Best PanOptic Podcast Podcasts (2024)

1
India under assault: Analyzing the apocalyptic second wave outbreak with Prof. Ashok Swain 43:46

3+ y ago43:46

43:46

Well over a year into the pandemic, the second-wave Covid outbreak currently devastating India has become perhaps the most tragic, almost apocalyptic, chapter of the coronavirus crisis so far. India expert Prof. Ashok Swain, head of the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, joins the podcast to explain how the second wave…

1
Theories of the pandemic: Six styles of Covid conspiracies 40:56

3+ y ago40:56

40:56

It would be an understatement to say that the coronavirus crisis is fertile ground for the cultivation of conspiracy theories. For an increasing number of people around the world, the pandemic is the mother of all conspiracies, with the various theories of the conspiracy coming in literally all shapes and sizes. Prof. Andreas Önnerfors, an expert o…

1
Year of Crisis: Assessing the management of a protracted pandemic with Prof. Paul ‘t Hart 48:18

3+ y ago48:18

48:18

After almost one year as a full spectrum crisis in many if not most countries, Covid-19 continues to challenge governments around the world and inflict enormous strain on societies and their institutions. The protracted nature of the coronavirus pandemic renders it radically different from the kinds of crises that political leaders and public autho…

1
Adaptation during crisis: Learning how to manage the coronavirus pandemic 33:13

3+ y ago33:13

33:13

As the pandemic’s second wave washes over much of the world, it is worth considering if and how authorities, organizations and personnel engaged with combating the coronavirus manage to learn over the course of such crises, and adapt their operations accordingly. Prof. Daniel Nohrstedt of Uppsala University joins the podcast to explain the concept …

1
Panoptic perspective on the pandemic at a local level: Tracking the coronavirus in municipal wastewater systems 31:33

4y ago31:33

31:33

Touted as a tool to forewarn policymakers of outbreaks at the local level, tracking COVID-19 through wastewater can complement traditional testing and provide unique and potentially actionable insights into the spread of the virus across the entire population of a given area. This episode of the podcast features an interview with Dr. David Nilsson,…

1
#18 - Reinventing Capitalism—Really? Hayek’s Theory of Prices, Technology, and the Yelp Mafia 1:09:05

4y ago1:09:05

1:09:05

Today, Jason and Juan Pablo discuss political theorist Evgeny Morozov’s article, “Digital Socialism? The Calculation Debate in the Age of Big Data” (NLR, 2019, https://newleftreview.org/issues/II116/articles/evgeny-morozov-digital-socialism). In this article, Morozov critiques the idea that technology will somehow reinvent capitalism. He argues tha…

1
#12 “GOT A.I.R.?” with Suntrease Williams-Maynard, Founder, Maynard 4 Foundation 42:10

4y ago42:10

42:10

Founder, Suntrease Williams-Maynard comes from humble beginnings; however, she has been able to break down obstacles and create a pathway to success. We talk about the remarkable week leading up to the foundation's launch on Juneteenth 2020 and the planning required to get it done! The "GOT A.I.R.?" campaign is designed to encourage everyone to tak…

1
#17 - Radicalization + Ideology (P3) - Notions of the Good & Strategic Communications 51:06

4y ago51:06

51:06

Pan-Optic is pleased to present part three of our three-part series on radicalization and ideology. In today’s episode, we address: individuation and socialization; a critique of generalizable interests; existential and absurdist interpretations of the ”ideological grounding” problem; the people side of mergers and acquisitions; applications to cha…

1
The Protestant Ethic, Instrumentalizing Everything, and Devotion to Work 1:06:45

4y ago1:06:45

1:06:45

Today’s episode is Pan-Optic’s first ever "personal case study" response, where we react to listener Sep’s account of working in big tech and grappling with feeling intellectually and morally limited by her work requirements and the logic of the firm. In reacting to Sep’s personal case study, we explore: Max Weber on the protestant work-oriented et…

1
#16 - Radicalization + Ideology (P2) - Values, Discrimination, & Reliably Identifying Ideology 59:01

