Stretch Your Skull

Dr. Graham Lau who is among the world’s leading science communicators in astrobiology, the study of the origin of life and life beyond Earth. He received his PhD studying astrobiology and geochemistry at the University of Colorado, Boulder and currently serves as the Director of Communications and Marketing at Blue Marble Space and as a Research Investigator at their Science Institute. Dr. Lau is also host of the show "Ask an Astrobiologist" sponsored by the NASA Astrobiology Program and SAGANet. With a field so interdisciplinary yet still very niche, he’s done a great service to connect the public and inspire the next generation of scientists.

Dr. Kershenbaum is a College Lecturer and Director of Studies at Girton College, University of Cambridge and was a Herchel Smith Research Fellow in Zoology. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Cambridge in Natural Sciences and doctorate in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology at the University of Haifa. To study animal vocal communication in wolves and dolphins, he has traveled across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. Two years ago, I came across his fascinating book, The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy, which was a Times Book of the Year and will be a large part of today’s discussion along with his upcoming book, Why Animals Talk which will be available January 25th. You can find it available for pre-order here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/446996/why-animals-talk-by-kershenbaum-arik/9780241559857

Today I’m speaking with Dr. Amber Ross. Dr. Ross is an Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Florida. She received her bachelor’s from Texas Christian University, master’s at Tufts, and doctorate at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill each in philosophy. She is also a member of the UF AI Institute, AI2, the Working Group on AI Ethics, an advisor for the AAU Taskforce on AI Ethics, and a developer of the UF Ethics in AI Professional and Workforce Development course. Her work focuses on the Ethics of AI, Philosophy of Mind, and Metaphysics with her most recent publication “AI and the Expert; a blueprint for the ethical use of opaque AI”. In this episode we talk about the substance of experience or qualia, philosophical zombies, whether there’s something nonphysical about consciousness or an illusion, and the implications of AI in consciousness and trust.

Dr. Gardner is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Florida. Before this, she was an Assistant Professor at Bowling Green State University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She received her undergraduate degree from Grinnell College in Music, Master’s in philosophy at Northern Illinois University, and PhD from the University of Wisconsin Madison in Philosophy. Her focus has been on ethical theory, metaphysics, and bioethics. Her most recent publication is “Persons, Animals, and Psychological Unity” which will be part of today’s discussion. 

We never die because we were never born. If you're interested in learning more, here are the mentioned thought experiments and thinkers: -Diamond sutra -Sorites paradox -Loki's Wager -Panpsychism -Rupert Spira -Teleportation problem -Thomas Clark -Thich Nhat Hanh