Joseph Raz (Oxford): Reasoning with Rules. A review of Reasons and the Good by Roger Crisp. A review of Reasoning in Biological Discoveries: Essays on Mechanisms, Interfield Relations, and Anomaly Resolution by Lindley Darden. Arresting developments: Computer science and biological science have a lot to teach each other. Rights and Wrongs: William Saletan on liberals, progressives, and biotechnology. An interview with David Pearce, author of The Hedonistic Imperative, on suffering, happiness and paradise engineering. From Accelerating Future, a look at the top 10 transhumanist technologies, and why the word “Singularity” has lost all meaning. Why care about artificial intelligence? Kaj Sotala investigates.
From Wired Science, here's a brief history of the Superorganism (and part 2); and Ants, Altruism and the Future of Humanity: Has altruism increased with social complexity and sophistication? Might it actually be driving us towards a kindler, gentler and altogether more successful civilization? And can we engineer our own development as a species? More on the early science of altruism and the future science of altruism. Free Choice + Punishment = Cooperation: In a computer simulation of a multi-player game, cheaters didn't prosper when other participants could choose not to play. When it comes to putting yourself in the shoes of others, cultures that emphasise interdependence over individualism may have the upper hand. A review of Character Strengths and Virtues by Martin Seligman and Christopher Peterson.
From Discover, a look at the 7 most exciting moments in science (Hint: Newton and Archimedes didn't make it). No @#&!, Sherlock: For every cry of "Eureka! I've found it!" there are a hundred studies that elicit no more reaction than a simple, "Well, no duh". In the half century since Explorer 1, discoveries in space science have radically changed our view of the universe we live in. A review of Faust in Copenhagen: A Struggle for the Soul of Physics by Gino Segre and Uncertainty: Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, and the Struggle for the Soul of Science by David Lindley. Dumber in English: Biophysicist and author Stefan Klein wants to ensure the future of German as a language of science. Our academic language is on the verge of atrophy, he says.
From American, the SAT got him into Harvard from a small Iowa town. But now, Charles Murray wants to abolish the test. It’s unnecessary and, worse, a negative force in American life. A review of The Power of Privilege: Yale and America’s Elite Colleges by Joseph A. Soares. John McWhorter on the ugly side of racial diversity in the academy. What's the matter with college? Rick Perlstein wants to know. Halls of Ivy—and crumbling plaster: Amid a building boom, colleges scramble for funds to keep up aging facilities. Comforts on campus: Universities and private companies across the UK are building top-notch student housing, some with free broadband internet, gyms, pools and cinemas. How big money seduces Oxford's brains: Champagne parties? £800 a week for a summer job? These are the kind of lures the banks are throwing out to ensure they get the cream of Britain's brightest students.
