Philosophy in the News
- What’s Wrong with Predictive Policing?
Dr. Duncan Purves (UF) articulates a pressing concern about bias in predictive policing in a recent blog post for the Stockholm Centre's Public Ethics Blog.
- Nietzsche’s Mock Interview
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)
- Trust, Legitimacy, and Algorithms in Criminal Justice
"Public Trust, Institutional Legitimacy, and the Use of Algorithms in Criminal Justice", Duncan Purves (UF) & Jeremy Davis. /Public Affairs Quarterly/ (forthcoming) @ Public Affair Quarterly
- Being Seen to Be Good
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. @ Institute for Art and Ideas
- Free Speech: Are the Kids Alright?
A useful breakdown of various aspects of the complex of concepts associated with "free speech". @ The Conversation
- Why AI Ethics Is Needed All the Way Down the Line
When most organizations think about AI ethics, they often overlook some of the sources of greatest risk. @ Harvard Business Review
- Five Challenges for Data-driven Policing
"Five Ethical Challenges for Data-Driven Policing", Jeremy Davis, Duncan Purves (UF), Juan Gilbert & Schuyler Sturm (UF). /AI and Ethics /(forthcoming). @ AI and Ethics
- The Centrality of Ethics in Hobbes
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. @ Philosophy Bites
- In the Philosophy Reality Lab
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
- Just How Fast Is Your Moral Compass?
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? @ Philosopher's Zone
- The Mind of Make-believe
"Mental Fictionalism: A Costly Combination of Magic and Mind", Amber Ross (UF). In /Mental Fictionalism: Philosophical Explorations/. Forthcoming. @ PhilPapers
- Forensic Ethics
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
- Moral Neuromancy
Brain privacy? In the next ten years, will you trade that away for a cool neural device? Asking for a friend. @ Technology Networks
- What Is Dignity?
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. @ Philosopher's Zone
- Metaphysical Explanation
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
- The Moral Oracle as Delphi
Researchers trained an AI to respond to moral questions. What could possibly go wrong? @ Wired
- When Bad Things Happen to Good People
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
- Welcome to the Sensorium!
Philosopher David Papineau discusses themes from his recent book /The Metaphysics of Sensory Experience/. @ The Dissenter (YouTube)
- Semantics, Shaken Not Stirred
An interview with Rutgers philosopher Paul Pietroski. @ Substack
- To Live Long, Perchance to Prosper
If and when you are faced with the choice, might you have an obligation to prolong your life? And if so, when? @ The Conversation