Next-day delivery, social media, the internet of things, smartphones, video streaming services… Humans are faster and more connected now than ever before. But despite all of the advancements making our lives easier, something feels off. We’re emotionally distressed, divided, and increasingly hostile towards one another. But why? During each episode of The Inhuman Condition, longtime friends Mike (a psychotherapist) and Jordan (a technologist) examine the difficulties experienced by modern so ...
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29. Failure to Launch - Why can’t adolescent males get their s&@# together?
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Particularly in the United States, the current generation of young men have been struggling; with finding meaningful relationships, completing higher education, and just generally gaining autonomy. But why are they struggling? What are the longer-term societal consequences if they continue to struggle? And how can we get them back up to speed with …
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28. Gun Control - Could common sense measures make a difference?
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Whether or not you think guns are a problem in this country, there is an undeniable reality; more people are killed here by them than any other First World country. So why is it that we can't enact any practical solutions to this problem? Discussions of gun regulations often turn to "they're coming to take your guns away!" But is that really the ca…
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27. Media 2.0 - Combating confirmation bias
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Everyone likes being agreed with. It makes us feel good to have our beliefs validated. And this definitely extends to the news. But with the world becoming more and more polarized, especially as it pertains to politics, our media has become fragmented in kind. Stories often only cover topics from a single perspective. There's far too much subjectiv…
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26. Campaign Finance - Follow the money
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The relationship between politics and money is no secret; but lately it seems like less like a relationship and more like a symbiosis. Campaign costs continue to skyrocket and our voices have become a reflection of the amount of money backing them than the ideas themselves. We’re so deep in this model thats it’s causing our elected officials to foc…
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25. Social Influencers - Living for everyone else
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They've come to saturate every media platform we interact with and it's become increasingly difficult to separate individuals' personal media accounts from an ad campaign. But what are social media influencers really marketing through their carefully constructed social media presences? Have they come up with a clever way to sell weight loss supplem…
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24. Remote Learning: The good, the bad, and the ugly
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As many of our children are now attending school remotely as a result of the pandemic, teachers are scrambling to put digital curriculums together and parents are panicking as they have to act as the proxy for educators at home. In time, things will obviously get better; but online learning has some pretty distinct advantages and disadvantages comp…
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23. Information Overload: Do we really need all this?
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The internet gives us unlimited access to the world’s knowledge; but is it actually helpful to have all of that information? Perhaps having such a free flow of data has diluted the importance of authorities and subject matter experts. And are we really getting a fundamental understanding of what we are consuming from the Internet? Or are we just pa…
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22. Gene Editing: Just because we can, should we?
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Want to be taller? Faster? Smarter? Want to eradicate all disease? All physical and mental disabilities? Want to play God? Gene editing, while only in its early stages now, proposes to do just that. And while we obviously want the best for our children, and most would go to any length to ensure our babies are born healthy; where should we draw the …
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21. College: Is it even worth it?
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Before our kids even begin high school, we’re overwhelming them with decisions for college education. But are we emphasizing the looming student loan debt with the same diligence? While college costs have continued to rise, the academic experience has become diluted. Are we really advocating for a brighter future for our children? Or are we setting…
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20. Text Messaging: One person’s LOL is another’s WTF
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iMessage, Slack, email, etc. Our busy lives, along with the proliferation of technology, have massively changed our communications. Rather than the in-person conversations of yore, we’re increasingly relying on small snippets of text and longer timeframes to communicate with colleagues, friends, and loved ones alike. Is missing context causing conf…
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19. Psychotherapy: Why does it help?
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Why is it helpful to talk about our thoughts and feelings with others? Have societal advancements evolved beyond our capacity to deal with them? Perhaps sometimes we need to emotionally reflect with others to navigate the conflict created by these advancements. Let’s have a talk about psychotherapy.
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18. Space Exploration: What’s the big deal?
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Why does space exploration get so much attention? When compared to more economical means of learning about our universe—such as the particle research being done on earth by CERN—sending people and stuff up into space seems like a waste of money. And yet, we spend billions annually doing just that—with relatively little return on investment. So, as …
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Is it a state of mind? An idea? Is it a constant? Or moments in time? Perhaps it’s the journey toward what we want for ourselves? Or maybe the satisfaction with how things ended up? We take our best shot at describing what we think happiness is and how the concept has evolved for us over time.
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16. Internet Commenting - Is there any value in anonymous online discourse?
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At this point, the internet and commenting are almost synonymous. Nearly every place you’ve ever visited online includes commenting or is made up entirely of social interaction. But is there any inherent value to online comments these days? If so, what is it? What problems do internet comments create and which problems do they solve? It’s time to r…
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15. Open-mindedness - What if we give empathy a shot?
