December 2017
December 2017
An Argument for Regulating Automation
Eliane Mitchell
14
Dec 2017
As automation displaces human labor, a universal basic income plan may seem like the perfect solution. But are we being too fatalistic in accepting that automation will eventually obviate the need for human labor?
Read moreThe Odyssey in Plain English
Eliane Mitchell
01
Dec 2017
The first woman to translate The Odyssey, Emily Wilson, tells the famous story of Odysseus, Homer's cunning Trojan war hero, in a radically different way. She tells it in plain English. Wilson's translation is direct, and her effort raises important questions around the translation of classical works.
Read moreBuddhism, Science, and the West
Mohit Mookim
08
Dec 2017
Why do many of us assume that Buddhism and science are polar opposites—that Buddhist teachings are so paradoxical and mysterious they are not even meant to be understood? Is it possible instead that the teachings of Buddhism actually predate certain scientific conclusions the West is just now discovering?
Read moreOf Philosophy and Basketball
David Livingstone Smith
06
Dec 2017
I’m reaching the end of a semester-long sabbatical, and will soon have to start thinking about preparing for the courses that I will be teaching in the spring semester. I love teaching. However, this time I’m rather less enthusiastic about climbing back in the academic saddle.
Read moreThe Midlife Crisis
Josh Landy
04
Dec 2017
What exactly is a midlife crisis? One way to think about it is that it’s the creeping feeling that what we’re doing with our lives isn’t worthwhile. Or worse: the midlife crisis can be the feeling that no choice of life could ever have been worthwhile.
Read moreCan Words Kill?
Ken Taylor
12
Dec 2017
Can mere words be used to kill? Words can hurt and offend, but can they be lethal weapons? I don’t mean that in a metaphorical sense. We all can admit that words can hurt or offend. But I’m asking if they can literally kill?
Read moreLethal Speech
Neil Van Leeuwen
19
Dec 2017
“Can Speech Kill?” The obvious answer, it seems, should be: yes, but not directly. However, if one person engages in hate speech against another—using racial slurs or de-humanizing language such as “cockroaches” or “rats”—can that language be counted as killing or contributing to killing other people?
Read moreIn Praise of Affirmative Consent
Ray Briggs
22
Dec 2017
The recent Twitter popularity of the #MeToo movement has shone a public spotlight on ongoing conversations about rape and sexual assault. There is no single, magical solution to the problem of sexual assault, but an important piece of the puzzle is changing the way we understand sex and consent.
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