18 | How do we construct our realities?

The Monkey Dance

#Science #Society #Podcasting Education #Philosophy #Monkey Dance

22:08

Host Francesca Amiker sits down with directors Joe and Anthony Russo, producer Angela Russo-Otstot, stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, and more to uncover how family was the key to building the emotional core of The Electric State . From the Russos’ own experiences growing up in a large Italian family to the film’s central relationship between Michelle and her robot brother Kid Cosmo, family relationships both on and off of the set were the key to bringing The Electric State to life. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts . State Secrets: Inside the Making of The Electric State is produced by Netflix and Treefort Media.…

hace un año 1:37:58

MP3•Episodio en casa

How do we use symbols to construct and reconstruct our internal realities? We sit down with two new cohosts of The Monkey Dance, Mariem Diané and Xueyi Yao, to talk about the relationship between language and memory and the importance of symbols in abstract thought. We cover a lot of ground, going from temporal perception and learning to social dynamics and the mitigation of uncertainty from early childhood to adulthood.

Full show notes here:

https://www.monkeydancepod.com/episodes/episode-18

29 episodios

18 | How do we construct our realities?

The Monkey Dance

published hace un año

MP3•Episodio en casa

Full show notes here:

https://www.monkeydancepod.com/episodes/episode-18

29 episodios

#Science #Society #Podcasting Education #Philosophy #Monkey Dance

כל הפרקים

1
28 | Whose fault is it? 1:42:30

hace 5 días1:42:30

1:42:30

How do we decide whether someone should be held responsible for something? We sit down with cognitive scientist Katarina Kovačević to talk about ascribing responsibility, and how our intuitions about responsibility shape behavior. We chat about the differences between knowing and not knowing what we're doing is wrong, versus the grey area of having had access to the knowledge but avoiding it. We also cover Katarina's work on victim blaming, what all of this means about our relationship with the legal systems we live under, and how to account for situations where a machine (like AI) is involved. Joining us as a co-host is philosopher Pelin Kasar (our guest from Episode 6). Guest: Katarina Kovačević Co-host: Pelin Kasar…

1
27 | Student protests in Serbia 1:01:47

hace 21 días1:01:47

1:01:47

This episode was recorded at 11:30 on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Yesterday (March 10), students blocked access to the state-run Serbian public television headquarters, accusing it of biased coverage. As of this recording, hundreds of students continue to block access to the building. There is a major protest scheduled for Saturday, March 15. Since November of 2024, students in universities across Serbia have been organizing mass protests across the country against the corrupt, autocratic government of Aleksandar Vučić. While the media coverage has focused on the protests themselves, the engine of the student-led movement is a unified, multilateral experiment in absolute democracy that has managed to maintain a flat hierarchy and a single set of demands. Serbian philosopher and anthropologist Aleksandra Knežević joins us to talk about her ongoing work with the movement as both a participant and a researcher. She has been allowed by the students to research the movement, and has been conducting interviews and joining the student meetings as an observer. Guest: Aleksandra Knežević Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade Check out Aleksandra's autoethnography of her experience with the movement: An Autoethnographic Account of the Anti-Corruption Student Protests in Serbia 2024/25 Aleksandra also recommends: 1. An academic article by Katarina Beširević on the protests: “Nisi nadležan”: How a Student Movement Dictates Political Change in Serbia (2024/2025) 2. From The Guardian by Adriana Zaharijević: Serbia’s students are showing the world how to restore democratic hope If the links don't work in your podcast player, you can find links to Aleksandra's paper and the other articles in the show notes: https://www.monkeydancepod.com/episodes/episode-27…

1
26 | How does the brain understand comic books? 1:51:23

hace 26 días1:51:23

1:51:23

Making sense of a series of graphic representations is not simple, but our brains manage to do it with little effort. Our conversation with Neil Cohn starts out with a rethinking of language, moving from an understanding built solely on spoken language to the ability to express meaning across a range of modalities. This moves us into Neil's work on how we develop the ability to understand visual narratives and what this means for our understanding of language as a whole. We chat about emojis, comics, children's books, and a bunch of other fun stuff. Guest: Neil Cohn (personal website) Co-Host: Xueyi Yao Links to everything on the Monkey Dance website: https://www.monkeydancepod.com/episodes/episode-26…

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25 | How does toxicity shape conversations? 1:35:31

hace 6 weeks1:35:31

1:35:31

And how can complexity science help us understand them? We sit down with network scientist Gabriela Juncosa to discuss how political discourse unfolds in online spaces and whether toxic interactions shut conversations down or keep them going. We chat about the structure of online discussions, how social media algorithms influence engagement, and whether the way we talk online differs from in-person interactions. This takes us to the role of network structures in polarization, the ways AI might intervene in online discourse, and whether we can design digital spaces that foster both engagement and constructive dialogue. Joining us as a cohost is philosopher Phyllis Pearson (our guest from Episode 24). Guest: Gabriela Juncosa Co-host: Phyllis Pearson Show notes on the Monkey Dance website…

