשטח צריך לעשות? לשלב כלים של בינה מלאכותית בחינוך?
o הנשיא האמריקאי פנה אליך להתייעץ איך להשתמש בAI בחינוך. מה תמליץ לו לעשות עכשיו במצב הנוכחי של הטכנולוגיה מבחינת מדיניות?
o מה האתגר הכי גדול של האנושות נכון לעכשיו בהקשר ב AI? למה הכי כדאי לשים לב?
o לא רק שהטכנולוגיה צופה בנו, היכולת שלנו לצפות בטכנולוגיה הולכת ומתמעטת – סוגיית הקופסה השחורה (לא יודעים איך הטכנולוגיה מחליטה את ההחלטות שלה)
o מה כל אחד ואחת מאיתנו צריך לשאול את עצמו לפני שימוש בכלים של בינה מלאכותית?
o לחם והחמאה שלי הוא טכנולוגיה ושילובה בתהליכי למידה. הנה פרק שמדגיש את האיומים הקיימים בטכנולוגיה.
o מה תמליץ ללמוד בתחום האתיקה בשימוש בטכנולוגיה/AI? (המלצות שוות! קישורים למטה)
o איך אתה לומד משהו חדש? (שאלה חוזרת לכל מרואיין/ת)
o שאלת בונוס: האם אתה מתחבר לסיפור מדע בדיוני כלשהו ואיך הוא מתחבר לתקופה הזו?
קישורים רלוונטיים
פרופ' ניר איזקוביץ' בלינקדין: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nir-eisikovits-8781018/
https://www.umb.edu/academics/cla/philosophy/faculty/nir_eisikovits
כתבה מעניינת שכתב פרופ' איזקוביץ: https://www.fastcompany.com/90867578/chatbots-arent-becoming-sentient-yet-we-continue-to-anthropomorphize-ai
הפודקאסט של עזרא קליין: https://open.spotify.com/show/3oB5noYIwEB2dMAREj2F7S
הפודקאסט של הניו יורק טיימס 'הארד פורק': https://open.spotify.com/show/44fllCS2FTFr2x2kjP9xeT
ספר מעולה סופר אינטלגנס ניק בוסטרום: https://books.google.co.il/books/about/Superintelligence.html?id=7_H8AwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y
אתר דה קונברסיישן מנגיש מידע מדעי לקהל https://theconversation.com/profiles/nir-eisikovits-802914
המלצת קריאה מדע בדיוני Ted Chiang https://www.amazon.com/Exha2023-06-1747 min
The MachinistThe promise and the pitfalls of everyday artificial intelligence. Podcast: The Codcast (LS 31 · TOP 5% what is this?)Episode: The promise and the pitfalls of everyday artificial intelligence.Pub date: 2023-05-01Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationThis week on the Codcast, Jennifer Smith explores artificial intelligence’s growing prominence in our everyday lives with Dr. Nir Eisikovits, professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Eisikovits founded the school’s Applied Ethics Center (https://www.umb.edu/ethics) and has spent the past years thinking about the impact of AI on moral decision making...2023-05-0927 min
The CodcastThe promise and the pitfalls of everyday artificial intelligence.This week on the Codcast, Jennifer Smith explores artificial intelligence’s growing prominence in our everyday lives with Dr. Nir Eisikovits, professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Eisikovits founded the school’s Applied Ethics Center (https://www.umb.edu/ethics) and has spent the past years thinking about the impact of AI on moral decision making and its unique relationship to work and creativity.2023-05-0127 min
Ethics in Action PodcastRegulating Virtual Reality: A Conversation with J Hughes and Alec StubbsThe IEET and the UMB Applied Ethics Center recently released a White Paper on the political, moral and psychological questions involved in regulating the metaverse. J Hughes is the Executive Director of the IEET. Alec Stubbs is the Future of Work Post Doc at the UMB Applied Ethics Center. We discuss the main findings of the paper.
You can find the paper here
2023-03-2853 min
Ethics in Action PodcastReport from Kyiv: A Conversation with Journalist Alisa SopovaWe continue our series on the war in Ukraine. In this episode Vlado and I talk to journalist and anthropologist Alisa Sopova about what everyday life feels like in Ukraine as the war passes the 100 day mark. We discuss the regional differences in how the conflict is perceived, we ask whether Ukrainians have different views about Russian politicians and ordinary Russians, and we also talk about how Ukrainians perceive assistance from the west.
