Automatic Authorities: Charting a Course for Legitimate AI. Public and private actors are increasingly using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to exercise power over citizens, who are increasingly unsure whether to accept that power. AI faces a crisis of legitimacy. This project aims to use technically- and empirically-grounded philosophy to make Australia a global leader in the study and design of legitimate AI. The project expects to launch and make fundamental progress in a new field: the Politica ....Automatic Authorities: Charting a Course for Legitimate AI. Public and private actors are increasingly using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to exercise power over citizens, who are increasingly unsure whether to accept that power. AI faces a crisis of legitimacy. This project aims to use technically- and empirically-grounded philosophy to make Australia a global leader in the study and design of legitimate AI. The project expects to launch and make fundamental progress in a new field: the Political Philosophy of AI. Expected outcomes include new strategies shared with industry and government partners for designing and deploying legitimate AI systems. Expected benefits include the opportunity to enjoy the public and private efficiencies enabled by AI, without compromising our freedom and equality.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100300
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The politicised child in postcolonial community: a political ontology of childhood and memory examined through cases in Australia and Canada. The project investigates the meaning and use of childhood in recent political and social movements, such as the 'Stolen Generations' in Australia and sterilised children in Canada. This research will contribute to current debates about the need for reconciliation, and to Australia's international profile in the field of political philosophy.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100325
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$371,931.00
Summary
Revisiting the foundations of mainstream economics: a cooperative account of wellbeing and moral improvement. This study presents a major theoretical challenge to the individualistic definition of wellbeing that defines mainstream economics. It does so by advancing an alternative paradigm for understanding individual wellbeing as co-dependent on the wellbeing of others, exploring intersubjective attitudes that facilitate cooperative economic behaviour.
Political normativity and the feasibility requirement. Commonsense says that claims about how social and political life ought to be arranged must not make infeasible demands. This project will investigate this piece of commonsense and explore its implications for a number of pressing issues, such as climate change, multiculturalism, political participation, inequality, historical justice, and the rules of war.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100811
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,036.00
Summary
Justifying war. This project will develop a comprehensive new account of the ethics of war. Radically departing from the current philosophical orthodoxy in its focus on the distinctively collectivist dimensions of war's morality, it will offer a new take on both the positive reasons that justify warfare and the constraints on starting, fighting and ending wars.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101068
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$374,686.00
Summary
The Common Heritage of Mankind: A Cosmopolitan Preservationist Ethic. The common heritage of mankind, presently only a weakly-articulated principle of international law, postulates that some assets are valuable for all mankind and hence should be preserved for perpetuity. This project aims to provide the first systematic, unified moral framework for understanding this principle. It expects to analyse the ground and scope of cosmopolitan duties to protect assets belonging to this heritage, thereb ....The Common Heritage of Mankind: A Cosmopolitan Preservationist Ethic. The common heritage of mankind, presently only a weakly-articulated principle of international law, postulates that some assets are valuable for all mankind and hence should be preserved for perpetuity. This project aims to provide the first systematic, unified moral framework for understanding this principle. It expects to analyse the ground and scope of cosmopolitan duties to protect assets belonging to this heritage, thereby contributing to important philosophical debates on intergenerational justice, cosmopolitanism, climate change, and humanitarian intervention. Its expected outcomes include practical guidance to policymakers and stakeholders in reshaping global governance around this principle.Read moreRead less
Democracy and the Bourgeoisie: Post-Communism and the Transition to Capitalism. There is commonly perceived to be a relationship between social structure and regime type. This proposal seeks to understand the impact the type of bourgeoisie has upon the prospects for democracy. Its principal focus is contemporary Russia. In order to obtain theoretical purchase and historical perspective, the Russian experience will be compared with the effects on political development of a range of other bourgeo ....Democracy and the Bourgeoisie: Post-Communism and the Transition to Capitalism. There is commonly perceived to be a relationship between social structure and regime type. This proposal seeks to understand the impact the type of bourgeoisie has upon the prospects for democracy. Its principal focus is contemporary Russia. In order to obtain theoretical purchase and historical perspective, the Russian experience will be compared with the effects on political development of a range of other bourgeoisies, coming from the classic early industrialiser countries, the late industrialisers, a number of third world countries, and some of the post-communist states.Read moreRead less
Rites of Power: Symbolism, Ritual and Politics in the Soviet Union and Russia. In the last fifteen years, Russia has undergone major political change associated with the collapse of the USSR. One of the most important tasks of the new regime is to establish a sense of its legitimacy, which should in turn help to shape its future. As a major player in global politics and a significant power in the Asia-Pacific region, Russia's internal development has important consequences for Australia and the ....Rites of Power: Symbolism, Ritual and Politics in the Soviet Union and Russia. In the last fifteen years, Russia has undergone major political change associated with the collapse of the USSR. One of the most important tasks of the new regime is to establish a sense of its legitimacy, which should in turn help to shape its future. As a major player in global politics and a significant power in the Asia-Pacific region, Russia's internal development has important consequences for Australia and the world. Only by understanding Russia and what is happening inside it can Australia adequately deal with and interact with it. This project will substantially further such understanding.Read moreRead less
Australia's Nuclear Choices. Australia's nuclear choices will be made in the context of a challenging and fluid international strategic environment characterised in Australia's immediate region by heightened global concerns regarding such transnational dilemmas as terrorism, energy security and nuclear proliferation. This project, through exploring the nature, evolution and consequences of contemporary strategic, military and civil nuclear developments impacting on the international non-prolifer ....Australia's Nuclear Choices. Australia's nuclear choices will be made in the context of a challenging and fluid international strategic environment characterised in Australia's immediate region by heightened global concerns regarding such transnational dilemmas as terrorism, energy security and nuclear proliferation. This project, through exploring the nature, evolution and consequences of contemporary strategic, military and civil nuclear developments impacting on the international non-proliferation regime will enable Australian policy-makers to better calibrate the costs and benefits of potential policy changes across these strategic, regime and market realms of Australia's nuclear interests.Read moreRead less
Extended Nuclear Deterrence and the Restraint of Non-Nuclear Allies: Material Cooperation and Strategic Dialogue. Extended nuclear deterrence is central to the security commitments offered by the US to its European and Asian allies, but little is known about why non-nuclear allies ask for the nuclear assurances they do and how they influence the assurances they ultimately receive. Using the lenses of intra-alliance bargaining, the role and composition of assurances, and domestic and internationa ....Extended Nuclear Deterrence and the Restraint of Non-Nuclear Allies: Material Cooperation and Strategic Dialogue. Extended nuclear deterrence is central to the security commitments offered by the US to its European and Asian allies, but little is known about why non-nuclear allies ask for the nuclear assurances they do and how they influence the assurances they ultimately receive. Using the lenses of intra-alliance bargaining, the role and composition of assurances, and domestic and international interactions, the project investigates why non-nuclear allies often seek modest extended nuclear deterrence guarantees when they could push for more ambitious commitments. The outcomes of the project will advance theoretical understanding of alliances, assurance and nuclear strategy, with direct relevance to foreign policy and nuclear disarmament.Read moreRead less