Ward Fransworth – The practicing Stoic
there is no reason to get too excited about this book.
Experiencing other people’s suffering leads us away from rational decision making
The seemingly controversial thesis turns out to be a platitude hidden behind a carefully crafted facade of definitions.
Ongoing advances in technology make that ethical norms develop incredibly fast
Filled with highly interesting statistics about the evolution of public perception on ethical issues.
The philosophy of the Silicon Valley elite is just a bunch of ill understood one-liners from preferably obscure thinkers
Adrian Daub – What tech calls thinking
Entertaining and polemic book, although many of the author’s points hardly need to be argued.
Don’t estimate probabilities, but ask: ‘What is really going on here?’
John Kay and Mervin King – Radical Uncertainty
Economists should stay away from pseudo-philosophical assertions, in particular when these hinge on misinterpretation of Bayesian methods, use flawed logic, and do not lead to realistic recommendations.
To disprove ‘Intelligent Design’, just note that one can very well exhibit intelligent behavior without actual intelligence
Daniel Dennett – From bacteria to Bach and back
Caleidoscopic overview of Dennett’s ideas, but it would benefit from an more thorough justification of its antropocentric perspective (compare: Frans de Waal).
The principles of the enlightment are still the main driver for human progress
Steven Pinker – Enlightnent now
Considering his plea for scientific thinking, Pinker is remarkably confident on (1) hard to assess long term risks and (2) strong realism (in the epistomological sense).
Live by the philosophy of the stoics, but do not take their advice too literally
Brinkmann’s many nuances and exceptions kill his argument and concept.
N.B. Read in Dutch translation
Unlike ‘to lie’, ‘to bullshit’ implies an utter indifference towards the notion of truth
Entertaining and still eerily relevant (although already published in 2005).
There are a huge number of ways in which Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) can take over the world, rendering humanity essentially useless.
Interesting exploration of the implications of AGI, faulted by the typical preference of Analytical Philosophy for construction of intricate, highly theoretical scenario’s, under-emphasizing basic challenges (in the case of AGI: lack of robustness / antifragility).
Philip Fernbach and Steven Sloman – The Knowledge Illusion
In a world that is both complex and polarized, progress (which is fueled by sharing knowledge) is in serious danger of reversal.
The concept is almost trivial (which makes for a boring 1st half of the book), but the examples (partizan politics, fake news, pseudo science, etc.) are convincing and entertaining.