This week we are discussing E.T.A. Hoffman's short story, The Sandman, which presciently anticipates some potential psychological consequences of a too-deep dependence on artificial beings for companionship, while also pointing towards the fundamentally destabilizing possibilities a world filled with autonomous, robotic beings might bring. We go over the story, making reference to Freud's famous essay "The 'Uncanny'" which he partly based on this story, while also connecting the concerns of the tale to elements from our own contemporary experiences. It's an hilarious story, perhaps one of the greatest masterpieces we have yet covered.
We open the episode discussing the potential apocalyptic consequences of Trump's decision to fund a "golden dome" missile defense system, plus we talk about the final episode of season two of Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal.
E.T.A. Hoffman's "The Sandman"
NewScientist on Trump's "Golden Dome" Missile Defense System
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