Quick TOC: First up, I’m letting you in on a somewhat rambling (but edited) conversation that I had with ChatGPT about its own limitations in healthcare, and the limitations of those designing and using it. Then I review the research on where things currently stand with empathy and AI, and […]
Read MoreCommon Ground
In formal logic, a premise is a plank of an argument. If your premises are true and the form of your argument is valid, then your argument is sound. 1. All men are mortal.2. Socrates is a man.3. Therefore, Socrates is mortal. If you’re trying to persuade someone of your […]
Read MoreForward Thinking: What Would You Tell Teenagers About Sex?
Libby Anne and Dan Finke at Patheos have started a project called Forward Thinking, which is a series of questions they put to bloggers to encourage them to think productively. The replies to these questions are then rounded up and a new prompt posted. This will be my first crack […]
Read MoreAping morality
Whenever I’ve been involved in a discussion of the evolution of morality, the English language trips things up a bit. Due to the fact that “morality” could mean “being good” or “the capacity and tendency to distinguish right from wrong,” it’s always important to note which, specifically, you’re talking about. […]
Read MoreSecret Agent Woman
Jennifer Shewmaker, a psychology professor at Abilene Christian University, has a blog post blaming the Steubenville rape case in part on objectification of women. You should go read it, but first read about the Steubenville matter if you haven’t already. I have some theories about what would possess teenagers to create […]
Read MoreI am not a cockroach– what materialism is, and isn’t
Several years ago, I bounded out of a faculty building on a university campus and, in a thoughtful and optimistic mood, joined a couple of lecturers in the pub across the street. After we’d settled on benches in the garden out back, I mentioned that in the course of my […]
Read MoreA simple ethics of expectations
On the news this morning I listened to a report about a new virus discovered in Saudi Arabia. But after talking about how scary and disturbing that is, it was mentioned that it has infected a total of two people and is believed to be only transmissable from non-human animals […]
Read MoreWhat would convince you that God exists?
This isn’t a new question, that’s for sure. I’ve been asked it more times than I can recall, starting roughly ten years ago when I thought it would be fun to go online and argue at length with strangers about whether it makes sense to believe in God or not. […]
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