There is an abundance of discussion on fears of AI going rogue, turning on humanity due to some oversight in their programming. The more treacherous reality is that there is no need for it to go rogue. In truth, self-aware Artificial Intelligence as we often imagine it in these apocalyptic scenarios is hardly needed at […]
There’s a famous saying in the media studies world, parroted a lot, though when you hear it for the first time, it sounds a little enigmatic. “The medium is the message.” Coined by the philosopher Marshall McLuhan, it definitely sounds a bit like philosopher-talk. When I was in university I took a first year communications
Modern Media’s Makeover Read More »
Any study of the authoritarian nightmares of the 20th century is usually enough to make anyone wary of governments – a glimpse into the excesses of both state power and incompetence, and the vast human toll it can collect. Certainly in the last few years I’ve become more and more wary of any bureaucratic institution
Moloch and the Mob Boss – The Balance Between Freedom and Order Read More »
It is the first of March, 1953, Moscow. A housekeeper cautiously enters the office of the most feared man on earth – lying on the ground, in urine soaked pyjamas, lays Joseph Stalin. It was soon determined that the Vozhd had suffered a stroke – regrettably for the Soviet ruler, he had suffered it while
The Dystopia of Stalin’s Soviet Union Read More »
It’s been a while since I dragged myself off of Twitter and its many cousins – for those who use social media frequently, the phantom limb of its absence is often keenly felt. Many people find, despite their conscious effort, that they’ve brainlessly opened up Twitter, Reddit or Tiktok, and had been scrolling for minutes
Social Media Poisoning Read More »
Anybody who had their ear to the ground regarding Artificial Intelligence for the last year – and many who didn’t – will know that the technology has improved at a dramatic and frankly startling pace, and in many domains we least expected. AI generated art – by tools like Dall-E and Midjourney – evolved from
Many of us have an idea of morality and virtue, but if pressed to define it, I imagine we might struggle. Many of us have become disentangled from religion in the empirical modern world, and ethics can become fuzzy without the moral authority of religion to shape it for us. One should be wary of
The Ancient Virtues Read More »
I used to consider the ability to read a lot of books a good in and of itself. I kept a list of every book I finished, and set myself reading goals of finishing 3 or 4 a month – child’s play for some of our more prodigious readers out there. Today I want to
Don’t Read to Read, Read to Learn Read More »
Stoic philosophy has been enjoying something of a renaissance in recent years. When I was younger I considered philosophy – specifically the arrogant academic mess that often springs to mind with the word nowadays – as more of an ugly step-sibling to the scientific method. If you couldn’t be a scientist, be a philosopher, a
How to Find Joy in Chaotic Times Read More »
Is ambition a virtue? The trait is responsible for the formation of countless empires – it drives us to be better people, to survive and to thrive. We admire go-getters, startup founders, people with gusto, and ambition is richly rewarded. We need ambitious people, certainly, and many of us would benefit from more of it
Ambition is an Appetite Read More »
