The Paradox of Progresss - Dr. M.S Delay and Dr. A.V. Bendebury, DSPod #242

It’s week 5 on the road, and we’re deep in the weeds about the
question of what we, as scientists, owe the world. Technological
progress alone seems like a weak orienting principle, as does
abandoning the pursuit of knowledge completely. So how do we hew
a path that makes sense, when it seems like the institutions and
organizations around us have gone astray? To help us make sense
of the interface between science and ethics, we turn to an essay
called “To Young Scientists,” read by Ayn Rand at MIT in the
1960s. Rand was writing at the peak of the nuclear age, where the
destruction of the species, if not the planet, seemed imminent.
Today, the threat of nuclear conflict looms once again, but the
cutting edge risk lies in the ceaseless development of machine
learning and AI technologies that threaten to engulf all of human
practice. There are no easy answers at hand, but we eke out a few
basic principles that can serve as the starting point for
building a life where progress & meaning can align. Check out
the essay and support the podcast by purchasing Ayn Rand's Essays
in Objectivist Thought: https://amzn.to/3UaKnH4 Tell us your
thoughts in the comments!!! Sign up for our Patreon and get
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https://bit.ly/3lcAasB (00:00) Go! (00:04:11) The separation of
science and spirit (00:14:00) To Young Scientists (00:23:28) The
anthill of social collectivism (00:33:19) Ethics as a moral
feeling (00:43:16) Can you divest from the machine? (00:53:51)
Living through an ebb in institutional faith (01:02:28)
Self-directed motion into the future (01:12:40) The dynamic arc
of a single life #sciencepodcast, #ScienceEthics,
#SpiritualityInScience, #EthicalScience, #FutureTech, #AIethics,
#ScienceAndSociety, #ScientificResponsibility, #TechEthics,
#ScienceCommunity, #EthicalInnovation, #EthicalAI, #TechProgress,
#ScienceAndEthics, #AIResponsibility, #EthicalLeadership,
#ScientificIntegrity, #ScienceAndEthicsDebate, #TechAndEthics,
#EthicalTechnology, #ScienceFuture Check our short-films channel,
@DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND
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https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD
studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking
to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time
painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also
did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of
molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring
sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various
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