4y ago59:01

59:01

Pan-Optic is pleased to present part two of our three-part series on radicalization and ideology. In today’s episode, we address: the moral and legal implications of ideological discrimination; the extent to which government can avoid values-oriented decision making; a clear functional definition of ideology vs. a general definition of ideology; ca…

1
#15 - Radicalization + Ideology (P1) - How to Recruit Pawns & Influence Behavior 52:39

4y ago52:39

52:39

Pan-Optic is pleased to present our three-part series on radicalization and ideology. In the knowledge age and especially in the COVID world, institutions are pressured to change the way they operate and do business frequently and rapidly. We spend much time pontificating about the need to transform workforces (us included), but often without consi…

1
Nudging a nation through a pandemic: Assessing Sweden’s divergent coronavirus strategy 32:29

4y ago32:29

32:29

Sweden’s highly decentralized system of government, efficient under normal circumstances, is an important factor that influenced the idiosyncratic Swedish strategy for managing the coronavirus crisis. Given the relatively constrained central political authority, with expert agencies and local administrations wielding a great deal of power in the Sw…

1
#14 - Philosophers in Firms P.2 - Information Ethics & Philosophically Grounding Change Management 1:37:44

4y ago1:37:44

1:37:44

Today’s episode starts off with a 30-minute, ad hoc discussion surrounding the recent murder of George Floyd and the ensuing national campaign against police racism. Please refer to Pan-Optic’s website for additional resources on how to support reputable activist groups in the fight against racism (https://www.panopticpod.com/post/pitching-in-to-fi…

1
Coping with COVID-19, Italian and Swedish style: Opposite strategies, similar outcomes 29:15

4y ago29:15

29:15

The global coronavirus pandemic instigated a range of national strategies for managing the crisis, no two more divergent than those of Italy and Sweden. The former chose to fight the virus through a strict lockdown, while the latter took a much more permissive path largely based on personal responsibility. As Italy reopens after months of individua…

1
To fear or not to fear: Conceptions of COVID-19 in Italy and Sweden 19:15

4y ago19:15

19:15

Is COVID-19 a super-contagious killer akin to Ebola in deadliness, or something more similar to a severe seasonal flu? In the course of the current pandemic, the populations of Italy and Sweden, informed by the media and public officials, have come to conceive of COVID-19 in strikingly different ways. This has influenced behavior and the ability of…

1
Pandemic geopolitics: China and the coronavirus crisis 30:48

4y ago30:48

30:48

Despite being the coronavirus country of origin, China seized the opportunity presented by the pandemic to promote its geopolitical agenda across much of the world. To analyze the ways in which China has exploited the COVID-19 crisis, and discuss how receptive or resistant different countries and regions are to China’s advance and attempts to reord…

1
#13 - Philosophers in Firms P.1 - The Organizational Statement of Ethics & Thought Leadership 1:04:00

4+ y ago1:04:00

1:04:00

During Pan-Optic’s two-part series “Philosophers in Firms,” Jason and Juan Pablo investigate the mystery of why Google hired a philosopher and what this individual does. Along the way, we address the following more fundamental questions: Should firms hire philosophers? Does it make good business sense? How does the business case compare to the mora…

1
Expertise and Power: Historical roots of Sweden’s coronavirus response 35:22

4+ y ago35:22

35:22

Sweden has attracted enormous international attention for its far less stringent coronavirus strategy, largely devised by scientists inside the state bureaucracy. What Swedish governance traditions and political philosophies led to the expert-driven response to COVID-19 that has been variously commended and condemned by commentators both inside and…

1
Hunting herd immunity in Sweden with Prof. Tom Britton 28:56

4+ y ago28:56

28:56

The proportion of populations that have contracted COVID-19 and developed antibodies against the coronavirus is one of the critical questions at this stage of the crisis. Some recent test results suggest that in many countries, including Sweden, far fewer people than expected have been exposed to the virus, and that hopes of reaching herd immunity …

1
Cities, industrial agriculture and ecological pathways to pandemics 21:44

4+ y ago21:44

21:44

The growth of cities and the expansion of industrial agriculture have greatly increased the density of human and animal populations, heightening the risk of pathogens being exchanged within and between species, and creating new pathways for pandemic outbreaks. On this episode, Prof. Kate Brown from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology provides…

