Research
Adapting to Digital Environments: Evolutionary Ethics and the Challenge of Privacy
Recent work in evolutionary psychology presents the following puzzle: many believe that natural selected favored altruism in the course of human evolution, yet our ancestors’ environment is so different from our own that any altruistic instincts we have inherited may provide a poor foundation for ethical behavior in the present. The case is doubly complicated in digital environments, which are even more remote than the merely physical ones of our ancestors. In this paper, I examine the continuities and discontinuities between the early adaptive environment (25,000–75,000 years ago) and current digital environments as they relate to personal information and social interaction.
Adapting to Digital Environments: Evolutionary Ethics and the Challenge of Privacy
Recent work in evolutionary psychology presents the following puzzle: many believe that natural selected favored altruism in the course of human evolution, yet our ancestors’ environment is so different from our own that any altruistic instincts we have inherited may provide a poor foundation for ethical behavior in the present. The case is doubly complicated in digital environments, which are even more remote than the merely physical ones of our ancestors. In this paper, I examine the continuities and discontinuities between the early adaptive environment (25,000–75,000 years ago) and current digital environments as they relate to personal information and social interaction.
Authority, Access, and the Archive
This paper surveys three different models for arranging the archive (expert/authoritative curation, crowdsourcing, and computational methods), noting the theoretical and practical implications of each.
Authority, Access, and the Archive
This paper surveys three different models for arranging the archive (expert/authoritative curation, crowdsourcing, and computational methods), noting the theoretical and practical implications of each.
The Demography of Philosophy
Demographers study the structure, interactions, and shifting trends of human populations. To date, artificial and opt-in populations have received little attention. This work applies demographic methods to the field of philosophy to understand its past, current, and future directions.
The Demography of Philosophy
Demographers study the structure, interactions, and shifting trends of human populations. To date, artificial and opt-in populations have received little attention. This work applies demographic methods to the field of philosophy to understand its past, current, and future directions.
“Naturalized Metaphilosophy”
with David Morrow
Synthèse 182.2 (2011)
Traditional representations of philosophy have tended to prize the role of reason in the discipline. These accounts focus exclusively on ideas and arguments as animating forces in the field. But anecdotal evidence and more rigorous sociological studies suggest there is more going on in philosophy. In this article, we present two hypotheses about social factors in the field: that social factors influence the development of philosophy, and that position of status and reputation—and thus social influence—will tend to be awarded to philosophers who offer rationally compelling arguments for their views.
“Naturalized Metaphilosophy”
with David Morrow
Synthèse 182.2 (2011)
Traditional representations of philosophy have tended to prize the role of reason in the discipline. These accounts focus exclusively on ideas and arguments as animating forces in the field. But anecdotal evidence and more rigorous sociological studies suggest there is more going on in philosophy. In this article, we present two hypotheses about social factors in the field: that social factors influence the development of philosophy, and that position of status and reputation—and thus social influence—will tend to be awarded to philosophers who offer rationally compelling arguments for their views.
Review of Ralph Wedgwood, The Nature of Normativity
Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 11.1 (2008)