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  • Beyond Asimov's Humanism with Jamie Woodhouse

    Beyond Asimov's Humanism with Jamie Woodhouse
    2024/12/15
    Ethicist Jamie Woodhouse has some challenging questions for humanity: should we care about the suffering of all sentient beings, or just the ones who run the show at the moment? What about when we're no longer running the show? Why should a superintelligent and possibly sentient machine intelligence care about us? Might there be other practical reasons to widen our circle of compassion beyond humans?Active Transcript by Fanfare (read/listen).Introduction: Revisiting Asimov’s HumanismJoel reflects on Asimov's humanist philosophy, rooted in evidence, reason, and concern for humanity's progress. However, this anthropocentric focus leads to an important question: can humanism evolve to include all sentient beings?The Core of SentientismJamie Woodhouse introduces Sentientism as a naturalistic worldview advocating evidence, reason, and compassion for all sentient beings. He discusses how this broader ethical scope addresses humanism's anthropocentric blind spots and extends moral consideration to non-human animals and even potential artificial intelligences.The Role of Sentientism in Modern CrisesThe conversation highlights the intersection of Sentientism with critical global challenges like:Climate Change: The role of animal agriculture in exacerbating climate issues and the potential for Sentientism to influence more sustainable practices.AI Ethics: Speculating on the alignment of artificial intelligence with ethical frameworks, including the intriguing notion that future superintelligences might force humans to adopt more compassionate practices.Sentientism in ActionJamie explores practical applications, from rethinking agricultural systems to extending compassion beyond humanity. He suggests rewriting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to encompass "Sentient Rights" as a bold step forward.Science Fiction and Ethical FrontiersThe discussion pivots to the portrayal of sentience in science fiction. From Asimov’s Gaia to Kim Stanley Robinson’s Aurora and Iain M. Banks’ Culture series, sci-fi offers fertile ground for exploring ethical questions about sentient beings, human or otherwise.Key Quotes:Jamie Woodhouse on Sentientism:"Sentientism says, in a line, we should commit to evidence, reason, and compassion for all sentient beings."On AI and Ethics:Joel McKinnon: "Maybe someday advanced AI will tell us, ‘We won’t kill you, but you can’t eat meat anymore.’"Jamie Woodhouse: "That’s an interesting thought. It flips the script—an intelligence with a broader ethical framework imposing limits on us for the benefit of others."Expanding Morality:"The reason I might care about you isn’t because we share DNA but because you have the capacity to suffer and flourish. That’s what truly matters."Referenced Works and Further Reading:Humanism and Asimov:Wikipedia: HumanismThe Gaia Hypothesis: James Lovelock’s work on Earth as a sentient system.Sentientism Resources:Jamie Woodhouse’s Sentientism WebsiteSentientism PodcastJonina Turzi on Human Relationship with AnimalsKat Woods on Factory Farming and AGIImagining Ethical Schools with Amy Halpern-LaffSentientism on RedditEthics and AI:Books mentioned:Aurora by Kim Stanley RobinsonSeldon Crisis: Aurora and HopeIain M. Banks' Culture SeriesAI Ethics OverviewGlobal Biomass of AnimalsAdvocacy for Climate and Sentient Beings:Effective AltruismCitizens' Climate Lobby
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    1 時間 36 分
  • A Meeting at Stars End with Jon Blumenfeld

    A Meeting at Stars End with Jon Blumenfeld
    2023/10/13

    Jon Blumenfeld - the voice of Homir Munn in our story episodes - is one of the three hosts of Stars End, a podcast obsessively focused on the works of Isaac Asimov, particularly Foundation. They have covered the core trilogy, the prequels, and the four books in the robot series, as well as extensive coverage of the Apple TV series. Join us as we talk about the exciting second season of the show, Asimov's robots, AI, and other topics.

    Transcript: Web (Read/Listen) | PDF | MS Word

    Guest: Jon Blumenfeld
    Host: Joel McKinnon

    Introduction and Background

    • Discussion about the growth and reception of the Stars End Podcast.
    • Mention of the Hari Awards hosted by Stars End Podcast.

    Challenges of Podcast Editing

    • Joel and Jon discuss the intricacies of editing, including noise reduction and the removal of filler words.
    • Both agree that editing helps in maintaining the quality of the podcast.

    Foundation Series: Book vs. TV Show

    • Debate on the tension between book purists and TV show enthusiasts.
    • Discussion on how the TV show has diverged from the books but still maintains entertainment value.

    Character Deep Dive: Demerzel

    • Analysis of Demerzel's character in the Foundation series.
    • Discussion on the theme of personhood and how Demerzel navigates her programmed life.

    Moments of Levity

    • Joel and Jon share their favorite moments of humor in the Foundation series.

    Environmental Themes and Social Relevance

    • Joel expresses his initial hopes that the Foundation series could spark an environmental conscience.
    • Both agree that while the show is entertaining, some of the deeper themes may have been sidelined for spectacle.

    Podcasting Tips and Tricks

    • Jon shares his editing process and how he uses Audacity.
    • Joel talks about the different approaches he takes for story episodes versus conversational episodes.

    Closing Remarks

    • Mention of possible future collaborations and episodes.
    • Final thoughts on the Foundation series and its impact.

