Context with Brad Harris

In this episode of Context, we explore the historical, philosophical, and ethical implications of artificial intelligence, drawing on examples from world history, literature, and modern AI research. We examine pivotal moments in the history of technology—from Ming China's abandonment of oceanic exploration 600 years ago to the Cold War's embrace of nuclear power 60 years ago—to frame the long-term liabilities of technological progress. This episode culminates in a simple but haunting idea: the greatest risk of artificial intelligence may not be the violent destruction of humanity, but its painless euthanasia. Not a civilization wiped out by its inventions, but one that trades the ordeal of being human for the ease of being entertained into extinction. History's rule is progress. But progress for its own sake has never been humanity's purpose. Purpose has to be chosen by every generation. If AI can make everything infinitely easy, it may also make everything infinitely meaningless. This episode asks whether we are willing to keep choosing struggle, curiosity, and wonder—or whether we're prepared to outsource meaning itself, and quietly accept The Great Silence that follows. If you value this work and want to hear every episode ad-free, along with bonus content, you can support the show on Patreon or subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Can fractured societies pull themselves back from the brink? Is America doomed to slide into another civil war? Or, are we already engaged in a kind of Cold Civil War? In this episode of Context, we examine three powerful case studies of recovery: England emerging from the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century West Germany rising from the rubble of 1945 America clawing its way out of the malaise of the 1970s Each story reveals how societies that seemed broken beyond repair found ways to discipline elites, renew their principles, and restore confidence in themselves and in the future. As America faces mounting political violence and cultural fatigue, these examples remind us that collapse is not destiny. Renewal has always required sacrifice, leadership, and moral courage, but history proves it is possible. If you like this podcast, and you'd like to access supporter-only episodes and listen ad-free, join me on Patreon, or subscribe directly through Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

My thoughts on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and what his martyrdom reveals about truth versus lies, good versus evil, and the West's spiritual fight for its life.

For fifty years, we've been told that nature is fragile — a porcelain Eden, easily shattered by the slightest human pressure. But history tells a different story. From the fall of Rome to the Black Death, from Chernobyl to Detroit, every time people retreat, the wilderness rushes back with astonishing speed. In this episode, we examine the reality that civilization is fragile while life on Earth is ferociously tenacious. Drawing on historians like Bryan Ward-Perkins and William Cronon, and ecologists like C.S. Holling, we discover how fast forests and animals can reclaim human spaces, and why the modern myth of a delicate planet misses the deeper truth. Nature is not fragile. Civilization is. If you like what I'm up to, please leave a five-star review wherever you listen, and consider signing up to support the show as a paying member on Patreon or through Apple Podcasts or Spotify. As a supporter, you get access to lots of additional episodes and help keep Context ad-free. Thank you so much to those of you who've already taken that step - I hope you love today's episode.

History is full of phantom worlds—alternative technological paradigms that could have made everything turn out radically differently. Airships instead of airplanes. Rail instead of cars. Direct current instead of alternating current. Telegraphs instead of telephones. Each path once seemed inevitable, until another won out and reshaped civilization. In this episode of Context, we explore these turning points and what they reveal about our own moment, when autonomous vehicles and immersive virtual reality are racing forward in parallel. Will the future be built on radical mobility, or radical simulation? Or both? Most of all, we ask: what kind of lives do we want our grandchildren to live, and how will the choices we make now determine the answer? To support the show and access *supporter-only bonus episodes, join me on Patreon or subscribe directly through Apple Podcasts or Spotify.