Author: gregray@ufl.edu

The criterion of right intention in just war theory has sometimes been thought to be an unnecessary requirement or that it cannot be spelled out in any satisfactory way. Using an action-theoretic analysis of the criterion, Greg Ray argues that such negative conclusions are unwarranted.

Richard Marshall, well known for his long series of interviews with contemporary philosophers, has posted a (mock) interview with none other than renown philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Why let the fact that he is long dead get in the way? If anyone could do it, Nietzsche could. @ 3:16am (blog)

“Public Trust, Institutional Legitimacy, and the Use of Algorithms in Criminal Justice”, Duncan Purves (UF) & Jeremy Davis. /Public Affairs Quarterly/ (forthcoming) @ Public Affair Quarterly

Most of us want to be good and be seen to be good. But aren’t these goals contradictory? Isn’t the desire to be seen to good a means of placing ourselves higher than others and wishing to gain status and position as a result? Should we conclude that the attempt to be seen to be good is immoral and call it out as hypocritical, including philanthropist donation, explicit piety on the part of the religious, and virtue signalling be it on campus or on social media? Or is being seen to be good vital to cement socially positive behaviour? And explicit public demonstration of morality the only morality worth having? Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah and joins other experts to discuss. [video] @ Institute for Art and Ideas

A useful breakdown of various aspects of the complex of concepts associated with “free speech”. @ The Conversation

When most organizations think about AI ethics, they often overlook some of the sources of greatest risk. @ Harvard Business Review

“Five Ethical Challenges for Data-Driven Policing”, Jeremy Davis, Duncan Purves (UF), Juan Gilbert & Schuyler Sturm (UF). /AI and Ethics /(forthcoming). @ AI and Ethics

Thomas Hobbes is best known for his account of why we should accept political authority. But, argues Arash Abizadeh, that was Hobbes’ solution to the problem of how we should live together in society that arises directly from his views about what human beings are and what obligations we have to one another. [audio] @ Philosophy Bites

What can extended reality (XR) technologies, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) bring to the study of philosophy? A discussion with philosopher Andrew Kissel at the Virginia Philosophy Reality Lab. @ Daily Nous

Morality is something that develops over time. Even the briefest glance through human history reveals that cultural notions of good and evil change from one set of cultural and temporal circumstances to the next. But what if social changes happened so fast and so radically that our moral “evolution” couldn’t keep pace? [audio] @ Philosopher’s Zone

“Mental Fictionalism: A Costly Combination of Magic and Mind”, Amber Ross (UF). In /Mental Fictionalism: Philosophical Explorations/. Forthcoming. @ PhilPapers

Widely available global DNA databases are regualrly used now in forensic work to help solve crimes. What if large portions of this data was obtained coercively or without consent? @ Nature

Brain privacy? In the next ten years, will you trade that away for a cool neural device? Asking for a friend. @ Technology Networks

Dignity is something we recognize and respect in others, and we feel it deeply when our own is threatened or attacked. But what exactly is it? This week we’re exploring different kinds of dignity, and the ways in which they can get in the way of each other. We also look at how one person’s appeal to dignity can be another person’s moral violation. [audio] @ Philosopher’s Zone

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a new entry on /metaphysical explanation/. Metaphysical explanation is a form of explanation seemingly distinct from causal or logico-deductive explanations. What is it then and how is it to be understood? @ Stanford Ency of Philosophy

Researchers trained an AI to respond to moral questions. What could possibly go wrong? @ Wired

To believe something without sufficient evidence is not only a mistake, it may be morally blameworthy. Can philosophy help? A review of Nadler and Shapiro’s recent book /When Bad Things Happen to Good People/ — a book about better reasoning and schooling our beliefs in accordance with the evidence. @ Wall Street Journal

Philosopher David Papineau discusses themes from his recent book /The Metaphysics of Sensory Experience/. [video] @ The Dissenter (YouTube)

An interview with Rutgers philosopher Paul Pietroski. @ Substack

If and when you are faced with the choice, might you have an obligation to prolong your life? And if so, when? @ The Conversation

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a new entry on Contemporary Africana Philosophy as it has developed since Africana philosophy began in earnest to consolidate its standing among professional philosophers. @ Stanford Ency of Philosophy

Philosopher Craig Callender talks about twins who grow older at different rates, broken vases that jump off the floor to reassemble themselves on the bench, and why quantum physicists are learning to do without time altogether. [audio] @ Philosopher’s Zone

Philosopher P.D. Magnus discusses the Striking Cover Paradox. @ Fecundity (blog)

Is philosophy the perfect companion in lockdown? [audio] @ Evenings (podcast)

Philosopher Felipe De Brigard has been awarded a grant of $1 million for a project on memory and forgiveness. @ Daily Nous

What if all of your thoughts, precious feelings, great dreams, and terrible fears are completely, utterly, spectacularly irrelevant? Irrelevant not just in the Great Scheme of things, but really irrelevant — like irrelevant to what you did yesterday or will do tomorrow. Welcome to epiphenomenalism. @ Big Think

Philosopher Ben Davies brings Aristotle to help understand the special case of casual friendships — the kind of friendships which, though significant, are sustained largely by proximity and convenience. These are the friends that, when one moves, do not really stay in touch. Geez, were they even really friends? @ Practical Ethics (blog)

Norwegian philosopher Michael Baumgartner has been awarded a $1.4 million grant to pursue his project in causal modeling. @ Daily Nous

…And for the great preponderance of them it is an elective course. No, we are not talking about a class here at UF, but one at the University of Sydney. 🙂 And yeah, it is not really a good thing that those U Sydney students aren’t getting more individual attention. But they sure seem to like logic! @ Daily Nous

Undergraduate programs are springing up across the US to meet the burgeoning demand for workers trained in big data. Yet many of the programs lack training in the ethical use of data science, falling well below the expectations of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Half of these programs include no ethics training at all. @ The Conversation

Essayist Maria Popova discusses /There’s Something About Mary/ which is a collection of essays on phenomenal consciousness and the Knowledge Argument. @ BrainPickings

Insect farming may be the next big thing in edible protein production, and it may just save the world. But insects (by the billions) don’t get a lot of love down on the farm. So, what is the moral status of insects? And is it ethically okay to raise billions of them to freeze, boil, bake, and crush? [audio] @ Philosopher’s Zone

Advances in and commercialization of neurotechnology — tech that directly interacts with your brain states — exacerbate many of the urgent ethical questions of our technological moment. @ Technology Networks

What would happen if you gave one million dollars to renown ethicist Peter Singer. Singer has just been awarded the 2021 Berggruen Prize for $1 million. If you know Singer’s work you should not be surprised to learn he plans to give the money away to charity. @ Daily Nous

A bioethicist, a doctor and an epidemiologist discuss the question of travel in this covid moment. @ Guardian [UK]

Would Kant have worn a face mask? @ Philosophy Now

A profile piece on philosopher Amia Srinivasan who has been appointed Chichele professor of social and political theory, one of the most distinguished university positions in Britain — and her new book /The Right to Sex/. As Vogue puts it, “Oxford’s star philosopher Amia Srinivasan sets the discourse around sexual politics ablaze in a new series of radical essays.” @ Vogue Magazine

The latest report from the International Panel on Climate Change notably cites a number of contemporary philosophers. @ Daily Nous

Philosopher Kieran Setiya reviews three books on different aspects of virtuality: /Inwardness/, /Touch/, and /Intervolution/. @ LA Review of Books

Maintaining standards of evidence is the most important and least appreciated idea in science. @ Big Think