Our Bodies in the Trolley’s Path, or Why Self-driving Cars Must *Not* Be Programmed to Kill

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 302-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nassim JafariNaimi
Keyword(s):  
New Technology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Car Accidents ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Ethical Inquiry ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Many ◽  
Self Driving Cars

The discourse around self-driving cars has been dominated by an emphasis on their potential to reduce the number of accidents. At the same time, proponents acknowledge that self-driving cars would inevitably be involved in fatal accidents where moral algorithms would decide the fate of those involved. This is a necessary trade-off, proponents suggest, in order to reap the benefits of this new technology. In this article, I engage this argument, demonstrating how an undue optimism and enthusiasm about this technology is obscuring our ability to see what is at stake and explaining how moving beyond the dominant utilitarian framings around this technology opens up a space for both ethical inquiry and innovative design. I suggest that a genuine caring concern for the many lives lost in car accidents now and in the future—a concern that transcends false binary trade-offs and that recognizes the systemic biases and power structures that make certain groups more vulnerable than others—could serve as a starting point to rethink mobility, as it connects to the design of our cities, the well-being of our communities, and the future of our planet.

scholarly journals Applied Art: Innovative Thinking From a Material Perspective

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anneli Hoel Fjærli ◽  
Ida Haugland
Keyword(s):  
New Technology ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Avant Garde ◽  
Applied Art ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Future ◽  
Future Society ◽  
On The Road

The modern world is continuously engaged in a racing processes aimed towards building a favourable future society. In this development, the apparent tools seem to be related to theoretical thought, new technology, avant-garde approaches and innovation. The bodily focus and the societal micro level processes are often left behind in this race. Though, in our aspiration towards urban development and the future society, we should not forget that the bodily functions and the possibilities that these give, represent one of the most fundamental and basic tools we have. This article would like to form an argument carrying out the seeming advantage of bringing in not just technological and theoretic avant-garde to the term of innovation and development, but to invite the whole body into the forming of the future, thereby seeing the term innovation from a material perspective. As the art field today is more often approaching subject matters that are primarily societal, we would like to introduce the potential of a mutual approach from the other end, seeing the art field as a central part in the creation of engagement and progress that can instigate another form of efficiency and present an expanded understanding of what innovative activity can be, and how it can be perceived and comprehended. We would like to debate an art form that takes the bodily, active and relational focus and its social context as a base and starting point on the road towards societal consciousness and potential development. Looking at the example of the art project «The Collectivity Project», this article takes it’s starting point in the following question; How can applied art projects in connection to social contexts, like The Collectivity Project, show the art field and the bodily sensuousness as a tool in the forming of values pointing towards an alternative way of thinking societal consciousness and development?

scholarly journals INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) OPPORTUNITIES AND IMPACTS OF WELL-BEING ON CITIZENS AND SOCIETY

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnoldo José de Hoyos Guevara ◽  
José Luiz Alves da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Internet Of Things ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
The Future

The article presents a general scenario on the theme of Internet of Things - IoT, aiming to discuss the opportunities, the impacts and the associated risks, highlighting them under the sight of well-being in our lives and society in general. This paper deals with questions regarding accelerated and disruptive high-tech transformations, in order to be strategically prepared and to deal with challenges ahead. It is in the interest of all to know and anticipate the transformations that are underway and those that will be probable in the future, capturing the spirit of accelerated change that is around us, to prevent impacts, to draw personal strategies to seize opportunities and to avoid serious ruptures in our work and in our personal lives. The contribution for other studies is to allow ongoing discussions regarding the possible changes of behaviors coming from this new environment that will be made possible by the use of the IoT. Some of these behaviors are already on its way. Still, others are to be perceived and developed. This article presents, in the first topic, the new environment of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where it is inserted the concept of IoT. It advances, in the second topic, with the discussion of the extension of the usage of the new technology, its impact and its applications. And it ends discussing the behavioral changes that the massive use of this application may bring us regarding well-being.

scholarly journals What's the Use of 'Well-Being' in Contexts of Child Poverty? Approaches to Research, Monitoring and Children's Participation

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Streuli ◽  
Martin Woodhead ◽  
Laura Camfield
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Child Poverty ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Research With Children ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Children’S Views ◽  
Young Lives

