Episode 48: AI, algorithms and the battle for your mind with Simon McCarthy Jones
What if the next frontier of human rights isn’t out in the streets but inside your own head? We talk with Dr. Simon McCarthy-Jones, Associate Professor of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin, about the modern fight for freedom of thought.
Simon unpacks how everything from social media algorithms to brain-reading technologies are reshaping not just what we think, but how we think. We explore the psychological and legal implications of a world where our inner lives are no longer entirely private—and where even a simple Google search might be treated as a window into your mind.
We also discuss:
Why freedom of thought is an absolute right under international law—and why it’s so underdeveloped
The blurred line between thought and speech in the age of ChatGPT, Google, and digital diaries
Whether persuasive tech and personalized AI are eroding mental autonomy
What you can do to protect and reclaim your inner cognitive space
Simon also offers practical strategies for thinking more freely, from managing your attention to cultivating reflective habits—and why real thinking might be more social than solitary.
Show notes and resources: https://www.reconsidering.org/p/episode-48-ai-algorithms-and-the
--------
53:12
--------
53:12
Episode 47: The last human jobs with Allison Pugh
What happens when the work that makes us most human—caring, listening, connecting—is increasingly outsourced, automated, or pushed to the margins? As AI enters every aspect of our lives, it’s ever more imperative to answer the question, “what does it mean to be human?”
Sociologist Allison Pugh has been thinking deeply about that question. In her new book The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World, she explores the overlooked emotional labor of roles like teachers, nurses, and social workers—and why these forms of connection are essential not just to our economy, but to our collective humanity.
In this conversation, we unpack the invisible scaffolding that keeps our care systems running, why “connection” work is under threat, and what we lose when efficiency becomes more valuable than empathy. Whether you’re managing a team, raising kids, or just trying to be more present in your relationships, Allison’s insights will challenge how you think about the work of being human.
Show notes and links: https://www.reconsidering.org/p/episode-47-the-last-human-jobs-with
--------
46:00
--------
46:00
Episode 46: Liz O'Donnell on caring for elderly parents
We don’t talk enough about caregiving. Especially the kind that unfolds quietly while juggling jobs, parenting, and the slow, disorienting decline of aging parents. But Liz O’Donnell is changing that.
In this deeply moving episode, Liz—founder of Working Daughter and author of the book by the same name—shares her story of navigating career ambition, caregiving chaos, and emotional survival after receiving a double diagnosis for both of her parents. What followed was a crash course in elder care, systemic gaps, and radical acceptance.
In this episode we discuss:
How to show up at work when your personal life is falling apart
Why letting go of guilt is one of the most challenging acts a caregiver can embrace
What caregiving reveals about family roles, unspoken expectations, and sibling dynamics
Why our culture still stigmatizes elder care—and how we can start the right conversations now
Liz’s story isn’t just about hardship. It’s also about grace, humor, and the unexpected gift of showing up fully for those we love.
Show notes and resources:
--------
50:28
--------
50:28
Episode 45: The art of noticing with Rob Walker
Noticing the details in life is eminently satisfying, yet surprisingly hard to do. Bird migration patterns, the moon phase, the details of a rearranged room all go unnoticed by most of us because our attention is fragmented.
When the pandemic hit the pause button on life, many of us realized just how much we were missing everyday. Our attention is fragmented by a phone, a to-do list, our choices. Rob Walker, author of the book The Art of Noticing: 131 Ways to Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration, and Discover Joy in the Everyday, has a different plan for us. His book and his course on Sam Harris’ Waking Up app prompt us to pay attention in new ways that open our eyes to the world around us.
In our conversation, Rob shares how noticing is different from mindfulness, what happens to our creativity when we learn to tune in, and how the way we direct our attention shapes who we are.
Show notes and resources: https://www.reconsidering.org/p/episode-45-the-art-of-noticing-with
--------
48:00
--------
48:00
Episode 44: Rethinking cancer fears with David Ropeik
Few health risks conjure deeply held fears as effectively as cancer. Most of us have someone close to us who has been taken by the disease, but risk communications expert David Ropeik wants us to reconsider the scope of our fears.
Drawing on decades of research and his new book, Curing Cancerphobia, David unpacks why cancer—now a treatable or chronic condition in many cases—still looms larger in our psyches than heart disease, which actually claims more lives each year.
He explains how fear drives unnecessary screenings, unproven preventions, and even aggressive treatments for cancers that might never have done harm, and reveals the psychological roots of that fear—from the sense of lost control to the visceral dread of pain and suffering.
Throughout the conversation, David draws on key insights from the psychology of risk perception:
Control vs. Imposed Risk: We fear risks we can’t control (cancer) more than those we feel responsible for (heart disease).
Fear First, Think Second: Our brain’s instinctive “uh-oh” response precedes rational thought, making early judgments emotionally charged and often distorted.
Right-Sizing Fear: By pausing to let rational thinking catch up—acknowledging the “risk perception gap”—we can make healthier, more balanced choices.
Show notes and resources mentioned: https://www.reconsidering.org/p/episode-44-rethinking-fears-of-cancer
Reconsidering explores how to navigate your career, relationships, and the values that guide you through the inevitable changes of life. Co-hosts Bob Baxley, Meredith Black, and Aarron Walter talk with deep thinkers who’ve figured a few things out about living a satisfying life filled with meaning and show you how you can too.
Ireland