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Bridging the Gaps: How Language Models Can Connect Ethics, Science, and Policy

Bridging the Gaps: How Language Models Can Connect Ethics, Science, and Policy

What this post explores: At its best, practical ethics addresses normative questions with philosophical rigor while remaining grounded in empirical evidence and offering meaningful input for policy. However, the field frequently faces challenges in demonstrating clear connections between normative analysis, empirical and policy research.   The Structural Disconnect The challenge is partly due to the… Read More »Bridging the Gaps: How Language Models Can Connect Ethics, Science, and Policy

Bring Back Shame: Does the Ethical Value of Shame Justify Shaming?

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Undergraduate Highly Commended paper in the 2025 National Uehiro Oxford Essay Prize in Practical Ethics. By Nicole Chinenyenwa Oboko. I  have always been told that if a person has nothing nice to say, they should say nothing at all. For most of my life, I’ve upheld this belief. A decent person, as part of a decent… Read More »Bring Back Shame: Does the Ethical Value of Shame Justify Shaming?

The Doctor Will Speak as You Prefer? How AI Could Personalize Medical Communication

(This blog post was originally published in the JME Forum) By Hazem Zohny, Jemima Winfried Allen, Dominic Wilkinson, and Julian Savulescu. When you go to the doctor, there’s little telling what kind of communicator you’ll get. Some doctors are on the paternalistic side, telling you what you should do without much discussion. Others just give… Read More »The Doctor Will Speak as You Prefer? How AI Could Personalize Medical Communication

Banning first cousin marriage would be eugenic and ineffective

Dominic Wilkinson, University of Oxford A bill that proposes to ban first-cousin marriage in the UK will receive its second reading in the House of Commons on March 7. The bill, proposed by Conservative former minister Richard Holden, follows the introduction of a ban on cousin marriages that came into effect in Norway in 2023… Read More »Banning first cousin marriage would be eugenic and ineffective

Legislating for Influence: The Case of Abortion Safe Zones

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by Thomas Mitchell In September last year, the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act 2024 came into effect. This Act establishes safe zones of 200 metres in all directions around clinics offering abortion services, within which special protections apply to patients and staff accessing the clinic. The purpose is to prevent anyone from stopping women… Read More »Legislating for Influence: The Case of Abortion Safe Zones