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Our interactions with those of differing viewpoints often turn to attacks and diminishment. It’s obvious this isn’t the best way to engage on divisive topics; so why do we default to this? What if we made a conscious effort to ask what motivated their opinion? And explained what motivated ours. Is empathy the path to enlightenment?…
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14. America - Are we broken?
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As we celebrate America’s 244th birthday, it seems like she’s starting to show her age. The country feels more divided everyday. We get angry with opinions that differ than ours. We have become ridged, punitive, and stubborn. Is there room for the American Dream when the most intimate moments shared with our neighbors are angry internet comments? W…
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13. Vaccines - What's all the fuss about?
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Vaccines have received a lot of flack as of late. A quick internet search returns results flooded with controversy, alleged experts, and nonscientific information; leaving many confused and afraid. So what’s the big deal, anyway?
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12. Smartphones Part 1: Can't leave home without ‘em
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(Recorded Feb 2020) They bring us entertainment, information, and the ability to connect. They have singlehandedly (get it?) revolutionized how we exist in the modern world. But has one of our greatest achievements become our biggest distraction? Since we’re all guilty for over depending on them, let's have an honest conversation about our favorite…
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11. Narcissism - Are we living in the age of egocentrism?
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From gazing into the mirror for feedback on our physicality, to posting our opinions online in search of validation; we are consumed by narcissistic motivations and egocentric perspectives. But have technology and social media amplified our interest in ourselves? Or are they themselves a manifestation of our narcissism? And are we more narcissistic…
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10. Artificial Intelligence - Terminator, Turing Tests, and Twitter
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Thanks to pop culture, we’ve all heard about the fantastical dangers of Artificial Intelligence in some form or another. But is it really humanoid robots taking over human civilization by force that we need to worry about in hundreds of years? Or rather, Twitter bots tricking us and spreading misinformation tomorrow? Join the discussion before the …
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9. Conspiracy Theories - “Yeah, but that’s what They want you to think, man.”
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Conspiracy theories are nothing new, but it seems like their popularity and circulation have grown with our ability to share ideas on the internet. Why do some people get so invested in them, while others dismiss them? When are they benign or harmful? What is the responsibility of media companies to regulate their dissemination?…
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8. Videoconferencing - “Please mute your mics... Thanks.”
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Virtual doctors visits, Google Hangouts, augmented reality. In a time of increasing automation and reliance on technology for our jobs, working remotely is becoming more viable. While clunky today, if technology leaders can solve for telepresence, will it change the way we live?
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7. Instant Gratification - I need it NOW!
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The battle of "want" versus "need" is one that we're all familiar with. And when it comes to seeking gratification, our options are endless. Some of us buy things online or binge eat ice cream. Others may need to reach out and touch someone. But do we really need it all now? What are we even looking for? Why do we succumb to the demands instant gra…
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6. Quarantine - Part 2: Why can't we comply?
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This pandemic induced State of Emergency has tested us all. We’ve been advised to stay home and only essential services are being left open; a solution which has led to many societal problems. Some of us are stressed and stir crazy; others are angry and protesting. What leads to difficulty in compliance? Why are some of us more willing to hunker do…
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5. Biohacking - Boost or Bust?
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Need to work longer? Faster? How is your attention span? Do you have a strong erection? Is your hair thinning? Maybe your testosterone is too high? Too low? With nootropics and smart drugs, we strive for everlasting youth and maximum efficiency—but to what end?
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4. Outrage Culture - #triggered
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From social media, the news, music, movies, and even style/design; society has learned that the outrageous is interesting. And while we’ve all been susceptible to a clickbait headline or a provocative tweet—have things gone too far? Is there any substance in our efforts anymore, or are we desperately trying to drive attention to our mediocrity by s…
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3. Quarantine - Part 1: Stay home for someone else.
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How in the hell did we end up here? Quarantine, perhaps one of the oldest technologies in medicine, has become our savior. So what is life like in quarantine? How has new technology joined with old to allow humanity a continued existence? What have we given up? What have we gained? And more personally; how does this feel for us?…
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2. Autonomy - Will robots make us better?
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The tomorrow we have long been promised is finally upon us. The toil and tedium of navigating traffic or the repetitions of assembly line work are quickly becoming a thing of the past. And there's no doubt we will all make use of our new found time for meaningful and creative pursuits. Or will we? Will the robot-ification of our lives instead make …
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The Inhuman Condition podcast introduction, and our first topic: Everyone has an identity, but it's bigger than the sum of its parts. Whether we're conservative, liberal, gay, straight, blue-collar, white-collar; we're expected to identify, label, and diagnose everything as it pertains to who we are. But why do we do it? Are there benefits? Limitat…
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