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
Linking In: HireClub Founder Ketan Anjaria breaks down getting hired in the tech industry
California Dreaming: Silicon Valley's Moral Vision
The Next Generation of Technologists: a roundtable with the future of ethical tech
Science as a Human Endeavor: Carl Zimmer explains the meaning of life, and what it means to write about it
Making up our minds: how AI is rewiring our brains with Professor De Kai
The Meaning of Life: Professor Arthur Caplan Discusses Medical Tech and the Rise of Bioethics
Cultural Revolution: Chris Ategeka calls for a paradigm shift in tech
Data Dystopia: Dave Eggers Discusses Digital Human Rights
Tech Represents: Black Millennials go digital
Ethical Tech Goes to College: Humane technology on campus
The Good Place: talking ethical tech and philosophies of "the good" with Dr. Ryan Jenkins
Phoning Home: Using social media to help end homelessness
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Insight Story: Tech Trends Unpacked
Zero-Shot
Fast Forward by Tomorrow Unlocked: Tech past, tech future
The Unbelivable Truth - Series 1 - 26 including specials and pilot
Acquired