Kohler on consultants; Doogue on the ABC; Descartes on AI; France

Published: Wed, 08/09/23

RSA Daily

For atheists, rationalists and secular humanists in Australia

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Rationale, the magazine of the Rationalist Society of Australia

Good morning ,

Just a quick intro this morning, from the sunny climes of South Australia. Realise I haven't been to Adelaide for ages when I recognised very little of the cityscape as I taxied from airport to hotel. Looking good, guys!

Why am I in Adelaide? All will be revealed tomoz.

Lead stories

Alan Kohler: The delusions and madness of crowds of consultants

The Australian public service cohabits with consultants because of three hiring freezes imposed by…

"The Australian public service cohabits with copious consultants because of three hiring freezes imposed by Coalition governments over the past 10 years .. the Coalition doesn’t trust public servants and private consultants can’t be trusted, as we are now learning. " He does have a way with words...

Looking over the demographic cliff * Geraldine Doogue

Denial is no solution to the ABC's problems. But neither is panic

The wonderful Geraldine Doogue writes, "The ABC is engaged in the delicate art of navigating intergenerational differences just when tastes and habits are shifting profoundly. At the moment, to be blunt, the balance seems to involve irritating but not alienating older listeners in order to attract emerging listeners." Yep.

What 17th-century philosophy can tell us about artificial intelligence - Rationale Magazine

René Descartes' interests extended to diverse subjects, and one of the most striking subjects he…

"Descartes’ error, in my opinion, lies in the belief that animals have no ability to reason ..."

Beneath France’s revolts, hidden success

"An anarchic, gilets jaunes society on the brink of collapse, right? Nope. The economy is doing surprisingly well, and poverty is far below its European neighbours. School is free from the age of three, and the French live six years longer than Americans. The jobless rate is at its lowest in 15 years, and the country devotes more to social spending than any other in the OECD."

Other stories of interest

News Corp staff blindsided by company's use of AI to produce articles for 'years'

What the ??!

Indigenous peoples and their fight for conservation

It's not just in Australia: "There are approximately half a billion Indigenous people worldwide. .. Defending their rights often goes hand in hand with a call for better environmental and climate protection. They frequently pay for it with their lives.."

What are your rights as an Airbnb renter in Australia?

For your next holiday ...

Got a comment on any of these stories?

Write to me at president@rationalist.com.au