DYO Ethics Symposia Archive

September 11th, 2021 - Automated Intelligence and Machine Learning

• An article in the Harvard Gazette talking about opportunities and ethical concerns with AI

• A New York Times Daily Podcast talking about machine learning for facial recognition

• A podcast discussion on ethical algorithms

January 18th, 2022 - March 29th, 2022

Moderated by Veronica Sikora, Senior at the University of Michigan studying Philosophy and Molecular Biology

January 18th, 2022 - Genetic Sequencing and Testing

• An article from Harvard Health about genetic testing

• A short video introducing precision medicine

• An Atlantic video discussing ethical questions posed by prenatal genetic testing

February 1st, 2022 - Population Genetics

• A Stat news article describing what's wrong with the human reference genome, and why we should care. 

• A TED-style talk on how increased access to genetic information can inform our understanding of race, ethnicity, and ancestry. 

• A Journal of Ethics article on the Havasupai debacle and how it cautions future attempts to solicit genetic information from vulnerable communities.

May 4th, 2022 - June 1st, 2022

Moderated by Dr. Matt Deaton, Adjunct Ethics Professor at the University of Texas at Tyler

May 4th, 2022 - Rate That Abortion

• Abortion Ethics in a Nutshell: A Pro-Both Tour of the Moral Arguments: Chapters 1-4

May 18th, 2022 - Factors Bearing on Abortion's Morality

• Abortion Ethics in a Nutshell: A Pro-Both Tour of the Moral Arguments: Chapters 5-10

June 1st, 2022 - Final Thoughts on Abortion

• Abortion Ethics in a Nutshell: A Pro-Both Tour of the Moral Arguments: Chapters 11-13

August 31st, 2022 - September 28th, 2022

Moderated by Grant Sheft, Rising Junior at Horace Mann School in Bronx, NY

August 31st, 2022 - Human Rights and the Death Penalty

• A Philosophical Discussion of the Ethics of the Death Penalty

• An analysis of the Death Penalty from a Human Rights Context

• A TED Talk by a member of a jury that sentenced a man to death

September 14th, 2022 - The Death Penalty and Society

• An article discussing the financial consequences of the death penalty

• A video of a woman whose family was murdered discussing her thoughts on the death penalty

September 28th, 2022 - International Applications of the Death Penalty

• An article discussing Singapore's execution of an intellectually challenged individual

October 12th, 2022 and November 9th, 2022

Moderated by Sandy Borden, Director of the Western Michigan University Center for Ethics in Society

October 12th, 2022 - Vigilantes and Ethics Part 1

• UNGLI

  • UNGLI (The Finger) is a 2014 Bollywood production about four friends and professionals living in Mumbai. They witness a devastating scene when their “meddling” mentor helps a stranger. The group decides to become “meddlers” of a different type, believing that to be effective they need to go “beyond a candle march.” They form a vigilante gang with the name and motto the UNGLI (The Finger). The film revolves around the chain of “pranks” the gang carries out to expose the many injustices residents face daily in dealing with institutional impunities, and in their encounters with the corrupt practices of local politicians.

November 9th, 2022 - Vigilantes and Ethics Part 2

• Age of Consent: Canada's Original Vigilante Pedophile Hunter

  • Self-proclaimed vigilante Justin Payne's night job is pretending to be a 13-year-old boy online. His targets establish online relationships and set up in-person meetings with him. Documenting these encounters, with help from his cameraman Gerry, Justin publicly shames and confronts his online predators.

  • Additional Readings:

    • Citizens' crime livestreams are no substitutes for local journalism 

    • On the ethics of online shaming