AbstractMonitoring, protecting and promoting 'well-being' are central to realisation of children's rights. Yet definitions of the concept are both variable and can appear conceptually confused. Competing research paradigms engage with the concept and its measurement, while applications of well-being in policy are equally contested. This paper outlines some of the major debates, as a starting point for reviewing three contrasting approaches to well-being: indicator-based, participatory, and longitudinal research. In particular, it focuses on applications of the concept in contexts of child poverty worldwide. We suggest there are some promising signs of integration amongst these approaches, and argue that well-being does have potential as a bridging concept, at the same time highlighting inequalities, acknowledging diversity, and respecting children's agency. Drawing on the experience of Young Lives, a 15 year, four-country longitudinal study of child poverty, we suggest that methods for studying child well-being in global contexts should be dynamic and sensitive to culture and time, as well as to the trade-offs that children are required to make between themselves and others. We argue that dynamic approaches are especially important in research with children as they address how people change in time. Well-being is understood by Young Lives to be about real people and the social contexts they inhabit. It can act as a lens - similar to culture - which recognises that outcomes of deprivation are influenced by children and their responses to and interpretation of events. Accessing children's views in the context of their communities is important and can increase the accuracy and credibility of research data. Crucially, well-being research also foregrounds subjective meanings and experiences, and provides the background for interpreting 'best interests'. While shared visions for well-being can set parameters of acceptability and underpin basic entitlements, detailed specification must be negotiable, especially taking account of the views of the principal stakeholders, namely children, their caregivers and others centrally concerned with their lives.

scholarly journals Transparency and Fairness in Machine Learning Applications

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 443-463
Author(s):  
Jim Shook ◽  
Robyn Smith ◽  
Alex Antonio
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Human Intervention ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Comprehension Test ◽  
The Future ◽  
Machine Learning Applications ◽  
Self Driving Cars

Businesses and consumers increasingly use artificial intelligence (“AI”)— and specifically machine learning (“ML”) applications—in their daily work. ML is often used as a tool to help people perform their jobs more efficiently, but increasingly it is becoming a technology that may eventually replace humans in performing certain functions. An AI recently beat humans in a reading comprehension test, and there is an ongoing race to replace human drivers with self-driving cars and trucks. Tomorrow there is the potential for much more—as AI is even learning to build its own AI. As the use of AI technologies continues to expand, and especially as machines begin to act more autonomously with less human intervention, important questions arise about how we can best integrate this new technology into our society, particularly within our legal and compliance frameworks. The questions raised are different from those that we have already addressed with other technologies because AI is different. Most previous technologies functioned as a tool, operated by a person, and for legal purposes we could usually hold that person responsible for actions that resulted from using that tool. For example, an employee who used a computer to send a discriminatory or defamatory email could not have done so without the computer, but the employee would still be held responsible for creating the email. While AI can function as merely a tool, it can also be designed to act after making its own decisions, and in the future, will act even more autonomously. As AI becomes more autonomous, it will be more difficult to determine who—or what—is making decisions and taking actions, and determining the basis and responsibility for those actions. These are the challenges that must be overcome to ensure AI’s integration for legal and compliance purposes.

scholarly journals Unconditional Basic Income and the Future of Labor

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 118-130
Author(s):  
Nikolai B. Afanasov
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Basic Income ◽  
Philosophical Thinking ◽  
Philosophical Perspective ◽  
The People ◽  
Analytical Potential ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Many ◽  
Economic Well Being

The article examines one of the many philosophical problems that arise in the discussion on the prospects of unconditional basic income implementation. The author believes that the question of the future of labor should be reviewed in a social-philosophical perspective. The analytical potential of philosophical thinking can be useful in predicting the consequences of implementing the basic income initiative. The article proceeds from the premise that in the 21 st century the idea of basic income application turns from a utopian project into real measures roadmap. The economic well-being provided by the widespread use of technical means makes it possible to seriously plan the transfer of many workers employed in the sector of services and non-material production to basic income. The author points out that first of all it is necessary to assess the consequences of such a measure for the people. Traditionally, capitalist society has been built around a narrative that hard work is well rewarded. The opposition of labor and free time has shaped consumption patterns and life strategies for several generations. In the conclusion, the author suggests to consider whether, by removing such a system-forming element from the social structure, the society itself will be put under threat. It may turn out that an initiative aimed at changing society for the better will actually turn out to become a personal disaster for many people who will not be able to find a use for themselves in the new world, which is already not built around labor. Among other things, the author draws attention that contemporary capitalism, by actualizing the idea of basic income, abolishes the very opportunity of human choice. Virtually all human activity transforms into alienated labor.

