The Zen of Robots

FromAlienating the Audience

Start listening View podcast show

The Zen of Robots

FromAlienating the Audience

ratings:

Length:

32 minutes

Released:

Jan 4, 2024

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Season Finale! In which we talk about how to use sci-fi robots for helpful psychological thought experiments. Support the show! www.patreon.com/alienating ATA Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8FbFXeniKqq4gJNITdQNtbBy4MvUEnZH2m66JteJIJXY-zw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Released:

Jan 4, 2024

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Andrew Heaton and an army of nerds plunge deep, deep into films, books, and TV shows to ask: what's science fiction really about? What is The Twilight Zone really exploring? What are the underlying themes of Star Trek? What is the worldview of Star Wars? Also sometimes Heaton performs comedy on other planets.

Skip carousel

P2 The Economics of "Dune": Spice is a metaphor for oil. Arrakis is the Middle East. Ben Brockshmidt joins Heaton to discuss all things dune--the economic, political, and historical influences which shaped Frank Herbert's scifi universe. by Alienating the Audience
63 min listen
Battlestar Galactica & The War On Terror: Battlestar Galactica kicked off just three years after the 9/11 attacks, and tackles everything from theocratic warfare to stem cell research and waterboarding. Comedian Andrew Young joins Heaton to discuss the series, it's relentless tension and fear... by Alienating the Audience
74 min listen
P6 Regarding Batman's Political Affiliation: Is Batman a Libertarian (wealthy, gizmos, works outside the law) or something else? Which superheroes would be Democrats? Any Republicans afoot? Comedian and Marvel aficionado Megan Sass joins Heaton to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
37 min listen
The Ethics of Holodeck Sex Romps and AI in Star Trek: What's Star Trek's take on Artificial Intelligence, and how do Aristotle's virtue ethics govern Data? Also if the holodeck can summon AI's, and they are indeed sentient, is it ethical to sleep with them? John Krikorian of "Trek Profiles" and Alexandra... by Alienating the Audience
87 min listen
P1 What Bladerunner Is Actually About: Ben Domenech joins Heaton to discuss "Bladerunner," "Bladerunner: 2049" and the book which inspired both, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by Philip K. Dick. by Alienating the Audience
48 min listen
Turns Out, We're All Probably Martians: Robert Zubrin is the head of the Mars Society and author of "The Case for Mars." He joins Heaton along with special guest co-host Andrew Mayne to discuss how to get to the Red Planet using existing technology, and the implications of finding life once... by Alienating the Audience
104 min listen
Stop What You're Doing and Watch "Picard": The long-awaited "Picard" series is out now, starring Patrick Stewart and following the exploits of Jean-Luc Picard two decades after we last saw him in "Nemesis." Nicholas Sperdute comes on to analyze the pilot, predict where the plot will take us,... by Alienating the Audience
53 min listen
P7 Star Trek vs. The Orville: Former Congressman Dan Maffei joins Heaton to discuss: Is the "The Orville" more Star Trek than Star Trek, or just a knockoff? by Alienating the Audience
42 min listen
Reptoid Aliens Shouldn't Have Nipples: Dr. Erin Macdonald is an astrophysicist and science fiction consultant who advises major Hollywood productions on what they're screwing up in scripts. She joins Heaton to discuss the physics pitfalls science fiction constantly blunders into, from... by Alienating the Audience
75 min listen
P3 Cold War Kirk vs. Picard the Moral Relativist: Tim Sandefur joins Heaton to discuss the philosophical differences between Star Trek TOS and Star Trek The Next Generation. Gene Rodenberry and his contemporaries lived through World War II and the Cold War, and believed in clear right and wrongs.... by Alienating the Audience
52 min listen
How They Made Mystery Science Theater 3000: Mary Jo Pehl wrote and acted in MST3K, a comedy show which dug up old (terrible) sci fi flicks and then pelted jokes at it. Over the course of its run, MST3K pioneered a new comedic medium, and rose from a local access program, to a Comedy Central... by Alienating the Audience
66 min listen
Should We Be Worried About the Lack of Aliens?: Fermi's Paradox brings up a troubling issue: if even a small fraction of stars have planets with intelligent life, much of it should be more advanced than us--so why have aliens never come by to say hello? Do civilizations all blow themselves up? Are... by Alienating the Audience
74 min listen
$Should We Be Worried About the Lack of Aliens?: Fermi's Paradox brings up a troubling issue: if even a small fraction of stars have planets with intelligent life, much of it should be more advanced than us--so why have aliens never come by to say hello? Do civilizations all blow themselves up? Are...$
The Twilight Zone's Nostalgic Cold War Bunker: Tim Sandefur joins Heaton on the podcast's kickoff episode to dissect The Twilight Zone, and how Rod Serling's fascination with nostalgia, the Cold War, collectivism, and totalitarianism made the most iconic scifi/horror show in American history. by Alienating the Audience
