The question if machines can truly think has haunted us since the first computers began solving mathematical problems at speeds that put human calculators to shame. Today, as artificial intelligence systems write poetry, diagnose diseases, and engage in conversations that can fool us into thinking we’re talking to another person, the question feels more urgent […]
When David Hume published A Treatise of Human Nature in 1739, he expected to revolutionize philosophy. Instead, the book, as he later lamented, “fell dead-born from the press.” Yet this initial failure masked what would become one of the most profound intellectual earthquakes in Western thought. Nearly three centuries later, Hume’s ideas continue to reverberate
Hume’s Intellectual Legacy: The 18th-Century Shock That Still Echoes Read More »
Karl Marx’s critique of capitalism, articulated most comprehensively in Das Kapital, remains one of the most influential economic theories in history. At its heart lies a powerful indictment: profit represents exploitation. According to Marx, capitalists extract surplus value from workers by paying them less than the value they create, pocketing the difference as profit. This
The Problem of Profit: Why Karl Marx Misunderstood Entrepreneurship Read More »
On October 13, 2025, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the recipients of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt were honored for their groundbreaking work in explaining the role of innovation in driving economic growth. This Nobel Prize recognition celebrates the
Nobel Prize Economics 2025: Mokyr, Aghion, Howitt — The Innovation Trilogy Read More »
In 1795, amidst Europe’s revolutionary war and the looming threat of Napoleon, the German philosopher Immanuel Kant published a concise treatise that would resonate through the ages. “Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch” introduced a groundbreaking concept for its era: a systematic framework aimed at eradicating war altogether. Over two centuries later, following two devastating world
Can Immanuel Kant’s ‘Perpetual Peace’ Stop the Next World War? Read More »
The saying often attributed to Voltaire—“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”—has become a cornerstone of Western thought on free expression. Although Voltaire never actually wrote these words, they encapsulate an Enlightenment ideal that has influenced constitutional frameworks, particularly in Europe and North America.
Exporting Enlightenment: Why Voltaire’s Free Speech Vision Doesn’t Translate Globally Read More »
In the fourth century BCE, Plato asked a question that continues to perplex thinkers and, increasingly, computer scientists: what distinguishes genuine knowledge from mere belief or opinion? As artificial intelligence systems get advanced capabilities, we find ourselves revisiting this ancient idea that combines Plato and Artificial Intelligence. Can machines genuinely possess knowledge, or do they
Plato and Artificial Intelligence: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Machines Read More »
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