politics

BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS Ep3: “The National Anthem” with Ammon Allred

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Black Mirror, Black Mirror Reflections, Blog, Blog 2023+, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, Technology, Technology and Human Values, Television Comments Off on BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS Ep3: “The National Anthem” with Ammon Allred

In Episode 3 of BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, I am joined by one of my absolute favorite human beings, Dr. Ammon Allred, who is also quite literally the only person with whom I feel comfortable recording a conversation about Black Mirror‘s inaugural episode, “The National Anthem.” And, after having recorded said episode, I’m already having second thoughts about…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep2: “White Christmas” with Chris Gilliard

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Artificial Intelligence, Black Mirror, Black Mirror Reflections, Blog, Blog 2023+, Democracy, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, Race and Racism, RMWMTMBM Archive, Technology, Technology and Human Values, Television Comments Off on BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep2: “White Christmas” with Chris Gilliard

  In Episode 2 of BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, I am joined by Dr. Chris Gilliard to discuss the first Black Mirror holiday special, first aired in 2014, “White Christmas.” Again, I strongly recommend that you watch (or re-watch) the episode before listening to this podcase episode. Even though Chris and I spend waaayyyy more time talking about…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 14: “Men Against Fire” with Charles W. McKinney, Jr.

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Biotech, Black Mirror, Black Mirror Reflections, Blog, Blog 2023+, Emergent Tech, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, Race and Racism, RMWMTMBM Archive, Technology, Technology and Human Values Comments Off on BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 14: “Men Against Fire” with Charles W. McKinney, Jr.

  For Episode 14, I am joined by Dr. Charles W. McKinney, Jr. 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.” Listen/Download BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast episodes  Subscribe to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast Support/Donate to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 13: “Be Right Back” with Samir Chopra

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Black Mirror, Black Mirror Reflections, Blog, Blog 2023+, Emergent Tech, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, Race and Racism, RMWMTMBM Archive, Samir Chopra, Technology, Technology and Human Values Comments Off on BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 13: “Be Right Back” with Samir Chopra

  For Episode 13, I am joined by Dr. Samir Chopra to talk about intelligent robots, personhood, the complicated machinations of human grieving, and “Be Right Back” (Season 2, Episode 1 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 My…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 15: “Hated in the Nation” with Ammon Allred

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Black Mirror, Black Mirror Reflections, Blog, Blog 2023+, Democracy, Emergent Tech, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, RMWMTMBM Archive, Social Media, Technology, Technology and Human Values Comments Off on BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 15: “Hated in the Nation” with Ammon Allred

  For Episode 15, I am re-joined by Dr. Ammon Allred 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” (Season 3, Episode 6 of Black Mirror), which originally premiered in 2016. (Of course, we also talk about Derrida.) Listen/Download BLACK MIRROR…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep11: “USS Callister” with David Gunkel

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Artificial Intelligence, Black Mirror, Black Mirror Reflections, Emergent Tech, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, Pop Culture/Film/Literature, RMWMTMBM Archive, Technology, Technology and Human Values, Television Comments Off on BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep11: “USS Callister” with David Gunkel

  For Episode 11– our first Christmas episode!– I am joined by Dr. David Gunkel to talk about the possibility of virtual moral agents, the seriousness of online games, science fiction’s bad politics, and “USS Callister” (Episode 1, Season 4 of Black Mirror), which first premiered in 2017.  Listen/Download BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast episodes  Subscribe to BLACK…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast, Ep10: “Nosedive” with John Danaher

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Black Mirror, Black Mirror Reflections, Emergent Tech, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, Technology, Technology and Human Values Comments Off on BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast, Ep10: “Nosedive” with John Danaher

  For episode 10, I am joined by Dr. John Danaher to talk about social credit systems, the ubiquity of ranking metrics, whether or not its possible to go “off the grid,” and “Nosedive” (Season 3, Episode 1 of Black Mirror), which first premiered in 2016. Listen/Download BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast episodes  Subscribe to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS…

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Hotel Bar Sessions podcast: A brief history

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Hotel Bar Sessions, Philosophy, podcast, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive Comments Off on 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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No Exit: The Problem with Facebook’s Algo-Policing

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Artificial Intelligence, Emergent Tech, Ethics, Facebook, Politics, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, Social Media, Technology, Technology and Human Values Comments Off on No Exit: The Problem with Facebook’s Algo-Policing

On Tuesday, this blog– which I very much consider an extension of myself– was finally released from Facebook jail, after having been “inside” for more than a month. I was reported by a user (who I do not know IRL and who is not a “Facebook friend” of mine) for violating Facebook’s “Community Standards,” specifically the…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep1: “15 Million Merits” with Shannon Mussett

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Black Mirror, Black Mirror Reflections, Emergent Tech, Ethics, Philosophy, Pop Culture/Film/Literature, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, Technology, Technology and Human Values, Television Comments Off on BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep1: “15 Million Merits” with Shannon Mussett

  I’m sooooo excited to announce the release of our first episode of BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast! As you may have heard– from my endless self-promoting on FB and Twitter– this podcast will be structured as a series of conversations between myself and some very smart people as we talk/think through the technology, philosophy, morality,…

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