Nothing as It Seems

Here are some interesting articles I've read over the past week that I think are worth checking out. Jina Moore, “ Just give poor people money . ” 17  Oct,  Boston Globe .  "For decades, the assumption has been that poor people will make poor financial decisions. GiveDirectly, a pioneer in giving cash to impoverished families in East Africa, encounters the assumption so often that it keeps a disclaimer near the top of its 'about' page: 'No, people don’t just blow it on booze.'" Di Minardi, “ The grim fate that could be ‘worse than extinction’ . ”  16 Oct,  BBC Future.   "Though global totalitarianism is still a niche topic of study, researchers in the field of existential risk are increasingly turning their attention to its most likely cause: artificial intelligence." Rachael Brown, “ Thinking critically about COVID-19: Some common mistakes .”  19 Oct,  thephilscigirl (Blog).  "Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen...

  Here are some interesting articles I've read over the past week that I think are worth checking out. Nicholas Christakis, “ The Long Shadow of the Pandemic: 2024 and Beyond . ” 16  Oct,  Wall Street Journal .  Even when the world returns to ‘normal,’ the legacy of Covid-19 will transform everything from wages and health care to political attitudes and global supply chains. Extract from Nicholas Christakis' new book,  Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live . Sam Bowman and Ryan Bourne, “ Pay people £200 to take a Covid vaccine .”  13 Oct,  The Times.   Should we pay people to get the Covid vaccine once it is available? Adam Kirsch, “ Philosophy in the Shadow of Nazism .”  12 Oct,  New Yorker .  "Review of David Edmonds' new book,  The Murder of Professor Schlick: The Rise and Fall of the Vienna Circle . "For the Vienna Circle, the best hunting ground for pseudo-statements was ...

  Here are some interesting articles I've read over the past week that I think are worth checking out. Joe O'Connor, “ A four-day week is not a luxury - it is an essential step forward . ” 4  Oct,  Business Post .  "Numerous academic studies, including from John Pencavel of Stanford University in 2014, have shown that there is no correlation between working long hours and greater productivity." Richard Roberts and Seán O’Neill McPartlin, “ The risks of a Covid-19 human challenge trial are significant, but entirely justified .”  6 Oct, Daily Telegraph.   "The risks of a Covid-​19 challenge trial, though significant, are justified. It is decidedly positive that scientists are taking up the offers of volunteers to conduct these trials." Fareed Zakaria, “ The pandemic upended the present. But it’s given us a chance to remake the future .”  6 Oct,  Washington Post .  "We could continue with business as usual and risk cascading crises from c...

Image by Christian Fregnan  Here are some interesting articles I've read over the past week that I think are worth checking out. James Harold, “ Is it rational to condemn an artwork for an artist’s personal immorality? ”  3 Oct,  OUP Blog .  Should we appreciate art created by bad people? Shane Timmons, “ The pandemic isn't down to one reckless group - it's because of the contagiousness of Covid-19 .”  2 Oct,  Journal.ie.   "Social disapproval of non-compliance is important for maintaining the high levels of cooperation we’ve seen in Ireland, but it should be proportionate to the transgression and come from appropriate sources." Jeff McMahan, “ How Britain and the US became trapped in the nationalism of decline .”  2 Oct,  New Statesman .  Philosopher Jeff McMahan argues that the contempt shown by Britain and the United States for international law is a betrayal of the postwar order they both helped to create.  Mariana Mazzuc...