Wicked Problems: Lessons From The Ruins Of Maya; Machine Learning + Ethics / David O’Hara
This is my second interview with David O'Hara, and as with the first, conversing with him is always a delight and a great pleasure. In this episode, we discussed his trip to Central America, and the recent archaeological discovery of a vast Mayan metropolis that "at its peak some 1,500 years ago, covered an area about twice the size of medieval England, with an estimated population of around five million." David describes the cutting-edge technology that is now being used to discover these, until very recently, hidden ruins of an ancient Mayan civilization, and what we can learn from these discoveries regarding our own civilization.
We also get into the ethics of artificial intelligence and the corporate control of the development of computer technology, and the implications this has for how information is disseminated through our society. David discusses some of the underlying issues on relying on algorithms and computer learning to make big decisions for us, and how this kind of thinking leads to unintended outcomes.
Bio:
David O'Hara is a professor of Philosophy and Classics at Augustana University, and the author of the book Downstream: Reflections on Brook Trout, Fly Fishing, and the Waters of Appalachia. David teaches a variety of courses on philosophy, classics, religion, and environmental ethics, and not long before the recording of this episode, had recently returned from a trip to Central America where he teaches an in-depth course on reef ecology.
Episode Notes:
Learn more about and purchase David's book Downstream: Reflections on Brook Trout, Fly Fishing, and the Waters of Appalachia
Read his writings at his blog
Follow him on Twitter @Davoh
Read the article cited in this episode, Sprawling Maya network discovered under Guatemala jungle