Alisa Sopova is an independent journalist from Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. She worked as a journalist and a news editor for the largest local ne...2022-06-081h 17
Ethics in Action PodcastReading Between The Lines in Russia and Ukraine: A Conversation with Ambassador Vesko GarcevicWe continue our series on the war in Ukraine. Our guest is Vesko Garcevic, former ambassador of Montenegro to NATO, OSCE, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Vesko is currently Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University.
We talk about what it means to diplomatically engage with Russia and whether it makes sense to think of it as a pariah state. We also take up some misconceptions about the role of NATO expansion in precipitating the current war.
2022-05-1252 min
Ethics in Action PodcastMaking Russia Great Again?Vladimir Putin wants to put Russia back on the map as a great power. But what does it even mean to be a great power in the nuclear age? Is that idea still coherent? If it is, can Russia be such a power? And how is Putin using history to frame this quest? What does his framing reveal about him and about contemporary Russia?
The second in a series of conversations with historian Vladimir Petrovic about the implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Resources:
Putin's February 21st Speech, preceding Russia's invasion of Uk...2022-04-171h 01
Ethics in Action PodcastEmpires Strike Back - Did the “Balance of Power” Just Make a Comeback?: A Conversation with Vladimir PetrovicFor a while, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, we could tell ourselves that the American-led liberal internationalist order was on the rise. That story had some big holes in it, but if we squinted a bit it was almost believable. Not "the end of history", but maybe a long vacation from it. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its insistence on declaring a “sphere of influence” free from western intervention, and its alliance with China change everything.
Within a few weeks an older picture of international order - where great powers check each other and make sure none becomes...2022-04-011h 07
Ethics in Action PodcastSchool Integrations and Equal Education: A Conversation with Larry BlumHow should we understand efforts at school integration? And how are they related to the idea of equal education? Larry and I consider different historical understandings of integration and the problematic idea of integration as a vehicle for gaining social capital. Larry and Zoë Burkholder just published Integrations: The Struggle for Racial Equality and Civic Renewal in Public Education.
Larry is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, and Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston. You can find out more about his experience teaching a course on race and racism to Cambridge High Sc...2021-09-1857 min
Ethics in Action PodcastHarvard‘s Galileo Project: A Conversation with Avi LoebThe New York Times 2017 front page story about UAP's (Unexplained Aerial Phenomena) spotted by Navy pilots, and the recent report to Congress by The Office of the Director of National Intelligence have generated tremendous public interest. I talk to Professor Avi Loeb about Harvard's new Galileo Project. We discuss what it means to explore UAP's scientifically, his reasons for pursuing this work, and about the academic community's reluctance to engage with these questions.
Avi Loeb, an Astrophysicist, is the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science and former chair of the department of Astronomy at Harvard. He is D...2021-09-0151 min
Ethics in Action PodcastInstitutional Corruption and Psychiatric Drugs: A Conversation with Lisa CosgroveWhat happens when the ties between the people who study psychiatric drugs and the companies who make them become too cozy? A discussion with UMass Boston psychology professor Lisa Cosgrove.
Lisa Cosgrove, PhD is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Boston where she teaches courses on psychiatric diagnosis and psychopharmacology. She was a Research Fellow at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University (2010-2015) and served as a consultant to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, child psychiatrist Dainius Puras. Lisa and her studentsconduct research th...2021-05-2747 min
Ethics in Action PodcastMy Favorite Passage: A conversation with Adam Beresford about Iliad, Book 24
Adam and I discuss the famous, moving passage at the end of the Iliad describing the meeting between Achilles and Priam. We talk quite a bit about Achilles' curious account of how Zeus determines humans' fate by doling out happenings from jars of joy and misfortune.
Adam Beresford teaches philosophy and classics at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. He has just published a translation of Aristotle's Ethics which you can (and should!) buy here and you can learn more about Adam's work here.
Here is a version of book 24 of the I...2021-04-081h 01
Ethics in Action PodcastA Three-Way Peace Deal in the Middle East: A Conversation with Ehud EiranIsrael has signed normalization agreements with the UAE and Bahrain. These are the first Middle East peace agreements in two and a half decades. Why now? What does each of the main actors in this drama stand to gain from these accords? Can Middle East diplomacy really bypass the Israeli Palestinian conflict as these agreements attempt to do? And does the deal signal a new alignment of power in the region?
