Episode #1: AI's Tendency Toward Sociopathy 

What apocalyptic machination stalks our species from just outside our collective periphery?

In the interest of transparency, The Great Filter is a PhobosTech production. All proceeds go to funding the STEM Theory research project and other PhobosTech endeavors.

 

 

THE GREAT FILTER

A PhobosTech Podcast

The Great Filter [skull logo]

Will we be the filtered or the filtrate?

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The nature of existence is such that we will always find ourselves hurtling toward a string of sequential cataclysmic events. From meteors, Climate change, nuclear wars, and engineered pandemics to the more exotic (and likely far more dangerous) possibilities like extra terrestrial interventions. We may even find ourselves face-to-face with something so great and so powerful, no human mind could ever have conceived of the possibility.

Is there anything we can do about it? Is there something we can do to best prepare our species – no matter how frail the chance of success?

Unfortunately, humanity is lacking in the “proactive measures” department.

Let’s talk about that.

If you enjoy The Great Filter (and gosh, we hope you do), please show your support by sharing, liking, and subscribing. You may also help support our efforts with a small monthly donation (because it would really help with funding our research efforts)   <3

Episode 15, Global Suicide: Parts I-V
Listen to all five episodes!

Up The Gravity Well
Up The Gravity Well
This is a reading of 'Up The Gravity Well', my entry for the Medium Writers Challenge. The entry can be found here...
00:23:02
October 25, 2021
William Shatner's Post-Flight Thoughts (commentary)
William Shatner's Post-Flight Thoughts ...
Congratulations to William Shatner! "I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have be...
00:18:29
October 18, 2021
Escape To Mars: Moving Humanity Off Planet
Escape To Mars: Moving Humanity Off Pla...
Impact threats are the most certain of any extinction-level events. Yet, despite the warnings of hundreds of scien...
00:46:24
October 10, 2021
Can't We Just Get Rid Of Money?
Can't We Just Get Rid Of Money?
What are the common arguments for the necessity of money? Are there any logical counterarguments? What profession ...
00:38:23
October 04, 2021
The Education Catastrophe
The Education Catastrophe
Our children are the future, yet our willingness to invest in them dawdles and whimpers. With so much at stake - i...
00:52:32
September 27, 2021
Global Suicide - Part V: Can Star Trek Save Us?
Global Suicide - Part V: Can Star Trek ...
Science fiction often drives innovation. Star Trek, specifically, has inspired the computer and the cellular telep...
01:00:37
September 20, 2021
Global Suicide - Part IV: Disorder & Dead Presidents
Global Suicide - Part IV: Disorder & De...
Entropy is a two-edged sword. It is our life-force; but if it accelerates and begins to runaway with our energy, i...
01:01:53
September 13, 2021
Global Suicide - Part III: Psychology of Self-Extinction
Global Suicide - Part III: Psychology o...
Understanding our own psychology and social behaviors are critical to avoiding self-extinction. This episode explo...
00:49:00
September 06, 2021
Global Suicide - Part II: Shotgun Serenade
Global Suicide - Part II: Shotgun Seren...
What are the possible self-extinction scenarios and why is it important to understand this? In this episode we exp...
00:36:23
August 30, 2021
Global Suicide - Part I: Carrots & Sticks
Global Suicide - Part I: Carrots & Stic...
"The first subcategory of suicide is of the more immediate sort; intentionally carried out by the conscious mind a...
00:34:22
August 16, 2021
Stories of Greed, Debt & Corruption
Stories of Greed, Debt & Corruption
The distraction and waste of resources that greed brings is a symptom of the very paradigm that very well may spel...
00:48:58
August 09, 2021
The Alien Invasion
The Alien Invasion
Could one of the many great filters actually be a ruthless, galactic, empire; ready to slaughter entire worlds tha...
00:36:43
August 02, 2021
Planned Obsolescence
Planned Obsolescence
What does planned obsolescence have to do with the great filter? Fucking everything ... --- Support this podcas...
00:45:38
July 23, 2021
Becoming Your Best Self In A Less-Than-Ideal World
Becoming Your Best Self In A Less-Than-...
It's time for a more upbeat episode, wouldn't you say? You've heard the phrase, "Be the change you want to see"? I...
00:36:30
July 20, 2021
Xà La'awran's Coin | An Allegorical Account
Xà La'awran's Coin | An Allegorical Ac...
Xà La'awran's Coin is a story I wrote some time ago. I've always meant to put an animation to it (and I likely wi...
00:25:24
July 17, 2021
Survival Priority & Our Best Possible Selves
Survival Priority & Our Best Possible S...
What are the bare-bone attributes that we would need if we were to increase our chances of surviving as many great...
00:41:25
July 16, 2021
Survival of The Twitter-iest: Part II
Survival of The Twitter-iest: Part II
Humanity's intelligence and socially cohesive dynamic have rocketed us to the top of the food-chain. However, Davi...
00:38:22
July 13, 2021
Survival of The Twitter-iest: Part I
Survival of The Twitter-iest: Part I
What are the evolution-honed traits that allowed humanity to rocket to the top of the food-chain? Will they be eno...
00:34:33
July 10, 2021
Existential Risk & Natural Disasters
Existential Risk & Natural Disasters
What are the most dangerous natural disasters? Which one's can cause the total extinction of the human race and ho...
00:34:32
July 06, 2021
Our Best Possible Scenario
Our Best Possible Scenario
What would we need if we were to create the perfect atmosphere for human survival? How much of a system change wou...
00:47:21
July 02, 2021
At The Core Of Climate Change
At The Core Of Climate Change
It's odd that so many people are scrambling to fix climate change - yet so few have actually taken the time to poi...
00:39:57
June 30, 2021
Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?
Why Is There Something Rather Than Noth...
Why does anything exist at all? What is reality all about? I offer my best shot as to why there is something rathe...
00:36:41
June 25, 2021
The Failure of Trust in Science
The Failure of Trust in Science
With science being a search for truth, how did we find ourselves in the contradictory situation where science itse...
00:41:21
June 22, 2021
How We Will All Die (aka: The Great Filter's Rubik's Cube)
How We Will All Die (aka: The Great Fil...
What is The Drake Equation? What is Fermi's Paradox? What is The Great Filter? What is our probability of survivin...
00:33:16
June 16, 2021
Is Ransomware Avoidable?
Is Ransomware Avoidable?
Ransomware is ravaging our world, attacking medical facilities and small businesses. What is really going on here?...
00:31:59
June 08, 2021
The Machine Uprising: Building AI Sociopaths
The Machine Uprising: Building AI Socio...
Having worked with AI for the past few years, I am troubled with a very specific issue which I have yet to hear an...
00:27:08
June 02, 2021

As a species, we have an incredible journey of discovery ahead of us, if we can muster what it takes to survive.

The Great Filter is a theory put forth by Robin Hanson in response to the Fermi paradox which, likewise, was a response to the Drake Equation and the problems that sprang from it.

The Drake equation estimates that there should be life peppered throughout the galaxy – up until the very last variable.

The Fermi paradox begs the question: If there are a vast many civilizations within the Milky Way which are capable of communication, why are the skies so quiet?

The resulting hypothetical answer to this question was that a great and unknown mechanism is at play in the universe which destroys the majority of civilizations before they are capable of producing radio signals that can penetrate deep into space.

This is a very real problem which this podcast intends to investigate.