Meta-Constraints: to aid interaction and to provide explanations

We explore the use of meta-constraints as a way of providing explanations to the user. Meta-constraints can provide a summary of the state of the CPS, and thus form a way of leaving out a large amount of detail that would be unhelpful to the user when dealing with a large problem. The ideas are illustrated through the problem of University students selecting modules for their studies

Membrane separation in flow injection analysis : Gas Diffusion

A general expression is derived for the membrane transport process in a flow-through unit as commonly used in flow injection systems. The validity of the formulae was tested for gas-diffusion membranes by using compounds with different volatilities such as ammonia, carbon dioxide and acetic acid. Several microporous hydrophobic membranes were tested. A new module design is proposed

Review: \u3ci\u3eKilling by Remote Control: The Ethics of an Unmanned Military\u3c/i\u3e, edited by Bradley Jay Strawser

Dr. Harry van der Linden\u27s review of: Killing by Remote Control: The Ethics of an Unmanned Military, edited by Bradley Jay Strawser. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013 (264 pages, cloth)

Assigning Satisfaction Values to Constraints: An Algorithm to Solve Dynamic Meta-Constraints

The model of Dynamic Meta-Constraints has special activity constraints which can activate other constraints. It also has meta-constraints which range over other constraints. An algorithm is presented in which constraints can be assigned one of five different satisfaction values, which leads to the assignment of domain values to the variables in the CSP. An outline of the model and the algorithm is presented, followed by some initial results for two problems: a simple classic CSP and the Car Configuration Problem. The algorithm is shown to perform few backtracks per solution, but to have overheads in the form of historical records required for the implementation of state.Comment: 11 pages. Proceedings ERCIM WG on Constraints (Prague, June 2001

Nudge, nudge, think, think: experimenting with ways to change civic behaviour

Peter John‘s recent book investigates how to get the best out of nudge theories, considering positive behaviour changes in recycling, volunteering, voting, and petitioning, and provides some unexpected insights about some interventions, finds Sander van der Linden. Nudge, Nudge, Think, Think: Experimenting with Ways to Change Civic Behaviour. Peter John, Sarah Cotterill, Alice Moseley, Liz Richardson, Graham Smith, Gerry Stoker and Corinne Wales. Bloomsbury Academic Publishing. September 2011

Review of Kant\u27s System of Rights

This article reviews the book Kant\u27s System of Rights, by Leslie A. Mulholland

No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need

Review of Naomi Klein, No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need (Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2017)

From Combat Boots to Civilian Shoes: Reflections on \u3cem\u3eThe Chickenhawk Syndrome\u3c/em\u3e

This essay is part of a symposium on Cheyney Ryan’s The Chickenhawk Syndrome: War, Sacrifice, and Personal Responsibility (2009). Ryan’s reply to his critics can be found on pp. 181-89 in Radical Philosophy Review, Volume 13, Issue 2, 2010

Drone Warfare and Just War Theory

This book chapter addresses two questions. First, can targeted killing by drones in non-battlefield zones be justified on basis of just war theory? Second, will the proliferation and expansion of combat drones in warfare, including the introduction of autonomous drones, be an obstacle to initiating or executing wars in a just manner in the future? The first question is answered by applying traditional jus ad bellum (justice in the resort to war) and jus in bello (justice in the execution of war) principles to the American targeted killing campaign in Pakistan; the second question is answered on basis of principles of “just military preparedness” or jus ante bellum (justice before war), a new category of just war thinking. It is concluded that an international ban on weaponized drones is morally imperative and, certainly, that an international treaty against autonomous lethal weapons should be adopted

Trump, Populism, Fascism, and the Road Ahead

This review essay offers a discussion of some recent studies that help to explain the election of Donald Trump as president of the USA. The studies examine Trump as “media spectacle,” analyze his support among Tea Partiers, and discuss his backing by the white working class left behind by neoliberalism and global capitalism. Special attention is given to two questions: Is Trump a rightwing populist or closer to a fascist? Relatedly, is Trump a threat to liberal democracy? The essay concludes with some suggestions of how to move beyond Trump