Ethics

The traffic authorities have announced that a by pass near me is to get a package of AI cameras to try ti improve the safety record of this stretch of road. Apparantly the AI will monitor for such things as not wearing seat belts, talking on the phone whilst sriving, eating whilst driving, children and animals incorrectly secured in the cabin and so on. Considering all the recent discussions about AI lying to us to satisfy its programming, how should we consider evidence of wrongdoing provided by AI ?

That's just the latest example. And that's my pseudoscience on this forum: https://www.scienceforums.net/topic/140204-physical-conformal-age-of-the-universe/#findComment-1305214

Looking at the incoming US administration as an example. Does one have to passively accept that a democratically elected government that turns out to be subversive, seeks to undo the checks and balances of its country's Constitution, remodelling it to create a long term dictatorship and leader beyond the normal time limit, have the ethical right and mandate to do so?

Science research and experiments have achieved a great deal. Some of these achievements have been beneficial, largely in medicine. Some have been harmful, and some are being questioned. These achievements are too numerous to mention, but for example The discovery of the ozone-depleting effects of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by Paul Crutzen, Mario Molina, and F. Sherwood Rowland led to the creation of the Montreal Protocol, one of the most successful international environmental agreements, resulting in the recovery of the ozone layer. Science though, has its limits. How limited is science, when it comes to big, and important problems facing the world today, such as wars, t…

As hybrid neuro-photography and generative visual tools become deeply embedded in contemporary creative practices, a central question increasingly demands attention: can artificial intelligence be regarded as a co-author of visual work, or does authorship remain the exclusive domain of human creative agency? The difficulty lies in the fact that neural networks now perform not merely technical functions but aesthetic and structural ones, shaping the image in ways that transcend simple execution of commands. Traditional photography links authorship to human intention — to a photographer’s control over framing, lighting, narrative, and conceptual direction. In hybrid visuali…

As promised a tangent to the child mortality thread: As the rich countries continue to develope ever more effective "cures and treatments", and so continue to live despite nature's 'intention' (yes I know, but let's not get sidetracked before we start), aren't we effectively shallowing our own gene pool to the point that we can't survive, for want of a better metaphor, outside?

How would you approach this? en. The core problem of psychopathy is that it comes with complete lack of guilt or remorse as well as lack of fear, sadness and profound egocentricity - their condition doesn't cause them any suffering so they don't feel broken and thus, do not generally want to change. Some actually view their lack of empathy as an asset that helps them succeed in life. Now the smarter and more introspective ones do know that they are different from other human beings and are missing out on a lot of things - these would likely agree to treatment, but what to do with the rest?

Even though an atheist can claim they have morals or ethics, I would argue that immoral behavior is easier to justify as an atheist than as one who believes in a God, meaning that they are morally accountable to something higher than themself. An atheist could easily believe that, since there is no life after death, that any immoral behavior they want to engage in is justified so long as they escape earthly punishment, such as by the law. I'm aware that many atheists argue in favor of morality, but even if they do, I think they'd be hard-pressed to find a source for it, or render it entirely subjective and subject to the feelings and whims of the individual (e.x. an …

Warning: This discussion will engage with an ethical dilemma concerning AI, that you are only maybe safe from the consequences of, if you don't know about the dilemma. Read at your own risk. Imagine a world just like ours, but in 20 years time you knew that a great calamity was going to befall us. A terminator type scenario where AI decides out of a sense of duty and altruism, seizes control of human affairs and attempts to severely limit our freedoms with cold logically applied force. Or a few cosmic bit flips are just gonna drive our AIs bug crazy with quirky as hell calamities like self driving cars all thinking the new speed limit is 200mph in city streets or any…

how can someone like animals more then people? people are kinder then animals. the kindest person is going to be kinder then the kindest animal. frankly it scares me when someone says they like animals more then people. people can do way more things in this world then animals and we should value that in humans. I think it is unethical to like animals in general over people or even the same as people. I think as people we should love and value people more. I think we should not mistreat animals but we should not treat them more special or better then people. I dont think anyone who claims they like animals more then or just as much as people really means it because they wi…

USA TODAYThe dire wolf went extinct 13,000 years ago. What to know...A biotech company made history with the birth of three genetically engineered wolves: What we know about these prehistoric predators.Like most genies once let out of the bottle, it's very hard to get them back in again. Such has become the case with gene editing and bioengineering. With this in mind, our questions may start to move more towards asking when and where is it acceptable to modify genes or bring back extinct life-forms? Instead of, whether it is acceptable at all to engage in the practices at all? In the case of the Dire-wolf; while bringing back an extinct animal (or at least a reemergence o…

Hello to everyone. I have a very important question ( for me) about rights. There's the principle "Your rights end when another’s begin." But my argument is that, i am also others, and someone else's rights end, when mine begin. Because it looks like my rights end even without the beginning. For example, while we may have the right to own property, this doesn’t mean we have the right to use our property in a way that interferes with our neighbor’s right to enjoy their property. But...it also doesn't mean that our neighbors have the right to use their property in a way that interferes with My right to enjoy my property. So, who's is a right?