1
COVID-19 and the EU response: Existential Crisis for the European Union? 28:47

4+ y ago28:47

28:47

The less than unified response to the coronavirus crisis has greatly exacerbated existing tensions in the European Union, once again raising questions about the legitimacy, solidarity and continued utility of the EU. Crisis management and EU expert Mark Rhinard, professor of international relations at Stockholm University and the Swedish Institute …

1
#12 - A Prescient Account of Big Data: Democracy and Control 2:09:34

4+ y ago2:09:34

2:09:34

Our Foundations Crossover P.3 — In light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation, today’s segment (part three of our three-part crossover with Our Foundations podcast) couldn’t be more apropos. What happens when you equip strategic actors with predictive analytical power? Some may say we’re living it.In parts one and two, we traversed: the 18th century r…

1
Dynamics of decision under extreme uncertainty: Scientific advice and policy learning during coronavirus crisis 37:50

4+ y ago37:50

37:50

Medical experts and government science advisors have become the rock stars of the COVID-19 crisis, often eclipsing political leaders in prominence as countries struggle to devise strategies to contain the coronavirus. But to what extent can and should expert advice inform decision making when factual evidence in a fluid situation is scarce, and sci…

1
Best in the West? Insights into Iceland’s highly effective response to COVID-19 21:58

4+ y ago21:58

21:58

Without implementing draconian restrictions, Iceland’s proactive response—entailing collaboration between government authorities, medical professionals and a Reykjavik-based biopharmaceutical company, as well as a high level of public engagement—has proven remarkably effective in containing the coronavirus outbreak, arguably the best of any western…

1
City at the Coronavirus Epicenter: New York and the crisis leadership of Andrew Cuomo 27:33

4+ y ago27:33

27:33

As New York became the epicenter of the COVID-19 onslaught, Governor Andrew Cuomo emerged as the embodiment of America’s efforts to manage a crisis that has far eclipsed 9/11 in terms of its fatal impact on the city and the country. Prof. Eric Stern, a crisis management expert from the University at Albany, joins the podcast to provide analysis of …

1
Sweden and Italy: Analyzing extremes of COVID-19 crisis 22:54

4+ y ago22:54

22:54

Italy was the initial ground zero of the COVID-19 outbreak in Europe, while Sweden has emerged as an international outlier in terms of its far less restrictive handling of the coronavirus crisis. Prof. Giuliano Di Baldassarre, director of the Centre for Natural Hazard and Disaster Science, is an Italian living in Sweden who on this episode draws on…

1
Coronavirus impacts on India and the international peace agenda with Prof. Ashok Swain 22:45

4+ y ago22:45

22:45

India implemented on four hours notice the largest lockdown in human history, leading to confusion and dislocation on a colossal scale. On this episode, Ashok Swain, professor of peace and conflict research, explains the Indian response to the pandemic and its potential consequences, as well as how the coronavirus crisis could affect the internatio…

1
Cascading crisis: Resilience, environmental and IT perspectives on pandemics in an interconnected world 22:40

4+ y ago22:40

22:40

Viktor Galaz, deputy director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, joins the podcast to discuss how infectious disease outbreaks that cascade across national boundaries can, in a complex and interconnected world, emerge from degraded environments at local levels. He also explains how thinking in terms of resilience can improve pandemic preparedness,…

1
#11 - Communications and Law: Why Did We Outsource War Fighting to Corporations After 9/11? 1:27:44

4+ y ago1:27:44

1:27:44

Our Foundations Crossover P.2 — In theory, public discourses should influence law creation in a democracy. But has big advertising undermined the legal objectives of communicative action? After 9/11, why did the U.S. outsource approximately 50% of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to companies like Blackwater? Surprisingly, the answers to…

1
Foreseeable catastrophe: Failures of the coronavirus response so far 23:16

4+ y ago23:16

23:16

Why were countries such as the United States caught off guard and slow to forcefully respond to COVID-19 at an earlier stage of the outbreak? On this episode, political scientist Charles Parker draws on lessons from previous mega disasters to explain some of the most significant failures in the coronavirus crisis response so far, and how decision m…

