Philosophers should prefer simpler theories

Why Philosophers Should Care About Computational Complexity

One might think that, once we know something is computable, how efficiently it can be computed is a practical question with little further philosophical importance. In this essay, I offer a detailed case that one would be wrong. In particular, I argue that computational complexity theory—the field that studies the resources (such as time, space, and randomness) needed to solve computational pro...

Should QoS routing algorithms prefer shortest paths?

Multimedia traffic and real-time e-commerce applications can experience quality degradation in traditional networks such as the Internet. These difficulties can be overcome in networks which feature dynamically set up paths with bandwidth and delay guarantees. The problem of selecting such constrained paths is the task of Quality of Service (QoS) routing. This paper considers link-state routing...

Why Sellers Should Prefer Sequential Mechanisms

Should psychology be ‘positive’? Letting the philosophers speak

This is a brief commentary on the value of optimism in therapy. It draws on the philosophical writings of Schopenhauer and Aristotle. It suggests that the modern preoccupation with optimism may be as extreme as the bleak pessimistic outlook favoured by Schopenhauer.

Why Designers and Philosophers Should Meet in School

Many scholars who study user-technology relations have shown from different perspectives that such relations are mutually constructive: users shape technology, and technology shapes users. This awareness raises questions about the part a designer plays in the workings of society. Are designers responsible for the social role of their products? Can designers promote the well-being of users and s...