Existential Risk and Global Inequity
Existential risks, defined as risks of catastrophic scope to a population, include risks from bio- and geo-engineering, robotics and artificial intelligence, and anthropocentric environmental damage. My project question is whether global inequity should be considered an existential risk or simply a factor that influences such risks.
Technology, Poverty and Economic Development
In this project I note that while ICT leads to the growth of enterprises in developing countries, such technology is effectively unavailable for those in severe poverty; with the result that social inequality has been worsened by their introduction. In addition, to the extent that poor countries lack the capacity to properly dispose of items like cell phones and laptops, the use of ICT in poor, African countries increases global pollution. I therefore argue that such technology does not necessarily yield a net positive socio-economic effect in developing countries.
Contextual Minorities and the Arbitrariness of Social Ascriptions
I rely on Frantz Fanon and Axel Honneth’s work on (social) recognition to develop my concept contextual minorities. To do this, I utilize the concepts of intersectionality, locationality and personal identity to explore the relationship between status and social ascription.