
35 episodes

The Received Wisdom Shobita Parthasarathy & Jack Stilgoe
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- Science
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4.8 • 22 Ratings
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Are robots racist? Should we regulate gene editing? Have people stopped trusting experts? Does scientific research make the world a more unequal place? The Received Wisdom is a podcast about how to realize the potential of science and technology by challenging the received wisdom. Join Shobita and Jack as they talk to thinkers and doers from around the world about governing science and technology to make the world a better place.
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Episode 34: The Importance of the Humanities, Tech Politics, and Equity in Science ft. Cassidy Sugimoto
Jack and Shobita discuss the decline in humanities majors as the number of computer and data science majors rise, and why this is will have very bad consequences. Then they chat about emerging efforts to regulate both in vitro gametogenesis (creation of eggs and sperm using pluripotent stem cells) and generative AI. Finally, they talk to Cassidy Sugimoto, Professor and Tom and Marie Patton School Chair in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Institute of Technology, about her new book, Equity for Women in Science: Dismantling Systemic Barriers to Advancement.
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Episode 33: Abortion Politics, a Moratorium on Generative AI, and the Meaning of Emergency ft. Elizabeth Ellcessor
What makes an emergency? This month, Jack and Shobita talk to Elizabeth Ellcessor, Associate Professor in the Department of Media Studies at University of Virginia, who studies how emergency alert systems shape our understanding of crisis, how this has changed with the rise of new consumer technologies, and the implications especially for communities who are marginalized. They also wrestle with the politics of science in US court decisions about abortion drugs, and recent calls for a moratorium on certain types of artificial intelligence.
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The Politics of Expertise and Retelling the Story of Racism in the Pulse Ox. ft. Amy Moran-Thomas
This month, Jack and Shobita talk about the challenges of ensuring that AI and gene editing reflect human values, and reflect on what the recent train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio tells us about the politics of knowledge. And they chat with Amy Moran-Thomas, Associate Professor of Anthropology at MIT, about her clarion call to address the racial biases embedded in the pulse oximeter, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2020.
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Episode 31: Science and Society at the White House, ChatGPT, and the Paradox of Data-Driven Agricultured
In this episode, Jack and Shobita discuss Alondra Nelson's departure from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the meaning for the position she created, Deputy Director for Science and Society. We also try to get beyond ChatGPT's hype to talk about some of the long-term implications. And we chat with Kelly Bronson, Canada Research Chair in Science and Society at the University of Ottawa, about her book The Immaculate Conception of Data: Agribusiness, Activists, and Their Shared Politics of the Future.
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Episode 30: The Future of Academic Culture, Cryptocurrency, and Abortion ft. Aziza Ahmed
This month, Shobita and Jack talk about the recent concerns about academic culture in the science and technology studies community, how to understand FTX's recent implosion, and the bizarre logics of effective altruism. And we chat with Boston University law professor Aziza Ahmed about how the politics of knowledge are shaping abortion politics in the United States.
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Episode 29: British Politics, the CHIPS Act, and Rethinking the Green Revolution ft. Glenn Stone
Jack and Shobita chat about the disasters in British politics, the CHIPS and Science Act, and how to determine whether self-driving cars are safe. Plus we chat with anthropologist Glenn Davis Stone, Professor at Sweet Briar College and author of the recent book The Agricultural Dilemma: How Not to Feed the World. Stone argues that we've been learning the story of the Green Revolution all wrong, and this has huge implications for how we think about more recent agricultural technologies like fertilizer and genetically modified organisms.
Customer Reviews
Thoughtful analysis of science and society issues
Shobita and Jack discuss current science and tech issues and events through the lens of its impact on social issues, especially topics often overlooked in the excitement of new discoveries. Explained in layman’s terms, and with expert guests, this podcast shines a light on important considerations that should be addressed in the creation of new medical, tech and science solutions
Two leading thinkers in STS find a new voice
Shobita and Jack are at the forefront of thinking on the relationships between, science, technology, and society. Each has a clear public voice on a wide range of topics, and a history of commitment to making academic concepts both intelligible and engaged with current debates shaping our societies. I’m excited to see how they bring their skills to bare through this podcast, and I can confidently say you will not be disappointed.
Exciting!
Such a promising addition to the resources associated with STS!