Deus Et Machina

S1E9 - Better worlds, a patchwork of messiahs, and humans being

In this episode, we sit down to talk with Suzanne van Geuns, who is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Princeton University’s Center for Culture, Society, and Religion. Suzanne is helping us think big-picture through the roles that religion might play in helping us envision a tech-rich future. Perhaps more than in previous episodes, this conversation teased out some of the different approaches each group member has taken.

S1E8 - Immortality!

This is the third and final episode in which we discuss transhumanism with authors Tracy Trothen and Calvin Mercer. Calvin teaches at East Carolina University, and Tracy teaches at Queen’s University in Ontario. They’re authors of a fascinating new book called “Religion and the Technological Future.” In this episode, the group discusses some of the most pressing religious implications of transhumanism: should we rethink the nature of immortality in light of technological advances? And what can fiction teach us about all of this?

S1E7 - Robot faith

In this episode, the second in our three-part series with authors Calvin Mercer and Tracy Trothen, we spend some time listening to them introduce their new book, “Religion and the Technological Future.” In this episode, Calvin walks us through the five categories of human enhancement that they argue are ripe for religious reflection. We also spend a good deal of this episode reflecting on the use of machines to fulfill certain religious functions.

S1E6 - Questions about questions about transhumanism

This episode is the first in a three-part series related to the themes of religion, transhumanism, and human enhancement. We are joined by Tracy Trothen and Calvin Mercer, authors of a recent book called “Religion and the Technological Future: An Introduction to Biohacking, Artificial Intelligence, and Transhumanism.” In this first episode, Calvin and Tracy are defining the key issues at play in this conversation, as they see them.

S1E5 - The Ethical Dilemmas of the Not-So-Humble Machine

In this episode, the second in our two-part series with David Hoffman from Columbia University, we continue our discussion of AI and medical ethics. In this episode, which very much builds on the previous one, we discuss some of the many ethical implications of letting machines into the healthcare business. We talk about things like prayer, data, privacy, and of course capitalism – among many others.