Sigal Samuel
@SigalSamuel
Senior Reporter at Vox. Former Religion Editor at The Atlantic. Author of the children's book OSNAT AND HER DOVE and the novel THE MYSTICS OF MILE END.
I write a philosophical advice column for Vox and I want to hear what questions are plaguing you! Here's where you can submit your question anonymously:
What ethical dilemmas are keeping you up at night? Let us know and you might be featured in the next Your Mileage May Vary column! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…
What’s a tricky moral choice you’re struggling with? From how to use tech ethically to how to talk politics with family you disagree with, Sigal Samuel’s advice column Your Mileage May Vary can help. Ask away here: voxdotcom.visitlink.me/QMspKV
Okay my contribution to this discourse: the sticky nature of the argument comes down (in part, at least) to a nebulous/thorny/ultimately confused understanding of "value".
Okay let's clarify some things. Link below
I think about this question all the time: when can suffering actually be a good thing? I tend to think it's basically "by their fruits ye shall know them"
Describe an experience of derealization to a Western clinician, and you may receive a psychiatric diagnosis—and strong medication. Describe the same experience to a seasoned meditation teacher, and you may be congratulated. In their eyes, you might be waking up! So, who’s…
Every builder's first duty is philosophical: to decide what they should build for. AI is beginning to decide what ideas reach your mind—your next action, your next job, your next relationship. It will tempt you to outsource your thinking in ways you’ve never been tempted before.…
*aggressively bookmarking this*
According to @birchlse, Taylor Swift's lyrics "can be connected to contemporary philosophical discussions of grief in ways that not only heighten appreciation of the songs but also deepen our understanding of grief." philpapers.org/rec/BIRESO
How do people reason while still staying coherent – as if they have an internal ‘world model’ for situations they’ve never encountered? A new paper on open-world cognition (preview at the world models workshop at #ICML2025!)
Thrilled to announce our symposium, Cognitively Inspired Interpretability inn Large Neural Networks, at #CogSci2025 featuring @TaylorWWebb, Ellie Pavlick, @feng_jiahai, Gustaw Opielka, Claire Stevenson, and @IbanDlank!