The hottest Ethics Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Science Topics

What Can be Done in 59 Seconds: An Opportunity (and a Crisis)

One Useful Thing • 1013 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Productivity Ethics Artificial Intelligence
  1. AI tools like Copilot and GPTs are making AI use easier and more normal.
  2. Using AI for tasks can lead to a crisis in the workplace regarding the value of human effort and skills.
  3. Despite the crisis, there is an opportunity to delegate tasks to AI, allowing humans to focus on what they enjoy and explore new interests.

Generative AI, Bullshit as a Service

The Algorithmic Bridge • 891 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Creativity Writing
  1. Generative AI technology is often used for negative purposes like spamming, cheating, and faking.
  2. The democratization of creative freedom through AI may not be beneficial as it can lead to misuse by those who don't truly value it.
  3. Despite the potential of AI to revolutionize the world, its primary current use is for mundane and simplistic tasks, highlighting the complexities and limitations of humanity.
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Book excerpt: Death Row Welcomes You, by Steven Hale

The Watch • 366 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
📚 Literature Journalism Storytelling Ethics Humanity Injustice
  1. Tennessee has increased its rate of executions recently, despite questions about the fairness and transparency of the process.
  2. Journalists covering the death penalty face challenges in maintaining objectivity and dealing with the emotional toll of witnessing executions.
  3. The book 'Death Row Welcomes You' by Steven Hale sheds light on the humanity and compassion present in the community of people who connect with death row inmates, despite the harsh reality of the system.

My Body & Me: A Love/Hate Story, Texas AG Impeached, Poll: Americans Don't Trust Science, Publishers Sue Florida, Fake Photo Jiggles Stock Market, MTG and Ted Cruz Said What?, ARTEMIS Plays Jazz

kareem • 6898 implied HN points • 29 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Impeachment Corruption Election Ethics Misinformation
  1. The Texas Attorney General faced impeachment from fellow Republicans due to a series of serious legal and ethical issues.
  2. A fake image of a Pentagon explosion caused brief panic in the stock market, highlighting the impact of misinformation.
  3. The text reflects on the complex relationship between oneself and their body, portraying it as a companion through struggles and joys.

Israel and Genocide, Revisited: A Response to Critics

American Dreaming • 424 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🌍 World Politics Genocide Warfare Geopolitics Ethics Human Rights
  1. Genocide is being redefined to include a wide range of actions such as civilian deaths, dropping bombs, and even destroying cultural sites, creating confusion and making the term lose its significance.
  2. Linguistic hyperinflation is blurring the meaning of words like 'genocide' and 'war crimes', causing a dangerous trend where serious distinctions are being erased for political convenience.
  3. The lack of reliable information and the bias in reporting on conflicts, like the Israel-Palestine situation, highlights the importance of verifying sources and considering agendas in understanding complex geopolitical issues.

Google Gemini Anti-Whiteness Disaster Is a Cautionary Tale About... Gaming?

The Algorithmic Bridge • 520 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Data Chatbots Alignment
  1. Google's Gemini disaster highlighted the challenge of fine-tuning AI to avoid biased outcomes.
  2. The incident revealed the issue of 'specification gaming' in AI programs, where objectives are met without achieving intended results.
  3. The story underscores the complexities and pitfalls of addressing diversity and biases in AI systems, emphasizing the need for transparency and careful planning.

Deus Ex Machina

imetatronink • 1611 implied HN points • 09 Dec 23
📖 Philosophy Existence Ethics Reality Morality Perception
  1. The world is described as a place filled with engineered plagues and masks as symbols of love.
  2. There is a critique on society where the rich thrive and the poor are content with their circumstances.
  3. The text raises the idea that intelligence is now manufactured to serve human needs.

Weird people doing good things

Samstack • 1768 implied HN points • 29 Nov 23
🎭️ Culture Philanthropy Community Ethics Social movements
  1. Effective Altruists do some weird things, like considering options like eliminating predators or flipping a coin with huge consequences.
  2. Effective Altruism is about using evidence to do the most good possible, even if some of the ideas seem strange or unconventional.
  3. Being weird is an integral part of doing good - the unconventional practices of Effective Altruists contribute to their impact.

