Multidisciplinary approaches to studying a diverse, world of ideas, methods, and perspectives. Theme, and content vary by section, but all seminars, display historical and disciplinary breadth and, focus upon topics in the liberal arts tradition., Past spring section themes have included the Art, of War, Am I My Brother's Keeper?, and, Understanding How We Understand the Mayans.
COURSE OVERVIEW, THIS SECTION:
What is the self? How do we come to know the self? What is consciousness and where does it reside? These questions have fascinated philosophers and scientists for centuries. In the age of virtual reality and artificial intelligence, they have become more relevant than ever. Legal scholars, neuroscientists, and ethicists are embroiled in inquiry about the rights and responsibilities of artificial intelligence and downloaded consciousness (also known as “whole brain emulations”). But how do experts determine the answers to these questions, and what assumptions are best left behind? This course will draw on scientific journals, the popular press, and internet sources to examine identity in the virtual age. In the course of our quest, we will expand our ability to locate, think about, and make arguments with data.
While the heart of this E&D section is in Psychological Science, we will use a broad and interdisciplinary approach. We will use numbers and data visualization to explore virtual identities and bring these resources in conversation with long standing philosophical case studies such as Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. We will also draw on scholarship grounded in the social sciences regarding inequalities in our digital lives, particularly as they impact racial and sexual minorities. Alongside these content questions, we will evaluate the role quantitative reasoning can play in shaping the future of human-tech interaction.
COURSE OVERVIEW, THIS SECTION:
What is the self? How do we come to know the self? What is consciousness and where does it reside? These questions have fascinated philosophers and scientists for centuries. In the age of virtual reality and artificial intelligence, they have become more relevant than ever. Legal scholars, neuroscientists, and ethicists are embroiled in inquiry about the rights and responsibilities of artificial intelligence and downloaded consciousness (also known as “whole brain emulations”). But how do experts determine the answers to these questions, and what assumptions are best left behind? This course will draw on scientific journals, the popular press, and internet sources to examine identity in the virtual age. In the course of our quest, we will expand our ability to locate, think about, and make arguments with data.
While the heart of this E&D section is in Psychological Science, we will use a broad and interdisciplinary approach. We will use numbers and data visualization to explore virtual identities and bring these resources in conversation with long standing philosophical case studies such as Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. We will also draw on scholarship grounded in the social sciences regarding inequalities in our digital lives, particularly as they impact racial and sexual minorities. Alongside these content questions, we will evaluate the role quantitative reasoning can play in shaping the future of human-tech interaction.
- Teacher: Diana Leonard