RMWMTMBM Archive

Hotel Bar Sessions Ep 18: Digital Afterlives

 Co-host Leigh M. Johnson is in the hot seat for this episode’s discussion of “digital afterlives.” If we consider the digital, i.e., information-based, self to be distinguishable from the living and breathing meatspace self, we should ask” how long can the Digital Me live on after the Meatspace Me dies? Technology already enables us to…

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Hotel Bar Sessions Ep17: Citizenship

  This episode explores the political and ethical dimensions of the category of the “citizen.” In anticipation of his soon-to-be-released book Beyond Civil Disobedience: Social Nullification and Black Citizenship (August 2021!), Charles Peterson takes the “captain’s seat” for this episode’s discussion of the limits of citizenship, the failure of the state, and the construction of new…

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Hotel Bar Sessions Ep16: Private Cities

  The HBS hosts discuss how cities, once considered hubs of public life and interaction, have become increasingly segregated, partitioned, disconnected, and privatized.  Drawing on his experience using the city of Chigoe as a classroom, Rick Lee asks: can we identify the material markers of “privatization” in contemporary cities? How do we know which parts…

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Hotel Bar Sessions podcast: A brief history

I can’t be sure who’s still regularly checking in on this blog, but those of you who are have surely noticed that I’ve shifted my energies from blogging to podcasting over the last year. Beginning in November 2020, I did a 22-episode run of my first podcast BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, in which I interviewed philosophers,…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 22: “Smithereens” with James Buchanan Wallace

  For Episode 22 (our last episode!), I am joined by Dr. James Buchanan “Bru” Wallace to talk about religion, techniques of the self, guilt, the imperative to look up from your screen and really see others, and “Smithereens” (Season 5, Episode 2 of Black Mirror), which first premiered in 2019. Dr. James Buchanan Wallace, known…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 21: “Hang the DJ” with John Torrey

  For Episode 21, I am joined by Dr. John Torrey 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” (Season 4, Episode 4 of Black Mirror), which first premiered in 2017. This is the penultimate…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep. 20: “Bandersnatch” with Eric Steinhart

  For Episode 20, I am joined by Dr. Eric Steinhart to talk about navigating compossible worlds and timelines, tech gods (and monsters), mental illness, books that (maybe) shouldn’t be read, and “Bandersnatch” (the stand-alone, interactive Black Mirror episode), which first premiered in 2018. Listen/Download BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast episodes  Subscribe to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast Before jumping…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 19: “Metalhead” with Roman V. Yampolskiy

  For Episode 19, I am joined by Dr. Roman V. Yampolskiy to talk about killer 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 “Metalhead” (Season 4, Episode 5 of Black Mirror), which…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep. 18: “Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too” with Karen Tongson

For Episode 18, I am joined by cultural critic and superstar podcaster Karen Tongson to talk about teenage angst, celebrity, what makes pop music “popular,” and “Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too” (Episode 2, Season 5 of Black Mirror), which first premiered in 2019. Listen/Download BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast episodes  Subscribe to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast I have…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 17: “White Bear” with Charles 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. Listen/Download BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast episodes  Subscribe to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast Support/Donate to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast I’ve been…

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