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Google’s self-driving car has apparently been involved in an accident. Fortunately no humans were hurt. And fortunately for Google, a human (rather than Google’s autopilot) was driving the vehicle at the time. Reflecting on this accident in an article for Popular Mechanics, Mary Beth Griggs writes: “[I]n ordinary, modern traffic accidents with human drivers, once fault has been established in an accident, there are two possibilities for who’s to blame — the driver or, rarely,… Read more .. What is the value of the humanities? Answering this question in monetary terms would, according to Martha Nussbaum, be a mistake. In her new book ‘Not for Profit’ (2010) she argues that education is nowadays too much focused on economic growth. Education should instead be connected to the humanities, in order to contribute to democracy and citizenship. A message made even more current by the economic crisis; Planned budget cuts have – at least in the Netherlands, but probably also elsewhere - led… Read more .. Now that the Dutch society is about to accept an ultra nationalist government with the much debated and controversial PVV under the leadership of the even more controversial MP Wilders as external support to reach a majority in parliament, some moral and philosophical reflections on the notion of “nation” may be in place. What turns an arbitrary group of people into a nation? Progressive and conservative nationalism The question is not only relevant within the context of Europe, but also… Read more .. Recent media coverage has given much attention to public awareness of problematic hygienic standards in European hospitals. The media in the UK and in Belgium report that healthcare providers and citizens are concerned about cases of the appearance of an enzyme called NDM-1, an enzyme that makes the bacteria which produce it resistant to a powerful group of antibiotics (carbapenems). It is currently thought that the recent cases of NDM-1 infection can be traced back to treatment in India and Pakistan.… Read more .. Op-Ed article published in New York Times (International Herald Tribune) DELFT, THE NETHERLANDS — Tensions within Chancellor Angela Merkel’s administration over Germany’s energy policy cut to the heart of a contentious, worldwide debate over the future of nuclear power. The old controversies over nuclear reactors — their dangers, benefits and costs — have been raised to the forefront. But as politicians, energy experts and the general public weigh the pros and cons, one key element in harnessing… Read more .. Human-robot relations is a ‘sexy’ research topic. Conferences such as the 3rd International Conference on Human-Robot Personal Relationships earlier this year (June 23-24, 2010) attract media attention (e.g. nrc.next) and people blog on ‘intimate machines’ and ‘personal robots’. ‘Human-robot relations’ is not only about intimate relations or sex, but covers domains of application ranging from home entertainment and household assistance to health care and military applications. Some try to develop… Read more .. The question of whether someone who committs a horrendous crime is mad or bad keeps cropping up in legal systems around the world. A recent example is Caroline Overington’s very sad story of a 33 year old Australian man who murdered his own 3 year old son that was published in The Australian newspaper here. This question (whether the person is mad or bad) is normally viewed as an epistemic problem — i.e. people worry that maybe the person concerned is just pretending to be mad to get a lighter… Read more .. Here’s an extract from Justice Kennedy’s comments on the recent decision in Graham v. Florida (2010) which raised an eyebrow (well, it raised my eyebrow anyway): No recent data provide reason to reconsider the Court’s observations in Roper about the nature of juveniles. As petitioner’s amici point out, developments in psychology and brain science continue to show fundamental differences between juvenile and adult minds. For example, parts of the brain involved in behavior control continue… Read more .. Last year 3TU.Ethics hosted a round table (see here) as part of a preparation process leading up to ’Innovation, Sustainability, Development - A New Manifesto‘. This Tuesday, June 15th 2010, the manifesto was finally launched during a big event at the Royal Society in London. The New Manifesto was published 40 years after an apparently radical document called ‘The Sussex Manifesto’ appeared in 1970. Reading that document now, one can hardly imagine that it was perceived as… Read more .. Thomas Pogge at the Peace Palacein The Hague, before his lecture startedHow principled or how pragmatic should one be when it comes to matters of justice? This question was prominently on my mind yesterday. One of the leading philosophers in the area of global justice, Thomas Pogge, gave a public lecture in The Hague, organized by 3TU.Ethics. Preceding the lecture was a small seminar in which the Health Impact Fund (HIF) was an important topic of discussion. This HIF offers pharmaceutical companies… Read more ..

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