Author: Russell, Cal

Ting-An Lin: Democratizing AI and the Concern of Algorithmic Injustice

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Assistant Professor Ting-An Lin’s recent article “Democratizing AI’ and the Concern of Algorithmic Injustice” was just published in Philosophy & Technology. In this article, Dr. Lin examines the notions of democratizing AI in relation to lessening algorithmic injustice. You can read an excerpt from the abstract below:

 

My examinations reveal that while some versions of democratizing AI bear the prospect of mitigating the concern of algorithmic injustice, others are somewhat limited and might even function to perpetuate unjust power hierarchies. This analysis thus urges a more fine-grained discussion on how to democratize AI and suggests that closer scrutiny of the power dynamics embedded in the socio-technical structure can help guide such explorations.

 

Congratulations, Ting-an! You can read the full article by clicking here.

Lewis Gordon: DDT Jabavu Lecture

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Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 4th, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Lewis Gordon will be delivering the DDT Jabavu Public Lecture at the University of Fort Hare. This lecture will examine Black Existentialism and Jabavu’s contributions to the topic. Additionally, it will explore the application of these philosophical insights to contemporary and prospective contexts.

The lecture will be held in person in Alice, South Africa, at the University of Fort Hare’s De Beers Gallery at 10:00am SAST (UTC+2:00). If you are interested in watching from home, the lecture will also be livestreamed on YouTube, which you can find by clicking here.

Tracy Llanera: Extremism, Gender, and Science

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Congratulations to Dr. Tracy Llanera for her feature in The Philosopher’s Zone’s recent episode, “Extremism, gender and science”. This episode delves into how extremists are weaponizing gender and science in their arguments—an issue that has become increasingly prevalent in today’s political landscape.

You can read an excerpt from the website below:

Extremists used to be easy to spot: they were seen as irrational, unstable and… well, extreme. But in recent years, we’ve seen extremists on the political right laying claim to traditional Enlightenment values – reason, free speech, autonomy, human rights – that were traditionally used as bulwarks against extremism. This is clearly seen in contemporary battles around gender and science.

 

Check out Dr. Tracy Llanera’s interview on ABC’s The Philosopher’s Zone by clicking here.

Katie Peters: How Not to Excuse Far-Right Women

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Please join us in congratulating Philosophy graduate student Katie Peters on her recent publication of “How Not to Excuse Far-Right Women” on the APA Women in Philosophy Blog. The essay explores the social responsibility of far-right women, as well as the subsequent consequences. You can read an excerpt from the article below:

Why focus on far-right women at all? I think that using the example of far-right women makes it easy to understand who exactly we are exempting from responsibility with the exculpatory narratives of misogyny and infantilization. By insisting that these women, too, are answerable for their actions, we can say that any woman, regardless of whether we agree with her ideology, has the potential to be called upon to answer for her actions and beliefs that harm others.

 

You can read the whole post by clicking here.

Congrats, Katie!

Tiana-Marie Blassingale: Jeezy’s Lessons from Adversity

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Please check out an excerpt from Philosophy Graduate Student Tiana-Marie Blassingale’s new review essay, “Jeezy’s Lessons from Adversity”:

On the surface, it seems like Adversity for Sale is a collection of short stories about a young Black man as he navigates his way through the street life into a position of an established entrepreneur who is capable of providing generational wealth for his family by any means. However, seen through a philosophical lens, the book highlights a new perspective on liberatory virtues and vices. It’s a curation of epistemology, learned through lived experiences, not only by Jeezy, but also by many others in the book and the hood, more generally speaking. The book provides a glimpse into a rich body of knowledge, which could be referred to as “Hood Philosophy,” otherwise known as “street smarts” or “street knowledge.”

You can read the full essay on the Blog of the APA here.

Congratulations, Tiana-Marie!

Thomas Meagher: Myisha Cherry’s Failures of Forgiveness Review

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Check out Thomas Meagher’s (PhD 2018) newest review essay: “Forgiveness, Obligation, and Cultures of Domination: A Review of Myisha Cherry’s Failures of Forgiveness”.

Below is an excerpt of the article, which you can read in full on the Blog of the APA here.

This diagnosis Cherry relates largely in the form of a discussion of the commonplace or “narrow” view of forgiveness. Cherry characterizes the common view as one in which forgiveness is, at heart, a means of letting go of anger. On such a view, the purpose or telos of forgiving must be to unburden the forgiver of emotions directed toward wrongdoers. Cherry shows, though, that this is an overly narrow conception of the emotional correlates of those contexts in which forgiveness is an option. 

Congrats, Thomas!

Hady Ba and Gregory Doukas: Academy of Advanced African Studies

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Congratulations to visiting research fellow Hady Ba and part-time faculty member Gregory Doukas on being rewarded with a fellowship at the Academy of Advanced African Studies in Bayreuth, Germany. This fellowship is for next year, 2025.

 

Ba and Doukas are also co-authors of a book in African philosophy and decolonial theory; in which an article about their work will be published in Philosophy and Global Affairs this summer.

Mitch Green: Volume 51 of Philosophia

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Congratulations to Professor Mitch Green on successfully completing Volume 51 of Philosophia as Editor-in-Chief. Furthermore, he has expanded the journal’s reach to a global audience by introducing the new subtitle: A Global Journal Of Philosophy.

You can find more information on the journal, it’s newest volume and issues, here.

Well wishes to you and your team, Mitch!

Tracy Llanera: Featured in The Daily Campus

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Congratulations to Assistant Professor Tracy Llanera on being featured in The Daily Campus! The article features Dr. Llanera’s presentation, “The Misfits of Extremism: Brides, Moms, and Daughters,” and discusses the premise of her upcoming book that is currently in progress.

 

“This book interrogates the role, value, and agency of marginal actors in white supremacist and Islamic terror movements,” Llanera stated. “While becoming extremists may temporarily enhance their agency and feelings of importance and belonging, I argue that the empowerment of marginal actors is conditional, pernicious and often lethal.”

 

You can read the rest of the article here.