What's R Future

This podcast examines whether artificial intelligence (AI) will amplify totalitarian tendencies in human societies through the philosophical lenses of Augusto Del Noce, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Pope Benedict XVI, and Václav Havel. The case  for  AI enhancing totalitarianism hinges on its alignment with instrumental rationality, which reduces human reasoning to technical problem-solving (D...

This episode discusses the simulation hypothesis, which suggests that our reality could be a simulated environment created by an advanced civilization. We trace the historical and philosophical roots of this idea, from ancient Chinese and Greek philosophy to modern thinkers like Nick Bostrom and David Chalmers. Many influential technologists believe in the simulation hypothesis, which I find probl...

In this podcast script, I discuss the Catholic Church's role in shaping the future of artificial intelligence (AI). Of course I am optimistic about the gradual development of AI and its potential to benefit humanity. I discuss the importance of open-source AI platforms and diversity in AI development, aligning these principles with Catholic teachings on the common good. While bias in AI is inevita...

This WhatsRFuture podcast episode is the second season. In this podcast we discuss the topics of faith, science, and technology from a Catholic perspective. Joining me are Rich Bonomo, the head of the SCS-Wisconsin chapter and Kate Bulinski, a paleontologist and practicing Catholic, from Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY. In this podcast, we discuss the challenges of reconciling faith a...

This WhatsRFuture podcast episode is a bit different than the ones in the past. Rich Bonomo, the first person interviewed on the WhatsRFuture podcast interviews Tim Carone, the podcast host. Rich talks to Tim about Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and how impactful AGI will be to the Church. 00:03:08 Introduction 00:8:45 Artificial Intelligence and AGI Intro 00:27:26 AGI Deep Dive 00:49:32 St...

Today I interview Geoffrey Woollard who is at University of British Columbia (in Vancouver).  We go deep into structure of biological molecules and how he uses computation as a tool to understand causal process at the microscopic level.  We discuss his faith journey and then some interesting topics around faith and reason.

The podcast is an interview with Peter Copeland. Peter is a policy advisor to the Ontario Provincial government and a philosopher of science.  Peter works as a writer and contributor to Catholic Conscience.  He has developed the Philosophy of Science Series that addresses some of the perennial themes in the philosophy of science in their contemporary guise. We discuss his ideas and paper...

Dr. Daniel Vanden Berk is professor at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe PA. Dan is an astrophysicist. He works on extragalactic astronomy and quasars, specifically in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and other satellite based data. We discuss his work and where he's going with it. We'll discuss his background in Catholicism and his faith journey. And we'll talk about suffering and how he views faith a...

Dr. Cara Westmark is an Assistant Professor in the Dept of Neurology, at UW-Madison.  She studies the amyloid beta protein precursor and amyloid beta in Alzheimer’s disease, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome (FXS) and autism.  We discuss her background and research as well as the response of the Catholic Church to COVID and the challenges Catholic scientists faced during the pandemic.&nb...

Dr. Chris Raub is in biomedical engineering at the Catholic University of America and a member of the Society of Catholic Scientists. He uses non-invasive novel imaging techniques to characterize the complex architectures in cells.  Chris studies mechanobiology and tissues on a chip, which he will describe in detail. 00:01:43 - Introduction 00:05:32 - Research 00:32:15 - How does biomedical e...

Dr. Kate Bulinski is a paleontologist at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY and a member of the Society of Catholic Scientists. 00:02:07 - Introduction 00:06:20 - Paleontology 00:28:25 - How does Paleontology fit into the big picture? 00:36:25 - Kate's Faith Journey 00:43:02 - Laudato Si 01:00:05 - The Church and Gender 01:09:33 - Evolution and Creation EPISODE LINKS: Dr. Kate Bulinski on "Fa...

Richard Bonomo is a fusion researcher at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a member of the Society of Catholic Scientists. 00:01:27 - Introduction 00:06:25 - Fusion 00:29:15 - How does Fusion fit into the big picture? 00:33:35 - Richard's Faith Journey 00:39:20 - Transubstantiation 00:49:45 - Challenge of Dealing With People Who Lead Others to Sin 00:56:00 - Richard's Pet Peeve on Engaging...