They Say / I Blog

Looking for human connections: Allison Pugh on why care work shouldn’t be outsourced to generative AI

Could a generative AI chatbot have a real relationship with a person? Allison Pugh, a sociologist, argues no: “there is no human relationship when one half of the encounter is a machine,” she writes. In her argument, Pugh describes how care-focused generative AI platforms–such as the ones being used in education, medical, and therapy settings–damage human relationships by making people feel both invisible and disconnected from each other.

Allison Pugh, "When AI Automates Relationships, TIME, 14 August 2024.

 

The missing middle: Christine Schueckler on making college affordable to middle-class students

College tuition costs continue to rise in the U.S., and even with student loan debt and college affordability reforms, middle-class students often struggle to pay for a college degree. The college affordability crisis matters beyond higher education: researchers have connected it to the shrinking middle class in the U.S. In this op-ed, Christine Schueckler, a student at the University of Virginia, explains the economic and personal consequences of the “middle-class squeeze” on U.S. college campuses.

Christine Schueckler, "Can I Afford College? High Tuition Costs Squeeze Middle Class Students Like Me," USA Today, 1 August 2024.

 

Courting controversy: Peter Singer on why we need to test our ideas in open debate

How do people discover if their beliefs are true or false? Philosopher Peter Singer, an emeritus professor of bioethics at Princeton University and co-editor of Journal of Controversial Ideas, argues that this can only happen through free debate of controversial issues. In this short six-minute video, Singer examines the consequences of censorship and explains why we need to get more comfortable debating uncomfortable questions.

Peter Singer, "Have a Controversial Idea? Good. Here's Why You Should Share It." BigThink, 20 October 2023.

 

The other side is not evil: Kurt Gray on how fear drives political divides

In political debates, it can be easy to dismiss the other side by turning them into stereotypes or rejecting their viewpoints as “dumb.” Sometimes, though, the rhetoric goes further, and people can accuse the other side of being immoral or even evil. Why is that? In this short video, Kurt Gray, a psychology and neuroscience professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, digs deep into human history to explain the evolutionary root causes of political polarization.

Kurt Gray, "The Psychology of Political Polarization: Conservatives v. Liberals," StandTogether.org, 19 January 2024.

 

To keep sight of our shared humanity: António Guterres on the collective future of Israel and Palestine

The current war in Gaza emerges from a long history of conflict between Israel and Palestine. António Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations, makes a plea for peace in this op-ed, which was also published in the New York Times on October 13, 2023. In this piece, he urges the international community as well as Israelis and Palestinians to consider “the pull of collective memory” that shapes how people understand and discuss the conflict.

António Guterres, "Why Israel Must Reconsider Its Gaza Evacuation Order," The United Nations: The Question of Palestine, www.un.org, 13 October 2023.

 

The automation of creation: Michael Russell Gunn on what’s at stake in the Hollywood writers’ strike

In May 2023, Hollywood production ground to a halt as the Writers Guild of America, a union representing over 11,500 screenwriters, went on strike. One major contention these writers have is how they are compensated for the shows and movies people watch on streaming platforms. Underneath this issue, though, lies a bigger question, one that screenwriter Michael Russell Gunn explores in this essay: how do AI technologies threaten not just Hollywood but “the future of human work”?

Michael Russell Gunn, "I'm a Hollywood Screenwriter. This Is Why Our Strike Matters to You. BU Today, Boston University, 4 May 2023

 

Let’s play ball: Jill Filipovic on access and opportunity in youth sport leagues

In the U.S., participating in youth sports is expensive and time-consuming. As writer Jill Filipovic explains, kids from wealthier families can join costly club travel teams, but because of a lack of funding in poorer communities, there are fewer options for low-cost recreational leagues and school-sponsored sports. In this essay, she makes a case that this growing divide in youth sports compounds other systemic inequities in U.S. society.

Jill Filipovic, "The Crisis of Youth Sports," Substack, 5 April 2023.

 

The roots of mass incarceration: Jeffrey Bellin on the relationship between crime and incarceration rates in the U.S.

The U.S. has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. Why is that? Jeffrey Bellin, a professor at William & Mary Law School, argues that the solutions to mass incarceration must address the policies that led to it, including policies that rely on prison as punishment for non-violent crimes.

Jeffrey Bellin, "Understanding Mass Incarceration in the US Is the First Step to Reducing a Swollen Prison Population," The Conversation, 2 March 2023.

 

“A dire shortage of affordable housing”: Jerusalem Demsas on the structural causes of homelessness

Every day, over half a million Americans are homeless. What has led to this crisis? In this essay, writer Jerusalem Demsas critiques the way homelessness is often framed as an individual’s “personal failure,” with little attempt to recognize or rectify its underlying root causes. She argues that the lack of affordable housing is at the center of the homelessness problem in many U.S. cities and communities.

Jerusalem Demsas, "The Obvious Answer to Homelessness," Atlantic, 12 December 2022

 

Beyond shame and stigma: Jay Shifman on reframing how we talk about drug use and drug addiction

What would winning the “war on drugs” look like? For Jay Shifman, the answer to that question requires rethinking what we’re at war with, what counts as sobriety, and why people use drugs in the first place. It’s clear that overdoses and addiction cause harm to individuals, families, and communities. Yet, according to Shifman, the current drug policies in the U.S. have been largely ineffective in reducing overdoses, preventing access to dangerous, fentanyl-laced street drugs, and reversing the racial disparity of those who are charged for drug crimes.

Jay Shifman, "Can Better Policy Help Reduce Overdoses?," YES!, 18 May 2022.