Discover this podcast and so much more

Podcasts are free to enjoy without a subscription. We also offer ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more for just $11.99/month.

#75 – Eric Schwitzgebel on Digital Consciousness and the Weirdness of the World

#75 – Eric Schwitzgebel on Digital Consciousness and the Weirdness of the World

FromHear This Idea


#75 – Eric Schwitzgebel on Digital Consciousness and the Weirdness of the World

FromHear This Idea

ratings:
Length:
119 minutes
Released:
Feb 4, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Eric Schwitzgebel is a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside. His main interests include connections between empirical psychology and philosophy of mind and the nature of belief. His book The Weirdness of the World can be found here.
We talk about:

The possibility of digital consciousness
Policy ideas for avoiding major moral mistakes around digital consciousness
Prospects for the science of consciousness, and why we likely won't have clear answers in time


Why introspection is much less reliable than most people think
How and why we invent false stories about our own choices without realising
What randomly sampling people's experiences reveals about what we're doing with most of our attention


The possibility of 'overlapping minds'
How and why our actions might have infinite effects, both good and bad
Whether it would be good news to learn that our actions have infinite effects, or that the universe is infinite in extent


The best science fiction on digital minds and AI

You can get in touch through our website or on Twitter. Consider leaving us an honest review wherever you're listening to this — it's the best free way to support the show. Thanks for listening!
Released:
Feb 4, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (82)

Hear This Idea is a podcast showcasing new thinking in philosophy, the social sciences, and effective altruism. Each episode has an accompanying write-up at www.hearthisidea.com/episodes.