68 min listen
P4 The Politics of Star Wars: Stephen Kent is the host of "Beltway Banthas" and joins Heaton to discuss the politics of Star Wars. by Alienating the Audience
49 min listen
If We Met Aliens Could We Even Communicate?: What would first contact with an alien civilization look like? Could we handle it? If we could, would it even be possible to communicate with a vastly different (or superior) intelligence? Peter Boghossian, Professor of Philosophy at Portland State... by Alienating the Audience
78 min listen
How to Build a Colony Ship: If we had to send a spaceship to start a colony on another planet, how many humans would we need to get the party started? How do you avoid inbreeding, and what's a stable amount of people to maintain purpose on a multi-generational mission? Rob... by Alienating the Audience
86 min listen
When Darwin Meets Star Trek: Dr. Mohamed Noor is the author of "Live Long and Evolve: What Star Trek Can Teach Us about Evolution, Genetics, and Life on Other Worlds," and is the head of Biology at Duke University. He joins the show to talk about the origins of life, and why... by Alienating the Audience
67 min listen
Robert Heinlein: Individualism and Free Love on the Moon!: Robert Heinlein, author of "Stranger in a Strange Land," "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," "Starship Troopers," and dozens of other novels, is at the tippy top of science fiction's pantheon of writers. Andrew Mayne joins the show to discuss Heinlein and... by Alienating the Audience
78 min listen
The Meaning of Spock: Mr. Spock is the most captivating character in Star Trek lore, and the embodiment of logic in popular culture. John Champion, host of "Mission Log" Star Trek podcast, joins Heaton for a deep dive into the character and meaning of Spock. by Alienating the Audience
49 min listen
The Tarkin Doctrine and Imperial Apologists: How would Emperor Palpatine's Press Secretary describe the Galactic Empire? How would Grand Moff Tarkin spin the destruction of Alderaan? Jonathan Last of "The Bulwark" joins Heaton to describe why he believes the Empire was a good thing--an imperfect... by Alienating the Audience
75 min listen
Isaac Asimov's Robots are Smarter than Whales: What do we learn about humanity when gazing through the optical sensors of a robot? Did Isaac Asimov write a novel where the end of humanity begins on a planet full of Libertarians? Ryan McGary joins for a full-throttle Isaac Asimov discussion, from... by Alienating the Audience
72 min listen
P5 Varys is the best Game of Thrones character: Grant Carlisle joins to discuss the power dynamics and political themes underlying Game of Thrones. by Alienating the Audience
44 min listen
Religion's Two Treatments in Science Fiction: Science fiction has a more complex analysis of religion than either "good" or "bad." Yonatan Huber and Josh Jennings join Heaton to discuss how scifi authors tackle it, and how the nature of religious critique has changed between centuries. by Alienating the Audience
72 min listen
Are We Living in a Computer Simulation?: The central premise to The Matrix is that we're actually living in a computer simulation, as well as think piece episodes from Star Trek, Black Mirror, and even Rick & Morty. Jay Mutzafi, host of "The Last Turtle" philosophy podcast joins Heaton... by Alienating the Audience
118 min listen
Let's Fight About "The Undiscovered Country": If "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" is about the end of the Cold War, what's it's position on the Soviet Union? Tim Sandefur challenges Heaton on the underlying morality of the movie and whether or not it's a commie apologism, leading to a... by Alienating the Audience
65 min listen
Star Trek Conspiracy Theories include "The Transporter is a Murder Box": Picard never left the Nexus. We caught the wrong Khan. Star Trek fandom is full of theories casting doubt on characters and plots as we know them. Brilliant or ridiculous, fan theories at least make us look at the franchise in a different light. John... by Alienating the Audience
88 min listen
The Last Policeman by Alienating the Audience
51 min listen
Let's Argue About "The Rise of Skywalker": Alright, it's been a month--let's discuss "The Rise of Skywalker"! Is it the franchise-busting wompa scat critics panned it as, or just a situation of haters gonna hate? Nick Sperdute joins to analyze the film. by Alienating the Audience
86 min listen
How to Build a Giant Robot: Today we speak with physicist Stephen Granade about robots! How to build giant arm-swingin' robots, how we can automate them, and where we stand on Mind Machine Interface technology in case we want to pilot said robots ourselves. by Alienating the Audience
58 min listen
Who To Kill or Not Kill if You've Got a Time Machine: Brian Dunning, host of the Skeptoid Podcast, joins Heaton to talk about all things time travel--the best films, TV shows and books, plus how to get around pesky time travel paradoxes, if we should try to go back and kill Hitler, and the most... by Alienating the Audience
79 min listen

