Rotman 2022 Catalyst Grant Recipients

Last fall, the Rotman Institute of Philosophy invited members to submit innovative and early-stage research projects to the 2022 Rotman Catalyst Grants Program Competition.   The program promises to award up to $50,000 with a maximum of up to $20,000 per grant for a funding period of 2 years. These grants are offered once [...]

2023-02-24T09:16:09-05:00February 15th, 2023|Members, Projects, Rotman News, Science and Society|

Chris Letheby Q&A Follow-up

Last May, Chris Letheby delivered a fascinating lecture, Philosophy of Psychedelics, as part of our Emerging Minds colloquium series. Video of his talk can be seen on the Rotman Institute YouTube channel (or via the link below). Following the talk, attendees had an opportunity to submit written questions. Because there were more questions than [...]

2021-07-09T09:38:34-04:00July 9th, 2021|Events, Popular science, Science and Society|

Publication of The WHO Policy Brief on Covid-19 and Mandatory Vaccination: Ethical Considerations and Caveats

by Anthony Skelton Ending the pandemic will require mass vaccination for COVID-19. But will it be achieved simply by leaving vaccination to the voluntary choice of individuals? If not, is it permissible for institutions or states to mandate vaccination for COVID-19? It is not uncommon for institutions or the state to mandate public health measures [...]

Three Postdoctoral Associates in Philosophy Focus on AI

This article, Three Postdoctoral Associates in Philosophy Focus on AI, is reprinted with permission from Western's Faculty of Arts & Humanities. Artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies pose new opportunities and challenges across many domains of our lives. Philosophers are uniquely equipped to address the underlying assumptions and potential conflicts that arise from integrating these [...]

Mandating COVID-19 Vaccination for Children

Written by Lisa Forsberg and Anthony Skelton Mandating COVID-19 vaccination for children is cross-posted from the Practical Ethics blog, of the University of Oxford.  In many countries vaccine rollouts are now well underway. Vaccine programmes in Israel, the United Kingdom, Chile, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and the United States have been particularly successful. Mass vaccination [...]

Should human enhancement be a moral imperative? An interview with Julian Savulescu

by Meghan Winsby Julian Savulescu is Director of the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, Professor of Practical Ethics, and Fellow of St Cross College. He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medical Ethics, and the author of over 250 publications, including 2012’s Unfit for the Future: The Need for Moral [...]

2018-04-16T10:24:29-04:00April 16th, 2018|Philosophy of Ethics, Science and Society|

Interview with Dr. Alison Gopnik

by Meghan Winsby Alison Gopnik is professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkley. She researches children’s development and learning, and philosophical problems in the philosophy of mind and morality. She is the author of many academic articles and books, including, for popular consumption, The Philosophical Baby: What Children’s [...]

2018-01-05T15:14:18-05:00November 20th, 2017|Events, Popular science, Science and Society|

Are Women Especially Well-Suited to Doing Science?

by Catherine Stinson I’m in my hometown of Ottawa this week for the Canadian Science Policy Conference. Shirtless Justin Trudeau hasn’t photobombed me… yet! But in many ways it has been a very Ottawa experience. There was a keynote by astronaut and Governor General Julie Payette. There was a keynote by Science Advisor Kirsty Duncan. [...]

2017-11-09T11:50:16-05:00November 9th, 2017|Science and Society|

Interview with Dr. Hanna Pickard

by Meghan Winsby Hanna Pickard is a Reader in Philosophy at the University of Birmingham, where she specializes in philosophy of mind and psychiatry and clinical ethics. Additionally, she works as a therapist for a NHS specialist service for people with personality disorder and complex needs. Professor Pickard visited the Rotman Institute of Philosophy from [...]

Photos & Videos from Responsible Robotics Events

We are very pleased to share the following photos and videos taken during the event series on responsible robotics and robot ethics we hosted last month. Please note that additional photos from these events can be seen on the Rotman Institute Flickr account. Thank you to Philippos Papayannopoulos for taking these wonderful photos! Panel Discussion: [...]

2017-04-05T10:10:12-04:00April 4th, 2017|Events, Philosophy of Ethics, Science and Society|
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