History of Philosophy Audio Archive

Oliver's Book Trans Technologies:https://a.co/d/01Lhkk9Oliver's Bluesky:https://bsky.app/profile/haimson.bsky.socialGuest: Oliver Haimson, Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Information, and Director of the Community Research on Identity and Technology Lab.Episode Overview:In this episode, host William Engels sits down with Professor Oliver Haimson to discuss his new book, Trans Technologies. They explore how technology, broadly defined, plays a crucial role in the lives of trans people, often serving as a tool for empowerment, resistance, and community building in the face of increasing political hostility and systemic barriers. The conversation touches on recent events, philosophical definitions of technology, and the practical challenges and ethical considerations involved in creating and maintaining technology for marginalized communities.The discussion covers a wide range of topics, including the impact of leaked government documents threatening essential services for LGBTQ youth, the vital work of organizations like Trans Lifeline, and the sustainability issues faced by independent tech creators. Professor Haimson shares examples of technologies built by and for trans people, such as state risk maps and databases tracking anti-trans legislation, highlighting how technology can be a powerful tool for survival and advocacy when traditional political systems fail. They also delve into the definition of technology itself, considering it not just as digital tools but as anything that extends human agency.Beyond the immediate political climate, the interview touches on the importance of privacy and data security in sensitive technologies, especially given the realities of government surveillance. They reflect on the journey of writing the book, the surprising breadth of trans technological creativity from gaming to art, and the possibility of a more optimistic future where technology can be focused less on survival and more on fostering joy and connection. Ultimately, the conversation underscores the resilience and ingenuity of the trans community in leveraging technology to navigate a challenging world.Key Topics Discussed:Introduction to Oliver Haimson and the book "Trans Technologies"Recent political attacks on LGBTQ+ services and suicide hotlines (988)Trans Lifeline as an example of a critical trans-led technology/serviceChallenges in sustainability and resources for small-scale trans technologiesTechnology as a form of resistance and empowermentThe relationship and tension between political action (voting, policy) and technological solutions for trans issuesExamples of trans technologies: state risk maps, databases tracking anti-trans laws (Transformations)Defining "technology" – extending human agency (drawing on Sandy Stone's definition)Tags/Keywords:Oliver Haimson, William Engels, Trans Technologies, Transgender, LGBTQ+, Technology, Trans Studies, Queer Studies, Mental Health, Crisis Hotline, Suicide Prevention, Trans Lifeline, Privacy, Data Security, Ethics, Government Surveillance, Foia, Academics, University, Whistleblowing, Chelsea Manning, WikiLeaks, DNA Phenotyping, Political Backlash, Anti-Trans Legislation, Fearmongering, Activism, Resistance, Mutual Aid, Philosophy of Technology, Media Studies, Human-Computer Interaction, Digital Humanities, Policy, Discrimination, Marginalization, Oakland Institute for Urban Studies, University of Michigan, National Science Foundation, Grant Funding, Culture Wars, Freedom of Information Act, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity (DEI), Academia, Optimism, Pessimism, Utopia, Solar Pump, Gay Revolution, Identity, Community, Support, Art, Video Games, itch.io, Documentaries, Books, Sandy Stone, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Avery Dame-Griff, Jamie Lauren Keiles, Martin Heidegger, Marshall McLuhan, Antonio Gramsci, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Pete Hegseth, The Two Revolutions, The Third Person.

TOPHER'S BOOK:https://a.co/d/izl2PvHCome join the Patreon!https://patreon.com/c/HemlockPatreonBy the way here's what Google Gemini has to say about our conversation:In a conversation centered around author Topher McDougal's new book Gaia Wakes, McDougal and host William Engels delve into the complex relationship between humanity, technology, and the future of the planet. With the book's release imminent, McDougal notes increased media attention and requests to discuss his work. The discussion immediately touches upon the rapid, exponential growth of AI computing power, a central theme explored in Gaia Wakes. McDougal presents his book as an "exercise in optimism," arguing that despite facing complex global challenges that may currently overwhelm human institutions, there's a potential path towards a more integrated and collectively intelligent future for the Earth, partly facilitated by emerging technologies like AI.The conversation explores various philosophical and economic dimensions of this future. They debate the concept of AI sentience and its implications for rights, contrasting traditional anthropocentric views with the possibility of intelligence manifesting at a planetary scale. Economic ideas like the incentive structures related to global public goods (like clean air) and the increasingly fluid boundary between production and predation in a technologically advanced world are examined. McDougal suggests that as global problems become too vast for current human systems to manage, there's an economic rationale for developing new forms of coordination and responsibility, potentially leading to a "body planetary" where AI integrated with global sensors develops a form of collective consciousness or "proprioception" for the Earth.The discussion broadens to include perspectives from science fiction, historical philosophies, and socio-political critique. They touch on works like The Three-Body Problem and Dune, contrast different historical narratives (linear progress vs. cyclical history), and explore concepts like the capabilities approach to human rights and the nature of justice. McDougal argues against simple pessimistic views, suggesting that even amidst global crises and the concentration of power, there's potential for positive transformation. He frames his book as offering a hopeful, albeit realistically cautioned, vision for navigating these turbulent times, encouraging readers to consider the possibility of humanity's future role as a "custodial species" within a larger, interconnected planetary intelligence, ultimately calling for deliberate effort to build this future and avoid succumbing to fatalism.

