Stretch Your Skull

7. Dr. Arina Pismenny: Philosophy of Romantic Love (Valentine's Special)

Dr. Arina Pismenny is an Assistant Instructional Professor in Philosophy and affiliate faculty in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies at the University of Florida. She received her Ph.D. from the City University of New York, where she defended her thesis The Syndrome of Romantic Love. Her work focuses on moral psychology, ethics, feminist philosophy, with a particular interest in emotions, social norms, and the complexities of romantic and interpersonal relationships. Dr. Pismenny’s recent work includes When Is Jealousy Appropriate?, Emotional Injustice, and The Moral Psychology of Love. Beyond research, she teaches a myriad of topics such as Moral Philosophy, Philosophy of Emotion, Ethics of Identity, and the Philosophy of Love and Sex. In this valentine’s day special episode, we explore the nature of love in various forms such as romance, relationships, and the future of love in our digital landscape.

6. Dr. Chris Impey: Astronomy, Buddhism, and Life Beyond

Distinguished Professor Chris Impey is a prominent figure in the fields of observational cosmology, astrobiology, and science education. He has been a leading researcher at the University of Arizona for nearly 25 years, publishing extensively with over 230 papers. His teachings have reached hundreds of thousands of students worldwide, and his innovative approach to science education is reflected in the numerous awards he has received for education and outreach. Beyond his academic work, Professor Impey has authored over 90 popular articles and several science books, including The Living Cosmos, Humble Before the Void, where he shares his experience teaching Buddhist monks astronomy, and most recently, Worlds Without End: Exoplanets, Habitability, and the Future of Humanity.

5. Dr. Graham Lau: Astrobiology, Overview Effect, & Meditation

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.

4. Dr. Arik Kershenbaum: Extraterrestrial Evolution & Communication

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

3. Dr. Amber Ross: Philosophical Zombies, Consciousness, & AI

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.