Aiming for the Moon

139 Episodes

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132. AI Snake Oil and the Skills of the Future: Dr. Arvind Narayanan (Princeton Computer Scientist | Coauthor of "AI Snake Oil")

2026-07-2431:09

Send us Fan Mail In the midst of the AI hype bubble, how do we spot real AI capabilities and snake oil marketing? Many AI companies promise that they will help us predict the future. Is this true? Can AI really predict the future? Turns out, in this capacity at least, it might be more snake oil than success. In this episode, I sit down with Arvind Narayanan, a Princeton Computer Scientist and co-author of AI Snake Oil. We discuss how to spot snake oil as well as how to prepare for a wor...

131. To Think, or Not to Think - The Sad Trajectory of Liberal Arts in Universities and UTulsa's Honors College : Jennifer A. Frey (Former Dean of UTulsa's Honors College)

2026-02-0246:57

Send us Fan Mail This interview is a bit different from other episodes. I sit down with Dr. Jennifer A. Frey, the former Dean of the University of Tulsa’s Honors College. If you’ve been following the Lessons for Interesting People podcast on Substack, you will know I wrote an article about Tulsa’s honors college recently. I committed to UTulsa because the university seemed to have accomplished the impossible: combine a computer science college filled with research opportunities with an Honors...

130. The Consolation of Philosophy - Boethius on Suffering and Hope: Dr. Thomas M. Ward (Prof. of Philosophy @ University of Texas at Austin | Author of "After Stoicism: Last Words of the Last Roman Philosopher")

2025-12-2948:17

Send us Fan Mail What happens when your world crumbles? When all the things you hold dear are snatched away from you? Most of us would give up and despair. And, yet, though he awaited an unjust execution, Roman senator and philosopher Boethius penned these hopeful words: “The world in constant change maintains a harmony. And elements keep peace whose nature is to war.” Faced with his coming death, Boethius reflected upon his life of contemplation and philosophy, writing one of the greatest wo...

129. AI Needs You: Verity Harding (director of the AI & Geopolitics Project @ the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge | Founder of Formation Advisory)

2025-07-2325:04

Send us Fan Mail With the development of artificial intelligence on the rise, we are at a crossroads. How will we continue our innovations and regulations of this new technology? But, this is more than a technological question. As my guest, Verity Harding states, “AI needs you.” In this episode, I sit down with Verity Harding to discuss her book, AI Needs You: How We Can Change AI’s Future and Save Our Own. How we apply AI is a multi-disciplinary issue. We need everyone, from tech peopl...

128. The Accursed Questions - Fyodor Dostoevsky on Suffering, Freedom, and Love: Prof. Gary S. Morson (Prof. of Russian literature @ Northwestern University | Author of "Wonder Confronts Certainty")

2025-03-2833:49

Send us Fan Mail What's the meaning of life? Why is there pain and suffering? How do you balance justice and love? These "accursed questions" have haunted humanity for centuries. Fyodor Dostoevsky sought to answer these questions through his characters' lives. His answers are prophetic for our time. In this episode, I sit down with Northwestern University professor of Russian literature Gary Saul Morson. We discuss what Dostoevsky reveals about developing intellectual honesty, how to deal wit...

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