For the next few weeks, we’re going to be doing something a little bit different. The next three episodes of the series focus on the theme of changing minds: what it means to engage in dialogue with people with whom we disagree, sometimes deeply, and the importance of civil discourse, particularly in this deeply polarized national moment. In the first two episodes, I speak with Daryl Davis about racism, and how he envisions the possibility of changing the minds of those who believe, and participate in, white supremacist and separatist movements.
Daryl Davis is an Black singer and author who has facilitated over 200 members of the KKK to leave the organization, simply by befriending them and letting them know who he is. He's big on simply reaching out rather than censorship and has created a deradicalization movement at change.minds.com to help people connect in a civil way online.
Across these two episodes, I talk to Daryl about his work and his views on navigating this particularly fraught moment. In thinking about the ethics of technology, and in particular, its relationship to our moment of political, cultural, and ideological polarization, the ethics of technology extend far beyond how we use tech. Those ethics start far before we ever sit down at our computer to respond to a Facebook post, or broadcast our views on Twitter. They start with how we imagine, and practice, civil discourse. In my conversations with Daryl, we explore what those ethics can look like, and how they can come to transform our approach to engaging in dialogue with distant others. Distant others can mean geographical distance. It can also mean political distance, ideological distance, or cultural difference. Daryl’s work, and his activism, shows an important alternative to the discord that dominates our current conversation, and points us to the possibility of ethical engagement across that distance.
In the third of these episodes, I speak to Bill Otman, the CEO of Minds.com, a social media platform that provides an alternative to Facebook, and that seeks to prioritize privacy, transparency, and open exchange. Between these conversations, and across these 3 episodes, we explore the relationship between tech and civil discourse, and ways that we all can be part of creating a healthier and more vibrant national conversation—not in spite of our differences and distances, but because of them.
Produced by Matt Perry
Artwork by Desi Aleman
The "Changing Minds" Series: Episode 3 with Minds CEO Bill Ottman
The "Changing Minds" Series: Episode 2 with Daryl Davis
Protecting Our Tech: Dr. Bruce DeBruhl breaks down cybersecurity and what that means for the world, the country, and you
The American Dream Goes Digital: The myths and technologies that bind us with Dr. Julie Albright
How Tech is Changing Democracy Around the Globe: Mohamed Abubakr on democratic revolutions, here and abroad
Tech Stands Up: Brad Taylor builds the new technological revolution
Active Imagination: Malka Older talks humanitarianism, science fiction, and the future of democracy
Block Power: Marcus Miller on mobilizing Black voters, the 2020 Election and grassroots organizing in the age of tech
Server Technology: Ret.Col Robert Gordon III on tech and service
The Impact of Impact: Ethical and socially responsible tech investing
Technically Legal: Professor Jeff Ward explores the relationship between law and tech
Of the people, by the people, for the people: Public Interest Technology with Hana Schank
The Ethics of the Algorithm: Digital innovation and humanistic computation with Dr. Todd Presner
The Way Way Back Machine: A Dive into the Archive with Dr. Jason Lustig
PODCAST TAKEOVER SERIES: Episode 3
PODCAST TAKEOVER SERIES: Episode 2
PODCAST TAKEOVER SERIES: Episode 1
Tech Stands Up: Talking tech leadership with Dex Hunter-Torricke
Biotechnically Human: George Estreich on disability, biotechnology, and how technologies are defining who counts as "human"
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