Philosophy in the News
- Is Democracy a Road to Tyranny?
Plato, one of the earliest thinkers and writers about democracy, thought so. He predicted that letting people govern themselves would eventually lead the masses to support the rule of tyrants.
- Quantum Common Sense?
Philosopher Tim Maudlin thinks there is more common sense in quantum physics than we think.
- The Golden Rule of Datamining
There is a reason why data privacy and protection have become such important political issues and have generated widespread support for stricter regulations: at heart, companies' misuse of data is a profound ethical issue.
- Women and the Dhamma
Buddhist teaching is radically egalitarian, and yet the need for a Buddhist feminism is pressing. How to address inequalities within a Buddhist philosophical framework? Is gender irrelevant to Buddhist teaching? Is anger necessary to effect change? And for women who have been denied agency or a sense of identity, how reasonable or ethically justifiable is the doctrine of non-self?
- Ethics of Human-animal Hybrids
Human-animal hybrids, or "chimeras" are already being created and may one day become life saving hybrid-organ donors. How should we view this from an athical standpoint?
- What Is There and What Matters
A view to the history of philosophy with philosopher A.C. Grayling. (audio)
- Ethics of Disruptive Technologies
Philosopher Philip Brey has been awarded a $19 million dollar grant from the Dutch government for a ten year project on the ethics of socially disruptive technologies.
- Ethics Ta’s for Computer Science
At Brown University, CS is hiring special EThics TAs to integrate ethics into their regular course offerings. "What we realized was that while it's important to have dedicated courses for these topics, its not sufficient, because sometimes students take these courses and think that they're done."
- Philosophers Behind Bars
When I taught Augustine at the prison last semester, the discussions got so loud and intense that the correctional officers came to check on us.
- Properties au Naturale
Read more "Properties au Naturale"
- Ethics Must Be the Starting Point
Ángel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), said that to realise the huge positive potential of AI, ethics had to be at the centre of its use.
- Reading the Troubled Past
What should we do with literature and philosophy from a discredited moral past? Should we shun writers for holding racist or sexist views? Or is it important to read—and censure—them? Is it fair to judge authors of the past by today's politically conscious standards? (audio)
- Does Your Dog Really Love You?
Our inability to read dogs' emotions well probably begins with our inability to understand our own emotions well.
- Correct Versus Ethical AI
As AI is deployed to sensitive areas like military, judicial and surveillance use, governments and companies have responded that so long as their algorithms are accurate, they are ethical, suggesting there is considerable confusion about the difference between AI correctness and AI ethics.
- Why? That’s It. Just, Why?
Allured by the promise of Big Data, science has shortchanged causal explanation in favor of data-driven prediction. But ultimately we must ask why. Philosopher Tim Maudlin reviews The Book of Why by Judea Pearl and Dana Mackenzie.
- Reasons for Toleration
A previously unknown manuscript by John Locke has been discovered — surprisingly in a library which holds no other Locke artifacts. The document offers a list of reasons for tolerating Catholics, which at the time simply meant not actively persecuting them, and also a list of reasons not to.
- Ten Bests Papers of 2018
. . . according to The Philosopher's Annual.
- Kant for Kids
The Curious Case of Salomo Friedländer's Kant for Kids.
- Analytic Islamic Philosophy
An interview with philosopher Anthony Booth.
- Fiction Is as Fiction Does
What is fiction? What are fictional characters and where exactly do they come from? Sherlock Holmes arrives to help answer these questions with a little help from philosopher Kendall Walton and his theory of make-believe. (video)