More Episodes from Alienating the Audience

Skip carousel

Much Ado About Garak: Star Trek Deep Space Nine's Elim Garak is a simple, unassuming character. But also a spymaster. Why is he so beguiling, and what's his character arc? Andrew Young joins to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
61 min listen
Doublethinking George Orwell's 1984: Is 1984 prophetic, or merely a terrifying dystopia? What makes this haunting book so engaging on a literary level? Josh Jennings returns to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
97 min listen
Why Picard's Last Season Is So Much Better Than The Others: Star Trek: Picard recently wrapped up its third and final season--and the first season Heaton or his guests have enjoyed of it. Scottish sci-fi twins Dickie and Stone rejoin to discuss Star Trek: Picard, and what made its ultimate season likeable. by Alienating the Audience
74 min listen
Super-Intelligent Spiders And A Sleeper Ship: Children of Time: Adrian Tchaikovsky's "Children of Time" tackles multi-generational sleeper ships, uplifiting species, AI, the nature of intelligence, teleforming and more. Richard Amiro rejoins to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
49 min listen
The Corporate Dystopia of Jennifer Government: In this satirical novel by Max Barry, the United States is a corporate wasteland with ruthless businesses and toothless rump state unable to restrain them. John Krikorian of Trekprofiles joins to discuss. Book at: www.mightyheaton.com/goodscifi... by Alienating the Audience
77 min listen
There Are Infinite You's in the Multiverse: How does the multiverse shake out in science fiction? What are the tropes, and what are the implications? Scottish scifi twins Dickie and Stone Lynch join to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
46 min listen
Escaping the Truman Show: In “The Truman Show,” Jim Carey’s character is the unwitting star of a global reality television show–until he decides to escape. Director Henrique Cuoto joins to talk about the iconic film, and the evils of false reality. Henrique’s dog: ... by Alienating the Audience
67 min listen
Snowcrash Created the Metaverse: Neil Stephenson's "Snowcrash" looked at the embryonic Internet and projected a future of VR and avatar onto it. And a world in which nation states had been eclipsed by successor states of corporate "franchulates." Is "Snowcrash" a corporate... by Alienating the Audience
50 min listen
Shrinkage!: In this episode we talk about all the times people get tiny in science fiction, from "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" to "The Fantastic Voyage" to Jonathan Swift. by Alienating the Audience
49 min listen
Meeting Celebrities at Sci-Fi Conventions: Comedian John Robertson is a regular performer, panelist, and celebrity at science fiction conventions. He joins to discuss the community element of conventions, how celebrities should comport themselves, and how fans can best interact with them. by Alienating the Audience
60 min listen
Soylent Green is People!: Charlton Heston stars in "Soylent Green," a film about the terror of overpopulation, urban ennui, and ultimately cannibalism. Based on the novel "Make Room! Make Room!" by Harry Harrison. Scottish scifi twins Stone and Dickie Lynch join to... by Alienating the Audience
58 min listen
The Hilarious Fantasy of Terry Pratchett: At its height, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series accounted for fully 2% of all book sales in the United Kingdom. Over the course of his life he wrote 59 books, achieved knighthood, and created a beloved and hilarious franchise. What was... by Alienating the Audience
48 min listen
Strange New Worlds is the Star Trek We Deserve!: Captain Pike commanded the USS Enterprise prior to Kirk, and the prequel series featuring him, Mr. Spock, Nurse Chapel, and their contemporaries goes back to the roots of Star Trek: exploring weird planets with weird things... but with just the right... by Alienating the Audience
50 min listen
Trapped In John Malkovich: In Charlie Kaufman's weirdest film (and that's saying something) John Cusack discovers a portal that delivers you into John Malkovich's head for a few minutes... so he charges admission. Henrique Couto and Matt Sienkiewicz join to discuss by Alienating the Audience
69 min listen
Reproduction in the Final Frontier: Vulcans, humans, Klingons, Romulans--everybody in the Star Trek universe can easily interbreed! Stone and Dickie Lynch rejoin the show to discuss reproduction in the final frontier by Alienating the Audience
66 min listen
