THINKING PHILOSOPHICALLY ABOUT TECHNOLOGY BY WATCHING FILMS (A 12-week course by Dr. Marc Champagne, https://marcchampagnephilosopher.online/)

--- PART A: Software and Hardware ---

WEEK 1: Social media, part 1
Lecture (audio gets better after first 18 minutes):
https://youtu.be/TNTgDFoklkI
Nosedive (2016, by Joe Wright, 1hr3min)
Netflix ($), Black Mirror series, season 3, episode 1

WEEK 2: Basics of philosophy
Lecture (taken from another class, but same content):
https://youtu.be/O-gr8ntZ7lc

WEEK 3: More basics of philosophy + Social media, part 2
Lecture:
https://youtu.be/UKPIGRDWt7Y
The Social Dilemma (2020, by Jeff Orlowski, 1hr34min)
Netflix ($): https://www.netflix.com/title/81254224
Quit social media (2016, by Cal Newport, 14min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E7hkPZ-HTk

WEEK 4: Data, surveillance, and control
Shoshana Zuboff on surveillance capitalism (2019, by VPRO, 50min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIXhnWUmMvw
(Be sure to activate the captions or “CC” button for the few parts in foreign language)
The Selfish Ledger (2016, by Nick Foster, 9min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUSZfEBTwRc
A disturbing concept to reshape humanity with data (2018, by The Verge, 8min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoBAIQjWoUQ
Neuralink demonstration (4min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsCul1sp4hQ
Lecture:
https://youtu.be/8_2hbZ8XkDo

WEEK 5: Artificial people, part 1 (software)
How Far is Too Far? (2019, by R. Downey Jr., 35min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwsrzCVZAb8
Her (2013, by Spike Jonze, 2hr6min)
YouTube ($): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C51B50Qh6sI
John Searle's Chinese room thought-experiment (2015, by BBC, 4min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0MD4sRHj1M
Lecture:
https://youtu.be/WJP80WppHuY

WEEK 6: Artificial people, part 2 (hardware)
Love, art and stories: decoded (2019, by R. Downey Jr., 39 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr1fmKVY3cA
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001, by Steven Spielberg, 2hr26min)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5s2sey
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5s2sf8
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5s2sfc
Lecture:
https://youtu.be/ZKQpsaRP4NU

--- PART B: Wetware and Beyond ---

WEEK 7: Energy and futurology
Into Eternity (2010, by Michael Madsen, 59min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayLxB9fV2y4
Lecture:
https://youtu.be/XUqI2CbbiCw

WEEK 8: Matching, then exceeding, what humans do/want
AlphaGo (2017, by Greg Kohs, 1hr31min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXuK6gekU1Y
Humans need not Apply (2014, by C.G.P. Grey, 15min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S557XQU
Superintelligent AI is an Existential Risk to Humanity (2020, by Science Time, 10min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIHhl6HLgp0
Arguments against the singularity (2016, by Luciano Floridi, 9min)
https://1drv.ms/v/s!AkKHvnxAJJZyhMpvLzu9WLMwEXvalA?e=L78rXM
Can we build AI without losing control over it? (2016, by Sam Harris, 15min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nt3edWLgIg
Lecture:
https://youtu.be/Z5MoN41dbXU

WEEK 9: Biotechnology, part 1 (animals)
Genesis 2.0 (2018, by Maxim Arbugaev and Christian Frei, 1hr52min)
YouTube ($): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmT2wLTZM9o
Lecture:
https://youtu.be/JTvVkxMgqVw

WEEK 10: Biotechnology, part 2 (humans)
Gattaca (1997, by Andrew Niccol, 1hr46min)
https://archive.org/details/Gattaca
Lecture:
https://youtu.be/w5YvFsMftgo

WEEK 11: Enlarging the body’s boundaries and abilities
Can we create new senses for humans? (2015, by David Eagleman, 21min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c1lqFXHvqI
The entire history of you (2011, by Brian Welsh, 49min)
Netflix ($), Black Mirror series, season 1, episode 3
Could we live forever? (2015, by BBC News, 13min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STsTUEOqP-g
Advantageous (2013, by Jennifer Phang, 24min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xiJhd-soyQ
PostHuman: An Intro. to Transhumanism (2013, by Brit. Inst. Posthum. Studies, 11min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTMS9y8OVuY
TechnoCalyps (2006, by Frank Theys, 51min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXTdLfdIfMM&t=5s
(For parts in French near minute 35, just look at English captions already there at bottom)
Lecture:
https://youtu.be/ls58Xpooz-w

WEEK 12: Meaningless efficiency, meaningful inefficiency
THX 1138, director’s cut (2004, by George Lucas, 1hr25min)
YouTube ($): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j93cwCGQsE
Tao Ruspoli, short clip (2010, 2min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJCs-217yVA
Being in the World (2010, by Tao Ruspoli, 1hr21min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcCRmf_tHW8
Lecture:
https://youtu.be/v-wjunBIF4E

ENJOY THE COURSE?
Consider taking more philosophy courses:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgLdzcOS_88
And stay tuned for my forthcoming book on technology…
https://marcchampagnephilosopher.online/writings/