Who’s Afraid of (Objective) Taste?

On By BIAP Research ManagerIn Aesthetic Judgements, Aesthetics

This is a post by Filippo Contesi (University of Milan), Enrico Terrone (University of Genoa), Marta Campdelacreu (University of Barcelona) and Genoveva Martí (ICREA, University of Barcelona).

If we had a penny for every time we hear the saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”… Since at least the 18th century, philosophers and common people alike have pondered the question of whether or not the proverb is true. Some have answered one way, others the other. However, philosophers have typically agreed that, in general, people often claim that the proverb is true and that our aesthetic preferences are indeed a matter of individual or subjective taste.

READ MORE

Who Should Vote at Work?

On By BIAP Research ManagerIn Democracy, Political Philosophy

This is a post by Iñigo González-Ricoy (University of Barcelona) and Pablo Magaña (Pompeu Fabra University).

If you have ever wondered why you have a say over who gets elected to your city council, your children’s school board, or the parliament of your country but not to the board of the company you work for, then you are not alone. In recent years, lawmakers across the political spectrum, from Elizabeth Warren to Theresa May, international institutions, from the European Parliament to the International Labour Organization, and workers in Europe, the Americas, and elsewhere have entertained similar thoughts.

READ MORE

 

Seeing Wrongness

On By BIAP Research ManagerIn Moral Perception, Philosophy of Mind

This is a post by Josefa (Pepa) Toribio (ICREA, University of Barcelona).

Some actions strike us as right or wrong—as morally charged. For example, imagine you see someone helping an elderly person cross the street. You might immediately feel that this is a good action. Conversely, if you witness someone being rude to a cashier, you might instantly sense that this behaviour is wrong. When we recognize that an action is wrong, what does this recognition involve? How should we understand this sensitivity to basic moral properties?

READ MORE

 

Chatting with a Chatbot

On By BIAP Research ManagerIn Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Models, Philosophy of Language

This is a post by Patrick Connolly (University of Barcelona).

Tech innovation generally arrives on a predictable wave of hype and hyperbole, we’re used to this by now. It serves the economic interests of the companies proclaiming their latest developments to spread the idea that what they have created is a revolutionary development that will lead us towards utopia. Indeed, the overriding economic model of tech is based upon generating publicity in order to encourage investment and the creation of multi-billion-dollar stock market valuations for companies that lose billions of dollars every year.

READ MORE