Intergalactic Politics in "The Expanse": The Expanse explores the political and military tension between decadent Earth, militant Mars, and the Belters stuck in between. War correspondent Kristaps Andrejsons joins to discuss by Alienating the Audience
69 min listen
Nixon Selling Pizza on the Moon: What if JFK survived the assassination attempt, and instead of Vietnam, America invested in a moon base? Bill Oakley is a former writer and showrunner on The Simpsons, and award-winning comedy writer, and the author of “Space: 1969” an Audible... by Alienating the Audience
61 min listen
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Characters can selectively wipe memories in Charlie Kaufman's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," but in doing so they lose part of themselves. Chloe Effron and Nick Sperdute join to discuss this trippy... romcom? SUPPORT THE... by Alienating the Audience
61 min listen
If You Leave the Holodeck On Too Long...: Are holograms on Star Trek NPC's, sentient, or in some hellish state of limerence in between? Star Trek aficionados Dickie and Stone Lynch return to discuss by Alienating the Audience
92 min listen
Peacemaker is the Ultimate Loserhero: James Gunn’s “Peacemaker” chronicles a toxic meathead character as he comes to terms with his past, his racist father, and an alien takeover of the planet. He is neither a hero nor antihero. He’s something new, and hilarious: a... by Alienating the Audience
53 min listen
Send in the Clones: How do clones manifest in science fiction? When are they evil, good, or a portent of science gone too far? Scottish scifi twins Dickie and Stone rejoin to discuss. SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com/alienating by Alienating the Audience
77 min listen
The Ineffable Planet of Sentient Goo: "Solaris" by Stanislaw Lem follows a crew of scientists trying to understand an utterly alien intelligence--a planet covered by an ocean of (apparently?) conscious goop. How can we communicate with something truly, truly foreign to our evolution and... by Alienating the Audience
79 min listen
Rick And Morty is Hilarious Nihilism: "Rick and Morty" is the funniest science fiction to grace the world sense "Futurama"--if not the best comedy in general. What is it about, and what distinguishes it from other, lesser comedies? Jeff Maurer joins to discuss. (Note: this episode... by Alienating the Audience
48 min listen
The Fifth Element Is Teenage Scifi: "The Fifth Element" starring Bruce Willis and Mila Jovovich is a cult classic. But... does it hold up? Did it ever? To answer that question, we turn to Scottish scifi twins Dickie and Stone Lynch. by Alienating the Audience
84 min listen
Irritating Vulcans in "Enterprise": "Enterprise" is the prequel of Star Trek, exploring the foundation of the Federation of Planets, and the bump, suspicious period when Vulcans and humans get to know one another. Scottish science fiction twins Dickie & Stone Lynch return to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
63 min listen
Lady Terror in "Don't Worry, Darling": There's a subgenre of science fiction we might call "femme fear," exemplified by writers like Margaret Atwood. Olivia Wilde's "Don't Worry Darling" is the latest example. And while it was mostly panned by critics, Heaton enjoyed it. ... by Alienating the Audience
76 min listen
Jesuits in Space!: In , life is discovered on an alien planet, and the first humans to arrive are... Jesuits. The book explores the terrifying consequences of missionaries on a new world, who are there for good reasons--with good intentions--but don't know what they've... by Alienating the Audience
64 min listen
The Sith are Emo Fascists: The Sith are the dark lords of Star Wars. But what do they want? Are they logically consistent antagonists, with clear rationales for their goals and methods, or just mustache-twirling villains with no depth? Stephen Kent and Mike TV join to... by Alienating the Audience
60 min listen
“They Live” is fear of Reagonomics: John Carpenter’s “They Live” is a cult classic about seeing through societal mirage to glimpse the strings of the puppet masters. It’s also a specific and intentional “primal scream” against Reagonomics. Ron Hayden joins to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
58 min listen
If Sociopaths Had Super Powers: The Boys: In "The Boys" super heroes superficially fight crime, but are really corporate pawns and predators, ranging from ladder-climbing reality show scumbags to full-blown Nietzschean demigods. What happens when super powers are not always entrusted in the... by Alienating the Audience
45 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

