The Prindle Post

16/06/2022

14/06/2022

Harder, better, faster, stronger? How do we explain what's uniquely human when even creatively we can be out-performed?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/06/the-real-threat-of-ai/

How do we decide which pursuits are worth doing when we know whatever the task, machines can do it better?

13/06/2022

A complicated picture? By pointing to mental health as an explanation for gun violence, politicians actually widen the conversation rather than sidelining it.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/06/mental-health-and-the-uvalde-massacre/

What role does mental health play in the larger narrative about gun violence and public health?

09/06/2022

In whose interest? Are there any possible grounds to justify medical intervention in the lives of functioning adults?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/06/treating-psychopathy/

With no effective medication or therapy available, it's not clear what can/should be done with those who lack empathy and show no remorse.

08/06/2022

Force for good? Is there any harnessing a tool so prone to coercion and exploitation?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/06/the-ethics-of-ai-behavior-manipulation/

Given that algorithms manipulate user behavior and others can manipulate the algorithm, can we ever trust the algorithm as a force for good?

07/06/2022

Preventative measures? While we need not currently fear a monkeypox pandemic, rising anxieties pose grave risks for all sorts of creatures.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/06/monkeypoxs-biggest-threat-might-be-to-wild-animals/

What responses are justified in attempting to insulate ourselves from the risk of zoonotic diseases?

06/06/2022

Talk amongst yourselves? Are political debates giving us anything we need?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/06/are-politicians-obligated-to-debate/

Might political debates provide a necessary opportunity to engage in democratic dialog?

03/06/2022

Above and beyond? Can anyone actually be obligated to put themselves in harm's way?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/06/law-enforcement-role-based-duties-and-bodily-autonomy/

What might be the limits to the dangers and risks we can willingly take on?

02/06/2022

All things considered? What makes an entity worthy of moral concern and robust legal protection?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/06/rethinking-the-moral-status-debate/

On what grounds should we deem an entity worthy of personhood and all the moral and legal considerations that come with it?

01/06/2022

For the sake of argument? Even potential agreement on terminology would hardly settle the matter — we still must decide what exactly we owe others.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/06/what-if-a-fetus-were-a-person/

Even consensus on this point would further require that we articulate the rights attending moral personhood.

31/05/2022

Equal protection? Checkerboard compromises present a privilege for some and a problem for others.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/roe-v-wade-and-the-meaning-of-a-right/

What does it mean to possess a right and what does it mean to lose one?

30/05/2022

Quick sneak peek? What if it's always the same folks who have the surprise ruined?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/a-spoiler-free-discussion-of-the-classism-and-ableism-of-spoilers/

Does the fact that there's a persistent class of victim change the nature of an act?

27/05/2022

Couldn't have been otherwise? Even superheroes aren't always in control.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/wanda-maximoff-and-the-metaphysics-of-responsibility/

What can MCU's ongoing morality tale tell us about free will and accountability?

26/05/2022

"To truly eliminate the grip that ideas like 'replacement' have on some, we must work to counteract the injustices that leave many of us living in separate worlds." on what might be propping up the belief.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/why-some-fear-replacement/

What might explain how a conspiracy theory like this has taken so firm a hold?

25/05/2022

Added harm? The vilification endured by those delivering testimony "heaps additional coals onto the heads of people already suffering grave injustices."

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/illocutionary-silencing-and-southern-baptist-abuse/

How might we explain the hurt suffered by victims who were unable to communicate the wrongs they endured?

24/05/2022

All according to plan? Can AI be to blame when things go off the rails?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/can-machines-be-morally-responsible/

Are artificial intelligence systems an appropriate target for blame when things go wrong?

23/05/2022

Beyond our control? Is there any keeping up with the relentless march of progress?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/kill-switch-tractors-and-techno-pessimism/

Are the constantly-evolving technological forces we hope to master forging a better world or a worse one?

20/05/2022

Everyone has a story? The newest MCU miniseries explores to what extent punishment should be backward-looking.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/justice-and-retributivism-in-moon-knight/

Marvel's latest tale of vengeance considers the reasons why we punish and what we hope to achieve.

19/05/2022

Beyond mortal comprehension? How can we cope with the crushing existential dread provoked by the majesty of Sagittarius A*?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/the-cosmic-horror-of-hp-lovecraft/

The vastness of the cosmos undercuts our self-perception as the knowers and valuers.

18/05/2022

Aspirational goal? Realization of the Chicago Statement remains a work in progress.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/some-university-of-chicago-students-prove-lukewarm-on-free-speech/

The University of Chicago is known as a bastion for, and important intellectual proponent of, free speech and academic freedom. Its “Chicago Statement,” released in 2015 and since adopted by over eighty academic institutions across the country, is considered the gold standard for university free...