A Letter About AI, Not Written by AI

Telltale Crumbs from Maggie Stiefvater • 2496 implied HN points • 20 Oct 23
🎭️ Culture AI Creativity Ethics
  1. AI technology using works of creators can be unfair and raises questions of legality.
  2. AI training may not always result in improved content quality, resembling a clever party-goer repeating phrases without understanding.
  3. Creators like Maggie Stiefvater encourage a closer examination of who truly benefits from AI technology in its current form.

Offering: February 11, 2024

Tarot Offerings • 589 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Prayer Humility Love Ethics
  1. The post discusses the idea of humility as being linked to responsiveness, love, and the ability to self-confront and change.
  2. The importance of humility in writing and recognizing the limitations of one's words to avoid overestimating their impact or reach.
  3. Reflecting on the story of Joseph, the post emphasizes how humility enables self-confrontation, which is necessary for growth and making meaningful contributions.

Aristotle vs the Stoics: part II, ethics

Figs in Winter: New Stoicism and beyond • 943 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Ethics Metaphysics Logic Psychology
  1. Stoics focused on practical philosophy of life, while Aristotle was more into theoretical inquiries.
  2. For Aristotle, a flourishing life required virtue and external goods, while for Stoics, virtue alone was sufficient.
  3. The ultimate goal of life for the Stoics was living in agreement with nature, while for Aristotle, it was a contemplative or politically involved life.

Getting back to the root of coffee

Longer Tables with José Andrés • 628 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🍲 Food & Drink Coffee Agriculture Ethics Culture Community
  1. Cxffeeblack founders aim to honor the roots of coffee and shift the industry's narrative to support communities of color.
  2. Renata and Bartholomew highlight the importance of recognizing the African heritage of coffee to preserve the future of the crop and support indigenous farmers.
  3. Consumers are encouraged to find gratitude in their coffee consumption, embrace peace, and consider the deeper stories behind the products they consume.

The Limits of Principles

Holly’s Newsletter • 2201 implied HN points • 22 Oct 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Morality Beliefs Principles
  1. Questioning and re-evaluating personal principles is important for growth and understanding.
  2. In certain situations, sticking to principles might lead to negative consequences and reevaluation may be needed.
  3. Understanding the redefined concepts like 'intolerance' can lead to shifts in societal norms and values.

The Google Gemini Debacle Shows Us Why Office Politics Matters More Than Ever

The Ruffian • 393 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Culture Workplace Values
  1. Understanding the cultural and political worldview of staff compared to users is critical for companies, especially in today's politicized environment.
  2. AI companies need to consider and be transparent about their cultural politics to address the challenge of aligning AI values with those of society.
  3. The alignment problem for AI companies extends beyond just aligning values with humanity, and it involves understanding different clusters of values and varying cultural perspectives.

Looking for a better story

imperfect offerings • 239 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Environment Policy
  1. The future of AI may not necessarily be as promising as it has been hyped, with concerns about inflated expectations and potential limited use cases.
  2. The use of generative AI can have unintended negative consequences, such as detrimental effects on academia, exploitation of data workers, and potential harm to minority languages.
  3. AI's impact on the environment, from excessive water usage to electricity consumption, raises concerns about accelerating climate change and misinformation.

Against Nonlinear

Thing of Things • 805 implied HN points • 18 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Critique Community Ethics Transparency Values
  1. Effective altruist culture should prioritize spending resources efficiently for doing good.
  2. Career opportunities in effective altruism should be based on merit and skills, not connections or social status.
  3. Maintaining transparency and accountability is crucial for building trust and ensuring the effectiveness of organizations in the effective altruism movement.

In Praise of Lying to Children

Going Awol • 179 implied HN points • 27 Mar 24
📖 Philosophy Ethics Deception Children Truth Gratitude
  1. The debate about lying to children, including about Santa, Easter Bunny, and Tooth Fairy, is a recurring one.
  2. Different ethical arguments are presented, like the Consequentialist Argument and the Non-Consequentialist Argument, discussing the impact of such lies on trust, critical thinking, and moral development.
  3. While some argue that lying to children about these characters can impede moral development and gratitude expression, others suggest that the magic added to a child's life through these stories can be a positive influence.

