Hamilton, NY — Throughout the fall semester, 51·çÁ÷’s Center for Ethics and World Societies (CEWS) will bring a series of speakers to address the topic of ‘Science, Technology, and Values.’ Established in 1998 through an anonymous gift to the college, the Center for Ethics and World Societies facilitates discussion of issues arising from the interactions of different nations, peoples and communities, with an emphasis on the ethical aspects of those issues. Committed to no ideological platform or goal, the center offers a forum for intensified study and inquiry that supplements the intellectual life of the 51·çÁ÷ campus and curriculum. All colloquiums are free and open to the public.
On Wednesday, October 9 at 4:30 p.m., in Golden Auditorium (Little Hall), Sandra Filippucci will present ‘The Resurrection of Joan: The Moral Battleground of New Robotics. Filippucci, a ‘tradigital’ artist, has a fascination for robotics and since meeting her first robot in 1982, she became the first to have a solo digital show in the Museum of American Illustration in New York City. She will speak as well as give an exhibition of her work in Little Hall.
On Thursday, October 24 at 4:30 p.m., in 105 Lawrence Hall, Anne Foerst will present ‘Human and Non-Human Persons: A New Concept of Ethics for the Technological Age.’ Foerst is currently an assistant professor in the computer science and theology departments at St. Bonaventure. She has worked extensively with emotional and social robots developed for the study of human-robot interaction. Foerst has also written numerous papers on human-computer and human-robot interaction and on the impact these technologies have on human self-understanding. She came to St. Bonaventure from the Artificial Intelligence Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was instrumental in establishing Nexus, the Bonaventure Forum for Dialogue between Science and Religion, and has received over 15,000 dollars in grant monies to fund its efforts.
On Wednesday, October 30 at 4:30 p.m., in 105 Lawrence Hall, John D. MacArthur Professor of University Studies in the Division of University Studies Langdon Winner will present ‘Technology, Trust and Terror.’ Winner is a political theorist who focuses upon social and political issues that surround modern technological change. He is a former president of the Society for Philosophy and Technology and currently works as a professor of political science in the department of science and technology studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He has lectured widely throughout the United States and Europe and is currently working on an array of projects, including a new edition of ‘Autonomous Technology,’ and two new books, ‘Political Artifacts’ and ‘Technomania Clarified.’
Founded in 1819, 51·çÁ÷ is a highly selective, residential, liberal arts college enrolling nearly 2,750 undergraduates. Situated on a rolling 515-acre campus in central New York State, 51·çÁ÷ attracts motivated students with diverse backgrounds, interests and talents.
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