Podcast of the Cybernetic Marxists. Examining the intersection of Technology, (Left) Politics, and Philosophy
Episodes
Nov 13, 2019
Nov 13, 2019
1 hr 11 min
In which we finish our discussion of Eliza, a game by Zachtronics.
"After abandoning her high-powered tech career and a mysterious three-year absence, Evelyn Ishino-Aubrey resurfaces working as a proxy for a virtual counseling app called Eliza. Her job consists solely of reading a script provided to her in real-time by an AI, leaving her no autonomy over what she says. Is Eliza a technological marvel that brings therapy to those who otherwise couldn’t access it? Or is it an ineffective replacement and another vector for technology companies to gain control over our lives and humanity?"
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
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Oct 31, 2019
Oct 31, 2019
1 hr 12 min
In which we play Eliza, a game by Zachtronics.
"After abandoning her high-powered tech career and a mysterious three-year absence, Evelyn Ishino-Aubrey resurfaces working as a proxy for a virtual counseling app called Eliza. Her job consists solely of reading a script provided to her in real-time by an AI, leaving her no autonomy over what she says. Is Eliza a technological marvel that brings therapy to those who otherwise couldn’t access it? Or is it an ineffective replacement and another vector for technology companies to gain control over our lives and humanity?"
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
Links:
Sep 11, 2019
Sep 11, 2019
1 hr 35 min
In which we are joined by our friend Matt, to discuss two articles by François Chollet, "The Implausibility of Intelligence Explosion", and "What Worries Me About AI".
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
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Sep 1, 2019
Sep 1, 2019
58 min
Part two of our collaboration episode with Swampside Chats, in which we (re)read Stafford Beers "Designing Freedom".
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
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Aug 22, 2019
Aug 22, 2019
59 min
A collaboration episode with Swampside Chats, in which we (re)read Stafford Beers "Designing Freedom", and zoom off on all kinds of tangents along the way. Part two will air next week.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
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Aug 7, 2019
Aug 7, 2019
57 min
In which we read "The Necessity of Extended Autopoiesis" by Nathaniel Virgo. (Our reading of) this text treks through cybernetics, gaia theory, deleuzian metaphysics and biology, converging on an understanding of the relation between bodies and processes.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
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Jul 15, 2019
Jul 15, 2019
1 hr 44 min
In which we discuss the Viable System Model, by Stafford Beer. We read "The VSM Guide" by Jon Walker, and "The Viable System Model as a Framework for Understanding Organizations" by Raul Espejo and Antonia Gill.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
Links:
- A diagram of the VSM (on wikipedia)
- The Viable System Model as a Framework for Understanding Organizations
- The VSM Guide
- General Intellect Unit on iTunes
- http://generalintellectunit.net
- Support the show on Patreon
- https://twitter.com/giunitpod
- General Intellect Unit on Facebook
- General Intellect Unit on archive.org
Jun 19, 2019
Jun 19, 2019
1 hr 26 min
In which we continue reading "The People's Republic of Walmart" by Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
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Jun 5, 2019
Jun 5, 2019
1 hr 18 min
In which we read "The People's Republic of Walmart" by Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
Links:
May 18, 2019
May 18, 2019
54 sec
We're launching a community discord server for our patrons!
Support us on Patreon at the $5 per month level or above to get access!
Links:
May 1, 2019
May 1, 2019
1 hr 45 min
In which we are joined by Bob Neubauer to discuss Nick Srnicek's 2016 book "Platform Capitalism"
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
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Apr 17, 2019
Apr 17, 2019
1 hr 56 min
In which we talk about our first thirty-something episodes, and take time to tie some threads together. No, this isn't a clip-show.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
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Apr 7, 2019
Apr 7, 2019
1 min
We are joining forces with our friends at Swampside Chats, and From Alpha To Omega, to form the Emancipation Network, a Marxist podcast network and research collective.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
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Apr 3, 2019
Apr 3, 2019
57 min
In which we (struggle to) read a math paper, The Inherent Instability of Disordered Systems, by Taeer Bar-Yam, Owen Lynch, and Yaneer Bar-Yam.
This paper introduces us to the Multi-scale Law of Requisite Variety, and the importance of organisation at multiple scales. The paper also furnishes a proof that disordered systems will inevitably become ordered by forces in their environment.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
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Mar 16, 2019
Mar 16, 2019
54 sec
Hey there folks!
We're giving away two copies of People's Republic of Walmart, by Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski.
All of our patrons will automatically be included in the draw, while non-patrons can enter their email address in this form to add themselves to the draw.
Winners will be selected at random on the 31st of March, and will be contacted via Patreon message or email to arrange delivery. To keep this fair, if we don't hear back from an entrant within two weeks, we'll draw another winner for that book.
Why are we doing this? Well, Shane accidentally placed three separate pre-orders for this book over the course of two years, so there's two spare copies floating around.
Check out this post on our Patreon page for more details: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25294050