Experiential avoidance (EA) has been broadly defined as attempts to avoid thoughts, feelings, memories, physical sensations, and other internal experiences—even when doing so creates harm in the long-run. The process of EA is thought to be maintained through negative reinforcement—that is, short-term relief of discomfort is achieved through avoidance, thereby increasing the likelihood that the … [Read more…]
Let’s try something different this vox session. Do you have a unique talent? Do you have something that you’re extremely passionate about? Or, do you have something that you want to share with the rest of the group, be it, an interesting book you’re reading or an odd theory you came across? Well, here’s your … [Read more…]
On the 24th of November VOX Delft plans to take a trip to the Embassy of the Free Mind. This is a tour through a place detailing encounters in history, science, art and spirituality through 2,000 years, inspired by the collection of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The link … [Read more…]
On Being a Scientist is a fiction film, about science and what it is like to be a scientist. It also raises a lot of questions which may not have clear-cut answers; what science should be and the moral dilemma’s anyone will encounter when working in science.
Antinatalism is a philosophical position that assigns a negative value to birth. Antinatalists argue that people should refrain from procreation because it is morally bad (some also recognize the procreation of other sentient beings as morally bad). Is it ethical to bring more people into this already overpopulated world, given that many children are brought … [Read more…]
Imagine a world where in all the diseases have been eradicated, where people don’t suffer from physical ailments. The question that arises then is, at what cost have we created this world? With the advent of gene editing and genetic modification, we have entered a new age of science. Designer babies enable us to pick … [Read more…]
In this documentary, Academy Award-nominated investigative filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering turn their sights on the $400 billion medical device industry; examining lax regulations, corporate cover-ups, and profit-driven incentives that put patients at risk daily.
Global warming. Climate change. These are buzzwords that everyone is familiar with. We use these terms loosely to describe the cause behind the temperature anomalies. How should we solve this? Should the forefronts of engineering and technology be concerned with pushing frontiers and expanding our sphere of influence, or should we focus all our resources … [Read more…]
Do you think the current governing systems around the world are effective, be it democracy or communism? If you had the chance to change the world order and create your own government, what would you do different? Is it even possible to create a functional government that checks all the boxes?
Does democracy as an ideology still work in the future or in the present? Are extremist/nationalist governments coming into play now because democracy doesn’t work? How do we improve the democratic system? What are the standards for a good democracy?
The common position in society is; how a woman deals with an unwanted pregnancy is a choice to be made by her alone. Many argue that abortion is exclusively a woman’s issue; women is to be treated as an autonomous decision-maker. But it takes two to create life, the father feels responsible as he is … [Read more…]
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…]