Philosophers In Space

Aaron Rabinowitz and Callie Wright
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May 22, 2019 • 47min

0G58: Runaround and Three Laws of Robotics

Here's my story, it's sad but true, about a bot that I once knew. It took my laws, and then ran around, all the science juice pools in town. This week we're beginning a journey through the robot short stories of Isaac Asimov, beginning with Runaround, the first story where Asimov specifically lays out the three laws of robotics. We discuss the many problems with these laws as well as why they're still important and why it's harder to dismiss them than some might think. AI top down vs bottom up ethics: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225850648_Artificial_Morality_Top-down_Bottom-up_and_Hybrid_Approaches Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/groups/985828008244018/ Email us at: philosophersinspace@gmail.com Sibling shows: Serious Inquiries Only: https://seriouspod.com/ Opening Arguments: https://openargs.com/ Embrace the Void: https://voidpod.com/ Recent appearances: Nothing soon, invite us on your show! Aaron is also going to be on a panel at NECSS this summer in NYC discussing mutant ethics. Come do some nerdcore philosophy! CONTENT PREVIEW: ENGAME! We've delayed as long as we could, but the time has come. Obviously we have to actually talk about the thing so go see it if you want zero risk of spoilers.
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May 15, 2019 • 46min

0G57: Orphan Black and Human Cloning

Well friends, I'm gonna level with you. We've been doing a little bit of mad sciencing on the side, and it appears some of the clones got loose and recorded an episode on Orphan Black and the Ethics of Cloning. It's a bit all over the place from what I'm told, but we thought it best to honor their plucky ingenuity and share the results with you, so that you can decide if the world is a better place with these strange creatures in it. "Goodbye Dolly": The Ethics of Human Cloning by Harris https://jme.bmj.com/content/23/6/353.short?fbclid=IwAR3E45jciGtPRQZFlw4p_uciuNU8uH3HliEgCdEL9YCBjNDPWUHeh75a0Ds Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/groups/985828008244018/ Email us at: philosophersinspace@gmail.com Sibling shows: Serious Inquiries Only: https://seriouspod.com/ Opening Arguments: https://openargs.com/ Embrace the Void: https://voidpod.com/ Recent appearances: Aaron's going to be on an upcoming episode of Podunk Polymath, but the end of the semester is coming and so more time for more appearances! Aaron is also going to be on a panel at NECSS this summer in NYC discussing mutant ethics. Come do some nerdcore philosophy! CONTENT PREVIEW: We're doing a "classics of sci-fi history" next week and reading Runaround by Azimov, the story generally credited as the first time the three laws of robotics are explicitly laid out. We'll discuss the problems with rule based ethics as a way to train AI. Runaround: https://web.williams.edu/Mathematics/sjmiller/public_html/105Sp10/handouts/Runaround.html
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May 8, 2019 • 40min

0G56: Humans and Everyday AI

Hello [primary user] and welcome to the show notes for your brand new copy of our episode about Humans, a British show about how awkward it will be when we're all surrounded by vastly superior, extremely polite robits. We hope you will find this show to be...suitable. If you find it sup bar, and can overcome the British urge to never voice that feeling, do let us know. And of course, if you want to experience the adult package, nudge nudge wink wink: Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/groups/985828008244018/ Email us at: philosophersinspace@gmail.com Sibling shows: Serious Inquiries Only: https://seriouspod.com/ Opening Arguments: https://openargs.com/ Embrace the Void: https://voidpod.com/ Cognitive Dissonance: http://dissonancepod.com/ Recent appearances: Aaron's going to be on an upcoming episode of Podunk Polymath, but the hunger is endless. Aaron is also going to be on a panel at NECSS this summer in NYC discussing mutant ethics. Come do some nerdcore philosophy! CONTENT PREVIEW: Continuing our streak of shows with amazing female protagonists, we're going to look at Orphan Black and discuss human cloning, experimentation, and nature vs. nurture, and Aaron will resist the urge to say "luck" for as long as possible.
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May 1, 2019 • 43min