Dr. Ehud (Udi) Eiran is a Senior Lecturer (US Associate Professor) of International Relations, University of Haifa, Israel, and an (active!) Board member at Mitvim – a lead...2020-09-3048 min
Ethics in Action PodcastCivic Dialogue in a Polarized Society: A Conversation With Lauren BartholdThe US seems more polarized than it's been in decades. Can we communicate across ideological and political chasms? What does it mean to have a dialogue with someone we profoundly, even vehemently disagree with? If we do have such a dialogue, does it make us any less polarized? Do the effects last? We talk with Professor Barthold about her new book: Overcoming Polarization in the Public Square: Civic Dialogue
Lauren Swayne Barthold (PhD, Philosophy) teaches Ethics at Emerson College and is also co-founder and program developer of the Heathmere Center for Cultural Engagement, whose mission is to b...2020-09-1159 min
Ethics in Action PodcastMonuments, Racism and The Ethics of Public Memory: A Conversation with Dana MirandaIn the last few months, in the wake of recent protests against systemic racism, Confederate and other monuments have been torn down and defaced. What are these monuments supposed to convey? What's the argument for taking them down? Dana and I revisit our conversation about the ethics and politics of monument removal in light of recent events.
Take a look at Dana's recent essay on the Politics of Monuments over at the APA's Black Issues in Philosophy Blog
This is a good background piece from the Guardian
Dana Francisco Miranda is an Assistant Professor of Ph...2020-08-1155 min
Ethics in Action PodcastThe Rise of Robot Overlords? A Conversation with Dan FeldmanBefore Covid 19 turned the world upside down we worried about Artificial General Intelligence and, ultimately, Super-intelligence - the moment when our machines, powered by sophisticated AI, catch up with us and, ultimately, out-perform us. But how coherent, how pressing, are these concerns, really?
Dan Feldman is a senior research fellow at the UMB Applied Ethics Center. He is a software engineering executive and advisor to startups. He has more than 40 years of experience developing leading edge computing systems in a wide variety of industries, including financial services, health care, and wearable computing. He has served as the seni...2020-05-2048 min
Ethics in Action PodcastThucydides and the Plague: A Conversation with Greg FriedIn the History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides provides a vivid description of the physical and social toll that a terrible plague took on Athens, a year or so into its war with Sparta. What explains the staying power of Thucydides' account? And what can we learn from it as we grapple with our own (albeit far less deadly) Covid 19 crisis?
Greg Fried is Professor of philosophy at Boston College. He has taught at the University of Chicago, Boston University, California State University Los Angeles, and Suffolk University. He teaches and publishes in political philosophy, with a p...2020-04-1755 min
Ethics in Action PodcastSetting Priorities in a Pandemic: Who Gets Care? When do We Open the Economy? A conversation with J HughesWhat are the moral criteria for triaging patients when the healthcare system is overwhelmed? How is Massachusetts thinking about this? And, more broadly, what is the appropriate balance between preserving public health and limiting an economic meltdown?
Please note: the last 3 minutes of this conversation are missing due to a Zoom malfunction. So it ends a bit abruptly. But the important stuff is all there!
James Hughes is a senior research fellow at the UMass Boston Applied Ethics Center. He is a bioethicist and sociologist who serves as the associate provost for institutional research, assessment, and...2020-04-1047 min
Ethics in Action PodcastWhat is Social Democracy? A Conversation with Jeppe von PlatzJeppe von Platz teaches philosophy at the University of Richmond. His research focuses on political philosophy, political economy, and the history of philosophy. He has published on questions of distributive justice, the status of economic rights, just war theory, how we should respond to systemic injustices, and Kant’s practical philosophy. Jeppe's book Theories of Distributive Justice: Who Gets What and Why will be coming out with Routledge this spring. In this episode we discuss his new project - on the nature and justifications of European style Social Democracy.
