Opinions

by Benjamin Kuipers

These are my personal opinions, and do not represent official positions of any organization or person I am associated with.

However, I do enjoy corresponding with people about these topics.

Some of these respond to events at particular points in time, so the date it was written becomes important, and is provided. The essays are included here because they speak to some more lasting point, however.

Ethics and AI

A Social Network for Political Dialog (5/26/2025)
Privacy Policy Expert: An LLM Challenge (1/31/2025)
Non-Violent Conflict Resolution (6/26/2024)
Reactions to Weizenbaum's book (7/31/2023)
News is Not a Consumer Product (6/21/2018)
Fair use for video clips (7/2/2016)
Beyond Asimov: how to plan for ethical robots (TheConversation, 6/1/2016)
How did humans evolve big brains? (6/14/2010)
AIs take over the world (3/7/2010)
What about the Singularity? (4/22/2006)
Why don't I take military funding?
On same-sex marriage (11/19/2003)
Against zero tolerance (refusing to tolerate the intolerable) (5/9/2002)
The End of the World (5/2000)

Science and Math

The Null Hypothesis (7/13/2025)
Counting, for Kids (12/4/2020)
Progress in AI (9/15/2019)
"Airplanes in the Sky" (7/3/2016)
Winter blizzards and global warming (2/14/2010)
"The Blind Men and the Elephant", by John Godfrey Saxe (1/28/2007)
Of fire ants and feedback loops (5/1/2006)
Why do we believe in electrons, and not in fairies? (2/15/2005)
Accountability in science (11/18/2001)

Economics

Free Market Anti-Capitalism (4/9/2025)
Tithing (12/4/2020)
Taxes: It's your money, right? (7/17/2004)

Politics, Terrorism, and the Middle East

The Causes of Trumpism (7/2/2018)
Israel and Palestine: Mutually Reinforcing Victim Stories (8/25/2011)
What will Karl Rove do? (4/5/2008)
How perspectives change! (7/8/2006)
A rant about New Orleans (9/3/2005)
Why we lost the election (11/4/2004)
Why conservatives should vote against George Bush (8/21/2004)
Recommendation of Richard A. Clarke's Against All Enemies (6/6/2004)
How to defeat terrorism (5/18/2004)
- Reprinted in ChangeThis and GlassWings.
- Reprinted in Law Enforcement Executive Forum.
"Total Information Awareness" as a diagnosis problem (12/14/2002)
- Reprinted in Law Enforcement Executive Forum.
On threats to the Rule of Law (10/30/2002)
Our country, one year after September 11 (9/4/2002)
On arming pilots (7/15/2002)
Conditions for peace in the Middle East (12/5/2001)
The Seeds of War (a parable) (10/2/2001)
- Reprinted in Law Enforcement Executive Forum.
A Pox on Both their Houses (12/12/1998)
What should we do about Iraq? (2/10/1998)
The Affair (a fable) (1/27/1998)

Personal Reflections

On Getting Older (7/3/2025)
On Conversations with Experts (7/12/2024)
Why do I have such an old-fashioned web page? (5/8/2020)
Wanting (9/23/2019)
What is cancer? (7/31/2011)

Complete List (chronological order)

The Null Hypothesis (7/13/2025)
On Getting Older (7/3/2025)
A Social Network for Political Dialog (5/26/2025)
Free Market Anti-Capitalism (4/9/2025)
Privacy Policy Expert: An LLM Challenge (1/31/2025)
On Conversations with Experts (7/12/2024)
Non-Violent Conflict Resolution (6/26/2024)
Reactions to Weizenbaum's book (7/31/2023)
Tithing (12/4/2020)
Counting, for Kids (12/4/2020)
Why do I have such an old-fashioned web page? (5/8/2020)
Wanting (9/23/2019)
Progress in AI (9/15/2019)
The Causes of Trumpism (7/2/2018)
News is Not a Consumer Product (6/21/2018)
"Airplanes in the Sky" (7/3/2016)
Fair use for video clips (7/2/2016)
Beyond Asimov: how to plan for ethical robots (TheConversation, 6/1/2016)
Israel and Palestine: Mutually Reinforcing Victim Stories (8/25/2011)
What is cancer? (7/31/2011)
How did humans evolve big brains? (6/14/2010)
AIs take over the world (3/7/2010)
Winter blizzards and global warming (2/14/2010)
What will Karl Rove do? (4/5/2008)
"The Blind Men and the Elephant", by John Godfrey Saxe (1/28/2007)
How perspectives change! (7/8/2006)
Of fire ants and feedback loops (5/1/2006)
What about the Singularity? (4/22/2006)
A rant about New Orleans (9/3/2005)
Why do we believe in electrons, and not in fairies? (2/15/2005)
Why we lost the election (11/4/2004)
Why conservatives should vote against George Bush (8/21/2004)
Taxes: It's your money, right? (7/17/2004)
Recommendation of Richard A. Clarke's Against All Enemies (6/6/2004)
How to defeat terrorism (5/18/2004)
- Reprinted in ChangeThis and GlassWings.
- Reprinted in Law Enforcement Executive Forum.
Why don't I take military funding?
On same-sex marriage (11/19/2003)
"Total Information Awareness" as a diagnosis problem (12/14/2002)
- Reprinted in Law Enforcement Executive Forum.
On threats to the Rule of Law (10/30/2002)
Our country, one year after September 11 (9/4/2002)
On arming pilots (7/15/2002)
Against zero tolerance (refusing to tolerate the intolerable) (5/9/2002)
Conditions for peace in the Middle East (12/5/2001)
Accountability in science (11/18/2001)
The Seeds of War (a parable) (10/2/2001)
- Reprinted in Law Enforcement Executive Forum.
The End of the World (5/2000)
A Pox on Both their Houses (12/12/1998)
What should we do about Iraq? (2/10/1998)
The Affair (a fable) (1/27/1998)