Category: Tech

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Episode #41: From Google to Meta and Back: Aaron Kagan on “Study Abroad” in the Metaverse

Aaron Kagan is a UX Researcher at Google, and what I would call an “Industrial Phenomenologist.” Phenomenology is really just the rigorous study of experience, so who better to work on User Experience? In this episode, Aaron shares his experiences working in Big Tech, from Google to Meta and back, and we explore both the logistical and philosophical dimensions of building virtual worlds.

Beyond his day job, Aaron is a committed advocate for careers for philosophers in industry, and is currently chair of the American Philosophical Association’s Non-Academic Careers Committee, and holds regular “office hours” at the Daily Nous.

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SPONSORED BY:

TIP JAR

Podcasting is a time-intensive labor of love. Your support is most appreciated!

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SHOW NOTES:

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Episode #40: Googler Aaron Kagan on “Shawshanking” his way out of academia and breaking into Tech

Aaron Kagan is a UX Researcher at Google, and what I would call an “Industrial Phenomenologist.” Phenomenology is really just the rigorous study of experience, so who better to work on User Experience? In this episode, Aaron walks us through the painful process of reinventing himself, a journey that leads him from NYC to the Midwest to LA, from the Ivory Tower to the Googleplex.

Beyond his day job, Aaron is a committed advocate for careers for philosophers in industry, and is currently chair of the American Philosophical Association’s Non-Academic Careers Committee, and holds regular “office hours” at the Daily Nous.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE:

SUPPORT:

SPONSORED BY:

TIP JAR

Podcasting is a time-intensive labor of love. Your support is most appreciated!

$1.00

SHOW NOTES:

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Episode #39: Aaron Kagan on User Experience, Dj-ing, and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Aaron Kagan is a UX Researcher at Google, and what I would call an “Industrial Phenomenologist.” Phenomenology is really just the rigorous study of experience, so who better to work on User Experience? In this episode, Aaron walks us through his journey from philosophy to becoming a successful professional DJ, and how he parlayed his academic expertise into a career in tech.

Beyond his day job, Aaron is a committed advocate for careers for philosophers in industry, and is currently chair of the American Philosophical Association’s Non-Academic Careers Committee, and holds regular “office hours” at the Daily Nous.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE:

SUPPORT:

SPONSORED BY:

TIP JAR

Podcasting is a time-intensive labor of love. Your support is most appreciated!

$1.00

SHOW NOTES:

  • Thanks to Ari Zazem for artwork! You can check him out here and here.
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Episode #38: Joe Vukov on Staying Human in the Age of A.I.

How can we retain our humanity in the age of A.I.? To answer that question, we first have to figure out what makes us human in the first place.

Joe Vukov is an Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department at Loyola University Chicago. His research explores questions at the intersection of ethics, neuroscience, and philosophy of mind, and at the intersection of science and religion. In his new book, Staying Human in an Era of Artificial Intelligence, he shows what is missing in the conventional ways he think about the mind, and offers paths beyond the materialism and gnosticism that haunt our thinking about technology.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE:

SUPPORT:

SPONSORED BY:

TIP JAR

Podcasting is a time-intensive labor of love. Your support is most appreciated!

$1.00

SHOW NOTES:

  • Thanks to Ari Zazem for artwork! You can check him out here and here.
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Episode #15: Zachary Pirtle

Conventional wisdom regards the “STEM” disciplines as diametrically opposed to the humanities in general, and philosophy in particular. But Zachary Pirtle is living proof that this view is wrong headed. After studying philosophy and engineering as an undergraduate, Zach went on to receive an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Arizona State University and his PhD in Systems Engineering from George Washington University. His training and research in engineering was deeply informed by science policy and the philosophy of science.

During his graduate studies, Zach became a Presidential Management Fellow and a civil servant in the federal government. In addition to his day job, Zach has continued publishing his research, and has helped organize the Forum on Philosophy, Engineering, and Technology (fPET).

In this episode, he explains what philosophy–particularly ethics and epistemology–can contribute to engineering. We explore what engineering is; how the philosophy of science helped him stick with the study of engineering; and how to think about the obligations engineers have in and to a democratic society. At a time of waning public confidence in the federal government, on the one hand, and big tech, on the other, Zach helps us reflect on how science and technology policy might be intelligently designed to better serve the public and improve society.

We also talk about the power of science fiction to offer inspiring visions of the future…and his experience helping to organize a citizens forum on asteroids!

 (Note: Pirtle’s views are his own and do not represent his employer)

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