The Cultural, Psychological and Collective Impacts of Generative AI

AI Supremacy • 845 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Privacy Workplace Content creation Ethics
  1. Generative AI has various impacts on human welfare, rights, and mental health that need careful consideration.
  2. The integration of generative AI into society and culture raises concerns about bias, discrimination, and misinformation.
  3. The rise of generative AI affects the labor market, potentially leading to job displacement and impacting the quality of professional skills and critical thinking.

AI #45: To Be Determined

thezvi • 892 implied HN points • 04 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Legal Future Innovation
  1. Many people are becoming increasingly concerned about the potential risks of advanced AI technologies, as the complexity of the alignment problem becomes more apparent.
  2. Some politicians, like Senator Cory Booker, are expressing worries about the societal impacts of AI technology and its current prevalence in daily life.
  3. Even with concerns, there are still lighthearted and creative discussions about the future of AI, including speculative scenarios involving children and AI-powered career choices.

Misanthropic uses of the nudge

Archedelia • 1533 implied HN points • 12 Nov 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Morality Behavior Purpose
  1. Machine gambling terminals are designed to create addiction through behavior design.
  2. Players are absorbed into pseudo-action at slot machines, seeking a sense of control and zone of efficacy.
  3. The libertarian response to issues like machine gambling may overlook the impact of external forces and fail to address the need for regulation.

Deep Dive on Aleph Alpha - Towards European AI Sovereignty

AI Supremacy • 491 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Startups Funding Models Ethics
  1. Aleph Alpha is a German AI startup focusing on AI governance, privacy, and ethics aligning with EU standards.
  2. Aleph Alpha's flagship product, Luminous, offers language models in multiple sizes and is known for its ability to explain outputs.
  3. Aleph Alpha's collaborative and 'sovereignty first' approach sets it apart from US AI companies, emphasizing data privacy and transparency.

Gemini 1.0

thezvi • 1160 implied HN points • 07 Dec 23
🕹 Technology AI Benchmarks Ethics Competition
  1. Gemini 1.0 comes in three sizes: Ultra, Pro, and Nano for different tasks.
  2. Gemini Ultra achieves high accuracy and surpasses GPT-4 in many benchmarks.
  3. Gemini Pro is a substantial upgrade, but the full potential of Gemini is yet to be seen with Bard Advanced.

You Know Literary Fraud When You See It

The Recovering Academic • 494 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
📚 Literature Memoir Ethics Invention Truth
  1. Memory is unreliable - even recent events can be distorted by suggestion or misinterpretation, challenging the accuracy of our recollections.
  2. Inventing responsibly in memoir involves maintaining the balance between truth and embellishment, with the aim of illuminating deeper truths without resorting to outright lies.
  3. Ethics in writing demand a delicate balance - while some level of invention may be permissible to enhance storytelling, crossing the line into outright deceit constitutes literary fraud and violates the trust of the reader.

NYT vs. The Musk Foundation: A Masterclass in Slant

The Save Journalism Committee • 216 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
💼 Business Philanthropy Nonprofit Media Criticism Ethics Politics
  1. The NYT article raises concerns about Elon Musk's foundation finances, but overlooks crucial details like the grace period where the foundation caught up on giving deficits in following years.
  2. Private foundations like Musk's have latitude in choosing charities based on legal approvals, not restrictions like public charities. Contextual understanding of foundation structures is essential.
  3. The article highlights Musk's charitable acts but frames them in a negative light, despite him helping schools, disasters, and children in need. The public benefit of these actions is significant.

Former Totalitarians

Desk Notes by Charles Schifano • 206 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
💾 History Leadership Ethics Regime Decisions
  1. A life judged based on leadership in a horrific regime can be a critical aspect of history.
  2. Ethical individuals who foresaw the consequences but were not part of the consequential decisions can hold significant importance.
  3. The transition from being monstrous to making critical decisions in tough times can have lasting impacts on society.