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OBJECTION! USE OF A.I.! : Evaluating the Role of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Litigation: Risks and Regulations
Get PDFGenerative artificial intelligence (A.I.), most prominently ChatGPT, has generated massive amounts of hype around the world, including in litigation. The use of this technology, while possibly beneficial in certain regards, also poses significant risks: misinformation and made-up information, breaches of legal professional privilege, data collection and retention, damage to judicial integrity, and concerns about ethics. This paper set out to (1) review the risks that the use of generative A.I. poses in litigation, and (2) suggest regulations to address said risks. The findings showed that generative A.I., in its current form, should be prohibited altogether in litigation. Its use in the future, if allowed to be used, should be strictly regulated. Whether generative A.I. should be involved in litigation at all remains an open societal question which urgently demands consideration.
Keywords: generative artificial intelligence, litigation, regulation, ChatGPT, literature revie
EGALITARIANISM WITHOUT CATASTROPHE? Teotihuacan’s Challenge to Walter Scheidel’s Four Horsemen Theory
Get PDFThis paper explores the Teotihuacan civilisation’s low levels of inequality, challenging Walter Scheidel’s Four Horsemen theory which posits that only catastrophic events can significantly reduce inequality. Analysing Teotihuacan, a large pre-Columbian city noted for its egalitarian structure, the paper refutes the idea that only mass warfare, pandemics, revolution or state collapse can flatten social hierarchies. It suggests that Teotihuacan’s unique formation and governance, influenced by a multiethnic population influx following a volcanic eruption, fostered a decentralised and egalitarian society. The paper contributes to the discussion on designing equal and sustainable societies, offering an alternative historical perspective to the inevitability of social inequality
DECOLONISATION: BALTIC STATES AND AFRICA : An Essay Comparing the Post-Colonial Policies of the Baltic and African Governments
Get PDFThe Baltic countries—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—were under the control of the USSR for almost fifty years between 1940 and 1991. This paper aims to compare the problems the Baltic states’ governments faced after regaining their independence in 1991 to the problems faced by the governments of the newly-independent states in Africa after their independence in the 20th century. The paper draws parallels between four types of government policy— economics, foreign affairs, intergovernmental cooperation and settlers’ rights. The paper argues that such similarities provide a basis for referring to the policies of the governments of the Baltic States in the 1990s as post-colonial. While this alone does not imply that the Soviet control of the Baltics was a colonisation process, it sheds light on the impact and perception of Soviet rule by the Baltic states and their citizens
THE ARTWORK’S JUDGE: THE LEGACY OF KANT AND HUME IN THE LIGHT OF EMPIRICAL AESTHETICS : Can empirical aesthetics advance the philosophical debate on the judgement of beauty?
No full textRecent advances in neuroscientific and psychological research demand a re-evaluation of Hume’s and Kant’s philosophical accounts of aesthetic judgement. While Hume emphasises the role of art experts in establishing a standard of taste, Kant advocates a personal judgement of beauty based on a disinterested feeling of pleasure. Little research has been conducted on the direct empirical support for these theories. Through studying aesthetic judgement, this paper explores the interdisciplinary nexus of empirical philosophy, which seeks to integrate insights of empirical aesthetics to advance the philosophical debate on aesthetic judgement. Empirical findings not only highlight the distinctly separate judgement of beauty of experts and non-experts, but also build on the Kantian legacy, emphasising the role emotion and intuition play in aesthetic judgement
Decisive mechanism for selectively inducing NMDAR-dependent LTP versus LTD: The role of Ca2+ influx
No full textLong-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) are two types of synaptic plasticity. Interestingly, NMDAR-dependent LTP and LTD are induced by Ca2+ influx into the post-synaptic cell. This raises the question how the cell selectively induces either LTP or LTD. Early research suggested Ca2+ amplitude as a decisive mechanism. This essay critically evaluates this hypothesis by reviewing evidence and alternative candidates (i.e., timing/location of Ca2+ influx, NMDAR subunits, competition between AMPAR exocytosis/endocytosis). In sum, the amplitude of Ca2+ influx should be seen as one of many components entailed in the complex decisive machinery for selective LTP and LTD induction
Maastricht Student Journal of Psychology and Neuroscience, ed 10 colofon: Colofon MSJPN ed 10
No full textColofon for MSJPN ed 1
Freedom and Equality for the Sake of National Independance? The Liberalism of Fukuzawa Yukichi and its Shortcomings
Get PDFFukuzawa Yukichi is considered to be one of the most important Japanese philosophers during the Meiji period (1868-1912) who is known for his strong advocacy of liberal values such as freedom and equality. His plea contained the political demands of liberalising Japanese society and reforming its strict social hierarchy. However, within the logical structure of Fukuzawa’s argument, these principles only assume an instrumental value in which they are conceived as a means to secure Japan’s national independence, which ultimately weakens his endorsement of liberalism. The case of Fukuzawa Yukichi thereby constitutes a particularly important example of how the instrumental approach towards liberal rights by philosophers in Meiji Japan undermined the liberal movement itself and contributed to its own decline and the corresponding rise of nationalism.
Keywords: Liberalism, Nationalism, Fukuzawa Yukichi, Meiji Japan, Japanese Philosoph
Confucianism and China’s Victims of SGBV: “My youth, my virginity, and my dignity were all buried at this comfort station"
Get PDFThe term ‘comfort women’ refers to young Asian females who were forced into prostitution by the Imperial Japanese Army between 1932 and 1945, resulting in gross human rights violations. The paper will explore how pre-existing gender relations and sociocultural dynamics contributed to this violence and will analyse the factors that allowed it to persist. As a conceptual framework, Confucianism, an ancient Chinese belief system that emphasises differentiation of women and men, is used to argue for the facilitation and legitimization of sexual and gender-based violence against Chinese women. Based on arguments of gender hierarchy, the sexual desire of Japanese soldiers, and ethnic victimization, victims faced social ostracization and discrimination.
Keywords: Comfort Women, Confucianism, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), Gender Inequalit
Not New, but Nearly Forgotten: An Undervalued Treatment for Addiction Combining LSD and Hypnosis
No full textHypnosis and psychedelics have long been used as adjuncts to psychotherapy for a range of psychiatric disorders such as addiction. However, the results were unsatisfactory as only a few patients successfully responded to each treatment. Therefore, combining them (= “hypnodelic” therapy) might prove to have an additive value for therapeutic outcomes. This review provides an outline of studies in which hypnosis and LSD are used in conjunction to aid the therapeutic process in drug addict patients. It was found that hypnodelic therapy produced significantly greater improvement on most scales (e.g. depression, anxiety) of the Psychiatric Evaluation Profile (PEP) questionnaire compared to other combinations of treatment techniques. Additionally, ego-dissolution and transcendent experiences were associated with converse levels of global functional brain connectivity. It is concluded that hypnodelic therapy deserves renewed scientific interest because it represents a promising treatment technique for drug addict patients.  
Representation of the Electorate in the Eerste Kamer: An Analysis of Political Representation in the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament
Get PDFThis paper aims to assess to what extent the Eerste Kamer, one of the chambers of the Dutch parliament, provides political representation. This is done by comparing three models of political representation to the political reality. These three models are the trustee, the delegate, and the resemblance models. All three models and their respective characteristics are explained in the paper before moving to the analysis. The paper concludes that political representation is not realized through these three models in the instance of the Eerste Kamer, as it fails to fulfil key characteristics of all three. The paper also evaluates some possible solutions for increasing political representation in light of these models.
Keywords: Delegate, Eerste Kamer, Trustee, Political Representatio