Tag Archives: ethics

Isn’t It Cute When Animals Escape the Zoo?

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In the past few weeks the news has been abuzz with several stories coming from zoos around the world. These articles tend to attract quite a few readers it seems, mostly because people seem to think it’s kinda cute when animals prove us they’re smart, or that they can take initiative in a given situation.

There was this octopus^ that managed to escape its prison through some pipe, much to the delight of its human wardens. Then, a bit less funny was this chimp^ who had to be tranquillized while doing what it knew best – having fun above the ground. After the chemical did its job, during some not particularly dignifying minutes, the chimp fell and was skillfully saved from hitting the pavement.

Then, things turned nasty when a tiger killed^ its keeper at yet another location. It is now when humans finally start showing compassion. Of course, its towards their fellow, a keeper, which apparently had a good bond with the tiger. And let’s not forget the deaths at SeaWorld^, a place where patrons used to eat lunch while trainers did tricks with killer whales, one of the most intelligent mammals in the world.

I deeply regret that humans have died while “working” with animals. I think that this can be prevented if we start treating these beings with the respect they deserve. This doesn’t mean that we should stop hunting animals if it is in our nature, but it does mean that we should start treating them with respect.

So then it should be of no surprise when I’m going to write that: no, it’s not cute at all when animals escape the zoo. These creatures do not belong in the zoo. Even though a zoo has the side effect of educating people about animals, it also spreads a terrible message about the way we’re running things on this planet.

Last year I’ve visited a place where they had various animals in a covered enclosure that only had two sets of windows. Three monkeys were gathered in front one of the windows, looking at the world outside. I didn’t have to be an expert in animal body language to understand that those monkeys felt miserable. Maybe I’d feel better if I could unsee that image, but I prefer to have it burned into my brain, because such a memory will help me keep my energy when advocating animal rights on this planet.

Try imagining living your entire life in a space equivalent to a football stadium and perhaps you’ll partially understand what most animals feel like in a zoo. In one place, I’ve seen three different species of felines being crammed between five glass walls. What we’re doing to our fellow life-forms is degrading and unfair.

Education about animals can happen in a myriad of ways. Television has been around for many decades. With the advent of Virtual Reality, we’ll soon be able to visit natural habitats from the comfort of our homes. It’s time to say goodbye to the concept of a prison for animals. Let’s not forget in what period of our civilization these places have been invented.

I’ll close this off with this cute series about how things would look if the roles of humans and animals would be reversed:

http://www.boredpanda.com/satirical-animal-rights-illustrations-parallel-universe^

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Updated on April 30, 2016: no later than three days after publishing this, I’ve learned about this plan to create a dolphin park in the Arizona desert^. The builders fended off criticism with the usual claims of such entrepreneurs – that the animals will be well taken care of and that the place will offer “education” to our young. You can be well taken care of in prison, but it’s still a prison. As for education, what sort of example are we offering children when their parents cage animals for money?

A Few Words About the Wonderful Mining Industry

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When the balance sheet looks bad, what’s a good executive to do? Cut worker benefits, of course! A bankrupt coal mining company just agreed to give millions of dollars in bonuses to its managers, as a reward for their clever financial strategy. I’d be more sarcastic if it wasn’t so damn tragic.

Here’s the article that breaks the story:

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/02/16/3749331/coal-company-executive-payments/^

It’s not the first time when these mining conglomerates are meat-grinding their own employees. From disastrous oil spills^ to catastrophic dam breaks^, down to transforming pristine nature into apocalyptic landscapes^, there are but a few crimes against the ecosystem that mining companies haven’t committed yet – don’t ask for a list.

When are we going to wake up to the fact that our current economic model is not only unsustainable, but downright murderous? Mining companies are the scourge of the Earth. I suppose they have the excuse that they’re just following orders – it’s our society that “needs” their goods. The truly disgusting thing is that while all this is going on, politicians pad their bank accounts and judges look the other way.

It’s quite hard to be balanced when analyzing this subject, almost impossible to be diplomatic. I am aware that we should be understanding towards investors and other interested parties. But when a CEO is paid 8 million dollars, it’s very difficult to argue in favor of cutting health and disability benefits for the company’s workers. There’s only one name such practices can be given: slavery.

Unless we urge our governments to intervene, this situation will only get worse, because these corporations with bully mentality will only become more daring with every passing year. If they do this to their workers, it’s easy to extrapolate and realize that they’re applying the same budget cuts when it comes to maintenance and safety protocols. No wonder we’re hit by one environmental catastrophe after another.

