Aporia Podcast

In this episode Bo and Noah discuss the ethical maze surrounding AI's integration into our lives and its encroachment upon areas once believed to be exclusively human. They examine the effect of AI on the arts, the possible future where AI surpasses human abilities in intellectual creativity, and the societal shifts that could arise from such changes. From the ethics of using AI in creative fields to the emotional consequences for those who find meaning in their intellectual work, our conversation challenges audiences to reflect on the true value of human expression in the age of technological wonders.

Join us on the Aporia podcast where Bo Winegard and Noah Carl explore free will and moral responsibility. Bo brings to the table a defense of compatibilist free will and retributive justice, challenging those like Robert Sapolsky who believe we should eschew free will and moral agency. The discussion peels back the layers of this philosophical debate, contrasting libertarian views with compatibilist perspectives and explores the complex interplay between human autonomy, moral agency, and the nature of punishment.

Our guest today is Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation. Steve is an entrepreneur and has started successful ventures in embryo selection, forensic genetics and artificial intelligence. Steve Hsu- Steve is a polymath- you can see just how wide his interests are on his blog infoproc. Despite his mathematical chops Steve is great at having conversations- I recommend Aporia listeners check out his podcast Manifold. During the 2020 racial reckoning, after some controversy, Steve stepped down as Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at Michigan State University. You can see his response to the allegations against him here and his resignation here. Steve published the first paper showing that polygenic scores can predict phenotype with accuracy- see his paper on height here. Steve and his team also have shown that Genomic Prediction's aneuploidy testing improves pregnancy outcomes. We also talked about my article for Aporia on ethical objections to polygenic screening. In China, Yousheng, loosely translated as "eugenics" doesn't have a bad connotation- as Steve points out here. Steve is skeptical about the deleterious effects of polygenic screening or gene editing due to pleiotropy. Simone Collins, former Aporia guest, was also interviewed on Manifold. She used Genomic Prediction's health index. We talked about Bryan Caplan's books, The Case Against Education and "Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids"

Expanding upon last week's conversation about the race/IQ taboo, Bo Winegard and Noah Carl discuss the ethics of honesty about race differences in cognitive ability. They both agree that candor is better than silence or dishonesty. But they discuss alternative positions sympathetically before forwarding arguments against them.

Is there truly a veil of silence in academic circles when it comes to discussing race and IQ? Noah Carl and Bo Weingard unravel this question by dissecting the assertions of Jackson Jr. and Winston, who deny the existence of such a taboo. They argue controversies in intelligence research stem from poor scholarship rather than an aversion to the topic. Our spirited dialogue challenges their viewpoint, as we scrutinize the nature of academic critique and the undeniable presence of a taboo that, we believe, stifles open conversation on this polarizing subject. By examining our intelligence research controversies database, we aim to separate the wheat from the chaff, identifying where legitimate debate ends and where political or racist rhetoric begins.

Join Walter Veit, University of Reading scholar and pioneering author, as we navigate the intriguing and complex world of animal consciousness. Walter's expertise breathes new life into our understanding of how consciousness could have evolved across species, from the depths of the ocean with the octopus to the humble existence of the worm. Our conversation challenges long-standing human-centric views, uncovering the ethical ramifications of our interactions with animals, and sparking debate over the moral intricacies of artificial sentience, animal farming practices, and the future of lab-grown meat. Links to Dr. Veit's works: His website: https://walterveit.com/ His podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrWalterVeit His paper on clean meat: https://philarchive.org/rec/ANOFWB Can eugenics be defended?: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8321981/ Is humane slaughter possible?: https://philpapers.org/rec/BROIHA-7 Should parents genetically engineer their children?https://philarchive.org/archive/VEISPG Cognitive enhancement and inequality: https://philarchive.org/rec/VEICEA Mentioned in the episode: Do video game characters matter morally? https://reducing-suffering.org/do-video-game-characters-matter-morally/ The logic of the larder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replaceability_argument#:~:text=The%20replaceability%20argument%2C%20or%20the,would%20be%20brought%20into%20existence. Antechinus: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/why-a-little-mammal-has-so-much-sex-that-it-disintegrates Octopus teacher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s0LTDhqe5A

Professor Michael Huemer challenges the efficacy of activism and policy predictions, highlighting the dangers of societal experimentation. He discusses the limitations of experts in forecasting political shifts, proposing the idea of dividing the nation for better policy testing. The podcast compares societal changes to the delicate workings of a living organism, warning against random tampering without proper understanding.

Peter Hitchens discusses the role of grammar schools and academic selection in the UK's education system, emphasizing their importance for social mobility. He explores the decline of educational standards and challenges the perceived intellectual decline in society. The podcast also delves into the concept of being truly educated, the revolution against knowledge, and the dismissal of Jordan Peterson's work.

Prominent figures in intelligence research, Charles Murray and Helmuth Nyborg, discuss a variety of topics including intelligence research, nationalism, and the success of multi-ethnic societies.

Richard Haier, editor-in-chief of the journal Intelligence, dismantles the concept of intelligence, discussing its definition, controversy, and measurement using IQ testing. Haier explores the practicality of abandoning the term 'intelligence' while emphasizing the need for clear definitions. He also addresses criticism of IQ testing and the importance of measuring intelligence as a latent variable in psychology.