Dialexicon

What does it actually mean for technology to be ethical or safe? How do algorithms shape what we know, what we want, and how we understand ourselves? How can AI empower its users?

Our fourth episode features Dr. Jennifer Chien, a postdoctoral Embedded Ethics fellow at Stanford University in partnership with the Institute for Human-Centered AI and the Computer Science Department. In this episode, Rohan and Dr. Chien discuss AI ethics and user agency, exploring limitations and the future of AI development. They also explore Stanford’s Embedded Ethics program, showing how philosophical reflection can help computer scientists recognize the implications of technical choices.

Dialexicon is a free podcast dedicated to promoting philosophical education and deep reflection. We invite philosophers from around the globe to discuss philosophy in the context of contemporary injustices—all at an easy-to-understand and digestible level.

Website: https://dialexicon.org

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dialexicon

(00:00) Introduction

(00:50) Dr. Chien’s Path into AI Ethics

(03:37) From Technical Systems to Human Systems

(07:15) Why Ethics Belongs Inside Computer Science

(08:51) What Makes Technology Ethical or Safe?

(13:20) User Agency, Recourse, and System Design

(18:05) How Technology Shapes What a User

(23:29) Language, Culture, and the Limits of Universal Systems

(25:21) AI, Learning, Creativity, and Critical Thinking

(30:11) Empowerment, Dependence, and Human Capability

(35:04) Is AI Truly Unprecedented?

(40:00) Stanford’s Embedded Ethics Program

(48:40) Teaching Ethical Thinking Across the CS Curriculum

(55:30) How Students Respond to Ethics in Computer Science

(01:03:34) Advice for Young People Growing Up with AI

(01:10:51) Accountability, Transparency, and the Future of Trust

(01:12:29) Closing Reflections and Outro

What makes a society just? What are the different approaches to reaching a just society? When may public welfare override individual rights? And is the private industry a free market or a form of private governance?

Our third episode features Dr. Chetan Chetty, a political and moral philosopher and assistant professor at Lafayette College. In this episode, Rohan and Dr. Chetty explore the purpose of philosophy, John Rawls’s theory of justice, the relationship between ideal and non-ideal theory, and the conflict between individual rights and social welfare. They apply these questions to gun regulation and self-defense before examining power in the workplace, the limits of voluntary employment, and the increasingly uncertain boundary between public and private life.

Dialexicon is a free podcast dedicated to promoting philosophical education and deep reflection. We invite philosophers from around the globe to discuss philosophy in the context of contemporary injustices—all at an easy-to-understand and digestible level.

Website: https://dialexicon.org

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dialexicon

(00:00) Introduction

(00:36) Dr. Chetty’s Background: India, Singapore, and Philosophy

(03:26) Discovering Political Philosophy

(04:25) Reason, Logic, and the Analytic Tradition

(06:43) Kant, Hume, and Rawls

(07:37) What Is Philosophy?

(10:15) Can Philosophy Answer Life’s Biggest Questions?

(12:26) Philosophy as Training in Critical Reasoning

(14:11) Which Philosophical Questions Matter Most?

(16:32) Epistemology in an Age of Social Media and AI

(18:22) What Does a Just Society Look Like?

(20:38) Rawls, the Veil of Ignorance, and Ideal Theory

(22:19) What Is Non-Ideal Theory?

(25:15) Does Ideal Theory Help Us Confront Injustice?

(27:05) Why Justice Requires an Ideal Standard

(29:45) Gun Regulation as a Problem of Non-Ideal Theory

(30:57) Self-Defense and the Right to Bear Arms

(33:22) Would Guns Exist in a Perfectly Just Society?

(35:08) When Empirical Evidence Can Override Rights

(37:19) How Should We Weigh Rights Against Social Costs?

(40:02) Freedom, Regulation, and Everyday Restrictions

(42:03) When Individual Rights Outweigh Public Benefits

(44:15) What Is “Private Government”?

