Larry S McGrath

Senior Researcher, Amazon

Larry S McGrath is a senior researcher at Amazon. He has taught history, anthropology and philosophy at Wesleyan University and Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of Making Spirit Matter: Neurology, Psychology, and Selfhood in Modern France (2020).

Written by Larry S McGrath

Photo of a man in a suit with two people, one with a mechanical face, indoors.

TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA

Chatbots remind us that natural conversation is artificial too

People fret about the authenticity of AI chatbots but precisely the same issues confront everyday exchanges between humans

by Larry S McGrath

Painting of the Siege of the Bastille depicting a chaotic scene with armed people, buildings and a fortress under attack.

FREEDOM AND CHOICE

Freedom needs friction: lessons in choice from French history

The French Revolution set freedom on a collision course with choice, showing how a break with habit can author a new self

by Larry S McGrath