In this first half of my conversation with Mike Conklin, we drift into fields related to the central question such as consciousness and AI.

Episode in a 🌰:

We start by diving into the reason behind asking the question, and then look at reasons vs passions, AI's "consciousness," the loss of human connections, and how these trends are reflected in the college process for students.

In season 2, I highlight one-to-one chats with teachers, professors, and mentors. The primary question for this entire season will remain the same: What makes a human, human? (The exceptions are episodes with special guests, where we might deviate from this topic.)

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:16] Why this question? dinner table debates on AI & consciousness
[00:04:19] : ANSWER TO THE Q: Manipulating our environment + empathy

[00:06:01] David Hume: reason is a slave to the passions
[00:08:56] Can AI generate something truly new?
[00:13:09] Motives, free will, and the horror movie version of AI

[00:17:02] AI as another “social media moment”
[00:21:45] Technology outpacing philosophy
[00:25:31] Shrinking attention spans and the loss of long-form narrative

[00:28:50] Neutral tools and human motives
[00:34:27] College counseling tends - outsourcing reasoning vs. doing the hard work ourselves

[00:35:47] Means vs. ends in school, AI, and life

🥜 Hypothetical Nut of the Day:

If AI could act with its own free will, would it still be “just a tool,” or would it cross into being human?