(46:09) The Paradox of Public and Private Power

(48:49) At-Will Employment and Employer Control

(51:00) Why Workers and Employers Do Not Have Equal Power

(54:38) Can We Draw a Line Between Public and Private Life?

(58:06) Advice for Young People Interested in Philosophy

(61:26) Where to Begin: Russell, Plato, Descartes, and Hume

(63:57) Closing Reflections and Outro

What does true friendship look like? Is individual ambition making us more isolated? What role can religion and philosophy play in giving life meaning? How can we preserve human agency and connection in the age of AI?

Our second episode features Dr. Samuel Kimbriel, a political philosopher, author, and founding director of Aspen’s Philosophy & Society Initiative. In this episode, Rohan and Dr. Kimbriel discuss friendship, loneliness, religion, and artificial intelligence, exploring how philosophy can help young people think more deeply about meaning, community, and what it means to be human in a rapidly changing world.

If you’d like to learn more about Samuel Kimbriel, please visit his Substack: https://substack.com/@samuelkimbriel.

Dialexicon is a free podcast dedicated to promoting philosophical education and deep reflection. We invite philosophers from around the globe to discuss philosophy in the context of contemporary injustices—all at an easy-to-understand and digestible level.

Website: https://dialexicon.org

YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@dialexicon

(00:00) Introduction

(01:09) Dr. Kimbriel’s Background: Nature, Reading, and Philosophy

(03:21) From Academic Philosophy to Public Philosophy

(05:03) Loneliness as a Philosophical Problem

(08:28) Why Friendship Matters in Philosophy(10:42) Plato, Aristotle, and the Desire for Connection

(14:37) Individuality, Hobbes, and the Disharmony Tradition

(19:49) Is Modern Loneliness New?

(22:36) Religion, Ritual, and Older Social Structures

(25:32) When Friendship Becomes a Luxury Good

(27:47) Indian Family Culture vs. American Individualism

(31:12) Professional Ambition and Instrumental Friendships

(34:32) Building Counter-Habits: Friendship, Nature, and Reading

(37:58) Europe, Family, and Alternative Ways of Life

(40:13) Religion, Secularization, and the Search for Meaning

(46:43) Technology, AI, and New Forms of Isolation

(48:54) Philosophy’s Role in Public Life and Tech

(53:25) AI, Agency, De-Skilling, and Political Power

(56:50) Can AI Support Human Connection?

(59:04) Advice for Young People in an Age of Fear

(01:01:23) Why Schools Need Philosophy

(01:03:40) Music, Meaning, and Harmony

(01:05:01) Closing Reflections and Outro

Welcome to SEASON 2 of the Dialexicon Podcast!How do we know if our experiences are real or not? Is consciousness intrinsic? What can mystical experiences reveal? How can we embrace epistemic humility?Our first episode features Dr. Deepak Sarma, a professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Case Western Reserve University. In this episode, Rohan and Professor Sarma explore the evolution and treatment of Indian philosophy, its applications in the fields of consciousness and perception, and the concept of play.If you’d like to learn more about Deepak Sarma and their work, please visit their personal website: http://www.deepak-sarma.squarespace.com/.Dialexicon is a free podcast dedicated to promoting philosophical education and deep reflection. We invite philosophers from around the globe to discuss philosophy in the context of contemporary injustices—all at an easy-to-understand and digestible level.Website: https://dialexicon.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dialexicon

(0:00): Introduction and Dr. Sarma’s Background

(1:00): From STEM to Philosophy

(4:20): Discovering Indian Philosophy and Vedanta

(8:55): Risk, Passion, and Expectations in Indian-American Culture

(14:10): What Philosophy Really Means

(16:30): Indian Philosophy vs. Western Philosophy

(23:00): Contemporary Indian Philosophy and Colonial Influence

(30:25): Yoga, Spirituality, and Western Appropriation

(35:35): Questioning Reality and Cultural Construction

(39:45): Consciousness, the Self, and Indian Thought

(47:20): Psychedelics and Mystical Experience

(52:40): Music, Play, and Liberal Arts Education

(59:40): Philosophy, Youth, and Epistemic Humility

(1:04:00): Modern Society, Certainty, and Misinformation

(1:07:00): Closing Reflections and Outro

What’s the problem with U.S. democracy now? How do we facilitate electoral reform to make the system better represent voters’ interests? How do we avoid gerrymandering and other harmful processes tainting democracy now?

