diversity

Created
Sat, 14/01/2023 - 06:29
Influential Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom, well-known for his work on philosophical questions related to ethics, the future, and technology (existential risk, artificial intelligence, simulation), posted an apology for a blatantly racist email he sent to a listserv 26 years ago. You can read his apology, which includes the text of the original message, here. In the original message, which appeared in a thread concerning offensiveness, Bostrom complains that the statement “Blacks are more stupid than whites” (about which he says in the message “I like that sentence and think it is true”) would be mistakenly interpreted as racist. He then, in the same message, conveys that the reason he thinks that it would be interpreted as racist is that it would be seen as “synonynous” with using a racial slur to declare one’s hate for black people. To put things in an understated way, one thing to conclude about this is that in 1997, Nick Bostrom did not have a good understanding of racism. Nor of good communication norms. What about the Nick Bostrom of today? In his apology, he writes: I completely repudiate this disgusting email from 26 years ago.
Created
Fri, 09/12/2022 - 20:00
The American Philosophical Association (APA) has announced which projects will be funded during the 2022-23 academic year by its Diversity and Inclusiveness Grant Program and its Small Grant Program. The APA’s Diversity and Inclusiveness Grant Program each year has up to $20,000 to fund “one or two projects aiming to increase the presence and participation of women, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, people of low socioeconomic status, and other underrepresented groups at all levels of philosophy.” This year, the grant-funded projects are: The Lavender Library: Institutionalizing Access to Queer Theory, Courses and Speakers at a Regional Comprehensive University in the South ($10,000) According to the Public Religion Research Institute, Arkansans are the least supportive of measures to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination compared to all states (3/26/19).