Fueling the AI machine with the knowledge it needs by The Ticket: Discover the Future of Customer Service, Support, and Experience, with Intercom
22 min listen
Episode 48 – APA Division 16 Early Career Professionals Workgroup: Episode 48 Join the discussion with #psychedpodcast to learn about Division 16’s Early Career Professionals Workgroup! http://apadivision16.org/division-16-early-career-professional-workgroup/ Handouts: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7JkmPE1QnD6dDNJX3VNN09TQU9uTkJ3Sm9YQmlZV3ZlM0Vj/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7JkmPE1QnD6bmJqV3hNY3hkY0M0d2MtcnhSUHdvMEdQNi1n/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7JkmPE1QnD6T0tmOGh5eGl3TnF5NXhjTHZ3UlRCelloN1dB/view?usp=sharing Early Career Professionals (ECPs), individuals within ten years of the receipt of their degree, are a unique group with particular needs within the field of psychology. In line with Division’s 16 continued interests in… <a href="https://schoolpsychedpodcast.wordpress.com/2017/09/17/episode-48-apa-division-16-early-career-professionals-workgroup/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Episode 48 – APA by School Psyched!
20 min listen
Episode 43 Traci Brown, CSP Fraud Busting Body-Language Expert by Fraudish
39 min listen
43. Tired of Being Strong by Aware & Aggravated
37 min listen
What Is The Perspective Of Gen Z? - Growing Pains #341 by Social Proof Podcast
64 min listen
190 - Omnic Lab: Crowd Control & Communications Wheel: Crowd Control & Communications Wheel by Omnic Lab: A Strategic Overwatch Podcast
52 min listen
Left of Greg #001: Training vs Education by The Human Behavior Podcast
52 min listen
?2023 Roland Garros Preview | Beyond The Data Ep6 | QualityShot Tennis by QualityShot Tennis
5 min listen
The Cookie Two, Part 2: If the students on board the Prodigious are bad, then how much worse are those left behind? Listen as the BBs: LIE about arson! PROPOSE a revolution! MEET cute smugglers! Content Warning: Arson Play the official Roulettia module: https://www.drivethrur... by Quest Friends!
49 min listen
#32: Q&A Session, with Andrew Price by The Andrew Price Podcast
82 min listen
493: The Coach Takeover: Peter Pastijn and Managing a Remote Studio: In this episode, you will learn: About Peter’s background in sports, spin, and the journey he made to owning a studio  His advice on managing a studio remotely, and the challenges and successes he has had doing this Why systems only take you... by The Business of Boutique Fitness
20 min listen
Ash Uses the Super Dragon Punch | Pokemon Go to the Movies #9: Ranger & the Temple of the Sea: With his heart full of hate, Ash uses his aura to perform the ultimate technique on the pirate with the ocarina. Vote on the new sign off catchphrase for Pokemon GO to the Movies! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdTF9ivi3rBjQrrn0CjzA_JIiUaGt... by GigaBoots Podcasts
101 min listen
?2023 Rome Masters Preview | Beyond The Data Ep5 | QualityShot Tennis by QualityShot Tennis
