Top News, Articles, and Interviews in Philosophy

The Denial of Death and Risk Assessment

9. April 2020 Paul Pardi Article, News
The threat of widespread death from COVID-19 has become so all consuming that we're willing to give up real community, finances, jobs, possibly a healthy mental life, and, perhaps worst of all, the ability to buy toilet paper at any local store. We’ve somehow decided that all the things we thought we apparently valued prior to the disease can be set aside because this one option—stopping the spread of COVID-19—is the only thing that matters. [More]
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Les Gilets Jaunes and the Hierarchy of Environmental Needs

17. January 2019 Alexander Finer Article
"France is in flames" writes Alexander Finer in this article about Les Gilets Jaunes or "Yellow Vests" protests. Finer argues that the root of the controversy partly lies in a lack of awareness on the part of the French government to recognize how certain policies affect the ability of vulnerable parts of the population to meet basic felt needs. He roots his argument in Maslow's hierarchy which, he believes, can help us better understand what is fueling the discord as well as be used to facilitate a solution. [More]
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How to Argue With People

2. September 2018 Paul Pardi Article
Talking with people about difficult or controversial topics can be a real challenge (and it seems there are plenty of those conversations these days). This article covers the basics of argumentation and offers some strategies on how to make difficult conversations with people more productive. [More]
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Taming the Beast: Building Self-regulating AI

12. July 2018 Paul Pardi Article
Artificial Intelligence is all the rage these days–at least among the tech Illuminati. The attitude among the general population on the other hand seems to range from indifference, to fear, to outright antagonism. One of the big concerns many people share is the worry that AI systems will become too powerful and grow beyond the ability of their creators to manage and control. Is there a solution? [More]
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