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Big Corporations Go After Artificial Intelligence

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The word “Go” in the title is not coincidental. Much earlier than expected, an AI program managed to defeat a human Go champion. Artificial Intelligence has had the upper hand in the game of Chess for more than a decade already. However, defeating humans at the game of Go requires a different kind of intelligence than it is the case with Chess.

Here’s the news report about Google having reached this important milestone in AI development: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/546066/googles-ai-masters-the-game-of-go-a-decade-earlier-than-expected/^

IBM, Google, Microsoft, FaceBook, Amazon and Apple are all pouring billions of dollars into this sort of research. So do other companies and, less advertised, so do many governments. Not to mention universities and even hobbyists. The jury is still out regarding whether strong (true) Artificial Intelligence is even achievable.

My worry is that once a corporation or government manages to succeed in this venture, the result might offer that entity an unimaginable economic and strategic advantage. Such an advantage will make nuclear weapons seem like a wet firecracker in comparison.

Some have said that AI will be our last invention, for better or for worse. That is because AI might overtake us in intelligence to such an extent that it could invent things that we cannot even begin to imagine. So the risk lies not only in the birth of true AI, but also in whatever new beings such intelligence might give birth to as it grows and learns how to play with its intelligence. All this may very well lead us to immortality or to extinction.

If you’d like to learn more about the topic, I recommend you to read this excellent two part article explaining what it’s all about. It’s quite long but it’s an interesting and pleasant read. At least skip through it, because a life-changing Artificial Intelligence development may be closer than you think.

Part 1:

http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-1.html^

Part 2

http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-2.html^

I also find it quite interesting that some corporations are open sourcing their AI frameworks and tools. I have a fair amount of trust that a large economic entity or a scientific organization will be at least a bit careful about how they program the ethical aspects of an AI, if nothing else then for self-preservation purposes. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing about hobbyists who might not even give a priority to such a vital concern.

Microsoft Open Sources Artificial Intelligence Toolkit:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2498435,00.asp^

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Denmark to Confiscate Valuable Belongings From Immigrants

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The Recommendations section begins on a sour note with this highly disturbing report coming from Denmark. The Danes will now confiscate the valuable belongings of immigrants, so that they can cover the costs required to accommodate and feed them.

Here’s a news report from CNN:
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/26/europe/denmark-vote-jewelry-bill-migrants/^

In their infinite and noble clemency, the Danes will allow the immigrants to keep items of “sentimental value”. Initially, I wanted to say that this is similar with what the Nazis were doing with the Jews. But then I realized that it’s not similar at all. It’s actually identical, except for the fact that it takes place seven decades later. This means that there’s a bit less barbarism, which is probably the least that we could demand from the human race at this point in time.

From such a country, which has been a stalwart of free speech and liberalism, I expected more than sinking to the lowest ethical standards of contemporary civilization. Even though I am able to understand the economical reasoning behind the decision, I’m painfully aware that there were so many other decent ways to solve this.

It looks like Denmark went with a resolution that should appease the far-right, a political cult which is not exactly renowned for its reliable long-term thinking. I wonder how much respect the current immigrants will have towards their adoptive country some years from now. At a time when Europe tries to contain extremist tendencies, the actions of Denmark appear to me like a sort of social suicide.

I find it sad that this is the best answer a European country can come up with. Apparently they will confiscate things like laptops too. To me, this sounds like they’re denying opportunity and reducing the chances for these people to start a new life using the belongings they undoubtedly struggled and risked to bring with them. To me, this sounds like slavery. In the past we went and kidnapped slaves, now we just destabilize their countries and make them cover the expenses and risks to get here; neat huh? The fact that the Danish citizens are sitting rather quietly while this happens raises uncomfortable questions.

Here’s an analysis of the situation:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andras-simonyi/perhaps-something-not-so-_b_9081238.html^

Ultimately, it’s any country’s right to manage this sort of crisis as it sees fit. I agree that refugees should do their best to cover their costs. But this should only come later, when they’ve been integrated and trained in the ways through which they can contribute to the society they’re part of.

One last thing I’d like to add. I can’t easily understand how the Danish government wants to monetize laptops and other valuable technology taken off the refugees. Will they use pawn shops? Who would like to buy these devices? I think Danes can afford pretty much whatever hardware they wish for. This draconian maneuver reeks of ulterior motives.

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