6 min listen
Still’s Disease: What you need to know about Still’s Disease (formerly Adult Onset Still’s Disease/Systemic JIA) for clinical practice and your board exams. by Rheumatology For The Royal College
69 min listen
Genius Decoded: Navigating AI by The Expansive
45 min listen
Episode 34: Monitoring Student Progress in a Modern Classroom: This week, we're joined by Allura Pfeister to talk about how we monitor self-pacing, diving deep on the strategies and types of progress trackers we've used in our elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. by Modern Classrooms Project Podcast
49 min listen
Ep 293: Can AI Help You Date? by Sounds Fake But Okay
48 min listen
44. Knowing When To Leave by Aware & Aggravated
44 min listen
How to Gain More Followers on Tiktok Ep (678): Use Tiktok to your advantage! Here are the reasons why and how to do it. Do you have a question that you would like me to answer? Just fill out this form:... by F.I.R.E.D UP with Krista Mashore
8 min listen
42. Green Flags by Aware & Aggravated
54 min listen
Alcohol ALWAYS Hurts by Physionic
6 min listen
46. When They Don't Like You Back by Aware & Aggravated
44 min listen
Listener Qs 14: Thanks thanks thanks thanks! What else is there to say but thanks so much? And also, answers?! Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): ... by Philosophers In Space
46 min listen
Supreme Court on Grant of Interim Protection in S.482 Cases: On today’s show, we will discuss another judicial pronouncement by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, namely, Neeharika Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. versus State of Maharashtra and Others, 2021 SCC OnLine SC 315, wherein certain important questions relating to a Petition under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (in short, “CrPC”) for quashing of FIR or Criminal Proceedings, were discussed. by Legal Talks by Desikanoon
8 min listen
#188: Assimilation by The Human Behavior Podcast
63 min listen
Alan Jaeger (Part 3) - Quieting The Mind On The Mound: In episode 58.3 (PART 3) Alan and I take our discussion into the mental side of the game. Alan is very passionate when it comes to this which I love because I believe it’s an overlooked part of development in todays game. Learn how to put arguable the... by The Robby Row Show Baseball Podcast
28 min listen
GOR Lexicon Evolved: Pacecase and Bachelorclues breakdown the GOR Lexicon by Game of Roses
60 min listen
41. Self Control by Aware & Aggravated
32 min listen
Below First Page Bid? (Episode #382) by The Paid Search Podcast | A Weekly Podcast About Google Ads and Online Marketing
39 min listen
193: Beyond Quiet On Set & A Deep Dive of Ex-Nickelodeon Coach's Unspeakable Crimes by Lights Out
131 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

The Zen of Robots

The Zen of Robots

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Alienating the Audience

Related podcast episodes