ChatGPT, DALL-E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion—names that most of us hadn’t heard more than a couple of years ago now represent a slew of creative programs powered by artificial intelligence.
Large language model AI programs can write stories and articles, make illustrations and artwork, and converse with users using prompts. But what does it mean for human artists and writers? Will AI steal jobs and creative works? How should people approach the thorny ethical thicket around AI-generated art?
Mark Fagiano, an assistant professor of philosophy at Washington State University, talks with Larry Clark, editor of Washington State Magazine, about how ethics in action and … » More …
There are a lot of facets to well-being, happiness, and joy. Washington State University faculty in history, psychology, philosophy, nursing, and medicine examined several aspects of happiness in the Fall 2022 feature, “…and the pursuit of happiness.” The science of happiness has been a growing field, with real world implications for our mental and physical health, society, and future.
Dive even deeper into the topic through the articles and courses below.
“Can you be an effective physician without also being an ethical physician?” That’s the question students in the inaugural class of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University faced for the first time on day two of classes. They’ll revisit it regularly as they make their way towards the MD degree and entry into a profession that has, many bioethicists and physicians believe, an ethic built right into it. To say that there is an ethic internal to medicine is to say that certain kinds of moral responsibilities are built right into what it means to be a part of … » More …
One of the most memorable moments of Matthew Taylor’s life so far would look to most people like just a jumble of numbers, brackets, and punctuation strung together with random words on a computer screen.
IF ((dist(K1,T1)<=4) AND (Min(dist(K3,T1), dist(K3,T2))>=12.8) AND (ang(K3,K1,T1)>=36)) THEN Pass to K3
And so on. Line after line of computer code flowing like a digital river of expanding possibilities.
Although sophisticated and wonderfully complex, it wasn’t so much the code itself that made this such a pivotal moment.
It was what came next.
Taylor, a graduate student in Texas at the time, … » More …
A glimpse into the minds of prospective jurors through 50 conversations, this book written for trial lawyers teaches about juror biases and prejudices, and how to connect with potential jurors. Crump is a 1981 political science graduate and successful Pacific Northwest trial lawyer.
The Labyrinth House
Mark Rollins ’94
Luthando Coeur: 2014
Rollins’s fantasy novel follows architect Bradley Jensen through a door in a tree and into a mysterious mansion, which he and the other denizens can’t leave.
Angel’s Bounty
Directed by Lee Fleming ’07
2015
A dark, gritty comedy shot on the Palouse and … » More …
Søren Kierkegaard’s philosophy and writings on Christianity have been a staple of classrooms and academics for many years, but have not necessarily been applied to the practice and teaching of the Christian faith. Marshall, pastor at First Lutheran Church in West Seattle since 1979, takes Kierkegaard’s criticisms of the Danish church and emphasis on individual engagement with the religion into pragmatic sermons and essays on the philosopher’s role in churches today. Marshall has authored more than 50 articles on religion, specializing in the works of Martin Luther … » More …
In 2012 the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service, in conjunction with the School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs, began a new public symposia series that focuses on the ethical and public policy ramifications of new scientific innovations and knowledge. Each semester the symposia, which are open to the public, bring together WSU faculty with other internationally prominent scholars. The first in the series, “Ethics and Global Climate Change,” was held in April 2012, and brought to WSU’s campus Andrew Light, director of the Center for Global Ethics at George Mason University and a fellow at the Center for American … » More …
The wind said You know I’m the result of forces beyond my control
—A.R. Ammons, “The Wide Land”
When the subject of free will resurfaced on the media horizon recently, all I could think of was that last dorm room bull session on said topic many, many years ago. But up it pops again, not just in philosophy journals, but in the esteemed science, and generally nonphilosophical, journals Nature and Science. A subject that has been fervently teased, manipulated, and debated (by scholars decidedly more rigorous than a clutch of college students with a couple of semesters of introductory philosophy under … » More …