Come join my Patreon!https://patreon.com/c/HemlockPatreonOriginal Video:https://youtu.be/MUfVPV5Of6ASummary:In this powerful 2014 speech, journalist and author Chris Hedges dissects what he terms the "psychosis of permanent war" that grips the United States. He traces its origins to the anti-communist fervor following World War I, arguing that the Wilson administration pioneered modern mass propaganda techniques, manipulating public emotion rather than appealing to reason. Hedges contends that this permanent state of war, fueled by corporate interests and sustained by both political parties, has destroyed American democracy, corrupted core values like thrift and community, and replaced them with hedonism and the cult of the self. Drawing heavily on his experiences as a war correspondent in the Middle East, Latin America, and the Balkans, Hedges details the devastating human cost and destructive power of modern industrial warfare, critiquing US foreign policy interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and the consequences of Israeli actions in Gaza. He discusses how these actions often create more enemies than they defeat (blowback) and lead to the erosion of civil liberties at home through mass surveillance and laws undermining due process. Referencing thinkers like Dwight Macdonald and Sheldon Wolin (specifically the concept of "inverted totalitarianism"), Hedges argues that corporate power has effectively seized control, leaving mass civil disobedience as potentially the only recourse for citizens to reclaim agency. The speech also includes a Q&A segment touching on climate change activism, the limitations of electoral politics (including the Green Party), and the nature of resistance against entrenched power.Keywords:Chris Hedges, Permanent War, War Psychosis, US Foreign Policy, Militarism, Propaganda, Anti-Communism, Corporate Power, Inverted Totalitarianism, Democracy, Civil Liberties, Iraq War, Afghanistan War, Middle East, Gaza, Syria, Israel, War Crimes, Mass Surveillance, Civil Disobedience, Media Critique, Political Philosophy, Sheldon Wolin, Dwight Macdonald, Woodrow Wilson, Sigmund Freud, Noam Chomsky, Climate Change, Occupy Wall Street.People Mentioned:Dwight MacdonaldWoodrow WilsonGustave Le BonTrotter (Wilfred Trotter)Sigmund FreudKarl MarxVondaDick CheneySheldon WolinGeorge OrwellEdward GibbonBill McKibbenBernie SandersNaomi KleinSawant (Kshama Sawant)Michael BloombergBill De BlasioJohn Ralston SaulSimone WeilCadmus (mythological figure)Randolph BourneTocqueville (Alexis de Tocqueville)Clausewitz (Carl von Clausewitz)Saddam HusseinOsama bin LadenAbu Musab al-ZarqawiBashar al-AssadHannah ArendtVaclav HavelLenin (Vladimir Lenin)Ralph NaderJill SteinMario Vargas LlosaLarry SummersShakespeare (William Shakespeare)King Lear (character)Goneril (character)Regan (character)

Come join my Patreon!https://patreon.com/c/hemlockpatreonSauce for the audio:https://archive.org/details/NoamChomsky-02-13-96-BreakingTheMythAnExposeOfExploitativePaul Krugman article that Chomsky urges you to read (title: Pop Internationalism)https://archive.org/details/popinternational00paul/mode/2upChapters:(00:00:00) Welcome and Introduction (00:01:37) Economy and Domestic Order (00:03:58) Adam Smith and Policy (00:06:10) Politics as Business Shadow (00:07:44) US Post-WWII Global Role (00:09:27) Crafting the Global Order (00:11:45) Globalization: Third World Model (00:14:00) Financial Order Dismantled (00:16:00) The Casino Economy (00:17:40) Speculative Capital Explosion (00:20:10) Tobin's Low Growth Prediction (00:22:05) The Tobin Tax Proposal (00:24:00) Tobin Tax Potential Uses (00:27:30) Class Interest vs Profit (00:31:32) Telecom and Capital Flow (00:35:58) Petrodollar Recycling to West (00:41:00) Third World Debt Recycling (00:45:45) Power of Transnationals (00:48:00) Investor Rights Agreements (00:51:00) End of Cold War Effects