1
24 | What does it mean to be open minded? 1:44:18

hace 10 weeks1:44:18

1:44:18

We use the terms open mindedness and gaslighting a lot, but do we really understand what they mean? We sit down with Phyllis Pearson to discuss what it means to engage honestly with information and with others. We chat about curiosity and agency, empathy and perspective taking, and the blurry line between being open to the beliefs of others versus maintaining skepticism and asking for justification. This takes us to what honest dialogue looks like, whether gaslighting is always malicious, and what it means to have epistemic agency and to ascribe that agency to others. Guest: Phyllis Pearson Co-host: Juliette Vazard (our guest on Episode 20) As always, show notes on the Monkey Dance website .…

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23 | Why do we show emotion? 1:28:19

hace 15 weeks1:28:19

1:28:19

What is the function of emotional displays? We sit down with Thomas Ganzetti and discuss the role emotions serve in social contexts and how we use the displays of others to gather information about our realities. We chat about the evolutionary trajectory of emotional displays, how they help us navigate our environments, and what we learn about ourselves and those around us as we observe each other (whether we intend to or not). Guest: Thomas Ganzetti Co-Host: Xueyi Yao (to hear more from Xueyi, check out Episode 18!) Show notes on the monkey dance website ! Also, we've now been going for a full year! Thank you to everyone who has been listening and reaching out.…

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22 | How do we experience music? 1:38:22

hace 17 weeks1:38:22

1:38:22

How does the brain process music and how has the perception of music changed over time? We sit down with cognitive neuroscientist Anja-Xiaoxing Cui to chat about how we relate to music, music's role in social interactions, and how music might be used as a tool for regulating emotions. We cover theories of the emergence of music in human history, the relationship between music and other art forms, and whether reading sheet music is at all similar to hearing it. My co-host this episode is Arianna Curioni (who was also our guest on Episode 13). Show notes on the monkey dance website !…

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21 | Resisting narratives that justify inequality 1:29:37

hace 19 weeks1:29:37

1:29:37

What makes systemic inequality such a hard problem to tackle? We sit down with cognitive anthropologist Angarika Deb and cognitive psychologist Ákos Szegőfi and chat about their research on different aspects of the problem. We chat about the cognitive mechanisms involved in perpetuating systemic inequality both on the part of those benefiting from such systems and those who are marginalized by them. We also discuss the importance of narratives and access to information when it comes to both upholding and justifying inequality as well as challenging and dismantling it. Show notes on the Monkey Dance website…

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20 | How do emotions impact cognition? 1:33:41

hace 21 weeks1:33:41

1:33:41

What are emotions and how do they impact cognition? We sit down with philosopher Juliette Vazard to talk about what we can learn from our emotions, the relationship between emotions and beliefs, and how emotions can shape our behavior. We cover everything from learning and curiosity, to the epistemic value of emotional states, to their impact on how we relate to the world. Joining me as a co-host is philosopher Maria Fedorova , our guest on Episode 17. As always, you can check out the show notes on the website You an also watch the episode on youtube…

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19 | Manipulating memory: How event structure impacts recall 1:43:27

hace 23 weeks1:43:27

1:43:27

Does everybody experience memory in the same way? We sit down with Andreas Arslan to chat about what we spontaneously imagine when we read or actively remember, and how everything from inferring causal relationships to the salience of symbols can impact recall. We also talk about how the structure of experience impacts and possibly even determines what and how we remember. Show notes on the website Or watch on youtube…

1
18 | How do we construct our realities? 1:37:58

hace 25 weeks1:37:58

1:37:58

How do we use symbols to construct and reconstruct our internal realities? We sit down with two new cohosts of The Monkey Dance, Mariem Diané and Xueyi Yao , to talk about the relationship between language and memory and the importance of symbols in abstract thought. We cover a lot of ground, going from temporal perception and learning to social dynamics and the mitigation of uncertainty from early childhood to adulthood. Full show notes here: https://www.monkeydancepod.com/episodes/episode-18…

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17 | Does imagination help us learn about the world? 1:47:13

hace 27 weeks1:47:13

1:47:13

Why do we have imagination? We sit down with philosopher Maria Fedorova to chat about what imagination is, ways to describe imagination as a process and a capacity, and whether it differs from perception and hallucination (if at all). We also discuss how imagination helps us navigate our realities, its relationship to our beliefs, and its role in empathy and understanding the perspectives of others.…

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16 | Can we increase democratic empowerment through decentralization? 1:30:46

hace 32 weeks1:30:46

1:30:46

How can we balance knowledge transfer and democratic empowerment? We sit down with Kristina Vasić and Ákos Szegőfi in a wide ranging discussion about the importance of access to information in a democracy, the need for institutions for knowledge transfer, and how decentralization can help deconstruct entrenched power structures. The conversation spans types of dialogue, the usefulness of rhetoric, whether any argument can be free of bias, and a bunch of other related topics on power, information, and governance.…

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15 | On Nostalgia: Memory, personal histories, and decolonizing narratives 1:47:23

hace 35 weeks1:47:23

1:47:23

What is the function of nostalgia? We sit down with Manu Sharma and talk about what makes a memory, what functions thinking about the past serves, and the impact of broader societal narratives on our senses of self. We discuss the construction of personal histories, their relationships to cultural histories, and also how historical narratives can be constructed by political movements to embolden and dehumanize groups of people.…

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14 | Elements of thought: Carving out reality through conceptual engineering 1:48:27

hace 37 weeks1:48:27