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PODCAST

Prosthetic Gods

James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits

Welcome to “Prosthetic Gods,” the podcast where bioethicist James Hughes and philosopher Nir Eisikovits engage in spirited debates on the ethics and politics of emerging technologies. Hughes, a pro-technology transhumanist, and Eisikovits, with his Luddite stance, explore topics from brain-computer interfaces to artificial intelligence. Tune in and explore the promise and perils of technological advancements with us!

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

133:21

Live from Portsmouth: Artificial Intelligence and...

Prosthetic Gods ·

2026/04/17

Live from Portsmouth: Artificial Intelligence and Human ValuesIn this special live episode of Prosthetic Gods, we bring you a night of big ideas recorded on April 2nd at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Presented as part of the University of New Hampshire's Sidore Lecture Series, "Artificial Intelligence and Human Values" gathered three leading thinkers to explore what AI means for how we live, think, and relate to one another. The evening opens with short, TED-style talks from Kay

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69:27

Sven Nyholm on Ethics of AI

Prosthetic Gods ·

2026/04/09

Episode 39 - Sven Nyholm on the Ethics of AIThis week on Prosthetic Gods we are talking to Sven Nyholm about his new book The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. If our thinking relies on external media, where do we stop and the AIs start? What is the moral status of LLMs? Are they sentient? Are AI relationships any good? And should we raise robots like children? Sven Nyholm is Professor of the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence at LMU Munich and a Principal Investigator for AI Ethics at the Munich

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62:00

Humanoid Robots

Prosthetic Gods ·

2026/03/25

Episode 38 - Humanoid RobotsThis week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J talk about the distinctive ethical issues raised by the humanoid robots coming to homes and workplaces. Their presence and human-like form elicit unique responses compared to those of non-embodied AI. The appearance of a robot can manipulate human empathy and consent; robotic caregiving could be used as a pretext to dismantle the social safety net, and robot lovers could deepen loneliness. Show Notes: Moravec’s paradox “Can AI

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50:50

Anthropic's Conflict with the Pentagon: A...

Prosthetic Gods ·

2026/03/13

Episode 37 - Anthropic's Conflict with the Pentagon: A Conversation with Alan RozenshteinThis week on Prosthetic Gods, J and Nir are talking to Alan Rozenshtein, professor of Law at the University of Minnesota, senior editor of Lawfare, fellow at Brookings, and former attorney at the Justice Department specializing in national defense. We talked about the legal and political implications of the Trump administration’s conflict with Anthropic over the military and surveillance uses of Claude. Show

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55:19

Buddhism and the Self

Prosthetic Gods ·

2026/02/18

Episode 36 - Buddhism and the SelfThis week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir is interrogating an essay by J. on Buddhism, enhancement, and the self. They discuss the appeal of Buddhism for teenage Hughes, and how Buddhism reconciles a radical deconstruction of the self with moral commitment and principles. Show Notes: Buddhism and Our Posthuman Future - J. Hughes Cyborg Buddha - A conversation with transhumanist James Hughes Personal Immortality in Transhumanism and Ancient Indian Philosophy - Adam

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65:10

Pluribus

Prosthetic Gods ·

2026/02/04

Episode 34 - PluribusThis week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J are discussing the hit Apple TV show Pluribus. Created by Vince Gilligan, the show runner of Breaking Bad, the show explores a world taken over by a very nice hive mind that wants to give you anything you want. Would you take advantage of the perks, appreciate that the hive reduced humanity’s suffering, or fight like hell to give us all back our miserable individuality? Show Notes: “In Apple TV’s ‘Pluribus,’ the biggest ethical dilemmas

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51:48

Simulations

Prosthetic Gods ·

2026/01/22

Episode 33 - SimulationsThis week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J. discuss the simulation hypothesis, the idea that we may actually be living in the Matrix. We discuss its religious and philosophical precedents, Bostrom’s classic argument, and the contemporary physics that some think supports the idea. Show Notes: The Simulation Argument Are we living in a computer simulation? I don’t know. Probably. As always, listeners can contact us at prostheticgods@gmail.com with questions, comments, and

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56:50

Moral Enhancement

Prosthetic Gods ·

2026/01/09

Episode 32 - Moral EnhancementThis week on Prosthetic Gods, J and Nir discuss “moral enhancement,” the use of drugs and devices to promote moral sentiments, cognition, and behavior. Is it any different from drinking coffee instead of alcohol when you go to work? What might the unintended consequences be of making ourselves more compassionate? Is happiness a virtue? Show Notes: Bernie and Hinton ondemocratizing AI Europe is Bending the Knee to the US on Tech Policy WHO Sets GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drug

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58:55

Shoulda Put a Ring On It

Prosthetic Gods ·

2025/12/23

Episode 31 - Shoulda Put a Ring On ItShould you be able to marry your chatbot? Should it be allowed to own property? In this episode of Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J discuss the proposed law in Ohio banning AI personhood. Listen before you make any rash decisions! Show Notes: Ohio House Bill 469 Ohio House Bill 469 would label artificial intelligence as 'nonsentient entities' and block legal personhood “It’s time to prepare for AI personhood” Jacy Reese Anthis “The Quest for the Transition of

