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Nicholas Agar

Nicholas Agar

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Nicholas Agar is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, the author of How to Be Human in the Digital Economy (MIT Press, 2019), and co-author, with Dan Weijers and Stuart Whatley, of How to Think about Progress: A Skeptic's Guide to Technology (Springer Cham, 2024).

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  1. The Techno-Realist Manifesto
    agar8_Heritage Images GettyImages_retrofuturism Heritage Images/Getty Images

    The Techno-Realist Manifesto

    Nov 28, 2024 Nicholas Agar & Stuart Whatley question the widespread belief that all our biggest problems will soon succumb to engineered solutions.

  2. Nicholas Agar on Elon Musk, AI, the futurism industry, and more
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    Nicholas Agar on Elon Musk, AI, the futurism industry, and more

    Nov 19, 2024 Nicholas Agar urges us not to put too much stock in Musk-style “Mars-shots,” describes how the humanities needs to evolve in our time of disorienting change, suggests that humanists might soon get bored with artificial intelligence, and more.

  3. Is AI a Climate Game-Changer?
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    Is AI a Climate Game-Changer?

    Sep 11, 2023 Nicholas Agar, et al. consider what role the technology could play in humanity's response to the climate crisis.

  4. Should Humanities Professors Be Automated?
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    Should Humanities Professors Be Automated?

    Sep 22, 2022 Nicholas Agar considers the implications of recent successes with AI-generated academic research and writing.

  5. Finding Purpose in the Humanities
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    Finding Purpose in the Humanities

    Dec 9, 2021 Nicholas Agar calls for educators to adapt to post-millennial reality by abolishing the traditional term paper.

  1. ahuq6_JUNG YEON-JEAFP via Getty Images_southkoreaprotest Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images

    South Korea’s Impeachment Battle Is Democracy in Action

    Aziz Huq

    Following South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s groundless declaration of martial law, legislators are pursuing his impeachment. If they succeed, they will have offered a valuable example of how democracies should deal with those who abuse the powers of their office.

    thinks the effort to remove a lawless president can serve as an important signal to the rest of the world.
  2. wei67_Cheng XinGettyImages_shenzhen_sock_exchange Cheng Xin/Getty Images

    A Fiscally Low-Cost Solution to China’s Economic Challenges

    Shang-Jin Wei outlines steps that policymakers can take to foster sustainable growth without increasing government debt.
  3. drochon13_Attila KisbenedekGettyImages_vonderleyen_meloni Attila Kisbenedek/Getty Images

    Can Von Der Leyen Build an Inclusive Center?

    Hugo Drochon considers how the European Commission president can keep the far right at bay during her second mandate.
  4. x2wang1_Tim GrahamGettyImages_china_old_women Tim Graham/Getty Images

    The Second Glass Ceiling for Women

    Xianghong Wang urges the Chinese government to end its gender-specific mandatory retirement policy and adopt a flexible system.
  5. chellaney182_AFP via Getty Images_bangaldeshprotests AFP via Getty Images

    Bangladesh’s Descent into Islamist Violence

    Brahma Chellaney fears what will happen to Asian security if the country's interim government remains on its current path.
  6. disparte4_Getty Images_crypto Getty Images

    The Dollar Diplomacy We Need

    Andrew Gallucci explains how America and its allies can counter their rivals’ currency ambitions.
  7. rodrik229_Spencer PlattGettyImages_delivery_workers_rally_nyc Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    Why Bidenomics Did Not Deliver at the Polls

    Dani Rodrik thinks the Democrats were right to embrace economic populism, but neglected to update it for this century.
  8. Pool/Getty Images

    Anticipating Trump’s Foreign Policy

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

    Even if predictions based on campaign statements and cabinet appointments leave us uncertain about how Donald Trump will approach big foreign-policy issues, we can still situate his worldview in a longer-running US tradition. After all, he is hardly the first politician to proclaim “America First.”

    considers what can be gleaned from the president-elect’s past statements, recent appointments, and US history.
  9. suluhuhassan2_In Pictures Ltd.Corbis via Getty Images_africasolar In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images

    What the G20 Can Do for Africa’s Energy Agenda

    Samia Suluhu Hassan explains how climate finance could unleash the continent's economic potential.

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