Public Panel: “What makes us human?”
Tuesday, 10 December 2024, 18:00-20:00, Bürgersaal Konstanz
(Sankt-Stephans-Platz 17)
Abstract:
Humanity has long grappled with fundamental questions about its own nature. Do modern humans differ from their ancestors and future descendants? Can we know what a human being is before its historical development is complete? What will humans become? Can technology and societal change redefine what it means to be human and perhaps even radically transform human nature? These questions have gained urgency and relevance with technological advances in artificial intelligence and human enhancement, as well as discoveries in various fields that highlight the sophisticated cognitive and emotional capacities of non-human animals.
This panel brings together international experts from both the natural sciences and the humanities to explore these issues in an interdisciplinary dialogue.
Speakers:
- Aleida Assmann (Cultural Historian, University of Konstanz)
- Meg Crofoot (Biologist, University of Konstanz / Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior)
- Nadia Mazouz (Philosopher, ETH Zurich)
- Hans Alves (Psychologist, Ruhr University Bochum)
Moderation: Raz Chen-Morris (Martin Buber society)