In recent years, Automated Influence, understood as “the use of artificial intelligence to collect, integrate and analyse people’s data, and to deliver targeted interventions based on this analysis...Show moreIn recent years, Automated Influence, understood as “the use of artificial intelligence to collect, integrate and analyse people’s data, and to deliver targeted interventions based on this analysis, intended to shape their behaviour” (familiarly referred to as ‘algorithms’) has stirred up many debates among the public, as well as within academia (Benn & Lazar 2022, 127). While much of the discussion has focused primarily on issues of privacy in the light of Big Data, this thesis seeks to analyze how Automated Influence impacts the deliberative, discursive, and fundamentally social space on which society depends on, in particular for collective decision-making/politics. I argue that Automated Influence deployed on social media platforms violates people’s fundamental interest in social agency, which is defined as the ability of a person to act and reflect on her own motives all the while taking part in the fundamentally social process of forming, defending, and adapting the reasons according to which she acts. Moreover, it undermines people’s autonomy and social trust, which both serve as preconditions for their exercise social agency. After reviewing contemporary EU regulation seeking to address some of the problematic aspects related to Automated Influence, I explain why there cannot be a purely top-down approach to mitigating the harms emanating from Automated Influence, which results in my conclusion that only through educating people about its potential harms could mitigate the problem in the long run.Show less
The current debate on nudging is dichotomous since it either mentions the arguments in favor of or opposed to nudging. Proponents of nudging also assume that nudges should pursue the goal to...Show moreThe current debate on nudging is dichotomous since it either mentions the arguments in favor of or opposed to nudging. Proponents of nudging also assume that nudges should pursue the goal to produce certain desired outcomes. This paper questions the current dichotomy of the debate and the assumption on the goal of nudges by differentiating between an output-oriented and a process-oriented conception of nudging. The aim of the thesis is to argue that process-oriented nudges rather than output-oriented nudges are desirable because they can promote the autonomy-based freedom of individuals. The thesis formulates three conditions that process-oriented nudges should satisfy in order to promote autonomy-based freedom and it applies the process-oriented conception of nudging to three different nudges. The paper concludes that especially the nudges that make relevant information salient and that change defaults are compatible with a process-oriented conception of nudging. The process-oriented conception of nudging was applied to the empirical case of vaccination policies in order to find out what kind of nudges would be compatible with a process-oriented conception of nudging.Show less
This thesis examines the autonomy of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, Germany, in establishing policies and allocating state funds based on their...Show moreThis thesis examines the autonomy of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, Germany, in establishing policies and allocating state funds based on their preferred organisational values. It compares the policies two institutions within the context of their national cultural policies. The study analyses the cultural policies of the Netherlands and Germany, investigating how these policies influence the autonomy of the case studies. Additionally, the research identifies the preferred organisational values of museums through examining national cultural policies, museum policies, and the opinions of professionals. To better understand and analyse the preferred organisational values and their relation to autonomy, the Museum Values Framework (MVF) is used. The framework contributes to the understanding of certain tensions, organisational museum structures and opposing values.Show less
When it is presented as a strictly epistemological problem, both Kant and Nietzsche are critical of the possibility of self-knowledge. Kant, in his Anthropology, issues a warning for self...Show moreWhen it is presented as a strictly epistemological problem, both Kant and Nietzsche are critical of the possibility of self-knowledge. Kant, in his Anthropology, issues a warning for self-observation of unintentional or involuntary perceptions of our thoughts and feelings, because this leads to ‘enthusiasm’ and ‘madness’. This is because of different forms of self-deception and the fact that Kant holds that self-observation should be observation of voluntary mental representations. With this warning, I argue, the risk of self-observation becomes a problem of moral psychology. Nietzsche also offers a warning or atleast a stipulation of the fact that ‘digging into one’s self’ might lead to hurting ourselves. Instead, Nietzsche argues for self-observation through ‘the outside path’ of the world, which we can then relate back to ourselves. This enables us to be self-creating individuals. In this self-creation however there is still a risk of isolation, but Nietzsche takes this for granted. I compare both thinkers and what I have laid out about their views on the risk of self-observation. I argue that both thinkers recognize risks involved in self-observation, but for different reasons. I also offer a Nietzschean argument against the warning of Kant. Nietzsche would and does argue that not everything we think is voluntary and that philosophy in general is related to the morality we aim at. This also goes for Kant and the warning he issues in the Anthropology, which Nietzsche would argue springs from Kant’s universal morality.Show less
“The maintenance of colonial borders after independence, discriminatory policies and lack of autonomy, are all factors that threaten minorities. Minorities’ cultures, traditions, religions, and...Show more“The maintenance of colonial borders after independence, discriminatory policies and lack of autonomy, are all factors that threaten minorities. Minorities’ cultures, traditions, religions, and languages are endangered within a state where the majority imposes cultural hegemony and implements domestic policies meant to oppress a minority. When its identity is threatened, a minority starts seeking self-determination. The sovereign state can recognize the issue and grant autonomy to the region that seeks for it, through federalism, or it can deny it, increasing the conflict. As a consequence, the last resort for the minority is secession. One example is the case of Zanzibar, the archipelago part of Tanzania. For years Zanzibari have been treated as a minority and as a consequence formed the secessionist movement Uamsho.”Show less
