December 29, 2016
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Plug and Play Solar is a technology whose time has come.
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A high energy particle physicist wonders, are we asking the right questions?
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Roland asks, can posing basic questions about science help us solve other non-scientific problems?
Guest: Professor Joshua Pearce, Michigan Technological University, Houghton
Resource: Ted talk by physicist James Beecham, CERN, Switzerland
December 21, 2016
December 15, 2016
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Media coverage of some recent events reinforces popular beliefs that the media is biased.
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A political scientist describes how populism can lead to autocracy.
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Homo sapiens could split into several new species in the event of a global catastrophic event.
Guest: Professor Erica Frantz, Michigan State University and co-author of the Foreign Affairs magazine article "How Democracies Fall Apart: Why Populism is a Pathway to Autocracy."
December 7, 2016
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The EU suffers another reverse as Italian populists win an important election.
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A China expert and former Australian prime minister talks about how to diffuse tensions between China and the United States.
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High school students in Australia make a drug for $2 that cost $750 per dose in the US.
Resource: Ted talk by former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd
Archive
Program Descriptions
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Can we as Team Humanity shape and direct our future? In the final analysis that is what Radio Alexandria's programs are all about.
Radio Alexandria's programs promote diverse points of view and encourage original, speculative ideas about humanity's future. Our flagship program The Next Chapter examines such controversial, cutting edge ideas as Martin Ford's description of a society where virtually all the work is done by machines, the Singularity of Ray Kurzweil and others. Eliezer Yudkovsky's theory of Friendly AI, and philosopher Nick Bostrom's theory of reality as a simulation by a super civilization. These ideas are often discussed among the educated elite. They are likely to shape the future of humanity in the 21st Century.
The Next Chapter looks at their political and social implications while bringing these ideas to a far broader audience. Is this the direction we as a species really want to go? What will happen to traditional family life, to religion and spirituality, and to the political liberties we enjoy today? Are there other options and if so what are they?
Of particular concern is how to solve problems common to many of the major world powers. While each has a distinctive history, culture, and political system they all appear to suffer from endemic corruption of the political process, a creeping erosion of civil liberties, and excessive concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a small elite.
Often a nation recognizes that it has serious political, economic, and social problems. Rather than focus on the deficiencies Radio Alexandria's programs will look at how these nations are searching for solutions. What lessons can each nation share that will enrich and improve the lives of citizens of all countries?
Can we direct our future? Tune into The Next Chapter to find out.
To Listen to full programs and view the full list of Transcripts click here (PRX website).