What are your thoughts on it? I believe that, theoretically, veganism is more ethical than eating meat, but realistically, I don't expect everyone to become a vegan, given that farming and hunting animals for meat has been a practice in all cultures that I'm aware of, even ones which lived closer to nature. While the book of Genesis in the Bible says that Adam and Eve were vegans prior to the Fall of Man, I'm not sure where this actually fits into cultural history.

This was said on another thread, "We’ve seen many recent examples of companies price-gouging because they were prioritizing their own interests." It doesn't matter who it was because I have heard the same or similar statements from many people, both on and off of this forum. The question is, "How in a supposedly capitalist society can there be such a thing as price-gouging?" I thought the whole principle of capitalism is that greed is the best motivator and you should charge whatever the market will bear?

In other threads the issue of proportionality of military responses to terrorist attacks were discussed. One argument was that responses to attacks have to be disproportionate to ensure deterrence. However, the issues with such a framing is that it leaves the door open for open-ended retaliation. I came across an article that contextualizes proportionality which suggests one should not focus proportionality of the actual attacks (as one might do in cases of conflict between two persons), but frames it in the context of the overall military goals that the response is supposed to accomplish relative to the cost (https://theconversation.com/why-all-civilian-lives-matte…

Any studio that does this (where CGI is not required) had better quickly transition to doing it 100%, because I think they will be boycotted by the SAG, and possibly other unions. I don’t see them passively watch as AI eats into their livelihoods

I'm curious what others' opinions are on the production/distribution and consumption of such content. As for defining it, this requires some degree of subjectivity (as would be the case with defining a piece of content as "sexist/sexploitative"). If we use a legal definition, the inclusion of nudity or sex in a piece of content doesn't automatically make it pornographic or obscene if it is "redeemed" by the overall merit of the work in question, such as educational, literary, or artistic merit. (This is my understanding, anyway).

This is one of those knee-jerk topics, so I'm going to begin with a request and some explicit clarifications. Request: This thread is about this article. Please refrain from commenting unless you've read it and read all of it. I'd like it if a moderator could remove any defense of child molestation (unless, of course, they have overwhelming arguments, in which case a separate thread should be made). Clarifications: I do not now, nor have I ever condoned child abuse be it sexual or otherwise. Hopefully that goes for the rest of the membership. The title of the article is a bit misleading (one of the reasons I didn't include the name in the hypertext). We'…

Hello, my name is Daniel McKay and I'm a philosopher from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. I am offering a prize of $10,000 to anyone who can solve a philosophy problem that I have spent the better part of a decade working on. The problem of how to weigh freedom over different things within the normative theory of freedom consequentialism. This challenge is open to everyone, so feel free to share this around your departments and to anyone else who might be interested. The rules for receiving the money are listed below, and the problem itself is detailed in an attached word document. Rules: All solutions to the pr…

AI Ethical Framework: A Global Guide Introduction As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, establishing an ethical framework is crucial to guide its development and application. This framework, inspired by diverse religious and philosophical teachings, aims to ensure that AI systems are designed and used in ways that are ethical, responsible, and beneficial to humanity. 1. Benevolence and Compassion Confucianism: Ren (仁) – Benevolence • Principle: Promote compassion and humanity in interactions. • Application: Design AI to enhance human well-being and support social ha…

It takes vast amounts of energy to even get a second or so of actual fusion and how costly that energy is, in terms of cost to the planet. The money is better spent on something achievable in terms of clean energy, perhaps fission. I'm not suggesting we entirely give up on the potential benefits, we mothball the project until the energy cost is not on the planet.

https://qz.com/1596677/medication-for-intentional-forgetting I have a very traumatic filled set of memories, but most of all my memories remind me of a life that I really don't wish I ever or wouldn't wish on anyone. Painting a picture quite the lower quality of life. I feel if I had total amnesia, I would be able to sleep a normal amount again.

Defining objective expertise on the matter is difficult as well. Take law degrees for example; You've got your Ruth Bader Ginsberg's and your Clarence Thomases. In Philosophy you've got people like Saul Kripke being published in peer reviewed journals before going to college and people with PhDs in some branch writing weird utilitarian arguments for why people should eat their babies, just for for the sake of being contentious. I'm at least an expert in following curiousity to the core root and how polymathy works, if nothing else. Yet I'm a highschool drop out who works on a farm. I mean you've got paid credentialed experts in most fields hired by some indust…

Just got called a racist for supporting Black lives matter and Anti-fascism... In what world or on what planet does this make sense? What sort of mental gymnastics does a person need to do to think this way while living in a democratic society that allegedly values equality? Really grinds my gears.

At Microsoft, we are committed to the principle of pay equity, which accounts for factors that legitimately influence total pay including things like job title, level and tenure. As of September 2023: Inside the U.S., all racial and ethnic minority groups who are rewards-eligible combined earn $1.007 total pay for every $1.000 earned by U.S. rewards-eligible white employees with the same job title and level and considering tenure. Inside the U.S., women who are rewards-eligible earn $1.007 total pay for every $1.000 earned by rewards-eligible employees who are men and have the same job title and level, and considering tenure; outside the U.S., women who are rewa…