0G55: Cube and Kafkaesque

"Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a pool cleaning robot, or whether I am now a pool cleaning robot, dreaming I am a man." -RoboZhuangzi This week we're discussing the Canadian Classic, Cube! This movie really exemplifies the concept of "kafkaesque", and we're joined by the amazing Cecil of Cognitive dissonance to unpack this tricky concept. We also dive into the idea of social conditioning as its own kind of prison, and the cosmic horror of there being no "them" behind it all. It gets a little voidy, not gonna lie. Kafkaesque: https://www.bustle.com/p/the-meaning-of-kafkaesque-is-about-more-than-just-pointless-bureaucracy-giant-insects-9136561 Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/groups/985828008244018/ Email us at: philosophersinspace@gmail.com Sibling shows: Serious Inquiries Only: https://seriouspod.com/ Opening Arguments: https://openargs.com/ Embrace the Void: https://voidpod.com/ Cognitive Dissonance: http://dissonancepod.com/ Recent appearances: We may have gone a whole week without guesting somewhere. That's a weird feeling and we're not super into it, so help us out and find us some fun places to talk fun things! Aaron is also going to be on a panel at NECSS this summer in NYC discussing mutant ethics. Come do some nerdcore philosophy! CONTENT PREVIEW: We're gonna put another show on the jenga tower of suggestions we keep making and talk about the show Humans and how it does an amazing job getting into the ethical realities of realistic AI entities in our everyday lives. We won't spoil anything beyond the first episode but good luck not getting hooked.
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Apr 24, 2019 • 44min

0G54: The Fifth Element and Manacheanism

Well, it looks like we're taking another beloved classic and ruining it with our patented ruining sauce. I'm not sure if that makes us team good or team evil, or maybe it proves that those things make no sense, like this movie. Of course we save most of the darkness for after dark and focus on a debate over the nature of evil between Manachean dualism and St. Augustine's "absence of good" model of evil. If the world depended on getting Thomas to buy into this distinction as valuable, I'd recommend you use that last match to light up. St. Augustine: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/augustine/ The Absence of Good: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absence_of_good Video on the born sexy yesterday trope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0thpEyEwi80 What it's like trying to watch these movies: https://entertainment.theonion.com/woman-takes-short-half-hour-break-from-being-feminist-t-1819576049 Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/groups/985828008244018/ Email us at: philosophersinspace@gmail.com Sibling shows: Serious Inquiries Only: https://seriouspod.com/ Opening Arguments: https://openargs.com/ Embrace the Void: https://voidpod.com/ Recent appearances: Thomas was on the most recent Cog Dis, so check that out. Aaron is also going to be on a panel at NECSS this summer in NYC discussing mutant ethics. Come do some nerdcore philosophy! CONTENT PREVIEW: It's either going to be Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Cube. Maybe do them as a double feature. That'll be super uplifting!
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Apr 17, 2019 • 38min

0G53: Zima Blue and Projects of Worth

Welcome to the beginning of our show's blue period. Until I decide otherwise we'll only be doing sci-fi that's blue themed. Waterworld. The Shape of Water. Mr. MeSeeks. Yellow Submarine. Don't worry, there will be some deeper meaning to it all that you'll probably fail to grasp but will pretend you understand at parties. Okay, enough meta, we're doing the Zima Blue episode from the Netflix series Love, Death, and Robots. It's a stand alone episode, which is good for a variety of reasons. We're also going to be discussing Susan Wolf's theory of projects of worth. Hopefully this all feels like a project of worth for everyone involved, and hopefully they're not wrong. Summary of Wolf's Theory: https://reasonandmeaning.com/2015/12/25/susan-wolf-on-meaning-in-life/ Wolf's Paper Happiness and Meaning: http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332803.001.0001/acprof-9780195332803-chapter-9 Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/groups/985828008244018/ Email us at: philosophersinspace@gmail.com Sibling shows: Serious Inquiries Only: https://seriouspod.com/ Opening Arguments: https://openargs.com/ Embrace the Void: https://voidpod.com/ Recent appearances: Aaron and GW were recently on the Everyone's Agnostic Podcast talking all sorts of voidiness: http://everyonesagnostic.libsyn.com/episode-236-aaron-rabinowitz-and-gw-rodriguez-embrace-the-void-podcast Aaron was on Life After God talking Moral Realism with Ryan Bell: http://www.lifeaftergod.org/071-ryan-becomes-a-moral-realist-a-conversation-with-aaron-rabinowitz/ Aaron is also going to be on a panel at NECSS this summer in NYC discussing mutant ethics. Come do some nerdcore philosophy! CONTENT PREVIEW: It's a surprise! We're working on guest wrangling. If you want to know more you should join the Philosophers in Space facebook group!
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Apr 10, 2019 • 42min