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65:13

3I/Atlas, Aliens and Open Minds: A Chat with Avi Loeb

Prosthetic Gods ·

2025/12/13

This week on Prosthetic Gods Nir and J. chat with astronomer Avi Loeb about the mysteries of our interstellar visitor, 3I/Atlas. Is there a systemic bias in astronomy against the possibility of non-natural explanations for odd astronomical objects? What is the relationship of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence in our galaxy, in our solar system, and in our skies? Dr. Loeb is an astrophysicist at Harvard University, head of the Galileo Project to find extraterrestrial life, and author most

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50:01

Nuclear Nightmares

Prosthetic Gods ·

2025/11/26

Episode 30 - Nuclear NightmaresThis week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J discuss the Netflix movie House of Dynamite, a nuclear war drama by Kathryn Bigelow. Show Notes: “The age of AI-powered cyberattacks is here” Meet Project Suncatcher, a research moonshot to scale machine learning compute in space. Anomalies of 3I/ATLAS, Organized by Likelihood by Avi Loeb Peter Thiel's fund offloaded Nvidia stake in third quarter, filing shows As always, listeners can contact us

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62:25

Algorithms and Democracy with Jose Marichal

Prosthetic Gods ·

2025/11/12

Episode 29 - Algorithms and Democracy with Jose MarichalThis week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J chat with Jose Marichal, professor of political science at California Lutheran University, and author of You Must Become an Algorithmic Problem. He is, according to a chatbot, a critical-democratic institutionalist who focuses on everyday algorithmic power and citizen agency. Find out more about Dr. Marichal and his work via his website or by checking out his new book. As always, listeners can

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58:36

Yuval Levin on Conservatism and Technology

Prosthetic Gods ·

2025/10/29

Episode 28 - Yuval Levin on Conservatism and TechnologyThis week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J. speak with Yuval Levin, one of the most insightful and influential conservative thinkers in America today. As the Director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute and the Editor-in-Chief of National Affairs, Levin's work consistently anchors contemporary political debates in deep institutional history and conservative philosophy. His writing often centers on

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48:42

Mission: Mars

Prosthetic Gods ·

2025/10/15

Episode 27 - MarsThis week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J. discuss the prospects for colonizing Mars and space in general. Why do people want to try? How feasible are space colonization schemes? Show Notes: SpaceX Mars Colonization “Plan” The second major European open-source LLM is OUT, and it has been announced as multilingual and fully compliant with the EU AI Act. Meta launches AI-powered smart glasses As always, listeners can contact us at prostheticgods@gmail.com with questions, comments,

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58:30

Technology and Religion

Prosthetic Gods ·

2025/10/01

Episode 26 - Technology & ReligionOn this week’s Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J. discuss the role and history of technology in religious practice. Are emerging technologies just another means of interfacing with religion, or do they challenge the underpinnings of earnest engagement with religious belief? Show Notes: Philosophy Prof. John Kaag Links AI with Famous Writers and Thinkers for 'Talking' E-Books Pray.com's AI Bible As always, listeners can contact us at prostheticgods@gmail.com with

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62:27

Technoprogressivism

Prosthetic Gods ·

2025/09/10

Episode 25 - TechnoprogressivismOn this week’s Prosthetic Gods Nir and J. talk about J’s advocacy of “technoprogressivism.” What is it, and what is it supposed to accomplish? How is it different from techno-utopianism or other leftist ideologies? Show Notes: “Outlines of an historical view of the progress of the human mind” Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas Caritat de Condorcet, 1796 “Technoprogressivism” Wikipedia “The Technoprogressive Agenda After Fascism” J. Hughes, 2025 “EcoSocialism and the

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01:17:13

Longtermism

Prosthetic Gods ·

2025/08/20

Episode 24 - LongtermismThis week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J. discuss the philosophical theory of longtermism, that we should take the interests of hypothetical future people as seriously as existing people. Plus! Listeners can contact us at prostheticgods@gmail.com! Reach out with questions, topics you want to hear more about, or just to say hi. As Nir says, "All complaints go somewhere else." 😂 Show Notes: An Introduction to Longtermism Are Children The Future?: Longtermism, Pronatalism, and

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01:08:33

Trump's AI Action Plan

Prosthetic Gods ·

2025/08/06

Episode 23 - Trump's AI Action PlanThis week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J. discuss the recent AI Action Plan released by the Trump administration, what it proposes, and whether it will be implemented. Show Notes Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan The real winners from Trump’s ‘AI action plan’? Tech companies The Trumpification of AI: What Could Go Wrong? China calls for global AI cooperation days after Trump administration unveils low-regulation strategy Credits: Hosted by James Hughes

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01:15:06

AI and the Future of Higher Education

Prosthetic Gods ·

2025/07/23

Episode 22 - AI and the Future of Higher EducationThis week on Prosthetic Gods, J and Nir discuss how AI will impact the demand for higher education, the structure of higher education institutions, and the way we teach and learn. Show Notes J. Hughes “The Deskilling of Teaching and the Case for Intelligent Tutoring Systems” (2021) https://jeet.ieet.org/index.php/home/article/view/90 IEET White Paper - Emerging Technologies & Higher Education Grok Rolls Out Pornographic Anime Companion, Lands

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57:26

The Future of Work & The Value of Leisure

Prosthetic Gods ·

2025/07/09

Episode 21 - The Future of Work & The Value of LeisureThis week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J discuss whether we are witnessing a decline in work, and if so, can that be a good thing? Credits: Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits Produced by Jake Burley Music by Jake Burley

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