Skip to main content
Access provided by

Nicholas Agar

Nicholas Agar

11 commentaries

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).

Sort by: Show:
  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
    GettyImages-2072805051

    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?
    whatley19_Getty Images Getty Images

    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?
    agar7_Getty Images_ai teacher Getty Images

    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
    agar6_Bernd Weißbrodpicture alliance via Getty Images_university Bernd Weißbrodpicture alliance via Getty Images

    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. velasco156_Alex WroblewskiGettyImages_dnc_harris_buttons Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images
    1

    How Liberals Lost America

    Andrés Velasco attributes Donald Trump’s return to power to Democrats’ embrace of both moral neutrality and moral preachiness.
  2. halland10_TERJE PEDERSENNTBAFP via Getty Images_norwayukraineaid Terje Pedersenntb/AFP via Getty Images
    0

    Norway Should Cede Its War Windfall to Ukraine

    Håvard Halland & Knut Anton Mork say that the government's justifications for its war profiteering are disingenuous and short-sighted.
  3. bhide11_Anthony KwanGettyImages_deepseek Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
    1

    Is DeepSeek Really a Threat?

    Amar Bhidé

    If vindicated, DeepSeek’s technology could be to large language models what Nikola Tesla’s breakthroughs with alternating current were to electrification. While it cannot overcome the unavoidable limitations of backward-looking statistical models, it could make their price performance good enough for wider use.

     explains what a purported Chinese AI breakthrough does and does not mean for the industry.
  4. spence180_Picture AllianceGettyImages_germany_annual_economic_report Picture Alliance/Getty Images
    0

    What’s Wrong With Germany’s Economy?

    Michael Spence

    Germany became a European powerhouse partly because, in the early 2000s, its industrial sectors took over the highest-valued-added segments of global supply chains. Replicating this success today would require Germany to move to the forefront of the digital transformation, and it cannot do that without the EU.

     thinks the country’s prospects depend significantly on closing the digital-technology gap with the US and China.
  5. hausmann119_Christine OlssonGettyImages_northvolt_bankruptcy Christine Olsson/Getty Images
    1

    When Companies Fail to Learn, They Learn to Fail

    Ricardo Hausmann explains how the inability to identify and address knowledge gaps can doom even the most promising projects.
  6. berahab1_LUDOVIC MARINAFP via Getty Images_gabonforest Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
    0

    How to Make Carbon Pricing Work for Africa

    Rim Berahab & Otaviano Canuto argue that policies must be structured to facilitate, not obstruct, the continent’s shift to renewables.
  7. jma6_NurPhotoGettyImages_china_evs_trade NurPhoto/Getty Images
    0

    Green Free Trade in a Protectionist Age

    Ma Jun envisions regional arrangements that facilitate the exchange of climate-friendly goods and services.
  8. mazarei1_Sayed HassanGetty Images_suezcanal Sayed Hassan/Getty Images
    0

    Egypt’s Economic Crisis May Not Be Over

    Adnan Mazarei urges the international community to push for long-overdue governance and economic reforms.
  9. iyer2_SIA KAMBOUAFP via Getty Images_malariavaccine Sia Kambou/AFP via Getty Images
    0

    Climate Displacement Is Also a Health Crisis

    Jayasree K. Iyer proposes a four-pronged strategy to ensure that essential medicines reach vulnerable populations.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.