Our latest episode features Professor Daniel Wodak, who is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania and is also the Associate Director of Penn’s Institute for Law and Philosophy. In this episode, Professor Wodak discusses their paper titled “The Democratic Imperative to Make Margins Matter” and how we can build a better democracy for Americans.

If you’d like to learn more about Professor Wodak’s research, please visit their website: https://danielwodak.weebly.com/

Links

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⁠Discord⁠

Instagram & Twitter | @dialexiconorg

Why is it necessary to integrate ethical and political frameworks into social epistemology? How should non-Black people engage within the Black Radical Tradition?

Our latest episode features Dr. Bailey Thomas, who is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Philosophy while on research leave from the University of Louisville, where they are an Assistant Professor of Philosophy. In this episode, Saurish and Professor Thomas explore central questions around different ethical and political frameworks, and how they relate to the daily experience within the United States and the globe.

If you’d like to learn more about the Roundtable for Black Feminist and Womanist Theory, please visit the website: https://roundtableforblackfeminismandwomanism.weebly.com/

Links

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YouTube

TikTok

Discord

Instagram & Twitter | @dialexiconorg

What is fake news? How does it spread? Does the classification of fake news require intent? Does AI make misinformation worse?

Our latest episode features Professor Eliot Michaelson, who is a Reader in the Department of Philosophy at King’s College London, and an Honorary Associate Professor of Linguistics at University College London. In this episode, Saurish and Professor Michaelson explore central questions around fake news and misinformation and what we ought to do to recognize it, as well as how the digital age may shape journalism and misinformation.

If you’d like to learn more about Professor Michaelson’s research, please visit his website: http://www.emichaelson.org/

Links

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Discord

Instagram & Twitter | @dialexiconorg

Why is philosophy for the youth necessary? How can educators and students get involved with philosophy (besides listening to the podcast!)?

Our latest episode features Professor Jana Mohr Lone, who is the director and co-founder of the Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO) and an Affiliate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Washington. In this episode, Saurish and Professor Lone explore central questions around consciousness and how it relates to our perception of time, as well as whether it’s possible to create artificial consciousness.

If you’d like to learn more about PLATO, please visit their website: https://www.plato-philosophy.org/

Links

Website

YouTube

TikTok

Discord

Instagram & Twitter | @dialexiconorg

What is consciousness? How can physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience (the so-called “hard problem” of consciousness)? Can we create artificial consciousness?

Our latest episode features Professor Geoffrey Lee, who is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. In this episode, Saurish and Professor Lee explore central questions around consciousness and how it relates to our perception of time, as well as whether it’s possible to create artificial consciousness.

If you’d like to learn more about Professor Lee’s research, please visit his webpage: http://berkeley.academia.edu/GeoffreyLee

Links

Website

YouTube

TikTok

Discord

Instagram & Twitter | @dialexiconorg

How does the human brain understand and process numbers, even when there are no words or symbols present? Does language play a role in our understanding of numbers?

Our latest episode features Dr. Sam Clarke, who is a MindCORE Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and will be an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California in July of 2023. In this episode, Saurish and Dr. Clarke explore central questions around the non-linguistic mind and the existence of a specific concept of “number sense.”

If you’d like to learn more about Dr. Clarke's research, please visit his website: https://sampclarke.net/

Links

Website

YouTube

TikTok

Discord

Instagram & Twitter | @dialexiconorg