Brandon Griggs is the author of the Tech For Life Substack (check it out here https://www.techforlife.com/) exploring the central question: How do we get good at godlike technology?

In this podcast, we delve into the multifaceted relationship between technology and society, exploring the ethical implications of digital advancements, the challenges faced by digital natives, and the necessity for a universal ethical framework. The conversation emphasizes the need for a deeper understanding of the digital landscape and the role of community in shaping ethical norms.

Chapters:

00:00 Exploring Technology's Impact on Humanity

06:42 The Accidental Nature of Technology

12:43 Navigating Between Digital and Non-Digital Worlds

18:43 The Challenge of Emotional Literacy in a Digital Age

24:21 Active Inference and Digital Behavior

30:23 The Future of Ethical Education in a Digital World

40:18 Contextual Understanding in Digital Spaces

45:38 Business Incentives and Algorithm Control

52:10 Trial and Error in Digital Infrastructure

57:40 Planetary Scale Computation and Governance

01:03:54 Ethics and Technology in a Complex World

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Best,

Mahon.

Ben graduated from the University of Edinburgh’s flagship Mind, Language, and Embodied Cognition MSc. He is a Leverhulme-funded PhD candidate at the University of Sussex under Andy Clark's mentorship, where his research focuses on neuroscience and digital technology.

Read Ben's research here

Summary

In this conversation, we explore the concept of the meaning crisis, its implications for human agency, and the role of technology in shaping our understanding of meaning. We also discuss how active inference provides a framework for understanding the relationship between individuals and their environments, particularly in the context of education and technology. The conversation delves into the challenges posed by social media and addiction, emphasizing the need for a more nuanced approach to technology that fosters genuine meaning and well-being.

Timestamps:

00:00 Exploring the Meaning Crisis

09:23 Defining Meaning and Its Dimensions

17:57 The Role of Technology in Meaning

29:41 Education, Agency, and Active Inference

41:04 Adaptive Technology and Its Implications

52:26 Addiction, Agency, and Meaning

01:03:10 The Future of Technology and Meaning

Some key takeaways

* The meaning crisis is a developmental crisis that affects our ability to find meaning in life.

* Active inference offers a framework for understanding how agents interact with our environments.

* Technology can both scaffold and diminish our sense of agency.

* Education systems need to cultivate character traits that support meaningful living.

* Addiction often arises from a lack of meaning, leading to short-term pleasure-seeking behaviors.

* Gamification in technology can lead to a loss of genuine engagement and meaning.

* Design strategies for technology should prioritize sincerity and transparency.

* The relationship between agency and technology is complex and requires careful consideration.

* Meaning can be found in both virtual and physical environments, but the nature of that meaning may differ.

Alicia Juarrero is President and co-founder of VectorAnalytica, Inc., and Visiting Research Scholar at the University of Miami. She is the author of Dynamics in Action (MIT Press) and recently, Context Changes Everything: How constraints create coherence (2023). Grounding her work in the problem of causation, Alicia challenges previously held beliefs that only forceful impacts are causes. Constraints, she claims, bring about effects as well, and they enable the emergence of coherence.

Get the book 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0262545667/

Summary:

In this conversation, we discusses 'Context Changes Everything' and the dismissal of context in philosophy. She highlights the role of context in intentions, behavior, identities, and more. Juattero explains how the reductionist worldview and the focus on bottom-up causality have led to the neglect of top-down causality and the inability to understand coherent wholes. She explores the importance of understanding wholes as emergent properties and the need to rethink ontology and epistemology. The conversation also touches on topics like artificial intelligence, evolvability, and the limitations of the mechanistic metaphor for the mind.

Full podcast 👇

https://youtu.be/a14Q1-q-NP8

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Framing

03:05 The Dismissal of Context in Philosophy

08:47 The Neglect of Top-Down Causality

15:00 Rethinking Ontology and Epistemology

21:01 The Limitations of Artificial Intelligence

22:59 The Failure of the Mechanistic Metaphor for the Mind

35:05 Imagination and Coordination

41:42 Ethics and Constraints

49:06 The Interface between Principle and Practice

54:07 The Attentional Infrastructure