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Gadfly Academy

Gadfly Academy

Written by: Herman Middleton
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The Gadfly Academy podcast is focused on understanding what it means to be a human in a world that treats humans like machines. That humans are not machines is a guiding principle, as is the conviction that we were born into a huge social experiment, which began hundreds of years ago, and at the heart of which is a mechanistic anthropology that views humans as machines...Herman Middleton Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The Parenting Decision That Will Matter Most in the Age of AI
    Apr 26 2026

    "The First Smartphone Dilemma": Free 5-Part Course for parents ->

    https://go.gadflyacademy.com/waitlist-not-yet-ga-sp

    In this episode, Dr. Herman Middleton argues that human depth: the capacity for sustained attention, genuine connection, and original thought...is the defining scarce resource of the Age of AI, and that early smartphone use is quietly destroying it in an entire generation of children.

    Drawing on developmental research, media theory, and thinkers from C.S. Lewis to Jonathan Haidt, he makes both theintellectual case and the practical one: why "not yet" is not a sacrifice but a strategy, and what parents can actually do right now (link to a free course for parents, above!)

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    11 mins
  • The World's Most Dangerous Religion? | Paul Kingsnorth's Against The Machine: Ch. 19 & 20 | Book Study # 10
    Jan 22 2026

    📙 Download The How Did We Get Here? Reading List (+ Social media links!): https://sleekbio.com/gadflyacademy ||

    *This is the lost episode that got overlooked over Christmas and New Year's!||

    Paul Kingsnorth’s new book, Against the Machine, is one of the most profound critiques of modern technological civilization. ||

    This is why we took a deep dive into his book...||

    If you’ve ever wondered what went wrong with our relationship to technology, or how to reclaim your humanity in a mechanized age, this conversation is for you. ||

    🎥 View podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@GadflyAcademy ||

    🔔 SUBSCRIBE, please! ||

    🖇️ LET'S CONNECT! ||

    Substack: https://gadflyacademy.substack.com/ ||

    TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@gadflyacademy ||

    X/Twitter: http://x.com/gadflyacademy ||

    Instagram: http://instagram.com/gadflyacademy ||

    Threads: http://threads.net/@gadflyacademy ||

    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gadflyacademy ||

    Medium: https://medium.com/@gadflyacademy ||

    Website: http://www.gadflyacademy.com ||

    #culturalcriticism #anthropology #cosmology #matrix

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    11 mins
  • Progress Is A Religion | Paul Kingsnorth's Against The Machine: Ch. 24-27 | Book Study # 12
    Jan 15 2026

    📙 Download The How Did We Get Here? Reading List (+ Social media links!): https://sleekbio.com/gadflyacademy ||

    Paul Kingsnorth’s new book, Against the Machine, is one of the most profound critiques of modern technological civilization. ||

    This is why we have been taking a deep dive into his book...||

    If you’ve ever wondered what went wrong with our relationship to technology, or how to reclaim your humanity in a mechanized age, this conversation is for you. ||

    🎥 View podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@GadflyAcademy ||

    🔔 SUBSCRIBE, please! ||

    🖇️ LET'S CONNECT! ||

    Substack: https://gadflyacademy.substack.com/ ||

    TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@gadflyacademy ||

    X/Twitter: http://x.com/gadflyacademy ||

    Instagram: http://instagram.com/gadflyacademy ||

    Threads: http://threads.net/@gadflyacademy ||

    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gadflyacademy ||

    Medium: https://medium.com/@gadflyacademy ||

    Website: http://www.gadflyacademy.com ||

    #culturalcriticism #anthropology #cosmology #matrix

    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
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