AI, Philosophy & the Good Life

Show notes

 "Everything has a philosophy, even if you are not aware of it.” — Patricia Ferreiro

Key Takeaways

- AI’s ability to always offer an answer can appeal to our discomfort with uncertainty, making it important to question responses and leave room for deeper inquiry.
- Protecting time without technology gives us space to develop our own thoughts, practise sustained attention and make connections beyond the answers a tool provides.
- Friction can make learning richer: showing up, practising alongside others and encountering different perspectives bring experiences that convenience alone cannot offer.
- Patricia challenges “human in the loop” and asks where AI belongs in human activities, keeping our purpose, choices and responsibility at the centre.
- Living well with technology requires examining the habits, relationships and values it encourages, and whether these help us become the people we aspire to be.

Learn more about Patricia’s work

Patricia Ferreiro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciaferreiro/

Patricia also facilitates workshops within companies for teams interested in bringing philosophical reflection into their work.

Patricia’s recommended reading

Pressed for Time: The Acceleration of Life in Digital Capitalism — by sociologist Prof. Judy Wajcman: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo19085612.html

Why Patricia recommends it: How does technology change our perception of time, the great equalizer? This work offers a gentle introduction to understanding how the human condition intertwines with our inventions in every dimension of our experience.

Technology and the Virtues: A Philosophical Guide to a Future Worth Wanting — by philosopher Prof. Shannon Vallor: https://academic.oup.com/book/25951

Why Patricia recommends it: Do better machines make us better humans? Do the technologies we develop encourage human flourishing or inhibit it? Drawing on Western and Eastern traditions, Vallor explores how we can cultivate our moral character to achieve a well-lived life, revisiting timeless questions in a new light.

Also mentioned in the conversation

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World — Cal Newport: https://calnewport.com/deep-work-rules-for-focused-success-in-a-distracted-world/

If this episode made you think differently about AI, the value of friction, or the role of technology in living a good life, let us know in the comments or share it with someone who would enjoy the conversation.

Producing partner: Tess Marketing Consulting & Stephan Germann
https://www.tess-marketing.ch/ 
https://videopodcast.studio/