Modernity has forced the human spirit into a tunnel - is the light at the end the way back to Paradise, or an unstoppable train coming to end the human experiment?Come join my Patreon!https://patreon.com/c/HemlockPatreonOriginal Video Credit (Kenan Institute for Ethics, 2002):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obeI1ea5ox4Music of Tibet (1967)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Tibet_(album)Why Religion Matters (2001)https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25885.Why_Religion_MattersBooks and PeopleSummer of the Gods - Edward J. Larson (Scopes Trial)The Origins of Love and Hate (Unfinished) - Ian D. Suttie, cited by John BowlbyThe Soul of the American University by George M. MarsdenChapters(00:00:00) Intro(00:03:02) Main Talk, Skip IntroOutlineThis talk features Dr. Huston Smith, a distinguished professor of religion and philosophy, discussing themes from his work, particularly relevant to his then-forthcoming book "Why Religion Matters." He posits that modernity, driven by the success of the scientific method, has inadvertently led to "scientism"—a worldview that limits reality to the material and measurable. This scientific worldview, he argues, has shunted the human spirit into a metaphorical "tunnel," characterized by a loss of transcendence, the sense of a greater, qualitative reality that was central to traditional religious outlooks. Smith identifies higher education, the media, and the law as institutions reinforcing this tunnel by promoting skepticism towards non-scientific truths and marginalizing religious perspectives in public life, creating an environment less hospitable to the human spirit compared to the "enchanted garden" of traditional views.Despite this confinement, Dr. Smith sees potential "light at the end of the tunnel," pointing to several hopeful trends. These include the "fairness revolution" advancing minority and gender rights, a shift in psychology towards understanding human nature as fundamentally seeking communion and love (challenging Freudian drives), and developments in physics and cognitive science that suggest limitations to the purely materialist worldview and acknowledge realities potentially beyond space-time or current comprehension. He contrasts these positive signs with his concern that biology remains somewhat stuck in a reductive Darwinian framework, often polarizing the discussion unnecessarily. Throughout the lecture and Q&A, Smith emphasizes the enduring importance of the transcendent perspective offered by world religions for a complete understanding of reality and human flourishing.KeywordsHuston Smith, Religion, Philosophy, Transcendence, Modernity, Scientism, Scientific Worldview, Traditional Worldview, Human Spirit, Tunnel Metaphor, Higher Education, Media Criticism, Law, Native American Church, Peyote, Fairness Revolution, Human Nature, Physics, Cognitive Science, Consciousness, Darwinism, Why Religion Matters, Multi-phonic Chanting.

Book 3 of Boethius' 6th century masterpiece De consolatione philosophiaeCONTACT FORM:https://form.typeform.com/to/kW1uMg8GListen to previous sections:Project Introduction, Essay by Scott Goins and Barbara H. WymanBook 1 - To Oppose Evil MenBook 2 - Fortune's WheelThanks for your patience. Remember, at least you're not dying alone in a tower for no good reason. And if you are, sorry for the wait.

Learn more about Franco and his research:https://www.keele.ac.uk/socialsciences/staff/francocastroescobar/https://uk.linkedin.com/in/fcastroescobarCome join my Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/c/HemlockPatreonSummaryIn this conversation, Franco Castro Escobar, a peace researcher and PhD candidate, discusses the historical and contemporary issues surrounding nuclear weapons, particularly focusing on Japan's anti-nuclear movement. The dialogue explores the origins of nuclear disarmament efforts, the role of scientists and intellectuals, the impact of censorship, and the environmental consequences of nuclear testing. Chapters(00:00) Introduction to Nuclear Disarmament and Peace Research(04:32) The Historical Context of Nuclear Weapons in Japan(12:30) The Role of Scientists and Intellectuals in Anti-Nuclear Movements(20:39) Censorship and Early Opposition in Post-War Japan(30:47) The Impact of Nuclear Weapons on Society and Environment(37:54) Tactical Nuclear Weapons: Myths and Realities(51:54) Contemporary Nuclear Arms Control and Its Challenges(01:00:10) Erosion of Arms Control Treaties(01:05:27) The Role of the NPT in Global Security(01:12:10) Nuclear Weapons as a Deterrent(01:15:54) The Impact of Nuclear Weapons on Global Politics(01:19:44) Youth Activism Against Nuclear Weapons(01:28:19) The Future of Nuclear Energy(01:49:09) Building a Youth Archive for Anti-Nuclear Activism-//-Books:-The World Set Free, H. G. Wells (1913)-Confronting the Bomb: Lawrence S. Wittnerhttps://www.lawrenceswittner.com/books/confronting-the-bomb-The Ocean on Fire, Anaïs Maurerhttps://www.dukeupress.edu/the-ocean-on-fire-Political Fallout, Toshihiro Higuchihttps://www.sup.org/books/sociology/political-fallout-Nuclear is Not the Solution, M. V. Ramanahttps://www.versobooks.com/products/3013-nuclear-is-not-the-solution-Being Nuclear: Africans and the Global Uranium Trade, Gabrielle Hechthttps://gabriellehecht.org/being-nuclear/-The Rape of Nanking, Iris Changhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rape_of_Nanking_(book)-The Free World, Louis Menandhttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/books/review/louis-menand-the-free-world.html-The Wizards of Armageddon, Fred Kaplanhttp://www.fredkaplan.info/wizards.htmArticles and NewsLawrence Livermore National Ignition Facility Tests Nuclear ArsenalAll Rainwater is Poison (Microplastics)Fukushima Nuclear Disaster was Preventable, Company ResponsibleNuclear Reactor on Moon as Part of Artemis MissionPentagon Identifies Climate Change as Top Nat'l Sec ThreatThe Baby Tooth Survey (Radiation in Baby Teeth)Trump Admin Alters Nuclear Posture Review (NPR)Texas Wildfire at Nuclear Weapons FacilityCost Overruns on SENTINEL ICBM Modernization ProgramArt, Poetry, ProseThe Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panelshttps://marukigallery.jp/en/hiroshimapanels/Hiroshima: Three Witnesses (Book of Poetry, trans. Richard H. Minear)https://a.co/d/1c6Tky0When We Say Hiroshima, Kurihara Sadakohttps://press.umich.edu/Books/W/When-We-Say-HiroshimaPeople & Organizations-Garry Davis (World Citizen)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Davis-"Hibakusha" (Japanese term, “nuclear-affected person/nuclear bomb survivor”)-John Lewis Gaddis (Cold War Historian, “The Long Peace”)-Robert  “Bo” Jacobs (Cold War as Limited Nuclear War)https://bojacobs.net/Significant Events, TreatiesAtoms for Peace Speech, Eisenhower 1953https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atoms_for_PeaceCastle-Bravo Hydrogen Bomb Test (March 1954, Bikini Atoll, 15 Megatons)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_BravoTreaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (1968)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Non-Proliferation_of_Nuclear_WeaponsPartial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1963)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_Nuclear_Test_Ban_TreatyErrataI said the Bravo test yielded 30 megatons, it actually yielded 15.

