On Tuesday, Vox will be screening Icarus, a documentary on the state-sponsored doping in Russia. Director, Bryan Fogel in his quest to uncover the truth about doping in sports, stumbles upon a major international doping scandal. With credible sources such as Grigory Rodchenkox, the head of the Russian anti-doping laboratory, this documentary shines new light … [Read more…]
It is general knowledge now that our genes determine such physical traits as eye color, hair colour, the shape of your nose, height and so on. But when it comes to more abstract attributes like intelligence, extroversion vs introversion, and sexuality, the question of the influence of environmental factors also comes into play. To what … [Read more…]
At present we are not in a position to know conclusively if free will exists. For morality to work, we need free will to exist. If it didnt why would we lift a finger, what meaning is there in time, can we still feel emotion if we have no infuence over anything. Even if it … [Read more…]
I am not a witch (2017) by Rungano Nyoni Following a banal incident in her local village, 8-year old girl Shula is accused of witchcraft. After a short trial she is found guilty, taken into state custody and exiled to a witch camp in the middle of a desert. At the camp she takes part … [Read more…]
There are quite a few people, who believe humanity would be better off without a State: From Communists in various countries trying to bring about a global revolution to hard-core Capitalist libertarians trying to reduce government intervention at all costs. Is this utopic? Do we need the Leviathan to keep us from degenerating into the … [Read more…]
The advent of technologies (specifically internet, cashless payments, social media, etc.) makes certain crimes more difficult and less rewarding, while some crimes become easier and others obsolete. During the discussion it would interesting to explore the effect of technology on individual crimes, their possible evolution or extinction and the effect on society. Law enforcement and … [Read more…]
More and more people are learning English. It is the de facto standard language of academia and commerce. I’ve watched more English movies than German or Dutch ones. Will we lose our native languages? And does it even matter? Or will technology provide autotranslations to make a unifying language obsolete? Is English a good choice … [Read more…]
VOX Delft will be screening the movie Another Earth. A new planet four times the size of the moon appears in the sky of Earth. This startling apparition gives a deeper meaning to everything in the story, especially when it is discovered, th at the planet is indeed, as the title promises, another Earth.
In the Netherlands euthanasia is legal in many cases. However, it is mainly accessible to the old and the sick. Suicide, on the other hand is still considered taboo. Is this discrimination? Should we further liberalise our euthanasia legislation? Or does it, to the contrary, show a lack of respect towards human life? How did … [Read more…]
In the west, atheism and agnosticism are on the rise. While this secularisation arguably brought about progress in many areas, it also has some downsides. In the past, most people saw their family and friends every week at church, thanked for their food before every meal and were comforted by the hope their religion gave … [Read more…]
We did not choose who our family was going to be. Yet, we spend an enormous amount of energy to maintain these relations. However, we also want to travel the world, meet new people, have new experiences, often away from family. Family is a one-of-a-kind relation, but often conflict arises. These expectations can suffocate our … [Read more…]
On the 1st of May, VOX will be collaborating with the LGBTQ youth group, Outsite in Delft to have a discussion on gender identity, movements, awareness and acceptance. The discussion will be preceded by the MTV documentary: “Transformation” (2016), where transgender and gender non-conforming individuals are interviewed as they get makeovers. “Afterwards, these individuals are … [Read more…]
Keeping in mind, the recent developments of Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony and the data lost to Cambridge Analytics from Facebook, it shows that your information’s privacy isn’t so safe. The possibility of tracking your internet-activity even without being logged-in is quite a risk. Not only companies have this ability, but intelligent agencies use this to provide … [Read more…]
Very often I find myself restless and feel a constant need to fill my free time with activities that I dont find fulfilling. I find it more comfortable to spend my time binge watching TV shows, movies, playing video games, porn, scrolling through social media, etc. I seek instant gratification and the technology at my … [Read more…]
Vox brings back Black mirror tuesday this 10th of April with the episode “Hang the DJ”! This episode is a very hopeful one, discussing love in the times of technological advancement and choosing a partner in the context of a wide world of potential mates.
Alcohol and caffeine have always been a part of human cultures. Also, in academic circles alcohol consumption is higher than in the general population. Why is that the case and could our society function without drugs? Could drugs be used to promote peace or build a brave new world? What is the role of drugs … [Read more…]
A New York woman (who doesn’t really have an apartment) apprentices for a dance company (though she’s not really a dancer) and throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as the possibility of realizing them dwindles. Frances Ha is a 2012 American black-and-white comedy-drama film, directed by Noah Baumbach and written by Baumbach and Greta … [Read more…]
Affirmative action came along with an effort to improve opportunities for communities or groups that have otherwise been excluded in the past. This was intended to bring in people from these communities/gender to create equal representation in the the workforce. However, these actions are being met with a lot of strong reactions in the lines … [Read more…]
Whistleblowers expose illegal, deceitful and immoral behavior in corporations, governments and other organizations, often at great personal risk. But whistleblowers also divide society, cause public unrest, endanger second- and third-party lives, and sometimes personally profit from their actions. With the the rise in the past years of whistleblowing activity, the influence of organizations such as … [Read more…]
Pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry. In 2016 nearly 92 billion porn videos were watched. How does this impact our sexuality? How does it affect our perception of gender roles? Porn usually portrays traditional gender roles, but it might also be used to educate people about new forms of sexuality. What is the future of … [Read more…]