17/05/2022

Whichever way the wind blows? At what point might the marketing of news undermine its mission?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/transparency-and-trust-in-news-media/

"Trust in news is not just about getting the facts right, it's about how facts are being organized, packaged, and delivered."

16/05/2022

Settled law? What's the legal case for having this "egregiously wrong" precedent overturned?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/constitutional-interpretation-in-the-roe-reversal/

The Court's justification for redefining the right to privacy fundamentally alters the legal landscape.

13/05/2022

The "gravest sin"? What should we make of claims that the leak represents the ultimate betrayal?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/the-roe-leak-of-trust-and-promises/

Is the leak really the "most unforgivable sin" it's been made out to be?

12/05/2022

Just a cut? Why do convictions about male circumcision and female ge***al mutilation tend to diverge?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/bloodstained-men-and-circumcision-protest/

What can female ge***al mutilation tell us about the ethics of male circumcision?

11/05/2022

Worse than death? Going all in on cryopreservation is not a gamble devoid of risk.
https://www.prindlepost.org/?p=13692

Doing whatever it takes to evade one's final moments might not be one's best bet.

10/05/2022

Deep, deep down? How do we decide which wishes we should honor when it comes to life and death?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/on-the-morality-of-allowing-euthanasia-for-those-with-mental-illness-part-2/

How should we go about divining what people truly want when their desires appear at odds?

09/05/2022

Agent of harm? What's the morally significant difference between aiding and allowing when it comes to euthanasia?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/on-the-morality-of-allowing-euthanasia-for-those-with-mental-illness-part-1/

What relevant moral considerations might make it inappropriate for us to intervene in the suffering of others?

06/05/2022

Good politics or good policy? The debate over student loan forgiveness touches all sorts of thorny issues concerning fairness, justice, and desert.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/the-morality-of-forgiving-student-debt/

What are the compelling moral reasons for lightening the financial burden of the economically mobile?

05/05/2022

Smoke and mirrors? Freshii's recent corporate workaround looks like exploitation by any other name.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/virtual-work-and-the-ethics-of-outsourcing/

What rules should govern the virtual workplace and how should we conceive of foreign labor in the digital marketplace?

04/05/2022

United we stand? What do workers deserve and how can they demand it?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/unions-and-worker-agency/

How can workers best identify, articulate, and defend their individual interests?

03/05/2022

"How am I not myself?" This fictional workplace reveals our harmful relation to the office and unmasks the everyday plight of the worker.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/05/severance-identity-and-work/

This work of science fiction offers a straightforward portrayal of alienated labor.

02/05/2022

Missing the mark? Our preferred shorthand for measuring students' scholastic achievement has blotted out all other aims and goals.

https://www.prindlepost.org/?p=13670

Has school assessment morphed into an unhelpful practice in need of correcting?

28/04/2022

Motivated behavior? What's the harm in encouraging folks to stay engaged? [Click link for 1000 free points]

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/04/no-fun-and-games/

The same psychological nudges that make gamification so effective are the very same that make it so dangerous.

27/04/2022

Personal space? What kinds of boundaries need to exist to govern the evolving online space?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/04/sexual-violence-in-the-metaverse-are-we-really-there/

What are the relevant differences separating the physical and the virtual spaces that might explain how our treatment changes?

26/04/2022

A good bet despite long odds? Can we put a dollar amount on the value of keeping hope alive?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/04/the-pascals-wager-of-cryopreservation/

Despite slim odds, the possibility of cheating death presents an awfully attractive payoff.

25/04/2022

School daze? How can educators best care for students whose lives have been interrupted?

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/04/digital-degrees-and-depersonalization/

Online learning has been a useful tool for solving some problems but its also been responsible for exacerbating others.

22/04/2022

Kenneth Boyd, a philosopher , argues that there's more at stake in the misinformation crisis than simply too few civics majors.

https://www.prindlepost.org/?p=13636

Changing hearts and minds is about more than simply coming with receipts.

21/04/2022

. explores the relationship between how we view wealth and celebrity and how we view meaning in life for The Prindle Post.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/04/celebrity-wealth-and-meaning-in-life/

The assumptions we make regarding the rich and famous could stand further investigation.

20/04/2022

Are athletes obligated to behave any more morally than their fans? JakeWojtowicz explores the roles of spectator and player in his latest for The Prindle Post.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/04/the-obligations-of-players-and-fans/

How should we determine the limits of acceptable behavior when it comes to player-fan interactions?

19/04/2022

Should certain forms of research be considered forbidden knowledge? University of Waterloo PhD student Matthew Silk explores the ethics of artificial intelligence research and development for The Prindle Post.

https://www.prindlepost.org/2022/04/ai-and-pure-science/

Can we really continue to maintain the thin line that divides knowledge from application?