lbry.com/content/news/025-huemer-joins-lbry-ethical-advisor.md

author	title	date
samuel-lbryian	LBRY Blockchain App Can Now Tell Right From Wrong	2015-12-30 14:59:29

Professor Michael Huemer To Help Guide LBRY As Ethical Advisor

Songwriter Steve Taylor painted a grim picture of our modern day ethical landscape:

Took a class, big fun / Modern ethics 101 / First day learned why / Ethics really don't apply

We might have our moments of cynicism, but we don't buy into the ethics-free business model prevalent in the world today. That's why we are excited to announce the addition of Professor Michael Huemer as Ethical Advisor to LBRY Inc.

Huemer is a rising star in the world of ethical philosophy, with several books to his name and a hit TED talk.

Huemer is a professor of ethics at the University of Colorado with a focus on ethical intuitionism. He's written on a wide range of subjects including philosophical skepticism, the problem of induction, ethical intuitionism, moral realism, free will, and deontological ethics.

In addition to his clear expertise in putting big words together to sound important, we believe that this background will enable Prof. Huemer to ensure that LBRY does the right things for the right reasons, as we endeavor to develop the first decentralized, open-source, encrypted content distribution network.

Huemer understands people are wary as new technologies develop that they will be used to undermine established moral norms. However, he said:

"If you believe, as I do, that society benefits from an easier, faster exchange of information, then LBRY is unequivocally a good thing. Inventions from the printing press to the internet have helped to make people wiser and happier by lowering the cost of sharing art and ideas."

Huemer continued:

"The LBRY founders know that they are pushing boundaries here, and have enlisted me to advise them on making choices for the right reasons. After speaking with them, I am convinced that they are ethically and intellectually serious people, with something valuable to offer to the rest of us."

Prof. Huemer earned a doctorate in philosophy from Rutgers in 1998. He's written several books, including the Problem of Political Authority, Ethical Intuitionism, and Skepticism and the Veil of Perception. He's taught courses in ethics, social philosophy, logic, epistemology, philosophy of science, and metaphysics.

With decentralization at its core, LBRY is designed to be a "trustless system," without the gatekeepers and middlemen inherent in the way we share information today. But LBRY Inc. will surely remain a guiding authority on the development of the protocol and its mass adoption, and co-founder Mike Vine said he was thrilled to have somebody with Huemer's credentials to help guide the process:

"Professor Huemer studies a subject few will touch nowadays: ethics. He's known for starting from premises everyone can agree on and be arriving at profound conclusions – simply by following a logical train of thought," Vine said. "If LBRY succeeds, the executive team will face decisions that will affect multitudes of people. I'm glad to have someone on board who can serve as an independent voice if we lose sight of our mission, or start rationalizing short-sighted decisions. Many people will question what use a company has for an Ethical Advisor; the better questions is why every company doesn't have one."

Want to join Professor Huemer and the rest of the LBRY team? Become an Alpha Tester and receive 1,000 LBRY Credits (LBC).