Help support the show, get access to exclusive episodes, and keep the podcast ad-free forever:https://patreon.com/c/HemlockPatreonWrite-up on the May 68 barricades:https://jacobin.com/2018/05/how-beautiful-it-wasThe original recording was made in late April 2008 by the BBC.Chapters(00:00:00) Casablanca Intro(00:06:39) 1) The Year of Revolutions: 1968(00:48:43) 2) Philosophy in the StreetsReferences and KeywordsCharles de Gaulle, Joseph Stalin, CGT (Trade Union Confédération Générale du Travail), Women's Liberation, Birth Control Pill, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Herbert Marcuse, Jean-Paul Sartre, Slavoj Zizek, Jacques Lacan, Guy Debord and the Situationists, Gilles Deleuze, Alain Badiou, David Cunningham (Radical Philosophy), Simon Critchley, "Boredom is counterrevolutionary", École Normale Supérieure, Henri Bergson, Structuralism, Jacques Rancière, Claude Levi-Strauss, Deconstruction.Books:The Society of the Spectacle - Guy DebordThe Order of Things - Michel FoucaultThe Ends of Man - Jacques DerridaÉcrits (Writings) - Jacques LacanReading Capital - Louis Althusser

Come join my Patreon!https://patreon.com/c/HemlockPatreonCheck out Roy's Work:https://www.youtube.com/@DrRoyCasagrandaWatch the original video:https://youtu.be/D8s_qxWcN9IDescription from original:The 1,000-year Legacy of Ibn Sina is Dr. Roy's first lecture for the Museum of the Future's Lessons from the Past (2025). This collaboration between the Museum of the Future and Dr. Roy aims to explore 10 topics ranging from the life of the father of modern medicine to examples of great leadership to the birth of the Most Serene Republic of Venice.(Originally uploaded April 3rd 2025)Ibn Sina:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avicenna

PART 1 (HoPAA #160a):https://open.spotify.com/episode/5taLk6nbSkUZ3kGgRIgoSk?si=7724226c6b1042e1Come join my Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/c/HemlockPatreonLearn more about Professor Darren Staloff's Work (Yes, he's still alive…)https://hamilton.center.ufl.edu/people/darren-staloff/This series was originally titled "The Search for a Meaningful Past" and is available on YouTube.Chapters:(00:00:00) Intro(00:01:12) Arnold Toynbee and World Historical Speculation(00:47:26) R. G. Collingwood “The Idea of History”(01:33:36) Positivist Historiography(02:19:48) Arthur Danto's Narration and Knowledge(03:06:20) Fernand Braudel's “On History”(03:52:11) Poststructuralism and the Linguistic Turn(04:39:06) William McNeill's “Plagues and People”(05:25:46) The Heterogeneity of Historical Knowledge(06:10:32) Outro-//-