How does technology alter the experience of being human? What exactly constitutes technology? These are just a few of the core issues of modern life that will be discussed and debated at this one-day conference at St. Thomas Episcopal Church hall in central Camden, from 9-4 on Saturday, July 28. Each speaker will talk for about 50 minutes, followed by 25 minutes of open discussion, with more quest
ions and discussion accompanying an hour-long panel in the afternoon that will bring all three speakers together. A contribution of $20 will be requested at the door to help cover costs, and people are asked to register in advance by return email to [email protected]. Parking is available at the Wood Street lot next to St. Here are our speakers, their topics and links to more information about them:
Val Dusek, speaking on "Technology: Human Relations or Hardware?"
Abstract: Though most people think of hardware when they think of technology, the social system in which the hardware is embedded is crucial to understanding the nature of and problems about technology. The technological system includes the inventors, entrepreneurs, administrators, workers, repair people, advertisers, government regulators and many others. the social and cultural system will determine how the technology is used and how it spreads. The sense that technology is out of control is often due to the social organizations that propagate a technology, not the hardware itself. Bio: Val Dusek went to Yale as undergraduate, studying chemistry, zoology, and philosophy and received his philosophy doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin on philosophy of the social sciences. He has taught a course on philosophy of technology since 1975 at the University of New Hampshire. He coordinated a an undergraduate minor in Science, Technology and Values for several years. Dusek has published two books on the philosophy of technology. One is a short introduction and the other is a co-edited anthology. He has contributed to handbooks of Risk-Benefit analysis and of Philosophy of technology and contributed an article and reviews to the journal Techne. Dusek co-sponsored university symposia on space travel, biotechnology and women, and endocrine disrupters and ecology. He has taught interdisciplinary courses on science and the arts as well as history of science in the University of New Hampshire Humanities program. More recently he gave a talk at a South African Creativity Conference on creativity in technology and plans to deliver a similar talk in Singapore later this summer. LINKS:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/53264128/Val-Dusek-Philosophy-of-Technology-An-Introduction-2006
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/SPT/
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Howard Segal, speaking on "Beyond Huxley, Orwell, and other 20th-Century Dystopians: The Revival of Technological Utopianism in the 21st Century." Abstract: For much of the 20th century, utopianism was commonly equated with authoritarianism and worse, as exemplified by Hi**er, Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot. These ruthless dictators' future visions of allegedly ideal societies were, of course, nightmares for millions of their fellow citizens and others. The misuse and abuse of science and technology were certainly not the only factors involved, but they were critical to the successful murderous operations conducted by these ruthless dictators. Huxley's Brave New World (1932) and Orwell's 1984 (1949) extended the misuse and abuse of science and technology in unprecedented directions, and with enduring influence. Until the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it was almost impossible to argue or write seriously on behalf of utopianism from a non-totalitarian perspective. Yet in several quarters, and in the face of still pervasive skepticism about utopias based on science and technology, some serious visions have emerged and become popular. Examples include the Internet and cyberspace utopian relationships and communities, electronic publications such as e-books, newspapers, and blogs, Edutopia and other high-tech educational projects, data analyzers and predictions of future trends, and the cloning of animals and humans. Segal's own position is a healthy skepticism about all such utopian aspirations but also a great respect for those who, as committed visionaries presumably without evil intentions, force us to rethink the present and the future alike. Bio: Howard Segal has taught at UMaine since 1986. His particular focus is on visions of the allegedly perfect society based on science and technology. He is internationally recognized for his scholarship and widely regarded books. His Syracuse University Press book Technological Utopianism in American Culture is now out in a Twentieth Anniversary Edition. His latest book, Utopias: A Brief History from Ancient Writings to Cyberspace Communities, was published this spring by Blackwell. LINKS:
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405183292,descCd-description.html
http://www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu/fall-2005-catalog/technological-utopianism.html
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Mark Hansen, speaking on "Can Consciousness Think 21st Century Media?"
Abstract: 21st century media designates media following its shift from a past-directed recording platform to a data-driven anticipation of the future. Hansen will focus on the experiential challenges posed by this shift, with particular attention to the demotion of consciousness as the agent of what philosopher A. N. Whitehead calls “symbolic reference.” His guiding question will be: what happens when microcomputational sensing and data gathering substitutes for consciousness in the process of “presenting” experience? Bio: Mark Hansen teaches cultural theory and comparative media studies in the Program in Literature at Duke University. His work focuses on the experiential and nonrepresentational effects of technologies with a particular focus on digital media and its impact on human technogenesis. Hansen is author of Embodying Technesis: Technology Beyond Writing (Michigan 2000), New Philosophy for New Media (MIT 2004), and Bodies in Code (Routledge 2006), as well as numerous essays on cultural theory, contemporary literature, and media. He has co-edited three volumes: The Cambridge Companion to Merleau-Ponty (with T. Carman, Cambridge 2005), Emergence and Embodiment: New Essays on Second-Order Systems Theory (with Bruce Clarke, Duke 2009), and Critical Terms for Media Studies (with W.J.T. Mitchell, Chicago 2010). Hansen’s current research addresses the experiential challenges posed by 21st century media, with particular emphasis on the expansion of sensibility and the future orientation of data-driven media forms. LINKS:
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=10811
http://heavysideindustries.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Theory-Culture-Society-2006-Hansen-297-3061.pdf
