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MICHEL DEGRAFF: So critical
computational empowerment.

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That's one of the key concepts
that Professor Fox Harrell, who

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was one of our guest speakers,
discussed during his visit

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to class.

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And it was a big
hit in the class.

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Because, as you know,
we have many engineers,

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scientists in the course.

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And many of them are so used
to the notion of coding,

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of computation, being
supposedly neutral

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when it comes to ideology.

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And to the societal tendencies.

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But what Fox should
really clearly is

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that those hierarchies of power,
that this course is about,

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really, are themselves
embedded in these codes.

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In these codes that create
video games, virtual reality

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platforms.

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So if we're not aware
of these hierarchies,

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and how they are coded--

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really coded-- in
those platforms,

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then we become prey to
them without even knowing.

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We accept their
assumptions, and we

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reinforce our own attitudes
that might put down women,

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or immigrants, or
Muslims, or gay people.

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So we will become part
of these hierarchies

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and maintaining them.

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But also what Fox
showed in his visit is

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that, once you understand
how coding can encode

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those hierarchies,
then we can actually

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create codes that
will, in turn, give us

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more flexibility for identities
that are more inclusive.

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And more humane towards,
especially, women,

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and blacks, and Latinos,
and Muslims, et cetera.

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So the one thing that
Fox did in his visit

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was to show us one
of his platforms

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where he brings together
people on different sides

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of a conflict.

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So one case that he
showed was this conflict

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between the Israelis
and the Palestinians.

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So there's this perform where
you can bring those soldiers

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together, who fight
on opposite sides,

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and through that, they
get to better empathize

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with each other's
identities, and biographies,

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and life circumstances.

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So that was really a powerful
concept for the students

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to get to understand.

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How coding can indeed help us
code a better world for all.