The Monkey Dance

45 | Human migration as a complex system

Ola Ali [https://csh.ac.at/ola-ali/] joins the podcast to chat about modeling the legal journey of persons who migrate across borders. With a background in physics and complex systems, Ola's work tries to describe the dynamics of migration, specifically the legal and institutional experience of someone who migrates. We chat about how long it takes to gain legal stability in a new country and the differences in the legal journey based on nationality. We also discuss housing, access to rights and healthcare, and forced mobility.   Guest: Ola Ali https://csh.ac.at/ola-ali/

A10 | Investigating systemic corruption

There is a lot of money behind keeping corruption difficult to track, but there are also plenty of folks working hard to build better tools for tracking it. The only problem is that exposing it can be extremely dangerous. In this episode from 2 years ago, we sit with Irene Tello Arista [https://dsps.ceu.edu/people/irene-tello-arista] and chat about how to define corruption, the systemic pressures that allow it to take hold, and discuss how grand corruption and petty corruption are different not only in scale but in methods. We cover a bit of Irene's background in Mexico starting an NGO to uncover corruption networks, human behavior more generally, and how corruption looks different in different places.   Full show notes on the website [https://www.monkeydancepod.com/episodes/episode-10]

A5 | The evolution of cooperation

Cooperation is deeply embedded in the genetics of our species. Looking at the evolution of cooperation can teach us a lot about how to build better societies. Given the state of the world, this episode with Nikhil Chaudhary [https://www.nikhilchaudhary.co.uk/] from February 2024 is more relevant than ever. - What can evolutionary anthropology teach us about ourselves? We sit down with Nikhil Chaudhary [https://www.nikhilchaudhary.co.uk/] and chat about everything from the formation of the self to societal pressures. We cover cooperation and collaboration, hunter-gatherer societies, how to think about thinking, managing uncertainty, cultural narratives, and everything in between.   Show notes on the website! [https://www.monkeydancepod.com/episodes/episode-5]

A6 | Can we hold AI accountable for its actions?

With AI increasingly being used in wars, the glaring question regulators face as a society is one of allocating responsibility when an autonomous tool of war commits a war crime.   Little progress has been made on this front over the past few years despite the increased military applications of AI. That's why I wanted to repost the Episode 6, from our archive, with Pelin Kasar: [http://philosophy.ceu.edu/people/pelin-kasar]   Who is responsible for the actions of machines? We chat with Pelin Kasar about the current state of philosophical debates around how to approach the ethical considerations of machines that seem to think.   More show notes on the Monkey Dance Website [https://www.monkeydancepod.com/episodes/episode-6]

44 | Voting under autocracies

When living under an autocratic regime, should we continue voting or abstain in protest?   Zoltan Miklosi [https://people.ceu.edu/zoltan_miklosi] joins the podcast to talk about the political obligations of democrats who live under autocratic regimes. We discuss the consequences both of voting in elections despite the overwhelming odds in favor of the autocrat and of refusing to participate in elections in protest of the regime.   We discuss specific cases of autocracies which hold elections around the world, about why they would hold elections in the first place, and what each side has to gain and to lose. We also chat about democracy as an ideal more broadly, and whether one has any obligations to the society or governance structure they live under.   Guest: Zoltan Miklosi [https://people.ceu.edu/zoltan_miklosi]   More from Zoltan: 1. Political Obligation in Electoral Authoritarianism: The Case of Hungary [https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/61393/chapter-abstract/533343812?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false]   2. Social Equality and Democratic Authority [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11158-025-09721-2]