Digital Optimist

Latest Episodes:

Episode 36: The Digital Amplification of Physical Capabilities Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

There are two central ways humans will amplify themselves. This podcast deals with the first which is physically improving our capabilities. We were all born with natural bodies. Some of these bodies had weaknesses from birth. Some of our bodies get damaged along the way. What happens when we can repair either of these states and create physical parity in the world? What happens when we can extend lifespan through the use of biotech, nanotech, and digital tech? We stand at the precipice of amazing improvements through the integration of AI, biotech, and nanotech. What kind of world will that lead us into? How much of what science fiction writers has shared for years will come true? Now is the time to get a clear picture in our minds and wrestle with what we will tell our kids and grandkids when they have the chance to enhance.

Episode 35: Amplified Humanity: Past and Future Oct 20, 2023

Show notes

Human beings are always looking for an edge or improvement. In a lot of ways, we are achievement junkies who never stop figuring out how to amplify our capabilities. A competitive world drives us from childhood to find ways to be better than those around us. It is no surprise that technologies are becoming a more powerful influence in getting us the advantages we seek. In this opening podcast of the series, Scott looks into what has driven us in the past and how those same catalysts will cause a very Humalogy future – at the individual level. Will we all become cyborgs? No. Will we slowly be drawn more towards technology amplifications? Very likely. The more we wrestle with the direction of amplification now, the more likely we are to avoid some of the blind alleys that have hurt us in the past.

Episode 34: Machine Intelligence: When Digital Minds Wake Up Aug 11, 2023

Show notes

What is the human mind in relationship to our brain? What is a machine mind going to look like? How do humans decide on their next best word or action and how does an LLM do the same? At what point might we believe that a machine mind is waking up? In this episode, Scott dives into the philosophy of mind by asking you the listener a handful of intriguing questions. Along the way you might come to believe that we overstate the sophistication of the human mind and under predict the possibility for a machine mind to be awake. If nothing else, this episode will help you think about analogies and ideas you might not have heard before and that will help inspire your mind!

Episode 33: Technology: Blessing or Poison Jul 21, 2023

Show notes

In the final podcast in the Digital Philosophy series, Scott examines whether technology will ultimately help or hurt the human race. This requires us to understand the recipe of digital interaction we each have and see what the ingredients are that make up our own recipe. To help with that Scott reviews an interesting list of negative impacts of technology, then the opposite side with the positive impacts. Only by meditating on these lists and looking at the digital recipes we each create for our lives can we answer this incredibly important philosophical question. Technology: A blessing or an existential poison!

Episode 32: The AI World in Our Own Image May 17, 2023

Show notes

What if we stopped using humanity as the high bar we seek when building AI’s and robots? A philosophy to explore is the need to let go of the belief that building AI’s “as smart as us” is the right path. The reason we fear AI’s harming us is because we harm each other, and we can only imagine that technology will do the same. We can have a new philosophy that says we should build technology to be much more than us, then harness it to amplify the human race. This podcast will change the way you think about the standards we are setting with our new digital tools and the optimistic future we can have.

Episode 31: Digital Intelligence, Consciousness, and Neo Philosophy Mar 17, 2023

Show notes

Philosophy is thousands of years old and for all that time, it has been the study of finding truth in a world populated by humans as the only thinking entities. AI’s and synthetic intelligence are now changing the very definition of intelligences and consciousness. In this podcast Scott explores what he calls Neo-Philosophy and the need to answer important questions about the integration of human and synthetic intelligence. One such question is defining levels of consciousness and how technology fits into the new model. One hundred years of science fiction is now coming true and we need to find the Truth about how that will impact each of us. You might want to have a device near you to take a few notes from this podcast!

Episode 30: Finding Happiness and Meaning in a Digital World Mar 02, 2023

Show notes

Why digital philosophy and not digital science? Because science struggles to answer some questions that have lots of humanity baked into them. Because the meaning of words sometimes fail us with being consistent across peoples and science struggles when the words don’t have solid measurable meanings. Such it is with happiness and the meaning of life. These words are a state of being or set of choices we all make, and they are hard to measure. Were we happier thirty years ago? Did we have more of a sense of meaning? The answers today must live in the realm of philosophy. In this first podcast in the series Scott examines the possible impacts of digital transformation on our happiness and the meaning of our lives. There are big questions in this podcast that when answered, will help you move forward in life – if you are willing to contemplate them deeply!

Episode 29: The Story of Humankind: Social and Digital Transformation Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

This podcast is an important concept that sets the foundation for the new series coming next – Digital Philosophy. Scott shares the concept that the generations alive today are struggling with a lack of context and story as to what we are trying to achieve as a country, or as a world. We have almost no agreement as to what the important outcome of our being alive together will mean. Without a compelling story to hang on to, we are floundering in a existential crisis. So, Scott offers a story we can all hang on to. It is a story with a positive ending that historians will write about for hundreds of years. Listen and see if this story resonates with you.

Episode 28: The Truth Score: Quantifying Digital Content Dec 03, 2022

Show notes

Most everyone understands that a large amount of content on the Internet is not true. This is posted by people and organizations who have a specific reason to lie and mislead, or can be posted by people who simply state “facts” and make references to research that is simply not valid. We are not far from the ability to use AI, Machine Learning and Deep Learning to begin scoring content as to the likely truthfulness it contains. Will there be bumps along the road of this quantification concept? Yes. Do we need something better than the nothing we have today to help us? Yes.

Episode 27: The Digital Quantification of the American Worker Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

Organizations are using more technology and data to measure job candidates and workers. This dynamic was kickstarted during the pandemic when workers were forced to work from home for an extended period of time and job interviews all became virtual. Now that we have moved back to a hybrid work environment, we have the gap between how workers feel about their productivity and what leaders are thinking. With AI, wearables, and automation on the rise, the ability to do real time surveillance on workers is on the rise. Ultimately, is this positive for workers? It surely is positive for organizations. Scott unpacks this concept in the next podcast in the Quantified life series.

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