Show Notes
What if artificial intelligence isn't just about machines? What if it's part of a much longer story about how we understand ourselves?
In every age, humans have questioned what separates us from animals, machines, and each other. In this episode, Angus Hervey and Ada Palmer explore our changing ideas of consciousness and intelligence. From Descartes and religion to Astro Boy and the futures we once imagined, this conversation connects our history of consciousness with today's AI debate.
In this conversation: • What Descartes would make of artificial intelligence? • Why Japan gave Astro Boy a birth certificate? • What Ada's science fiction epic, Terra Ignota, got right about AI • And is consciousness really a yes-or-no question?
Timestamps: 00:54 What Descartes would say if you gave him Claude? 04:51 How our theories of consciousness have changed history 09:22 How Astro Boy influenced Silicon Valley 11:16 The history of Manga 19:12 Do you need to be alive to be conscious? 21:50 What Aristotle got right in defining the differences between things 24:37 Appetites. Passions. Reason. 29:32 The religious debate - Body v The Soul 32:10 Dante’s Inferno unlocked 34:24 Our history of monsters 36:49 The Empathy Sphere 41:08 The Power of Science Fiction 42:37 What Ada’s novel 'Terra Ignota' reveals about consciousness, rights and intelligence 45:18 Our desire for First Contact 47:08 How the future failed us in the year 2000 53:09 What Montaigne learned from concussion 01:00:32 Final Thoughts
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Production credits: Hosted by Angus Hervey and Ada Palmer Produced by Amy Davoren-Rose, Fix The News Audio production: Anthony Badolato, Hear That!
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Every generation thinks it’s living through unprecedented change. A Short History of Saving the World is a new history podcast with Angus Hervey and historian Ada Palmer that explores the turning points, crises, and ideas that shaped world history - and the hidden patterns that connect them. From ancient civilisations to modern global events, this series zooms out to ask a bigger question: what actually happens when the world feels like it’s falling apart?