Philosophy has long suffered an unfortunate reputation as pedantic and abstruse. In one of the most prominent debates of the 20th century, philosophers spent a great deal of energy arguing over what the means. Paul Graham, the legendary tech investor, studied philosophy as a college student, which seemed 'an impressively impractical thing to do,' as he later wrote. 'Sort of like slashing holes in your clothes or putting a safety pin through your ear.' But over time, Graham became disillusioned: 'I kept taking philosophy courses and they kept being boring,' he explained. And so, eventually, he switched to studying artificial intelligence. Like Graham, the field of philosophy has lately turned its attention to AI. At major tech companies, a growing rank of philosophers with Ph.D.s and flush compensation packages are helping shape the technology's future. Meanwhile, universities are pouring resources into hiring philosophers who study AI. In 2013, 1 percent of roles on PhilJobs, the...
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