Curiosophy: A Future Forward Cast.

• Analysis of The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Technology.

  Journey through the rich intellectual landscape where philosophy meets technology in this deep dive into how our tools are reshaping what it means to be human. From ancient wisdom to cutting-edge innovation, this episode explores the profound questions that arise when we examine not just what technology can do, but what it does to us.We'll trace the philosophical threads that run from classical thinkers to today's digital pioneers, examining how technology transforms our minds, bodies, societies, and even our conception of reality itself. Discover how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and virtual reality aren't just changing our capabilities—they're challenging our very understanding of consciousness, ethics, and identity.This episode navigates complex ethical territories: Should we embrace cognitive enhancement? How do different cultural traditions like Confucianism interpret technological progress? What responsibilities do we bear as creators in an age where our creations reshape the planet—the era now known as the Anthropocene?Beyond Western perspectives, we'll explore how postcolonial and disability studies offer crucial insights into technology's uneven impacts across human experience. From the aesthetics of our urban spaces to the intimate relationships we form with our devices, join us for this thought-provoking exploration of philosophy's essential role in guiding our technological future.

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• Computer Lib: Digital Liberation in the Machine Age

  Dive into the radical vision of computing pioneer Ted Nelson, whose groundbreaking manifesto "Computer Lib/Dream Machines" challenged the tech establishment and reimagined our relationship with technology decades before Silicon Valley's rise to power.This episode unpacks Nelson's revolutionary ideas about digital democracy - that computers should be tools of liberation rather than control, accessible to everyone rather than guarded by an elite priesthood of experts. Written in the 1970s but eerily prescient today, Nelson's work envisioned a world where technology empowers individuals, nurtures creativity, and strengthens democratic values instead of undermining them.From hardware basics to the philosophical implications of artificial intelligence, Nelson's wide-ranging exploration cuts through the "cybercrud" (his term for tech industry obfuscation) to reveal computing's true potential. We'll examine how his warnings about technology's darker applications for surveillance and manipulation have proven disturbingly accurate, while his dreams of digital tools serving human freedom remain unfulfilled.Join us for this fascinating journey through a forgotten technological manifesto that dared to ask: What if computers were designed to serve humanity's highest aspirations rather than our basest instincts for profit and control?

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  16:49
• Inside the Mind Machine: How ChatGPT and Large Language Models Are Built

  Journey into the fascinating world of artificial intelligence as we explore Andrej Karpathy's illuminating breakdown of how large language models like ChatGPT are created from the ground up.This episode unveils the three-stage process that transforms raw internet text into sophisticated AI assistants capable of human-like conversation. We begin with pre-training, where models digest vast oceans of text from across the internet, learning patterns and relationships between words, concepts, and ideas without any specific goal beyond prediction.Next, we examine the critical post-training phase, where these raw models are refined into helpful assistants through supervised fine-tuning. Discover how human labelers craft ideal responses to thousands of queries and how, in a surprising twist, AI systems are increasingly generating and editing their own training data—AI teaching AI.Perhaps most fascinating is our exploration of reinforcement learning, where models develop problem-solving strategies through trial and error, leading to emergent cognitive behaviors that weren't explicitly programmed. This process reveals how modern AI systems develop capabilities that sometimes surprise even their creators.We conclude with an important discussion about the practical limitations of these systems, including their tendency to hallucinate information and the importance of using them as tools rather than oracles. Whether you're an AI enthusiast or simply curious about the technology reshaping our digital landscape, this episode offers a clear window into how modern AI assistants are built, trained, and refined.

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  19:49
• The Century of the Self: Engineering of Consent

  The Century of the Self: Engineering of ConsentDive into the fascinating world of psychological manipulation that shaped modern America. This episode explores how Sigmund Freud's revolutionary theories were weaponized by his own family members and marketing pioneers to control the masses after World War II.From Anna Freud's clinical work to Edward Bernays' revolutionary propaganda techniques, discover how psychoanalysis infiltrated every aspect of American life - transforming business advertising, political campaigns, and even Hollywood. Learn how figures like Ernest Dichter tapped into our unconscious desires and fears to influence what we buy, who we vote for, and how we see ourselves.But at what cost? As these powerful techniques spread, they sparked intense debates about freedom, control, and the very nature of democracy. Join us for this eye-opening journey through the hidden forces that engineered American consent and forever changed the relationship between corporations, government, and the individual mind.

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  12:52
• HyperNormalisation: The Architects of Unreality

  Step into the shadow world of manufactured reality as we explore Adam Curtis's groundbreaking documentary "HyperNormalisation." This episode unravels how power brokers abandoned the complexities of our world to construct a simplified, manageable alternative—one that serves their interests while leaving the rest of us adrift in confusion.Beginning in the pivotal year of 1975, we'll journey from the financial crisis of New York City to the power corridors of Damascus, tracing how politicians, bankers, and tech visionaries systematically retreated from addressing real problems. Instead, they crafted a comforting but hollow simulation of reality that maintained their control while the actual world grew increasingly chaotic.Most disturbing of all, we'll examine how those who should have resisted—radicals, activists, and counterculture figures—were gradually absorbed into this deception, becoming unwitting accomplices in maintaining the illusion. From the financial sector's quiet coup to the rise of cyber-utopianism, from the calculated simplifications of the Iraq War to the bewildering complexities of Syria, this episode reveals how our "fake world" has produced very real consequences.Join us for a fascinating exploration of how we entered this post-truth era, where nothing seems real, yet we continue to act as if it is—the very essence of hypernormalisation.

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