Walking the Line Between Good and Evil: The Common Thread of Heroes and Villains
March 31st, 2011 |
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Mythology, science fiction and comic books are chock full of stories of heroes and their battles against the ills of society—the eternal struggle between good and evil. We are meant to view these two main characters—the Hero and the Villain—as opposites on the spectrum of ethics and morality. But are they really so different when [...]
Keep reading »Robots Evolve to Look Out for Their Own
May 3rd, 2011 |
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A robot must protect its own existence. This mid-20th-century dictate to the robotic clade from science fiction author and biochemist Isaac Asimov seems cleanly in step with Darwinian theory and the biological world of survival of the fittest. But as scientists continue to witness animals and other organisms habitually sacrificing themselves for the greater good [...]
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Chimpanzees Help, But Only When Asked
February 13th, 2012 |
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Chimpanzees have a bad reputation. Maybe it’s because humans have a thing about wanting to feel unique among primates. Some have argued that humans are the only species that truly behaves altruistically, the only species that actively helps out other individuals even when there is no direct benefit. Despite mounting evidence that other animals, including [...]
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