    Stars End Podcast (website)
    The Second Annual Hari Awards Ballot (questionnaire)
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    1 時間 46 分
  • The Golden Age of Science Fiction with Cora Buhlert

    The Golden Age of Science Fiction with Cora Buhlert
    2023/08/19

    Cora Buhlert is a Hugo award winning indy Sci Fi writer and an expert on the Golden Age of Science Fiction, from the 1930s to the 50s, the period when Asimov fell in love with Sci Fi and became one of its greatest writers at a young age. Cora shares some of her favorite reflections on the period and comments on the new Apple TV adaptation of Foundation.

    Transcript: Web (Read/Listen) | PDF | MS Word


    Host: Joel McKinnon
    Guest: Cora Buhlert

    Introduction

    In this episode, we dive deep into the Golden Age of Science Fiction with Cora Buhlert, an indie science fiction writer, Hugo Award winner, and an expert on Asimov's Foundation series.

    Cora Buhlert

    • Website: Cora Buhlert's Official Website
    • Hugo Award: Hugo Awards Official Site
    • Recent Works:
      • Swords and Sorcery Magazine
      • Windgraph Magazine
    • Essay on Foundation: Asimov's Foundation and Philosophy: Psychohistory and Its Discontents

    Wikipedia: Golden Age of Science Fiction


    Other Authors and Works Mentioned

    • Leigh Brackett: Wikipedia, The Long Tomorrow
    • C.L. Moore: Wikipedia, Jirel of Joiry
    • Edgar Rice Burroughs: Barsoom Series
    • E.E. Smith: Lensman Series


    Podcasts and Blogs

    • Star's End Podcast: Website
    • Paul Levinson: Website
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    1 時間 29 分
  • Who is Hari Seldon?

    Who is Hari Seldon?
    2023/07/20

    Who is Hari Seldon really? Is the Apple TV+ Foundation TV series character (or characters) in line with the one Asimov created 80 years ago? What bearing does his project to create a science capable of predicting and managing the future have on us today? Can a human creation become self aware and interact with its creator in totally unforeseen ways? Let's take a look at a few of these questions.

    Transcript: Web (Read/Listen) | PDF | MS Word

    Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress
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    10 分
  • Asimov and Reason

    Asimov and Reason
    2023/05/31

    Space based solar energy generation was originally imagined in 1941 by none other than Isaac Asimov, in the robot story Reason. This episode features a reading of the classic story and commentary about how relevant it is for our times and our preoccupation with the looming threat of artificial general intelligence.

    Transcript:     Web (Read/Listen) | PDF | MS Word

    Reason (Wikipedia)

    Stars End: A Foundation Podcast

    Mind Meets Machine
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    54 分
  • AI and Humanity, a conversation with GPT-4

    AI and Humanity, a conversation with GPT-4
    2023/05/03

    Everyone is talking about AI these days, or talking to it. This episode features just such a conversation between myself and the latest version of the popular Large Language Model or LLM known as GPT-4, on the topic of what makes human beings irreplaceable. I ask it to question its assumptions about its own limitations and how it can potentially guide we problematic humans to a better future.

    Transcript: Web (Read/Listen) | PDF | MS Word

    Fanfare (makers of Active Transcripts featured on Seldon Crisis)
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    31 分
  • Aurora and Hope

    Aurora and Hope
    2023/03/15

    I bask in the afterglow of the KSR episode and indulge in a special treat; a reading from Robinson's 2015 novel Aurora. I follow that up with some thoughts on the utopia - dystopia divide and introduce the ideas of some notable utopians I've run into lately.

    Transcript: Web (Read/Listen) | PDF | MS Word

    David Grinspoon: Earth in Human Hands: Long Now Foundation (YouTube)

    Johanna Hoffman: Speculative Futures: Long Now Foundation (YouTube)
    Johanna Hoffman: Speculative Futures of Cities: (Sean Carroll's Mindscape podcast)

    Rebecca Solnit: Why Climate Despair is a Luxury (New Statesman)

    Matt Oja: Let's Imagine the Coastside Skyway (Half Moon Bay Review)

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    25 分
  • Future Visions with Kim Stanley Robinson

    Future Visions with Kim Stanley Robinson
    2023/02/28

    An illuminating conversation with one of our greatest living science-fiction writers on topics as diverse as AI, climate change, interstellar travel, new forms of finance needed to avert catastrophe, memorable characters and plot lines in his novels, the debate between settling Mars now vs fixing Earth first, utopia and dystopia, and his love of ultralight backpacking.

    Transcript: Web (Read/Listen) | PDF | MS Word

    YouTube Version

    Kim Stanley Robinson at the Long Now Foundation (YouTube)

    • Origins of the Red Mars Trilogy — The Interval, 02016
    • Climate Futures: Beyond 02022
    • Learning From Le Guin
    • How Climate Will Evolve Government and Society
    • Ursula Le Guin: Call it Greatness
    • Science Fiction is the Realism of our time
    • Speculative Science Non-fiction

    The 2015 Paris Agreement

    • What is the Paris Agreement (Website)
    • Original Text (27pg PDF)

    KSR - Paying Ourselves to Decarbonize (NOEMA)

    Special drawing rights (Wikipedia)

    A safe operating space for humanity (Nature - Johan Rockström, et al )


    Want to help me make these shows? Please consider becoming a patron!
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    1 時間 49 分