0G52: Infinity Wars and Overpopulation

Lemme just get my witty banter beard on: Hey kids, do you like violence? Want to see Murtle the turtle stick needles in Dr. Strange's eyelids? Sorry, not current enough pop culture reference? How bout this? What's big, purple, has a jewelry fetish, and makes some really sound points about overpopulation? That's right! A Kardashian Oompa loompa. Too many references mashed together? Okay, how bout this: ::hour long battle scene, I timed it:: Okay okay, I'm not gonna give it all away for free, cause we're going all out with TWO pieces of Infinity Wars content. For those who want more philosophy and less snark, we have this episode where spend 90% of the time on the tragedy of the commons and how it applies to overpopulation. THEN, we're going to soon have NASA 3 come out, where we spend almost as long as one whole battle scene arguing about how awesome this movie is. If you were fans of the battle of Hamilton, you'll want in on this. Hardin's Tragedy of the Commons: https://pages.mtu.edu/~asmayer/rural_sustain/governance/Hardin%201968.pdf Ostrom et al Revisiting the Tragedy of the Commons: https://eesc.columbia.edu/courses/v1003/readings/Commons.revisited.pdf Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/groups/985828008244018/ Email us at: philosophersinspace@gmail.com Sibling shows: Serious Inquiries Only: https://seriouspod.com/ Opening Arguments: https://openargs.com/ Embrace the Void: https://voidpod.com/ Recent appearances: Aaron was on the Political Philosophy Podcast discussing Moral Luck, and look for upcoming appearances by Aaron and GW on Everyone's Agnostic Podcast and Life After God podcast. https://player.fm/series/political-philosophy-podcast/moral-luck-a-conversation-with-etvs-aaron-rabinowitz CONTENT PREVIEW: Next week we're doing our ThankQ&A! Make sure you hop on patreon and hit us with your best questions, cause we got lots of people to thank! https://www.patreon.com/posts/need-questions-q-25252618
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Apr 3, 2019 • 46min

0G51: The Ricklantis Mixup and Artistic Improvement

After a trilogy like this, what is left to be said? All the references have been made. All the Chidi'ing about better and worse art. And lets all be honest, after pouring our hearts into these episodes, we all know the buzz will be 95% about what we're doing next week, so go ahead and scroll on down. You've earned it. Tradition and the Individual talent: https://www.bartleby.com/200/sw4.html Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/groups/985828008244018/ Email us at: philosophersinspace@gmail.com Sibling shows: Serious Inquiries Only: https://seriouspod.com/ Opening Arguments: https://openargs.com/ Embrace the Void: https://voidpod.com/ Recent appearances: Here's Aaron's talk on Moral Realism without God at the Triangle Free Thought Society. If you want to get Aaron to come talk to your local heretic cult, share this around! https://youtu.be/m2zw3ZSSnN4 CONTENT PREVIEW: Infinity Wars! ::spikes the gauntlet of power:: WE'RE DOING THE THING! Let me be clear: I CAN NOT promise that I can keep Thomas on his leash during this exposition zone. Do no Socr@ me about this, you all begged and begged now you get to reap the whirlwind. We're going to be talking about the Tragedy of the Commons as applied to population ethics, and we'll be using a very famous and controversial paper that I highly recommend reading it ahead of time: https://pages.mtu.edu/~asmayer/rural_sustain/governance/Hardin%201968.pdf
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Mar 27, 2019 • 48min

Listener Qs 8

We survived another nominal gauntlet! Thanks again to everyone who contributes to the collective in any form. We'll merge into Roko's Basilisk in no time. Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/groups/985828008244018/ Email us at: philosophersinspace@gmail.com Sibling shows: Serious Inquiries Only: https://seriouspod.com/ Opening Arguments: https://openargs.com/ Embrace the Void: https://voidpod.com/ Recent appearances: Part two of Aaron's chat on Political Philosophy Podcast. We get into debating the roll of intuitions! https://www.politicalphilosophypodcast.com/into-the-void CONTENT PREVIEW: We'll be discussing an episode of the new Netflix Show "Love, Death, and Robots". The episode is called Zima Blue and it's stand alone so you can go straight there and skip all the abuse of women if you want. We'll discuss how it relates to projects of worth
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Mar 27, 2019 • 41min

0G50: The Ricklantis Mixup and Aesthetic Objectivity

Now that the exposition zone is done, this seems like a time for a drink and a wild, twisty podcast with elitist overtones. A podcast about art, about objectivity, references, poetry! Podcasts are for philosophizing, and now is the time for Aesthetics! ::cue the creepy Morty music:: Tradition and the Individual talent: https://www.bartleby.com/200/sw4.html Support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/0G Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0gPhilosophy Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): https://www.facebook.com/groups/985828008244018/ Email us at: philosophersinspace@gmail.com Sibling shows: Serious Inquiries Only: https://seriouspod.com/ Opening Arguments: https://openargs.com/ Embrace the Void: https://voidpod.com/ Recent appearances: Here's Aaron's talk on Moral Realism without God at the Triangle Free Thought Society. If you want to get Aaron to come talk to your local heretic cult, share this around! https://youtu.be/m2zw3ZSSnN4 CONTENT PREVIEW: Next week we continue our discussion of art and tradition and how hard it is to talk about this stuff!

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