BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS

BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS episodes:

• 03.05.2021

  "Smithereens" (with special guest, James Buchanan "Bru" Wallace)

  Dr. James Buchanan ("Bru") Wallace joins Dr. J to talk about religion, techniques of the self, guilt, the imperative to look up from your screen and see others, and "Smithereens."

  
• 02.28.2021

  "Hang the DJ" (with special guest, John Torrey)

  Dr. John Torrey joins Dr. J to talk about whether or not we each have (and can find) "The One," dating apps, the freedom to make bad choices, simulated relationships, and "Hang the DJ."

  
• 02.19.2021

  "Bandersnatch" (with special guest, Eric Steinhart)

  Dr. Eric Steinhart joins Dr. J to talk about navigating compossible worlds and timelines, tech gods (and monsters), mental illness, books that (maybe) shouldn't be read, and "Bandersnatch."

  
• 02.12.2021

  "Metalhead" (with special guest, Roman V. Yampolskiy)

  Dr. Roman V. Yampolyskiy joins Dr. J to talk about robot dogs, poker playing AIs, the control problem, how long we have left before the rise of the machines, what it would be like to be a superintelligence's pet, and...

  
• 02.05.2021

  "Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too" (with special guest, Karen Tongson)

  Dr. Karen Tongson joins Dr. J to talk about celebrity, what makes pop music "popular," karaoke queerness, our digital afterlives, and "Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too."

  
• 01.29.2021

  "White Bear" (with special guest, Charles W. Mills)

  For Episode 17, I am joined by Dr. Charles Mills to talk about punishment, non-ideal theories of justice, why philosophers love science fiction, and "White Bear" (Season 2, Episode 2 of Black Mirror), which first premiered in 2013. Dr. Charles...

  
• 01.22.2021

  "Arkangel" (with special guest, Shannon M. Mussett)

  Dr. Shannon Mussett talks to Dr. J about surveillance technologies, helicopter parenting, the differences between Gen X and Gen Z childhoods, how we might avoid raising a generation of sociopaths, and "Arkangel."

  
• 01.15.2021

  "Hated in the Nation" (with special guest, Ammon Allred)

  Dr. Ammon Allred joins Dr. J to talk about social media cesspools, climate change, the unwritten rules of hashtags, so-called "cancel culture," the Capitol insurrection, and "Hated in the Nation."

  
• 01.15.2021

  "Men Against Fire" (with special guest, Charles W. McKinney, Jr.)

  Dr. Charles McKinney joins Dr. J to talk about dehumanization techniques, the importance of race-conscious thinking, the dangerous logic of eugenics, whether an anti-racist technology is possible (or desirable), and "Men Against Fire."

  
• 01.08.2021

  "Be Right Back" (with special guest, Samir Chopra)

  Dr. Samir Chopra joins Dr. J to talk about intelligent robots, personhood, the complicated machinations of human grief, and "Be Right Back."

  
• 12.31.2020

  "Black Museum" (with special guest, Zandria F. Robinson)

  Dr. Zandria F. Robinson joins Dr. J to talk about whose bodies get sacrificed in the name of scientific advancement, the contours of consciousness, suffering as spectacle, ancestral ghosts, and "Black Museum."

  
• 12.24.2020

  "USS Callister" (with special guest, David Gunkel)

  Dr. David Gunkel joins Dr. J to talk about the possibility of virtual moral agents, the seriousness of online games, science fiction's bad politics, and "USS Callister."

  
• 12.18.2020

  "Nosedive" (with special guest, John Danaher)

  Dr. John Danaher and Dr. J talk about social credit systems, the ubiquity of ranking metrics, whether or not its possible to go "off the grid," and "Nosedive."

  
• 12.11.2020

  "Shut Up and Dance" (with special guest, Rick Lee)

  Dr. Richard A. Lee joins Dr. J. to talk about surveillance, trolling, absolution, and "Shut Up and Dance."

  
• 12.09.2020

  "The Waldo Moment" (with special guest, Jason Read)

  Dr. Jason Read joins Dr. J to talk about politics, celebrity, toxic masculinity, Trump, and "The Waldo Moment."

  
• 12.04.2020

  "Playtest" (with special guest, C. Thi Nguyen)

  Dr. C. Thi Nguyen joins Dr. J to talk about games, the technological singularity, Alzheimer's, and "Playtest."

  
• 12.04.2020

  "The Entire History of You" (with special guest, John Cerrito)

  Filmmaker John Cerrito joins Dr. J in this episode to talk about memory, jealousy, objectivity, and "The Entire History of You."

  
• 11.27.2020

  "San Junipero" (with special guest, Michael Norton)

  Dr. Michael Norton joins Dr. J in this episode to discuss the pros and cons of a digital afterlife, as it is presented in "San Junipero."

  
• 11.27.2020

  "Striking Vipers" (with special guest, Adriel M. Trott)

  We are joined by Adriel Trott (Associate Professor of Philosophy at Wabash College) to discuss "Striking Vipers" (Season 5, Episode 1).

  
• 11.26.2020

  "The National Anthem" (with special guest, Ammon Allred)

  We are joined by Ammon Allred (Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Toledo) to discuss "The National Anthem" (Season 1, Episode 1).

  
• 11.24.2020

  'White Christmas" (with special guest, Chris Gilliard)

  Dr. Chris Gilliard joins Dr. J in this episode to discuss "digital redlining," incarceration and e-carceration, the ethics of "blocking," and whether not it may be okay to torture or coerce digital copies of human consciousnesses... all in the context...

  
• 11.22.2020

  "15 Million Merits" (with special guest, Shannon Mussett)

  Dr. Shannon Mussett (Professor of Philosophy, Utah Valley University) joins Dr. J in this episode to discuss authenticity, performance, her concerns about the encroachment of screens in our lives, and what we all probably missed when we watched "15 Million...