policy
TagPhilosophers Call for more Scientific Research on “Civilization Collapse”
“Civilization collapse the loss of societal capacity to maintain essential governance functions, especially maintaining security, the rule of law, and the provision of basic necessities such as food and water. Civilization collapses in this sense could be associated with civil strife, violence, and widespread scarcity, and thus have extremely adverse effects on hum..
Philosophers, Epidemiologists & Others Call for Human Challenge Trials for COVID-19 Vaccine
125 experts in various fields have signed a letter to the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Francis Collins, calling for the U.S. government “to undertake immediate preparations for human challenge trials” for a vaccine for COVID-19. (more…)
The Role of Philosophy & Philosophers In The Coronavirus Pandemic (guest post)
In a previous post, I asked for suggestions from readers for topics related to the pandemic to post about and discuss here. One suggestion, from Jonathan Fuller (Pittsburgh), was the role of philosophy and philosophers during the pandemic. In the following guest post*, Alex Broadbent, Dean of Faculty of the Humanities, Professor of Philosophy, and Director of Instit..
Philosopher Wins €3 Million Grant for Project on Public Trust in Expert Opinion
Maria Baghramian, Head of the School of Philosophy at University College Dublin, has won a €3 million (approximately US$3.3 million) grant for three-year research project on “the role of science in policy decision making and the conditions under which people should trust and rely on expert opinion that shapes public policy.” (more…)
Philosopher Named to New State Dept. Commission on Unalienable Rights
U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo earlier this week announced the creation of a new “Commission on Unalienable Rights,” comprised of scholars and activists interested in various dimensions of human rights, law, and religion, to provide him with “advice on human rights grounded in our nation’s founding principles and the principles of the 1948 Universal Declarat..
When Does the APA Take a Stand?
The Board of Officers of the American Philosophical Association (APA) speaks out or takes a stand on certain issues and not others. What’s the process that determines whether and how the APA Board voices a position? And how are Board Statements different from APA resolutions? (more…)
It’s Complicated
I’ve been criticized for saying that the issue behind the attempt of some students at Oxford to stop having John Finnis teach required courses* is “morally and practically complicated.” How strong a criticism is this? (more…)
MIT Launches Billion Dollar Ethics-Oriented AI Initiative
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is establishing a new college focused on the development and “ethical application” artificial intelligence. (more…)
Separating Migrant Children From Their Parents Is Not Required By Law, But Even if It Were…
There is no law requiring family separation at the border. And even if there was, that still would not be enough to justify the administration’s cruel policy. (more…)
Philosophers Launch Policy Debate and Book Project
Nearly 30 philosophers have embarked upon a project to engage in policy discussion and debates with the public in anticipation of the 2019 European Parliament elections. (more…)
Trump Is A Non-Partisan Problem
Yesterday, Donald Trump commanded:
whenever an executive department or agency (agency) publicly proposes for notice and comment or otherwise promulgates a new regulation, it shall identify at least two existing regulations to be repealed.
I predict that applied mereology will be the hot area to hire in philosophy next year. (more…)
Substantive Philosophical Mistakes In Public Discourse
Public debate is rife with poor reasoning, with certain confused or erroneous claims popping up again and again to affect opinions and policies. Some of these are owed to an inability to understand statistics, some are owed to a lack of scientific understanding, and some are philosophical mistakes. Logic and critical thinking courses already take up formal errors in..
Philosopher Named “Global Cities” Fellow
Michael G. Tiboris, currently a lecturer at San Diego State, has been awarded a fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). He will be a “Global Cities Fellow” at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
The primary responsibility of the Global Cities Fellow is to work with the studies team to develop policy-focused research, writing, and pub..
M.A.D. Philosophy: Consensual Incest (Updated)
M.A.D. Philosophy is a new occasional series here at Daily Nous that highlights philosophical work that Makes A Difference to what is going on in the so-called “real world.” If you have a suggestion for this series (self-nominations are welcome), please send it along to [email protected] for a later installment.
First in the series is “The Ethics of I..
Open Borders Day
Today is Open Borders Day, which seems to be the creation of the people who run the Open Borders website. The site is well put together, and considers various moral, economic, and practical considerations regarding migration. Though certainly pro-open-borders, they consider various objections, too. The site would certainly be of interest to social and political phil..