The chapter explores a study linking American political party affiliation with the usage of the Ashley Madison adultery website, finding that libertarians and Republicans were more likely to be registered on the site. The hosts discuss the ethical implications of using leaked data for research purposes and critique the conclusions drawn from the study. There is a reflection on the correlation between political affiliation and engaging in extramarital relationships, diving into the ethical complexities and marketing strategies of Ashley Madison.
David and Tamler try to wrap their heads around Jorge Luis Borges' “The Library of Babel†– a short story about a universe/library that contains every possible book with every possible combination of characters. How many books would this library contain? Would some of the books justify our lives (if we could find them)? Can we know whether a book is deeply meaningful or deeply misleading? Why are the librarians so alone and so consumed with anguish? Wouldn’t we all just end up just looking for the porn books? Plus, we talk about the ethics of doing research on data drawn from the Ashley Madison leak. Life is short, listen to this episode.
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