This week our guest is Michael P Lynch, who is the Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut and author of several books including “The Internet of Us” and his latest “Know-It-All Society: Truth and Arrogance in Political Culture.”

He self describes his work as an exploration of truth, democracy and the ethics and epistemology of technology. In this episode, we take a tour of Michael’s perspective on multiple issues related to digital behavior and the pursuit of truth. This includes the impacts of our overabundance of digital information, the fundamental aspects of the human condition, the consequences of our technological infrastructure, the success and failures of our institutions, and a whole lot more.

You can find out more about Micheal at his website (https://michael-lynch.philosophy.uconn.edu/), and can follow his work exploring the Future of Truth at https://futureoftruth.uconn.edu/

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Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter

Music by: Amine el Filali

This week my guest is Lee McIntyre, who is a research fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University and author of a series of books coming to the defense of science, including his latest book: “How to Talk to a Science Denier: Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason.”

In this discussion we explore the many aspects of science denial and conspiracy theories. This includes exploring the role of technology, personal motivations, societal disenfranchisement, disinformation, and more. Additionally, we also discuss some of the solutions to these issues, with a particular emphasis on a non-technological option that’s luckily available to all of us: respectful, face-to-face conversations.

Find out more about Lee's work at https://leemcintyrebooks.com/

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Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter

Music by: Amine el Filali

This week my guest is Singularity’s very own expert in Health, Longevity, and Life Sciences, Kris VeerBurg. In addition to being an actual medical doctor, Kris has authored several books, including his latest work,The Longevity Code: Secrets to Living Well for Longer from the Front Lines of Science. And he’s also the co-founder of NOVOS (https://novoslabs.com), which positions itself as the first nutraceutical company that helps people take control of their health and lifespans.

This episode explores the many facets of aging, longevity, and death, ranging from the more abstract philosophical perspectives to very concrete scientific and technological approaches. Kris’ knowledge set is truly impressive, and I can’t recommend this episode enough for anyone who wants an extremely comprehensive primer for all things longevity and aging, including practical life tips.

Follow Kris on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/krisverburgh, and get his latest book at Amazon.

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Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter

Music by: Amine el Filali

This week my guest is Hrish Lotlikar, who is best known as the founder and CEO of Superworld. Hrish will explain in much better detail what Superworld is in our discussion, but for now, the best way to think about it is an augmented world that sits on top of the real world, much like Pokemon Go. However, in Superworld, users can create what augmented reality objects exist in the world, and they can additionally purchase the virtual real estate that exists in any actual location on earth.

This conversation with Hrish goes into much greater detail about how all of this works, with a particular emphasis on the role of NFTs and social impact. This is a great episode for anyone who is interested in getting an idea of what’s possible in this space and learning about some tools and approaches that can be explored.

Find out more about Superworld at: https://www.superworldapp.com/, or contact the team or Hrish at [email protected] or [email protected]

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Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter

Music by: Amine el Filali

This week my guest is Riz Virk, who founded the Play Labs at MIT, has produced several films and video games, and has authored several books including his latest: The Simulated Multiverse.

In this conversation we delve into the topics of the Simulated Multiverse, exploring the simulation hypothesis, quantum physics, spirituality, and so much more--including the many different ways cultures have been obsessed with this idea since the dawn of time.

You can find more about Riz's work at https://www.zenentrepreneur.com/, or purchase his latest book here.

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Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter

Music by: Amine el Filali

This week my guest is Michael Bhaskar, who has authored several books exploring the impact of technology, specifically around the publishing and curation of content.

In his latest work, the Human Frontier: The Future of Big Ideas in the Age of Small Thinking, Michael instead turns his attention towards the creation of content, and in particular how humanity seems to be running out of big ideas.

In this conversation we delve into the many facets of this theory, exploring numerous bits of evidence and examples that support this notion. We also explore how the technological singularity may be our last chance for big ideas, how cultural and philosophical tendencies are worsening the situation, what possible paths lay before us to address this lack of moonshot innovation, and much more.

Find out more about Michael and his work at http://www.michaelbhaskar.com/

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Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter

Music by: Amine el Filali

This week my guest is Jeremy Lent, who is the author of several books, including The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity's Search for Meaning, and his more recent work, The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find our Place in the Universe.

Importantly, a great deal of Jeremy’s work addresses many of the topics that are near and dear to our hearts at Singularity, one of which is a sustainable, connected, and prosperous future. However, Jeremy believes that our current approach and worldview are causing humans, and therefore the technology we create, to often lead us in the opposite direction, towards a world of disconnection, destruction, and exploitation.

To help us navigate these potential futures, Jeremy provides us with some incredibly well-articulated insights and metaphors that help frame the options that exist before us.

Find Jeremy's work at https://www.jeremylent.com/

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Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter

Music by: Amine el Filali

This week my guest is Philip Rosedale, who is well known as the founding creator of Second Life and his subsequent work with VR and spatial audio company, High Fidelity. 

We were extremely lucky to catch Philip the day after the major announcement of his return to Second Life as an advisor after nearly a decade away from the company. This set the foundation for our conversation, which then took an incredible journey through myriad topics including the pros and cons of virtual reality, decentralization, cryptocurrency and digital assets. We also get into issues around the attention economy, data privacy, advertising revenue models, and wealth disparity in both the physical and digital worlds.

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Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter

Music by: Amine el Filali

This week our guest is Christian Madsbjerg who is the Professor of Applied Humanities at The New School in New York and co-founder of the consultancy Red Associates.

In this episode, we primarily discuss the ideas put forth in Christian’s latest book, Sensemaking: The Power of the Humanities in the Age of the Algorithm. Amongst other things, this includes exploring some of Christian’s key principles such as looking at cultures instead of individuals, looking at people’s experiences in their natural environment rather than in the lab, and looking at thick data (which includes context and passion) instead of thin data which tends to focus solely on cold hard facts.

While most of this conversation will explore the shortcomings of a data-obsessed decision-making, we start off with a conversation Christian and I had started before recording dealing with his latest fascination: attention.

Follow Christian's work at https://madsbjerg.com/

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Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter

Music by: Amine el Filali

This week my guest is futurist Eva Galperin who is the director of cybersecurity at the electronic frontier foundation, which might be argued to be the world’s leading non-profit when it comes to defending digital privacy, free speech, and innovation.

As you’ll hear her explain, Eva specializes in issues around vulnerable populations, such as journalists, activists, and people who are victims of domestic abuse.

In this episode we not only explore the privacy and security issues facing such groups as well as the wider population, but we also dig into questions about regulations, the issues created by our blindness to cultural differences, unique digital IDs, online voting, data ownership, and more.

You can follow Eva's work with the Electronic Frontier Foundation @ https://www.eff.org/about/staff/eva-galperin or follow her at https://twitter.com/evacide

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Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter

Music by: Amine el Filali