2019-12-171h 08
Museu de vozes desconexasHate anger and Resentment: A conversation with Thomas Brudholm Podcast: Ethics in Action PodcastEpisode: Hate anger and Resentment: A conversation with Thomas BrudholmPub date: 2018-01-30Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationNir Eisikovits hosts Thomas Brudholm of the University of Copenhagen for a discussion about the philosophy of hate, anger, and resentment. The two discuss whether there are more and less legitimate forms of hate, whether it should be understood as an emotion or as an attitude, and whether a philosophical understanding of hate can help us make better sense of th...2019-09-0453 min
Ethics in Action PodcastPhilosophy and Our Understanding of Mental Disorders: A Conversation with Jennifer RaddenUMass Boston's Jennifer Radden has made numerous seminal contributions to the philosophy of psychiatry. She has just published an entry on Mental Disorders in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. We talk about how philosophy can help us think about mental health and disorders.
2019-06-1249 min
Ethics in Action PodcastAI, Algorithms and the Post Human Future of Governance: A Conversation with J HughesHow will the rise of AI change state and federal bureaucracies? Are AI mediated politics more democratic? More fair? What does post human governance look like?
James Hughes is a senior research fellow at the Applied Ethics Center at Mass Boston. He is a bioethicist and sociologist who serves as the associate provost for institutional research, assessment, and planning at UMass Boston. He holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Chicago where he taught bioethics at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. Since then, he has taught health policy, bioethics, medical sociology, and research...2019-01-2949 min
Ethics in Action PodcastShould we rename Faneuil Hall? A Conversation with Dana MirandaFaneuil Hall, one of Boston's most celebrated public spaces and tourist attractions, is named after Peter Faneuil - an 18th century merchant and slave trader. Nir Eisikovits and UConn's Dana Miranda discuss the debate around renaming Faneuil Hall and place it in the context of the national debate around problematic monuments and memorials - from Charlottesville to Yawkey Way.
Dana Francisco Miranda is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut and a Research Fellow at UMass Boston's Applied Ethics Center. His research is in political philosophy, Africana philosophy, and 19th century and...2018-08-2659 min
Ethics in Action PodcastKant’s Liberal International Order: A Conversation with Claudio CorradettiEisikovits and Corradetti discuss the relevance of Kant's celebrated essay "Towards Perpetual Peace"
Is peace a process to be constantly managed or an outcome? Why does Kant think that republicanism is conducive to peace? What's the best way to understand his call for creating a world state? Is that a concrete political proposal? A tool for assessing our own political behavior? In what ways is Kant a realist?
Claudio Corradetti is Associate Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Rome, Tor Vergata. He has written extensively on transitional justice and human rights theory.
...2018-03-0254 min
Ethics in Action PodcastNo Ethics on Campus: A Conversation with James KeenanEisikovits and Keenan discuss the need to create a culture of ethics on college campuses.
How is it that the university - one of the few institutions that teaches ethics - does not give much thought to what it means for it to create an ethical climate on campus? How are the prevalence of sexual assault, the mistreatment of adjunct faculty and racial tensions on campuses related to this failure?
James Keenan is the Canisius Professor and Director of the Jesuit Institute at Boston College. His Book University Ethics: Why Colleges Need A Culture of E...2018-02-2831 min
Ethics in Action PodcastHate anger and Resentment: A conversation with Thomas BrudholmNir Eisikovits hosts Thomas Brudholm of the University of Copenhagen for a discussion about the philosophy of hate, anger, and resentment. The two discuss whether there are more and less legitimate forms of hate, whether it should be understood as an emotion or as an attitude, and whether a philosophical understanding of hate can help us make better sense of these very tense political times.
Resources for Further Reading:
‘’Hatred Beyond Bigotry," in Hate, Politics, Law: Critical Perspectives on Combating Hate, Oxford University Press, co-edited with B.S. Johansen, forthcoming May 2018.
"Pondering Hatred" (co-authored with B.S. Joh...2018-01-3053 min
Ethics in Action PodcastThe Confederate Monuments Debate: A Conversation With Glenn LouryDebating Confederate monuments and Civil War memorials in light of the violence in Charlottesville.
2018-01-3050 min
Ethics in Action PodcastHonor, Slavery, and Social Death: A Conversation with Historian Ken GreenbergNir Eisikovits and Ken Greenberg talk about the prominent role of honor in the antebellum south and its relationship to the institution of slavery. They also discuss Greenberg’s recent work on Nat Turner’s rebellion and the challenges of creating a historical account from necessarily incomplete evidence and records.
2018-01-2452 min