Episode 135
I spoke with
about:His writing and intellectual influences
The value of asking hard questions about technology and our relationship to it
What happens when we decide to outsource skills and competency
Evolving notions of what it means to be human and questions about how to live a good life
Enjoy—and let me know what you think!
Michael is Executive Director of the Christian Study Center of Gainesville, Florida and author of The Convivial Society, a newsletter about technology and society.
He does some of the best writing on technology I’ve had the pleasure to read, and I highly recommend his newsletter.
Find me on Twitter for updates on new episodes, and reach me at editor@thegradient.pub for feedback, ideas, guest suggestions.
I spend a lot of time on this podcast—if you like my work, you can support me on Patreon :) You can also support upkeep for the full Gradient team/project through a paid subscription on Substack!
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Outline:
(00:00) Intro
(01:12) On podcasts as a medium
(06:12) Michael’s writing
(12:38) Michael’s intellectual influences, contingency
(18:48) Moral seriousness
(22:00) Michael’s ambitions for his work
(26:17) The value of asking the right questions (about technology)
(34:18) Technology use and the “natural” pace of human life
(46:40) Outsourcing of skills and competency, engagement with others
(55:33) Inevitability narratives and technological determinism, the “Borg Complex”
(1:05:10) Notions of what it is to be human, embodiment
(1:12:37) Higher cognition vs. the body, dichotomies
(1:22:10) The body as a starting point for philosophy, questions about the adoption of new technologies
(1:30:01) Enthusiasm about technology and the cultural milieu
(1:35:30) Projectivism, desire for knowledge about and control of the world
(1:41:22) Positive visions for the future
(1:47:11) Outro
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