Ethics in Action Podcast

About Ethics in Action Podcast

Part of UMass Boston’s Philosophy Department, the Applied Ethics Center promotes research, teaching, and awareness of ethics in public life. In this podcast, Applied Ethics Center Director Nir Eisikovits hosts conversations on the intersection of ethics, politics, and technology.

Publisher

Nir Eisikovits

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Jan 2018

Latest episode

18 Feb 2025

Latest episodes

39 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   18 Feb 2025

   Neural Decoding: A Conversation with Stephen Rainey

   In this ninth episode of our series on brain-computer interfaces, we are joined by Stephen Rainey. Dr. Rainey is Assistant Professor in Philosophy and Technology at Delft University of Technology, specializing in neuroethics and neurophilosophy. He is the author of the 2023 book Philosophical Perspectives on Brain Data, which raises and addresses questions about how neurotechnologies can and ought to be used. His current research focuses on exploring the intersections between neurotechnologies and artificial intelligence, especially Large Language Models and the prospect of mind-reading technology. Dr. Rainey applies his research findings in the form of policy advice, working with committees of the European Commission and the WHO. In this episode, we discuss several aspects of Dr. Rainey’s work, including what brain data is and how it differs from other types of personal data, the distinction between mind reading and neural decoding, neuromarketing and neurocapitalism, science fiction prototyping, the possibility and risks associated with the use of neurotechnology in the criminal justice system, and the debate surrounding neurorights.

2. 

   2 Feb 2025

   Cyborg Ethics: A Conversation with Stefan Lorenz Sorgner

   In this eighth episode of our series on brain-computer interfaces, we are joined by Stefan Lorenz Sorgner. Dr. Sorgner is a philosophy professor at John Cabot University in Rome, Director and Co-Founder of the Beyond Humanism Network, Fellow at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET), and Editor-in-Chief and Founder of the Journal of Posthuman Studies. Dr. Sorgner is well known for his work on transhumanism, Nietzsche, philosophy of music, and ethics of emerging technologies, and is the author of many books, including most recently We Have Always Been Cyborgs: Digital Data, Gene Technologies, and an Ethics of Transhumanism and Philosophy of Posthuman Art. In this episode, we discuss several aspects of Dr. Sorgner’s wide-ranging work, including Nietzschean philosophy and its connection to transhumanism, Sorgner’s concept of metahumanism and how it differs from transhumanism and posthumanism, his cyborg thesis, his critique of traditional utopianism, the differing data collection models in the U.S., China, and the EU, his critique of the EU’s GDPR privacy laws, and his proposal for government-managed anonymized medical data collection to enhance technological competitiveness and support universal healthcare, among other topics.

3. 

   18 Dec 2024

   Brain Pioneers: A Conversation with Sara Goering

   Dr. Sara Goering, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Washington, explores the intersection of philosophy of disability and neuroethics, revealing the importance of user-centered design in brain-computer interfaces to prioritize needs over technological advancements.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 20 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

26

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Ethics in Action Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.