When the Borrowed Ontology Gets a Driver's Licence episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 28, 2026 · 20 MIN

When the Borrowed Ontology Gets a Driver's Licence

from Philosophics — Philosophical and Political Ramblings · host Bry Willis

Language philosopher Bry Willis argues that the trolley problem, once a mere thought experiment, has become a dangerous blueprint for autonomous technology. The author contends that engineers adopt this moral framework not because it is ethically sound, but because its quantifiable nature is computationally tractable, allowing complex human lives to be reduced to mathematical inputs. By "compiling" these philosophical assumptions into code, moral judgment is pushed upstream into design meetings, where the fluid nuances of human responsibility are frozen into rigid, automated functions. Ultimately, the source warns that we are embedding a flawed and reductive ontology into our infrastructure, creating systems that govern by a logic of arithmetic commensurability while remaining structurally blind to the true complexity of moral life.👉 https://philosophics.blog/

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 28, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

When the Borrowed Ontology Gets a Driver's Licence

0:00 20:48

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Philosophics — Philosophical and Political Ramblings?

This episode is 20 minutes long.

When was this Philosophics — Philosophical and Political Ramblings episode published?

This episode was published on March 28, 2026.

Can I download this Philosophics — Philosophical and Political Ramblings episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!