The Canadian Philosophy Show

The Canadian Philosophy Show #627

Hannah Arendt on Production and AI
In this episode of our Media Theory series, Brandon introduces the distinction drawn by Hannah Arendt between labour, work and action in order to explore and help understand new productive technologies such as ChatGPT and AI text-to-image programs. We also explore the related concept of automation and how AI, understood through Arendt, changes our understanding of automation.
Led by:
Brandon Brownlee
 
with:
 
Aaron Wang (Vancouver Island University)
Hale Rothery Hale Rothery (Vancouver Island University)
 
Recorded 28 June 2023

The Canadian Philosophy Show #626

A Brief Introduction to Western Philosophy
An introduction to western philosophy including brief introductions to Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Hegel, and David Hume.
Led by:
Aaron Wang (Vancouver Island University)
 
with:
 
Tagen Marshall (Vancouver Island University)https://ca.linkedin.com/in/tagen-marshall-330272205
Brandon Brownlee
 
Recorded 23 July 2023

The Canadian Philosophy Show #625

Tagen Marshall leads: 
Existentialism and the different types of personal relationships.
I relate differently with my spouse than with my parents. I relate still differently with my friends than with my children. These relationships differ in origin, substance, style, and intensity.
 
Show hosted by:
Tagen Marshall (Vancouver Island University)https://ca.linkedin.com/in/tagen-marshall-330272205
Recorded 24 June 2023
With:
Brandon Brownlee
Aaron Wang (Vancouver Island University)

The Canadian Philosophy Show #624

On this episode of the existentialism mini-series Tagen Marshall and co-hosts discuss the existentialistic themes of Thornton Wilder's play "Our Town" along with a brief introduction to Hugh LaFollette's book "Personal Relationships: Love, Identity, and Morality." What does it mean for an existentialist to be in relationship? What does it mean to be authentic from the existentialist perspective? What does it mean to see each other as we truly are as unique people with unique experiences? These are some of the questions asked and discussed in this show.
Led by:
 
Tagen Marshall (Vancouver Island University)https://ca.linkedin.com/in/tagen-marshall-330272205
with:
Brandon Brownlee
Aaron Wang (Vancouver Island University)
Hale Rothery Hale Rothery (Vancouver Island University)
Kyra Tianen (Vancouver Island University)
Recorded 9 June 2023

The Canadian Philosophy Show #623

The Free Will Debate Continues
Led by Michael.
I will argue that "free will" is tied to a fictitious supernatural self which supposedly oversees and controls our physical bodies. In reality, we are purely physical entities whose behaviour is determined by causal agents, not by "will." We take actions not because we "decide" to, but rather because the stimuli resulting in such actions are stronger than those which would cause other actions.
Our rational thought processes are epiphenomenal, in that they aren't the actual determiners of our behaviour. We can rationally weigh various options, but in the end we act on feeling or intuition.
Show hosted by Michael Robert Caditz.
Recorded 16 June 2023
Hale Rothery (Vancouver Island University)
Tagen Marshall (Vancouver Island University)https://ca.linkedin.com/in/tagen-marshall-330272205
Aaron Wang (Vancouver Island University)

The Canadian Philosophy Show #622

Democratic Inputs to AI:A discussion on technology, media, ideas, democracy, and the ramifications for computers and artificial intelligence into the future.
Led by:
Aaron Wang (Vancouver Island University)
 
with:
Brandon Brownlee
Hale Rothery (Vancouver Island University)
 
Recorded 7 June 2023

The Canadian Philosophy Show #621

Part 2 of Paradoxes in Philosophy explores the importance of logical and semantic paradox in the philosophical tradition. In this episode, we dive into the topic of identity and language with the Ship of Theseus paradox and the Christian paradoxes of bilocation and coincidence. Metaphysics, ethics, and logic all coincide in this exploration of the odd and contradictory.
 
Led by:
Mihai Covaser (University of British Columbia)
with:
Brandon Brownlee
Aaron Wang (Vancouver Island University)
 
Recorded 3 June 2023

The Canadian Philosophy Show #620

Part 1 of Paradoxes in Philosophy explores the importance of logical and semantic paradox in the philosophical tradition. In this episode, we discuss the paradoxes of Ancient Greece, beginning with Euthyphro's Dilemma and two of Zeno's famous paradoxes: Achilles and the Tortoise and The Arrow. Metaphysics, ethics, and logic all coincide in this exploration of the odd and contradictory.
 
Led by:
Mihai Covaser (University of British Columbia)
with:
Brandon Brownlee
Aaron Wang (Vancouver Island University)
 
Recorded 2 June 2023

The Canadian Philosophy Show #619

On this week's episode we continue our theme of media theory. We discuss Noam Chomsky's theories of media control: how an elite class of citizens use propaganda in the media to effectively control public opinion and the democratic process. We also discuss how, through the concepts of Walter Benjamin, mass media may in fact be a self-perpetuating system with radical political and structural implications.
 
Recorded 31 May 2023
Show hosted by:
Hale Rothery (Vancouver Island University)
With:
Brandon Brownlee
Aaron Wang (Vancouver Island University)

The Canadian Philosophy Show #618

On this week's episode of the Canadian Philosophy show we'll take a look at some Media Theory through the lens of the Canadian Philosopher Marshall McLuhan. We will discuss and unravel a few of McLuhan's core concepts to better understand how media technologies actually work. Seeking to create a better understanding of how different forms of media function, how we use them, and perhaps most importantly, how those same technologies shape our worlds and our very own identities.
 
Recorded 17 May 2023
Show hosted by:
Hale Rothery (Vancouver Island University)
With:
Brandon Brownlee
Aaron Wang (Vancouver Island University)