Diversions, or actions that cause distraction, are a unique way to modify another’s behavior and that unless we have an overriding reason to divert another’s attention we should treat diversions as wrongful. This analysis is particularly relevant for distraction technologies, which are intentionally created for the explicit purpose of diverting and capturing attention.
The Toolbox Dialogue Initiative Center (TDIC) has been traveling: first to Sydney, Australia, and then Utrecht in the Netherlands, where the 2024 Global Alliance for Inter- and Transdisciplinarity Conference (ITD) took place.
Technical sweetness. Scientists and engineers use this phrase when a puzzle’s solution presents itself, when all the pieces fit beautifully and functionally together, when success at the particular endeavor presents itself in a neat package. Technical sweetness is alluring, consuming, and, as we can see in the story of Victor Frankenstein, potentially blinding to what might follow from the solution being sought. Scientists who are driven by technical sweetness can fail to see what might be obvious to those with a bit more distance — that despite some projects’ allure, sometimes completing the project is not desirable.
Holidays and celebrations often involve eating together with family and friends. But what does it mean to eat well together? How can food allergies, restricted diets, and even certain medications…
This year the College of Arts & Letters welcomes 41 new faculty and staff members. These faculty and staff members were recognized during the College of Arts & Letters’ 2024 Faculty and Staff Welcome Reception on Sept. 30 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center.
Dr. Iyioke holds an MSc. In International Relations from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria; an M.A. in Environmental Science Journalism, and a Ph.D. in Bioethics from Michigan State University.
Over the summer, Matthew McKeon, Philosophy's Chair, published a new book, Arguments and Reason-Giving. In the book, Matt discusses "the uses of arguments to advance their premises as reasons for…
Nic Cottone, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Philosophy at Michigan State University, was awarded the 2024 Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Letters in recognition of her outstanding research on feminist philosophy and social theory that primarily focuses on theories of social reproductive labor and sexual violence.
While most Michigan-based legal practitioners lack adequate training in Tribal laws, Taylor Elyse Mills, a sixth-year doctoral candidate in Philosophy at Michigan State University and graduate of MSU’s College of…
Professor Heather Douglas is a keynote speaker for this year's International Undergraduate Research Conference on Science, Technology, Medicine, and Society, which will be held at the University of Toronto from March 21-22.
Taylor Mills, a graduate student for Philosophy, was the recipient of the MSU Outreach and Engagement Award for Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning 2024.
There have been three large themes in Fleck's recent published research and professional presentations: (1) abortion and the Dobbs decision; (2) public reason and bioethics; and (3) precision medicine, priority setting, and health care justice. All these themes represent engaged philosophy that aims to manage respectfully and thoughtfully the public discussion of controversial ethical and political issues.