The Confucian claim that we are not born as persons but that we must become persons highlights the importance of individual human experiences in relation to a larger global and collective network....Show moreThe Confucian claim that we are not born as persons but that we must become persons highlights the importance of individual human experiences in relation to a larger global and collective network. The way we perceive and act as persons in a society is shaped by the relationships we develop with others. This implies that the individual can never abstract himself entirely from his socio-historical context. However, the dominant interpretation of personhood seems to draw heavily on Kantian ideas, which are supposed to be in opposition with the Confucian social self. Namely, the Kantian ideal model is a free, autonomous and rational individual for whom self-legislation is the essential human achievement. In my thesis, I attempt to offer a comprehensive analysis and reconceptualization of personhood by borrowing from the Confucian notion of a relational person. Firstly, I will highlight the dominant Kantian conception of what it means to be an individual person within society. In doing so, I will depict certain characteristics of the rational individual and how they are reproduced in the process of grounding universal moral laws. Secondly, I will demonstrate that this view of personhood is to some extent problematic because it advocates an disembodied moral agent by undermining the importance of empirical and socio-historical influences. Thus, I will attempt to reconnect the individual within the social realm through the Confucian perspective on personhood. Namely, the concept of person implies the self in relation to others rather than a radical separation between them. The exemplary person (junzi) cultivates his heart-mind (xin) by developing filial piety (xiao) and benevolence (ren) which are expressed through the practice of rituals(li). These interrelated concepts depict a relational person who occupies certain roles in society based on the multiplicity and diversity of his relationships with other human beings. Finally, the important question is: To what extent is the Confucian relational self relevant in reconceptualizing the Kantian notion of personhood? I will argue that it is necessary to offer an all-encompassing view on personhood by opening up a dialogue between these two traditions. In order to do so, I will reject the presupposed fundamental dichotomy between the Kantian Western perspective and Confucianism. Comparing and connecting their main concepts allows me to expand the meaning of personhood and illustrate its complexities without completely refuting the Kantian individual or adapting the Confucian model in its totality. On one hand, Kant invites us to critically challenge past traditions and social norms by cultivating our abilities to think and reason for ourselves, while this capacity might be limited in Confucian thought. On the other hand, from the Confucian person we can learn how to understand ourselves and our connections with others in a growing social networkShow less
This thesis discuss the current power relations between the NGOs and teh state in China and explores the survival and struggle strategies used by the NGOs to achieve better autonomy under the...Show moreThis thesis discuss the current power relations between the NGOs and teh state in China and explores the survival and struggle strategies used by the NGOs to achieve better autonomy under the authoritarian rule of the party. This thesis introduces the development path of civil society in China, focusing on environmental NGOs and woemns rights NGOs. By studying the strategeis used by NGOs in these fields, this thesis aims at better capture the nature of power relations between state and NGOs in china.Show less
This study analyzes the relation between avant-garde and the autonomy of art. Although the phenomenon of avant-garde is widely discussed, there is no agreement about this concept. The central...Show moreThis study analyzes the relation between avant-garde and the autonomy of art. Although the phenomenon of avant-garde is widely discussed, there is no agreement about this concept. The central disagreement seems to be based on the understanding of art as autonomous versus an interpretation of art as an instrument for advancement in society, as exemplified by the theories of Clement Greenberg and Peter Bürger. This study proceeds then to analyze a more original understanding of autonomy, as described by Immanuel Kant, followed by a more recent understanding of autonomy.Show less
According to the 2000 Census, only 8.41 percent of the population of the People's Republic of China belonged to one of the 55 recognized ethnic minorities. Despite this relatively small percentage,...Show moreAccording to the 2000 Census, only 8.41 percent of the population of the People's Republic of China belonged to one of the 55 recognized ethnic minorities. Despite this relatively small percentage, western media regularly report about ethnic violence in the PRC. This thesis examines preferential policies, a solution of the PRC government to stabilize ethnic tensions within its territories. After providing a brief understanding of living conditions for ethnic minorities in China, the thesis outlines challenges for both the ethnic minorities and the PRC government and continues by a detailed explanation of the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy and the preferential policy on minority education enrollment, followed by an analysis of the actual results of the policies. The thesis concludes by stating that the preferential policies both work and do not work. There is an increase in the literacy rate of minorities that can be contributed to the policies. At the same time, however, the preferential policies seem to be both a result and a source of Han-centered discrimination of ethnic minorities.Show less
