Philosophy & Ethics

Should Robots Be Tickled?

“Under what conditions can we engage in a meaningful, expressive interaction with an electronic device?” Say, for example, by ‘tickling’ a robot? This question is examined in a recent article by Patrizia Marti, assistant professor and senior lecturer at t ...

Article - Martin Gardiner - Sep 8 2012 - 10:41am

On Mathematical Platonism

Recently I have been intrigued by James Ladyman and Don Ross’s ideas about naturalistic metaphysics and in the course of my discussion of their book, Every Thing Must Go, I pointed out that those ideas (as the authors themselves recognize) are compatible w ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Sep 21 2012 - 9:53pm

Intelligence, Uplift And Our Place In A Big Cosmos

A balanced and well-researched  Wired article by Jason Kehe  reveals the latest  "yoo-hoo transmission to aliens"   stunt.  Of course I consider these things to be, at best, dopey, with a small but significant chance of being thoughtlessly dange ...

Article - David Brin - Sep 23 2012 - 12:23pm

Jerry Coyne Vs. John Dupré On The Status Of Evolutionary Theory

I read two interesting commentaries on evolutionary theory recently. One was by philosopher John Dupré, the other by evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne. Actually, the latter was a commentary on the former, and it had a typical Coyne-style title (“Another p ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Oct 1 2012 - 5:00pm

A Response To Pigliucci’s Response To Coyne’s Response To Dupre

I must admit, before reading Massimo Pigliucci’s interesting article on Science 2.0, I was unaware of John Dupre’s so-called scholarship. My curiosity first led to Wikipedia which refers to him as a critic of evolutionary biology. With amazing tools such ...

Article - Randall Mayes - Oct 8 2012 - 9:12am

The Golden Goose Egg

I’ve been meaning to write a column on steady-state economics for some time. Last year, I even did some preliminary research, before getting caught up in topical current events instead. Then, last week, I returned to my internet perusal, again typing in m ...

Article - Holly Moeller - Oct 12 2012 - 11:46am

An Exercise In Immersion: Peter Singer, Harriet McBryde Johnson And Composition Students

It's no surprise that when I get interested in a topic I opt for full immersion. Come on, people--you've seen the ze bra print! You've seen the wigs! What's my latest? Apparently, a deep immersion into Peter Singer, whose chapter " ...

Article - Kim Wombles - Oct 14 2012 - 12:41pm

Essays On Emergence Part I

I am about to go to an informal workshop on naturalism and its implications, organized by cosmologist Sean Carroll. The list of participants is impressive, including Pat Churchland, Jerry Coyne, Richard Dawkins, Dan Dennett, Rebecca Goldstein, Alex Rosenbe ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Oct 21 2012 - 12:26am

Essays On Emergence Part II

Last time we examined Robert Batterman’s idea that the concept of emergence can be made  more precise by the fact that emergent phenomena such as phase transitions can be described by models that include mathematical singularities (such as infinities). Ac ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Oct 31 2012 - 12:31pm

Measuring Up To The Happiness Standard

By all accounts, my friend Lori has a fabulous sense of style. Plus, she really knows how to find a bargain. The outfits she assembles from Goodwill and vintage clothing shops continue to defy expectation – and imitation. Years ago, when we both lived in ...

Article - Holly Moeller - Oct 19 2012 - 8:38am