Philosophy Wire: Robots, society, free will, reboot…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-03-11]:

Robots confused about what they encounter in the world of humans can now get help online.European scientists have turned on the first part of a web-based database of information to help them cope. Called Rapyuta, the online "brain" describes objects robots have met and can also carry out complicated computation on behalf of a robot. Rapyuta's creators hope it will make robots cheaper as they will not need all their processing power on-board. [source: BBC News]

As robots will use Rapyuta, humans also use the collective "society database" which gives us directions on how to behave in various situations. It may seem that we have free will but most of the times we are actually guided by "society norms". Like a computer virus, these "silent directives" have spread to the brains of us all. Trying to get away from these norms is hard.

But we must try. Install an antivirus. Reboot.

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Philosophy Wire: Are we free to choose haircut?

North Korea issued a list with 28 approved styles of hair cut. [source: web news] Funny huh? I’ll tell you what: The funniest part of all is that we think we choose our hair cuts freely… Look around you. How “uninfluenced” did you choose your haircut?

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Philosophy Wire: Food, Garbage, responsibility (?)

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-02-12]: It is not poverty that inspires a growing number of young Germans like 21-year-old student Benjamin Schmitt to forage for food in the garbage, but anger at loss and waste which the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates at one-third of all food produced worldwide, every year, valued at about $1 trillion. [source: web news] In environmentally aware, cost-conscious Germany, "foodsharing" is the latest fad, using the Internet to share food recovered from supermarket bins while it is still in good condition. If we stop caring about "what others will say" we can do great things. I personally declare my weakness to do so... Or maybe I like my mpiftekia (burgers) not to smell garbage. Who knows...

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