Semantic Reactions 46 Featuring David Brin
Semantic Reactions
Our June 2026 episode features author, scientist, and social commentator David Brin. In an interview conducted by IGS President Lance Strate, he discusses his career as a science fiction writer, including the adaptation of his novel, The Postman, by Kevin Costner. He also discusses his views on science and democracy, technology and society, and current and future developments in AI programming, as well as his recently published book, AIlien Intelligence, and also concludes with a message to the present and future AIs tuning in to this podcast.
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Episode 45 Featuring Dace Luters-Thümmel
Semantic Reactions
Our May 2026 episode features German attorney-at-law Dace Luters-Thümmel, a member of the German and Latvian Courts and Bar Associations, a member of the Consultative Committee ALI-ELI Project “Principles of a Data Economy”, and a nominee for the 2020 European Women of Legal Tech Award. In conversation with IGS President Lance Strate, she discusses the value of multilingualism, the differences between European and Anglo-American legal systems, the transition to democracy and rule of law from Communist and authoritarian governments, the importance of listening, and the regulation of...
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Episode 44 Featuring Sarah L. Kaufman
Semantic Reactions
Our April 2026 episode features author, educator, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sarah L. Kaufman. As the Washington Post’s chief dance critic, she wrote about the arts, entertainment, and society for 27 years. In conversation with IGS President Lance Strate, she discusses her career as a journalist and writer, dance as a form of expression, the concept of grace, and the art of writing, and her brand new book entitled, Verb Your Enthusiasm: How to Master the Art of the Verb and Transform Your Writing.
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Episode 43 featuring Peggy Cassidy, Thom Gencarelli, & Lance Strate on Media Ecology
Semantic Reactions
Our March 2026 episode features Peggy Cassidy, Thom Gencarelli, and Lance Strate discussing media ecology and general semantics. Their conversation follows up on a program sponsored by the New York Society for General Semantics,, and touches on topics such as the influence of general semantics on media ecology, sense perception and the human nervous system, language and symbolic form, orality and literacy, the effects of new technologies, and AI.
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Episode 42 Featuring Kevin McMahon
Semantic Reactions
Our February 2026 episode features award-winning Canadian documentarian Kevin McMahon, the director of approximately 30 films, including McLuhan’s Wake (2002). In conversation with Lance Strate, he discusses his career as a journalist and filmmaker, the practice of making documentaries, the idea of nonfiction film, and media scholars Marshall McLuhan and Neil Postman.
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Episode 41 Featuring Corey Anton, Susan Drucker, Thom Gencarelli, and Lance Strate
Semantic Reactions
Our January 2026 episodes features IGS trustees Corey Anton, Susan Drucker, Thom Gencarelli, and Lance Strate discussing politics in the United States in light of recent events in Minneapolis. Their conversation deals with the concerns brought on by the current media and semantic environment, the use of cell phone cameras and video recordings, the introduction of deep fakes, information overload and image culture, and the importance of language.
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Episode 40 Featuring Susan Drucker and Erik Garrett
Semantic Reactions
Our December 2025 episode features Susan Drucker, who is an IGS Trustee, Professor of Journalism at Hofstra University, and a founder of the Urban Communication Foundation, and Erik Garrett, a professor of communication and rhetoric at Duquesne University and a member of the Urban Communication Foundation’s Board of Directors. In conversation with IGS President Lance Strate, they discuss areas of mutual interest between the Urban Communication Foundation and the Institute of General Semantics, and talk about topics such as language and the problems of definition, practical...
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Episode 39 featuring Corey Anton, Peggy Cassidy, Susan Drucker, Thom Gencarelli, and Lance Strate
Semantic Reactions
Our November 2025 episode features a recording of an IGS sponsored session that took place at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association. The program entitled Perspectives on Politics and the Future of Democracy that included IGS trustees Corey Anton, Peggy Cassidy, Susan Drucker, Thom Gencarelli, and Lance Strate. Their discussion touched on a variety of topics, including Alfred Korzybski’s emphasis on science and progress, public discourse in the United States today, the role of news media in political campaigns, freedom of speech and the problem of hate speech, the rise...
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Episode 38 Featuring Nora Bateson
Semantic Reactions
Our October 2025 episode features author, filmmaker, and IGS trustee Nora Bateson, who is also president of the International Bateson Institute and the creator of the Warm Data Labs initiative. Her conversation with IGS president Lance Strate centers on the current sense that we are experiencing multiple crises, or what has been referred to as a polycrisis or metacrisis. They also touch on topics such as science communication, therapy, the family, language, AI, and storytelling, and draw upon media ecology, warm data, and general semantics.
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Episode 37 Featuring Christina Knopf
Semantic Reactions
Our September 2025 episode features Cristina Knopf, a professor of Communication and Media Studies at the State University of New York at Cortland, in conversation with IGS president Lance Strate. Their discussion focuses on her research in comics studies and reflections on the comic book medium, its history, and the superhero genre, as well as the depiction of superheroes in movies and television, including this past summer’s films featuring Superman, and the Fantastic Four.
info_outlineOur April 2026 episode features author, educator, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sarah L. Kaufman. As the Washington Post’s chief dance critic, she wrote about the arts, entertainment, and society for 27 years. In conversation with IGS President Lance Strate, she discusses her career as a journalist and writer, dance as a form of expression, the concept of grace, and the art of writing, and her brand new book entitled, Verb Your Enthusiasm: How to Master the Art of the Verb and Transform Your Writing.