scholarly journals Reading the Rocks Reloaded: A Celebration of the Geological Survey of Canada 175th Anniversary with a View to the Future

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 151-162
Author(s):  
Daniel Lebel
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Geological Survey ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Future ◽  
Développement Économique ◽  
The Many ◽  
Resource Economy ◽  
Geoscience Research ◽  
Do So

In 2017, the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) celebrated its 175th anniversary, just as the 150th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation was celebrated. In many ways, the development of this organization over its long history parallels the exploration and economic development of our country, and these two stories are very closely intertwined. In its early days, the GSC was involved in charting the essential geography of Canada’s landmass, and early GSC geologists were involved in some of the discoveries that laid a foundation for our modern resource economy. In the 21st century, the GSC remains at the forefront of geoscience research across the nation, collaborating with many Provincial and Territorial partners and also with academic and industry researchers to expand our knowledge and find ways to sustainably develop our resources. Like all organizations, GSC has evolved over the years, and must continue to do so in response to technological innovation and societal demands. This article provides an overview of where we came from, where we have been, where we are today, and where we hope to go in the future. It is hoped that it will provide a starting point for other articles highlighting some of GSC’s more specific scientific contributions over the years, and exploring some of the many characters who colourfully populate its long history.RÉSUMÉEn 2017, la Commission géologique du Canada (CGC) a célébré son 175ème anniversaire, alors que l’on célébrait le 150ème anniversaire de la confédération canadienne. De plusieurs façons, le développement de cette organisation au cours de sa longue histoire suit en parallèle l’exploration et le développement économique de notre pays, et ces deux histoires sont très intimement inter-reliées. Dans ses premiers jours, la CGC a été impliquée dans la cartographie géographique essentielle de la masse continentale du Canada, et ses premiers géologues de la CGC ont été impliqués dans certaines des découvertes qui ont jeté les bases de notre économie moderne des ressources. Au XXIe siècle, la CGC reste à l’avant-garde de la recherche géoscientifique à travers le pays et collabore avec de nombreux partenaires provinciaux et territoriaux ainsi qu’avec des chercheurs universitaires et industriels afin d’élargir nos connaissances et de trouver des moyens de développer nos ressources de manière durable. Comme toutes les organisations, la CGC a évolué au cours des années, et doit continuer de le faire en réponse à l’innovation technologique et aux besoins sociétaux. Cet article fourni un aperçu de nos origines, de notre cheminement, de notre situation actuelle et de nos objectifs futurs. On espère que cela fournira un point de départ pour d’autres articles mettant en lumière certaines des contributions scientifiques plus spécifiques de la CGC au fil des ans et explorant certains des nombreux personnages qui peuplent de manière colorée sa longue histoire.

scholarly journals Big Data and IoT in Smart Transportation System

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1230-1232
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Internet Of Things ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Transportation System ◽  
Food Services ◽  
Vehicle Performance ◽  
Smart Transportation ◽  
The Many ◽  
Self Driving Cars

Every day, humans are innovating numerous technologies that may facilitate contour efforts towards various operations with ease. One such technology is the internet of Things (IoT) and another one is big data. internet of Things (IoT); the new technology which interconnect physical devices by communicating each other. The IoT and big data technology applied in production, farming, banking operations, healthcare and food services etc., Also it is going to be the main technology for implementation of smart cities. IoT has the variety of data which is collected by devices and is processed quickly for quicker decision-making that minimizes the time taken to finish a particular process. Here, we are going to discuss IoT and big data in transportation. IoT and big data will be applied in numerous applications of transportations like self driving cars, logistics, traffic prediction, maintaining vehicle performance, freight transportation, Accident management etc., big data and IoT makes the many impacts on the above to boost. the objective of this can be to move the items from one place to another without any congestion and avoiding accidents. This paper gives the survey of smart transportation system in several applications.