1
Taiwan’s containment of COVID-19, and the developing world’s vulnerability to the coronavirus 26:38

4+ y ago26:38

26:38

Taiwan’s early and aggressive intervention against COVID-19 stands as one of only a few effective responses so far. Dave Trouba, an expert on hygiene and sanitation who currently resides in Taiwan, joins the podcast to explain the key factors that have kept the coronavirus largely at bay there. He also shares insights from his many years working wi…

1
Killer defect: Crunching data and modeling the spread of COVID-19 20:54

4+ y ago20:54

20:54

Tracking the data on deaths caused by COVID-19 is a primary and powerful tool for projecting the path of the pandemic. On this episode, data analyst Jonas Sundqvist provides insights from his efforts to collect data and model the spread of the coronavirus, creating a series of curves that project the trajectory of the outbreak in different countrie…

1
Red flag, Black swan: Epidemiological insights from Dr. Björn Olsen on COVID-19 and Sweden's strategy 27:52

4+ y ago27:52

27:52

Where on the curve is Sweden, and are current efforts sufficient to contain the coronavirus? One of Sweden’s leading epidemiological experts, Dr. Björn Olsen, professor of infectious medicine at Uppsala University, provides insights into the knowns and unknowns of COVID-19, critiques the Swedish strategy so far, and explains how Sweden can take bac…

1
Strategic crisis management in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak 25:48

4+ y ago25:48

25:48

This episode features an interview with Prof. Paul ‘t Hart, a top European crisis management expert who discusses how national political cultures have shaped the coronavirus response, and how it is incumbent upon political decision makers to weigh sometimes conflicting advice from experts when making difficult value judgements during a major crisis…

1
Confronting the Coronavirus in Sweden 26:38

4+ y ago26:38

26:38

Eric and Marc introduce the podcast, and Fredrik Bynander, director of the Center for Societal Security at the Swedish Defence University, analyzes Sweden's response to the coronavirus crisis so far, and reflects on some of the longer term geopolitical dimensions that need to be considered in parallel with the short term actions taken during the ac…

1
#10 - Transformation of the Public Sphere 1:20:34

4+ y ago1:20:34

1:20:34

Our Foundations Crossover P.1 — What happens when you arm strategic actors with big data and predictive analytical power? Juan Pablo and Jason are pleased to present Pan-Optic's collaboration with the Our Foundations podcast, further reflecting on some of the challenges (and solutions) posed by strategic communications throughout Western history. A…

1
#9 - A Critical Perspective on Automation in the Growth Economy P.2 1:03:32

4+ y ago1:03:32

1:03:32

Episode 9 is part two of our exploration of Aaron Benanav’s critique of the so-called “automation discourse.” We further probe the hypothesis that system overcapacity caused the collapse of manufacturing labor demand. What happens to the job market when manufacturing labor is down and the cost of living is up, chronically? Which possible economic s…

1
#8 - A Critical Perspective on Automation in the Growth Economy P.1 1:02:35

4+ y ago1:02:35

1:02:35

Episode 8 is part one of our exploration of Aaron Benanav’s critique of the so-called “automation discourse.” But first, let’s recap: in Episode 7, Jason broke down local political discourses on automation and offshoring. Why does Andrew Yang believe that automation killed 4,000,000 manufacturing jobs in rural America? Why does Elizabeth Warren bel…

1
Rambling Politics New Year 2020 2:10:25

4+ y ago2:10:25

2:10:25

Welcome to Pan-Optic’s third “Reflections” episode featuring our most reactionary, stream of consciousness rambling yet. Jason and Juan Pablo relate current, salient political headlines to core Pan-Optic themes and previous episodes. In chronological order, we: brainstorm private sector and non-profit applications of critical theory, and debate the…

1
#7 - Does Automation Kill Jobs? 1:01:12

4+ y ago1:01:12

1:01:12

To kickoff the New Year, Pan-Optic returns to the subject of automation. In today’s episode, Jason and Juan Pablo uncover dominant political discourses surrounding the fall of U.S. manufacturing labor. Why did 22% of American manufacturing plants shutdown between 2000 and 2014? What happened to the victims of mass job displacement? In the context o…

