Philosophy is an unusual activity, partly because it can be conducted to such a large extent while sitting still. Philosophers do not need research vessels, laboratories or archives to work on their questions. Just a chair to sit on. Why is it like that? The answer is that philosophers examine our ways of thinking, and […] The post Philosophy on a chair appeared first on The Ethics Blog ..read more

In an intensive care unit, seriously ill patients who need medical and technical support for central bodily functions, such as breathing and circulation, are monitored and treated. Usually it goes well, but not all patients survive, despite the advanced and specialized care. An intensive care unit can be a stressful environment for the patient, not […] The post End-of-life care: ethical challenges experienced by critical care nurses appeared first on The Ethics Blog ..read more

As I wrote in previous posts on this blog, the discussion about the possibility of engineering an artificial form of consciousness is growing along with the impressive advances of artificial intelligence (AI). Indeed, there are many questions arising from the prospect of an artificial consciousness, including its conceivability and its possible ethical implications. We  deal […] The post Artificial consciousness and the need for epistemic humility appeared first on The Ethics Blog ..read more

What is obvious in principle may turn out to be less obvious in practice. That would be at least one possible interpretation of a new study on ethics in palliative care. Palliative care is given to patients with life-threatening illnesses that cannot be cured. Although palliative care can sometimes contribute to extending life somewhat, the […] The post Of course, but: ethics in palliative practice appeared first on The Ethics Blog ..read more

A difficulty for academic writers is managing the dual role of both knowing and not knowing, of both showing the way and not finding it. There is an expectation that such writers should already have the knowledge they are writing about, that they should know the way they show others right from the start. As […] The post Finding the way when there is none appeared first on The Ethics Blog ..read more

Many forms of artificial intelligence could be considered objects that behave humanly. However, it does not take much for us humans to personify non-living objects. We get angry at the car that does not start or the weather that does not let us have a picnic, as if they were against us. Children spontaneously personify […] The post Objects that behave humanly appeared first on The Ethics Blog ..read more

There is today a wide range of competing theories, each in its own way trying to account for consciousness in neurobiological terms. Parallel to the “Babylonian confusion of tongues” and inability to collaborate that this entails in the theorizing of consciousness, progress has been made in the empirical study of the brain. Advanced methods for […] The post A way out of the Babylonian confusion of tongues in the theorizing of consciousness? appeared first on The Ethics Blog ..read more

Science and technology advance so rapidly that it is hard to keep up with them. This is true not only for the general public, but also for the scientists themselves and for scholars from fields like ethics and regulation, who find it increasingly difficult to predict what will come next. Today AI is among the […] The post A strategy for a balanced discussion of conscious AI appeared first on The Ethics Blog ..read more

Philosophy begins with doubt, this has been emphasized by many philosophers. But what does it mean to doubt? To harbor suspicions? To criticize accepted beliefs? In that case, doubt is based on thinking we know better. We believe that we have good reason to doubt. Is that doubting? Thinking that you know? It sounds paradoxical, […] The post The doubtful beginnings of philosophy appeared first on The Ethics Blog ..read more

More than 5 million women become pregnant in the EU every year and a majority take at least one medication during pregnancy. A problem today is that as few as 5% of available medications have been adequately monitored, tested and labelled with safety information for use in pregnant and breastfeeding women. The field is difficult […] The post Better evidence may solve a moral dilemma appeared first on The Ethics Blog ..read more