Mainstream economics and the Austrian school: toward reunification

In this paper, I compare the methodology of the Austrian school to two alternative methodologies from the economic mainstream: the ‘orthodox’ and revealed preference methodologies. I argue that Austrian school theorists should stop describing themselves as ‘extreme apriorists’ (or writing suggestively to that effect), and should start giving greater acknowledgement to the importance of empirical work within their research program. The motivation for this dialectical shift is threefold: the approach is more faithful to their actual practices, it better illustrates the underlying similarities between the mainstream and Austrian research paradigms, and it provides a philosophical foundation that is much more plausible in itself

Shuttle Wastewater Solution Characterization

During the 31st shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-129, there was a clogging event in the shuttle wastewater tank. A routine wastewater dump was performed during the mission and before the dump was completed, degraded flow was observed. In order to complete the wastewater dump, flow had to be rerouted around the dump filter. As a result, a basic chemical and microbial investigation was performed to understand the shuttle wastewater system and perform mitigation tasks to prevent another blockage. Testing continued on the remaining shuttle flights wastewater and wastewater tank cleaning solutions. The results of the analyses and the effect of the mitigation steps are detailed in this paper

Is the Attention Economy Noxious?

A growing amount of media is paid for by its consumers through their very consumption of it. This new media is highly interactive and requires some form of computing for its operation (Logan, 2010). Examples include the services offered by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. As these examples suggest, much new media is funded primarily through advertising, which has been optimized using Big Data

Is the Attention Economy Noxious?

A growing amount of media is paid for by its consumers through their very consumption of it. This new media is highly interactive and requires some form of computing for its operation (Logan, 2010). Examples include the services offered by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. As these examples suggest, much new media is funded primarily through advertising, which has been optimized using Big Data

Epistemic Paternalism Online

New media (highly interactive digital technology for creating, sharing, and consuming information) affords users a great deal of control over their informational diets. As a result, many users of new media unwittingly encapsulate themselves in epistemic bubbles (epistemic structures, such as highly personalized news feeds, that leave relevant sources of information out (Nguyen forthcoming)). Epistemically paternalistic alterations to new media technologies could be made to pop at least some epistemic bubbles. We examine one such alteration that Facebook has made in an effort to fight fake news and conclude that it is morally permissible. We further argue that many epistemically paternalistic policies can (and should) be a perennial part of the internet information environment

Algorithms and Autonomy

Algorithms influence every facet of modern life. However, delegating important decisions to machines gives rise to deep moral concerns about responsibility, transparency, fairness, and democracy. This book examines these concerns by connecting them to the human value of autonomy. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core

What We Informationally Owe Each Other

ABSTRACT: One important criticism of algorithmic systems is that they lack transparency. Such systems can be opaque because they are complex, protected by patent or trade secret, or deliberately obscure. In the EU, there is a debate about whether the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) contains a “right to explanation,” and if so what such a right entails. Our task in this chapter is to address this informational component of algorithmic systems. We argue that information access is integral for respecting autonomy, and transparency policies should be tailored to advance autonomy. To make this argument we distinguish two facets of agency (i.e., capacity to act). The first is practical agency, or the ability to act effectively according to one’s values. The second is what we call cognitive agency, which is the ability to exercise what Pamela Hieronymi calls “evaluative control” (i.e., the ability to control our affective states, such as beliefs, desires, and attitudes). We argue that respecting autonomy requires providing persons sufficient information to exercise evaluative control and properly interpret the world and one’s place in it. We draw this distinction out by considering algorithmic systems used in background checks, and we apply the view to key cases involving risk assessment in criminal justice decisions and K-12 teacher evaluation. The link below is to an open access version of the chapter