Will life be better or worse in 2025? It could go either way. Better pay could lead to more jobs, not fewer.  The ongoing challenge to understand why some countries, against the odds, have fared better than others in face of the pandemic. Better batteries, ‘bigger’ and better AI feature amongst this year important technologies. How to make better use of our moral reserves – philosophy can help.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We are required to function with “paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and god-like technology” – biologist E.O. Wilson (wondering whether we can cope effectively with our current, far-reaching, changes)

ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
Janna Anderson, Lee Rainie and Emilie Vogels, Experts Say the ‘New Normal’ in 2025 Will Be Far More Tech-Driven, Presenting More Big Challenges
(Pew Research Center, 18 February 2021)
For those willing to peer into the future, this is a gold mine! 915 experts and various decision-makers / thinkers discuss what life will be like in 2025. Naturally, they are divided. A majority thinks sweeping societal change will make life worse for most people as greater inequality, rising authoritarianism and rampant misinformation take hold in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Yet, a portion believes life will be better in a ‘tele-everything’ world where workplaces, health care and social activity improve (the summary reads in about 10 min – the whole doc. would take a few hours).
Click here to read the full article.

Daron Acemoglu, The Case for a Higher Minimum Wage
(Project Syndicate, 24 February 2021)
Efforts in the US to increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour are gaining steam. The MIT economist argues this is sound, not just economically (research shows that reduced employment does not follow minimum-wage hikes, and that in some cases, employment actually rises when wage floors are raised) but also politically. The reason: a higher wage floor would create an impetus for good jobs, which is precisely what the US in particular and many Western economies in general are lacking (reads in 6-8 min).
Click here to read the full article.

Siddhartha Mukherjee, Why Does the Pandemic Seem to Be Hitting Some Countries Harder Than Others?
(The New Yorker, 22 February 2021)
This rich, dense article addresses the pandemic’s greatest conundrum that has confounded statisticians, virologists and public-health experts for months: the seemingly inexplicable regional disparities in COVID-19 mortality. Rich countries, with sophisticated health-care systems, seem to have suffered the worst ravages of the infection. Death rates in poorer countries appear curiously low. Why? Researchers have explored everything, looking at both intrinsic vulnerabilities (like age or obesity) and extrinsic vulnerabilities (like the structures of households). Read on to get a sense of the challenges that medical mathematicians must contend with (read in 15min+).
Click here to read the full article.

The Editors, 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2021
(MIT Technology Review, 24 February 2021)
This list marks 20 years since MIT began compiling an annual selection of the year’s most important technologies. Some, such as mRNA vaccines, are already changing our lives, while others are still a few years off. (1) Messenger RNA vaccines; (2) GPT-3: Large natural-language computer models that learn to write and speak; (3) TikTok recommendation algorithms; (4) Lithium-metal batteries; (5) Data trusts; (6) Green hydrogen; (7) Digital contact tracing; (8) Hyper-accurate positioning; (9) Remote everything; (10) Multi-skilled AI (reads in 7-9 min).
Click here to read the full article.

Irene McMullin, The right thing to do
(AEON, 19 February 2021)
An ethical life means being good to ourselves, to others, and to the world. But how do we choose if these demands compete? Breaking with the canons of moral theory, a philosopher helps us find the answer. She starts by explaining that the key issue in many cases is not whether to be moral at all – but rather how best to distribute our moral resources in conditions of scarcity and conflict (reads in about 15 min).
Click here to read the full article.