423 research outputs found
Philosophy and Public Affairs Discussion: Chong-Ming Lim's 'Vandalizing tainted commemorations'
No full textChong-Ming Lim argues that vandalizing statues is a middle path between the extremes of removal and preservation. Lim’s fascinating paper contributes to understanding of a controversial and high-profile topic in contemporary international public debate. He is attentive to the arguments on different sides, and devotes much of the paper to generously spelling out opposing views. Lim finds reasonableness in many directions and writes in a conciliatory spirit, while nonetheless defending what many will see as a radical conclusion. It is a thought-provoking piece of scholarship, and a privilege to engage with. Nevertheless, I shall offer an alternative analysis of the ethics of vandalising statues, and arrive at a different conclusion. If expressive vandalism is sometimes right, it is not because it charts a middle path between extremes of preservation and removal, but because it is appropriately radical. Oppression can call for self-assertion, and expressive vandalism may sometimes be appropriately self-assertive. However there is an inherent ethical ambiguity in acts of expressive or political vandalism. I explain this inherent ethical ambiguity by reference to the Buddhist precept against harsh speech
Improving Computational Efficiency in Crowded Task Allocation Games with Coupled Constraints
No full textMulti-agent task allocation is a well-studied field with many proven algorithms. In real-world applications, many tasks have complicated coupled relationships that affect the feasibility of some algorithms. In this paper, we leverage on the properties of potential games and introduce a scheduling algorithm to provide feasible solutions in allocation scenarios with complicated spatial and temporal dependence. Additionally, we propose the use of random sampling in a Distributed Stochastic Algorithm to enhance speed of convergence. We demonstrate the feasibility of such an approach in a simulated disaster relief operation and show that feasibly good results can be obtained when the confirmation and sample size requirements are properly selected
Mangroves and aquaculture in Southeast Asia.
No full textThe history of brackishwater pond culture in the Philippines and elsewhere in Southeast Asia has been associated with mangrove loss because in earlier times, the larger society has viewed mangroves and other wetlands as wastelands to be developed. In a proactive move to address environmental concerns over shrimp aquaculture, the SEAFDEC Council in 1999 mandated the development of environment-friendly shrimp culture and the build-up of expertise in mangroves.
This paper reviews the status of mangroves and their conversion to culture ponds in Southeast Asia, and the environmental impacts of aquaculture, aside from habitat loss. To improve the sustainability of brackishwater aquaculture, recommendations include an inventory of mangrove and pond culture areas in the region, zonation of mangrove areas within the context of integrated coastal zone management, aqua-silviculture and environmentfriendly aquaculture, rehabilitation of degraded mangroves, and enforcement of existing laws including the buffer zone/mangrove greenbelt requirement
Is it morally permissible for women in their third trimester to withdraw consent of pregnancy when carrying a child with disabilities
No full textThis paper argues for the moral permissibility of women in their third trimester to withdraw consent of pregnancy when carrying a child with disabilities. It emphasizes the importance of bodily autonomy and sustained consent, and raises possible arguments against the stance of withdrawing consent of pregnancy when carrying a child with disabilities, which includes ableism, stigmatization, autonomy, human dignity, and social justice. The proposal made to support the moral permissibility of withdrawing consent of pregnancy when carrying a child with disabilities is due to several reasons such as the challenges in changing societal attitudes, the dependence that people with disabilities have on caregivers, the value of life in terms of their contribution to society, more harm done on both mother and foetus if she was forced to carry on with the pregnancy to full-term and lastly, the possibility of false negative results which leads to the woman’s inability to withdraw consent of pregnancy earlier. Ultimately, it is concluded that it is morally permissible for women in their third trimester to withdraw consent of pregnancy when carrying a child with disabilities up to week 33 due to the foetus's incomplete brain development.Bachelor of Arts in Philosoph
Humanity's future: climate change and the need for intergenerational justice
No full textIn this paper, I show that intergenerational justice is the solution to the issue of climate change when taken seriously, backed by the necessity for mankind to have a future. I argue that incorporating intergenerational justice into climate change mitigation strategies will lead to impactful and necessary climate action, by eliminating the leeway given for economic development as with current policies. I argue that when threatened by the effects of climate change, we have reasons to care about both existing and future persons’ well-being. By recognizing the importance of having a future for humanity and the need to ensure it flourishes, future generations are the key to doing so. As such, upholding intergenerational justice ensures the protection of future persons’ interests and well-being, while providing a sufficient motivating reason to eliminate climate change for mankind’s survival and future. I look at a common obstacle to the advancement of intergenerational justice: the non-identity problem. In response, I introduce and elaborate on Lukas Meyer’s subjunctive notion of harm to exemplify that the non-identity problem does not affect it. We can use it as a guide for our actions with regard to protecting future persons’ rights and interests.Bachelor of Arts in Philosoph
정책 유사성 기반의 의미론적 동등 환경에서의 강화학습 상태 일반화 접근법
No full text학위논문(박사) - 한국과학기술원 : 항공우주공학과, 2024.8,[iv, 69 p. :]This dissertation investigates innovative methods for enhancing state generalization in reinforcement learning by leveraging policy similarity metrics, particularly in semantically equivalent environments. We explore various adaptations of bisimilarity, analyzing their relationships to rewards and policies, and argue that policy-driven actions provide a more effective metric for state aggregation. A key contribution is the proposed Deep Policy Similarities (DeePS) approach, which approximates the policy similarity metric using forward dynamics models, demonstrating its effectiveness in enhancing policy generalization. Additionally, we introduce the concept of myopic policy similarity, which focuses on short-term behavioral attributes. Our results show that even with an emphasis on immediate policy comparisons, reinforcement learning models can effectively learn generalized policies. These contributions offer practical solutions for state aggregation and policy generalization, paving the way for more robust and adaptable reinforcement learning systems in real-world applications.한국과학기술원 :항공우주공학과
Objectionable commemorations: ethical and political issues
No full textThe term, "objectionable commemorations”, refers to a broad category of public artefacts – such as, and especially, memorials, monuments and statues – that are regarded as morally problematic in virtue of what or whom they honour. In this regard, they are a special class of public artefacts that are subject to public contestation. In this paper, we survey the general ethical and political issues on this topic. First, we categorise the arguments on offer in the literature, concerning the objectionable nature of such commemorations. Second, we review common political responses to objectionable commemorations. Finally, we identify fruitful areas for further philosophical inquiry on this topic.Ministry of Education (MOE)Published versionChong‐Ming Lim's research was supported by the Ministry of Education, Singapore, under its Academic Research Fund Tier1 RS02/21
Educational Research Association of Singapore (ERAS)-Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association (APERA) International Conference 2018
No full textSelected members of the ERAS-APERA International Conference 2018 organising committee. From left to right: Dr. Jarina Peers, A/P Gwendoline Quek Choon Lang, Mr. Ethan Wong Chuan Yuh, Ms. Ek Soo Ben, A/P Eddy Chong, A/P Lim Kam Ming (ERAS President), Dr. Samson Tan Yong Tiong, Assistant Prof. Stefanie Chye Yen Leng, Ms. Berlinda Khu Siew Pheng, Mr. Sunny Sitoe Choon Yip, Ms. Joey Lim Li Ling, Mr. Chris Chua Wee Ann, Ms. Candy Wu Yuhua, Dr. Chua Bee Leng (ERAS Vice-President). The conference was held at NIE from 12 to 14 November 2018
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