scholarly journals Adventures in Nannydom: Reclaiming Collective Action for the Public's Health

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (S1) ◽  
pp. 73-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay F. Wiley ◽  
Wendy E. Parmet ◽  
Peter D. Jacobson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Well Being ◽  
New Public Health ◽  
Current Thinking ◽  
New Public ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Many ◽  
Collaborative Efforts

Each of us has written about the importance of reframing the debate over public health paternalism. Our individual explorations of the many and varied paths forward from libertarian “nanny state” objections to the “new public health” have been intimately informed by collaboration. This article represents a summary of our current thinking — reflecting the ground gained through many fruitful exchanges and charting future collaborative efforts.Our starting point is that law is a vitally important determinant of population health, and the interplay among law, social norms, cultural beliefs, health behaviors, and healthy living conditions is complex. Anti-paternalists’ efforts to limit the scope of public health law to controlling only the proximal determinants of infectious diseases are utterly unjustifiable in the face of so much preventable death, disability, and disparity. Equally important, the anti-paternalism push is deeply counter-majoritarian and undemocratic, threatening to disable communities from undertaking measures to improve their own well-being.

Summary and Conclusions

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan W. Brown ◽  
David J. Carney ◽  
Edwin J. Morris ◽  
Dennis B. Smith ◽  
Paul F. Zarrella
Keyword(s):  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Design Activity ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
End User ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Look Ahead ◽  
The Future ◽  
Problems And Solutions ◽  
Integration Problem ◽  
The Many

This book has taken the reader on a long journey through terrain that is at times difficult to negotiate. There are aspects of the integration problem that are open to interpretation, a source of heated debate, or perhaps undergoing great change in terms of people’s perceptions of the problems and solutions. We hope that the reader now has a better understanding of the range of issues that must be addressed and the viewpoints that are possible when the phrase “integrated CASE environment” is used. In this final chapter, we look back at the major points discussed earlier, and look ahead toward the future. Section 13.2 reviews the major themes that have been presented in this book. Section 13.3 highlights a number of avenues of work that provide hope for the future in this field. Section 13.4 concludes with a few final thoughts and observations. The three overall themes that have been used to provide a structure to the book are the following: • Understanding of CASE environment integration is enhanced by considering three levels at which integration occurs — end-user services, mechanism, and process levels. • CASE environment architectures are evolving toward a hybrid approach that combines elements of framework-centered and CASE tool-centered approaches. • The construction of an integrated CASE environment can usefully be viewed as a design activity in which design decisions are made based on a number of trade-offs that must be made. For the purposes of recapitulation, these themes are brought together and summarized briefly below. One of this book’s main conceptual tools for improving understanding of the many issues connected with CASE environment integration is a three-level model that distinguishes end-user services, mechanism, and process aspects of a CASE environment. By way of a summary of this model and its utility, we consider two tools that are integrated within a CASE environment. At the conceptual level, integration of the two CASE tools implies that the overlap, or coordination, between the functionality offered by those tools is well understood. For example, if one tool is a requirements capture tool and the other is a design and analysis tool, then the relationships between the functionality offered by those tools can be analyzed and discussed.

scholarly journals The challenges we've overcome and the new opportunities for using environmental DNA in biomonitoring aquatic resources

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristy Deiner
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Restoration ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Biodiversity Monitoring ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Aquatic Resources ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Cost

Since the first kick-off meeting of the DNAqua-Net until now, the interest and use of environmental DNA in scientific studies, management and even the start of companies has exponentially grown. It is often said that this is how we will monitor biodiversity in the future. Together, with over 400 members from 39 countries making up the COST Action, we have honed our DNA detection methods, determined the many trade-offs, identified and filled gaps in our knowledge, and made steps towards standardization. In my seminar, I will highlight some of the major challenges we’ve overcome and propose the opportunities and research directions I see for the future of using eDNA in biodiversity monitoring. We are poised at the start of the UN’s Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and there is no better time to cease DNA-based monitoring technology for making the best informed decisions for the future of life on our planet.

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