There is an interesting disconnect in our world today regarding religion. Being an adherent to a certain religion is simply seen, to most people, as a description of the way by which this individual achieves spirituality. This is not, however, the way that religions -- even more so, traditional religious systems -- actually view themselves.

Some people think that "humanist" is just the new word for "atheist." It is a definable group with definable ethics and philosophies. Humanism is a philosophy that may be atheist based, but the word Humanist does not replace the term atheist.

The U.S. Department of Defense wants to enlarge the U.S. military's reliance on autonomous (i.e. self-directed) weapons in conflict. But a mission is not a person, it is a thing, and things cannot be held morally responsible. It is like saying that you want to hold your car responsible for breaking down on the way to work. You wouldn't say that your car "wronged" you, and you wouldn't seek to punish your car. Such a position on the ethics of autonomous systems reduces any questions of morality or responsibility.

Kai Nagata: Journalists are people you trust to experience something you don't have time to check out yourself. They are also fallible human beings, with their own assumptions. This is only a problem if they're not fair, or accurate. TV news is already a "fantasy world." It absolutely works to confirm "existing biases."

If I had to venture a guess as to how many journalists have had to defend themselves -- and their professions -- to someone in the past week, I would ...