Tech Advances & Ethical Consumption

We cover two listener questions in today’s episode, with two guests once again in the Listener’s Chair, those being Alex Kauffmann and Suzi Darrington, who sit alongside the regular co-hosts Stuart ‘The Wildman’ Mabbutt and William Mankelow.

The two questions up for discussion are: “How do technological advancements alter scientific methodologies?” which was sent in by Floss in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada, and “Can ethical consumption ever exist in a capitalistic society?” which was posed by Paul in Queensland, Australia.

From Floss’s question, Alex feels that technology evolves to become more accurate and precise over time, forcing scientific methodologies to adapt accordingly. Suzi sees positive AI applications in science (early breast cancer detection for example) but is concerned about how it’s being used in the creative fields, while Stuart advocates for technology to enhance rather than replace human skills and awareness. William emphasizes viewing AI as a tool rather than a master, for example it can be useful for mentoring when human mentors aren't accessible. He feels it all comes down to how AI is used.

Then from Paul’s question, William attempts to define ethical consumption by encouraging you to "stop buying crap and just buy what you actually need to exist", while Suzi posits the idea that “ if consumption is ethical, it would have to be good, not just neutral. But she thinks when people criticize consumption under capitalism, the suggestion is that it's not only not ethically good, it's actually ethically bad because it relies on someone's exploitation.” Meanwhile Alex believes that pure ethical consumption under capitalism is impossible, and advocates to be conscious of your environmental impact in consumption decisions. Stuart questions whether anyone is truly outside the capitalist system - he asks "aren't we all in the system?"

What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠[e-mail]

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