In the paper I will seek to identify and consider some distinct qualities of the state’s temporal dimension. The main focus will be on the state being a temporally infinite object. I will investigate in particular how, if at all, permanence is intended or effected by the persons whose actions collectively constitute or maintain the...
Tag: <span>TUESDAY JUNE 26 2018 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM</span>
The Trojan Horse of Abe’s Constitutional Amendment Proposal
This paper argues that the new and very modest formal amendment to Article 9 pushed by PM Abe, designed to avoid controversy and debate, could serve to effectively lock in the “reinterpretation“ as a de facto informal amendment to the constitution. From this perspective, the apparent reversal in the scope of Abe‘s amendment ambitions, and...
The Use of Autonomous Weapons Systems in Domestic Law Enforcement Operations: Testing the Resilience of International Human Rights Law
The compatibility of AWS with International Human Rights Law (IHRL) is nowadays largely unexplored. Plausibly, the reason can be find in an apparent lack of practice related to the use of AWS outside the context of an armed conflict. Moreover, contrary to International Human Rights Law, IHRL does not contain specific limitations on the use...
The Separation of Powers from an Evolutionary Perspective: Reconciling Power and Freedom
Arguably no idea has been more central to democratic government than the separation of powers. In essence, we can distinguish two models of separation of powers: the “classic“ model emerged in reaction to the centralization of powers typical of absolutist states as an effort to protect individual liberties and. the “social“ model which reflects the...
The separation of powers in civil law countries
My paper will discuss how the separation of powers, as understood in civil law countries, proved ineffective in protecting liberty. I will argue that it has been quietly replaced by what Americans consider a system of checks and balances. I will argue that checks and balances are needed because as Lord Acton put it “Power...
Why the U.S. Supreme Court Should Recognize a Compelling State Interest in Preserving Candidate Time
There are just not enough hours in the day to get the job done! This type of “time drought“ identified by cognitive scientists takes on democratic significance if the person experiencing it is a democratically elected official. Those elected officials may thereby lack the ability to effectively represent the constituents who put them in office....
Accountability and Transparency in Embodied AI: A Focus on Sociable Robots
Accountability and transparency are two critical principles in AI value alignment as defined by IEEE Ethically Aligned Design guidelines. In some cases, for instance intelligent robots, their autonomous behaviors are not only decided by algorithmic autonomy but also the characteristics of physical embodiment. In this presentation, I would like to investigate the relevance between AI...