US Opinion and Commentary

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Democracy in the Crosshairs

Posted April 19th, 2016 at 10:54 am (UTC-4)
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Modern communications, higher voter education and the power of the internet are colliding with outdated methods of voting and participation to produce a system badly in need of reform. The result is a democracy that is veering off course, increasingly reflecting the will of powerful activist groups and the political extremes, and not of the […]

The Ethical Dilemmas of Virtual Reality

Posted April 18th, 2016 at 2:02 pm (UTC-4)
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In a new play“The Nether”…Papa uses advanced software to create a fantasy environment where adult clients molest young children and then kill them….Should there be limits on human fantasies involving heinous thoughts?…Even if the bad behavior rests solely in one individual’s private thoughts, does that thinking pose a danger to other people?

Why the Internet Isn’t Making Us Smarter – and How to Fight Back

Posted April 15th, 2016 at 4:41 pm (UTC-4)
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Our access to information, both good and bad, has only increased as our fingertips have gotten into the act. With computer keyboards and smartphones, we now have access to an Internet containing a vast store of information much bigger than any individual brain can carry – and that’s not always a good thing.