Guests Arthur Brooks, Elizabeth Hargrave, Jordan Ellenberg, Mahan Tavakoli, Thi Nguyen, Warren Berger, and Ed Brooks join the Besties to reflect on the best podcasts of 2023. Topics include emotional self-management, prioritizing love and savings, teaching writing and data, financial independence, scoring in games and social media, the value of character, and predictions for 2024.
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Quick takeaways
Systems of evaluation, including scoring and grading, are not neutral processes and inherently reflect power plays.
Creating new traditions, even during difficult times like COVID, can be just as important and meaningful as old traditions.
Character, including virtues like justice, wisdom, and charity, is crucial in responsibly navigating technology.
Character, such as justice, integrity, and moral courage, should be prioritized in political leaders and discourse, transcending party lines.
Deep dives
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So let me start again from where I left off.
Objectivity and Scoring Systems
So one of the things that just happened between the last time we talked to now is I spent a lot of time reading this Lorraine Dastin book on statistics and objectivity and objectivity for her is just a concept that has never actually been achievable in science. And one of the points that she makes is that the act of counting, even before we talk about how we set up a scoring or the act of scoring, even the act of counting in and of itself is not a neutral act. So for example, in a scoring system or a metric, when you assign different weights to different factors, when you say this bit is more important than that, that's already a power play. And that shifts the whole thing. So even the act of assigning a numerical value basically introduces whoever created that numerical value were introduced, they added, and subtracted things and the weightings of these things were already a power play. I hadn't really thought about scoring systems in that way before. But I think the last year has really made me think more and more about how systems of evaluation, whether it's counting, scoring, grading, how these things are not neutral process, that these are all really augmentations of a system. But even trying to be objective about scoring systems will always be an ongoing conversation and contexts of its situated nature and also the values of its creators. I think that's something worth mentioning since we last spoke.
Interesting Thought for 2024
Can you summarize Tina Winn what's an interesting thought, prediction or a wish you have for the year 2024?
New Traditions
So one of the things I think a lot about especially during COVID is how people have started to create new traditions. And I think maybe it's worth stating the obvious, but just in repeating during this time to all your listeners and to all of us, traditions need not be old to be important. And it's really wonderful for us to think about creating new traditions, things that we can look forward to, things that bring fondness and joy. And so maybe one wish I have for 2024 is that maybe some of the new traditions that we ended up creating during COVID that some of them have stuck and they become part of the human tradition, part of the broader culture and become just as meaningful to you and every listener of this show as traditions of the past. So I'm really wishing for a really rich experience of the human experience in 2024.
The Importance of Character in a Technology-Driven World
Ed Brooks reflects on the importance of character in navigating the advancements of technology. He emphasizes the need for virtues like justice, wisdom, and charity to use technology responsibly and direct it towards positive ends. Building technological virtues and tech literacy alongside traditional education can help individuals flourish in a technological age.
The Role of Character in Elections and Public Leadership
Ed Brooks discusses the significance of character in elections and public leadership. He highlights the importance of qualities like justice, integrity, and moral courage in political leaders and wishes for a renewed focus on character in the discourse surrounding elections. Brooks believes that character should transcend party lines and be emphasized in political training, media coverage, and the actions of political leaders.
Cue the orchestra! It's time for the Besties! This is a celebration of the year that was, and a shout out to 10 of our favorite episodes of 2023. We've got guest stars, cameos, and a song-and-dance number that will leave you speechless. Oh wait, sorry, we had to cut the dance—these award shows are always running long.
Host: David Gardner Guests: Arthur Brooks, Elizabeth Hargrave, Jordan Ellenberg, Mahan Tavakoli, Thi Nguyen, Warren Berger, Ed Brooks Producer: Rick Engdahl
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