1
Holiday Special 2019 1:34:09

4+ y ago1:34:09

1:34:09

Happy Holidays Pan-Optic listeners! Welcome to our second "Reflections" episode and first ever Holiday Special. The purpose of today’s episode is to conduct a “pulse-check” of the podcast. We reflect on the following questions: What is Pan-Optic about? Have we evolved on this question over the last 6 months? Who is our target audience and what do w…

1
#6 - Should We Be Strategic? A Debate. 1:24:58

4+ y ago1:24:58

1:24:58

Today’s episode is part three of a three-part series on strategic communication. But unlike part two, today’s episode is through and through philosophy. We come full circle with Habermas who argues that strategic action is purposive, calculated manipulation of others. While communication itself is oriented towards increasing understanding, strategi…

1
#5 - What is Strategic Communication? 1:24:21

5y ago1:24:21

1:24:21

This is the second episode of a three-part series focusing on strategic communication. In today’s episode, we wrap up our conversation on the Socratic Method as a kind of strategic action in disguise; we discuss the value of intra- and interpersonal audits to unveil hidden interests prior to engaging in negotiation, debate, or conflict; and we comp…

1
#4 - The Socratic Method, Truth, and Strategy 1:28:44

5y ago1:28:44

1:28:44

This is the first in a three-part series focusing on strategic communication: what is it, how does it work, what are its strengths and limitations, is it morally defensible, and is it even avoidable? In today’s episode, we examine the Socratic Method in practice: a rambunctious debate on the nature of justice between Socrates and Thrasymachus in Pl…

1
Joker, Scorsese, & Kluge: Should Cinema Serve the Body Politic? 1:01:52

5y ago1:01:52

1:01:52

Reflections #1. This is the first in a series of more reactionary, topical conversations that Juan Pablo and Jason are doing as part of the development of the Pan-Optic podcast. Today, we discuss popular criticism of writer/director Todd Phillips' Joker, the so-called "comic book genre" in general, the role of the markets in directing resources to …

1
#3 - Artificial Intelligence and the End of Reason 1:21:30

5y ago1:21:30

1:21:30

In this episode, we briefly trace the history of automation, consider some of the more salient consequences of modern technology, and review philosopher Bernard Stiegler's dystopic critique of modern technology. What happens when we exteriorize knowledge into automatons? Bad, bad things, says Stiegler. But is all the pessimism justified? Juan Pablo…

1
#2 - Beyond Good and Evil: Trump, Musk, and Power 1:19:26

5y ago1:19:26

1:19:26

In this episode, we discuss Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, focusing on how one might operationalize Nietzschean master morality in the modern world. We compare the leadership styles of Donald Trump and Elon Musk, asking: who's the better Nietzschean, why, and what does this mean for us? We also continue the conversation that we started during Ep…

1
#1 - The Hawthorne Fable 1:12:29

5y ago1:12:29

1:12:29

In this episode, we discuss the so-called "Hawthorne Studies," a series of studies in 1920s Chicago to examine possible relationships between environmental conditions (e.g., lighting) and labor productivity. Business schools often teach that the Hawthorne Studies' greatest achievement was revealing a relationship between workers' sense of being sup…

1
#11 Holiday Planning: My Family's Favorite Christmas Memories! 10:52

5+ y ago10:52

10:52

Holiday Planning is one of my most favorite things to do! This year, I take the Panoptic-PM family into my home where my family and I share our favorite Christmas memories. Some traditions should never die. Our Christmas Eve dinner is one that I hope we get to do for many years to come. What is your favorite Christmas memory? Please have a Merry Ch…

1
#9 Panoptic-PM Moment - Exciting things in store! 2:26

6y ago2:26

2:26

Google for Entrepreneurs Exchange took place last week at the American Underground in Durham, NC. Our Panoptic-PM software was selected out of hundreds of applicants to learn how to scale our technology platforms! We are growing and changing a few things around so please be sure to go to our website www.panopticprojectsolutions.com and sign up, lea…

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