Adventures Among Ideas

Film Criticism in Theory and Practice with CJ Sheu

I talk with film reviewer and literary critic CJ Sheu (許景順) about how he got into film reviewing, his favorite critics, the differences between academic and journalistic criticism, the relation between literature and film, and more.

The Gamer's Dilemma: The Ethics of Sex and Violence in Videogames

Is it immoral to depict or commit violence in video games? What about sexual violence? Daniel Tarpy and I discuss the gamer's dilemma and the nature of games.

Video Games Are Not Art. But They Are Important.

Why video games are not art but are still culturally valuable. Compares the aesthetic attitude to the ludic attitude.

Conversation with Johannes Jaeger on Agency, Algorithms, Art, and Bullshit

Daniel Tarpy and I talk with Johannes "Yogi" Jaeger about a wide range of topics, including: why philosophy should be important to biology, how our ideas affect the world we live in, the differences between living systems and algorithm-based systems, Michael Levin's "Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere," and the importance of art.

Emergence & Consciousness Reconsidered

Further thoughts on emergence and consciousness. Written version: https://daviddennen.medium.com/emergence-and-consciousness-reconsidered-7a5c19d5759b [https://daviddennen.medium.com/emergence-and-consciousness-reconsidered-7a5c19d5759b]