ethics

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New Virtue Ethics Center at Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame has announced the creation of the Jenkins Center for Virtue Ethics. (more…)

First Sub-Saharan Ethics Center Approaches 5th Anniversary; Seeks Funds for Conference

EthicsLab, a research center in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, is organizing a conference in celebration of its upcoming fifth anniversary, and has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help people attend it. (more…)

The Ignorance Next Door, and What to Do about It

Philosophers sometimes complain about how colleagues in other fields don’t know enough about what philosophy is and what philosophers do, even as said colleagues make pronouncements about philosophy, or decisions that affect philosophy department, or changes to curricula or requirements relevant to philosophy course offerings, and so on. (more…)

Rockwell Prize for Best Article on Ethics, Leadership and Public Policy Awarded

The Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership at the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston has announced the winner and runner-up for its 2023 Prize for the Best Article on Ethics, Leadership, and Public Policy. (more…)

NEH Creates New Funding for Ethics & AI Research

The Biden administration yesterday called for legislation about and regulation of artificial intelligence (AI), the development and implementation of which will involve expertise in the the ethics of AI.

Just afterwards, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) launched a new program funding research on that subject.

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What Can Philosophers Contribute to Space Exploration?

A new report from NASA considers the ethical, legal, and societal implications of its Artemis project.

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Defending Ethics as a Required Part of the Curriculum

A philosophy department that teaches courses that satisfy a university-wide ethics requirement now finds itself in the position of having to defend that requirement. (more…)

$2.97 Million Grant for Course on Human Flourishing

Meghan Sullivan, professor of philosophy and director of the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study (NDIAS) at the University of Notre Dame, has received a $2.97 million grant to lead a project developing courses on human flourishing. (more…)

Ethics Center Hires Director of Storytelling and Public Engagement

The Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University has brought on reporter, audio producer, podcast host, Peabody-award nominee, and educator John Biewen as its “director of storytelling and public engagement.” (more…)

Philosophers on Next-Generation Large Language Models

Back in July of 2020, I published a group post entitled “Philosophers on GPT-3.” At the time, most readers of Daily Nous had not heard of GPT-3 and had no idea what a large language model (LLM) is. How times have changed. (more…)

Microsoft Jettisons AI Ethics Team

“Microsoft laid off its entire ethics and society team within the artificial intelligence organization,” according to a report from Platformer (via Gizmodo). (more…)

PEA Soup Returns

The “Philosophy, Ethics, and Academia” blog PEA Soup was taken over last fall by the University of Warwick’s Centre for Ethics, Law, and Public Affairs (CELPA) and has now resumed regular posting. (more…)

Why a Philosopher’s Racist Email from 26 Years Ago is News Today

Influential Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom, well-known for his work on philosophical questions related to ethics, the future, and technology (existential risk, artificial intelligence, simulation), posted an apology for a blatantly racist email he sent to a listserv 26 years ago. (more…)

FTX, Moral Philosophy, Public Philosophy

Does the FTX debacle hold lessons for moral philosophers? For those interested in public philosophy? (more…)

Floridi Wins Italy’s Highest Honor

Luciano Floridi, Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Information at the University of Oxford, Director of the Digital Ethics Lab of the Oxford Internet Institute, and Distinguished Research Fellow of the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at Oxford, as well as Professor of Philosophy and Legal Studies at the University of Bologna, has been awarded the Cavaliere di..

Over 450 Academics Sign Statement Opposing Animal Exploitation

Over 450 academics, many of whom work in moral and political philosophy, have signed onto the “Montreal Declaration on Animal Exploitation.” (more…)

Philosophy’s Happiness Literature: More of It, More Empirical (guest post)

In the following guest post, Michael Prinzing (Yale) discusses trends in philosophical discussions of happiness and well-being. (more…)

Measuring Consensus and Disagreement in Ethics

A pair of philosophers are studying consensus and disagreement among philosophers on ethical issues, as well as consensus and disagreement on such issues between philosophers and the general public. (more…)

Deontology Is Compatible with Act-Consequentialism (guest post)

“It’s standard to divide the moral landscape into deontology, consequentialism, and virtue ethics, thereby assuming that these three are mutually exclusive and jointly exhaustive. I, like some others, find this deeply problematic…” (more…)

Philosophers On The Russian Attack On Ukraine

On February 24th, Russia began an invasion of Ukraine, starting with missile strikes on several locations, including Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and since then has continued its attack via air and ground warfare, despite near universal international condemnation of its actions. (more…)

Service-Learning in Philosophy Courses

“Moral problems, like global and local food insecurity, aren’t just abstract problems; they are practical problems with practical solutions. It’s important not just to present students with the problems, but also to empower them with real-world actions they can perform to help alleviate these problems.” (more…)

What Is This AI Bot’s Moral Philosophy?

Delphi is an AI ethics bot, or, as its creators put it, “a research prototype designed to model people’s moral judgments on a variety of everyday situations.” Visitors can ask Delphi moral questions, and Delphi will provide you with answers. (more…)

In Which We Overthink “Frightening”

Halloween is coming up, a holiday about delighting in frightening, about fear and frivolity, about terrors and treats. In past years, Daily Nous has offered some opportunities for philosophers to have fun with Halloween. This year, let’s ruin it… (more…)

Philosophy of Well-Being: A “Dysfunctional” Situation?

A “responsible definition of wellbeing,” says Anna Alexandrova (Cambridge), “needs to be appropriate to the goals of the project—epistemically accessible, reasonably simple, in other words fit for purpose… Philosophers of wellbeing in the analytic tradition think very differently.” (more…)

Philosophy Professor Claims To Be Threatened With Dismissal for Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine

Julie Ponesse, a philosophy professor at Western University’s Huron College, says in a video that she is facing “imminent dismissal” by the university for her refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19. (more…)