Tues Feb 3 Introduction: What is a Better Future? Interactive conversation between Sherry Turkle, Rosalind Picard, and Nathan Barczi [this conversation stresses that we value talking to your colleagues about who you are and what you and your peers think]
The Techno-Optimist Manifesto - Marc Andreessen
Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task - Nataliya Kosmyna, Eugene Hauptmann, Ye Tong Yuan, Jessica Situ, Xian-Hao Liao, Ashly Vivian Beresnitzky, Iris Braunstein, and Pattie Maes
Tues Feb 10 Defining and applying values - Imago Dei, Judeo-Christian teachings on human dignity, and wearables for health, Nathan Barczi and Rosalind Picard
What does "Image of God" mean? - Pete Enns
"Human Dignity in the Jewish Tradition" - Yair Lorberbaum.
The Future of Artificial Intelligence and Human Dignity - Rosalind Picard
Wearables and Human Flourishing, Barczi & Picard
Example of class final project, Caitlin Morris
Tues Feb 17 NO CLASS, Monday schedule of classes meets today
Second Treatise on Government, Excerpts , John Locke
The Social Contract, Excerpts, John-Jacque Rousseau
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Excerpts, Immanuel Kant
Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln
Nicomachean Ethics, Excerpts, Aristotle
"What is Virtue Ethics For?", Julia Annas, on the Philosophy Bites Podcast (note: if you are interested in Virtue Ethics, Annas' relatively short book Intelligent Virtue is a good introduction and modern account)Nick Bostrum, Letter from Utopia
Tues Feb 24 Students present project proposal ideas & Class discussion around student interests.
Tues Mar 3 Generative AI, Prof. Pat Pataranutaporn
[PP readings to come]
Tues Mar 10 Defining values - Reclaiming Conversation, Sherry Turkle
Reclaiming Conversation in the Age of AI - Haidt's substack After Babel on Sherry Turkle's book
Do Artifacts have Politics? - Langdon Winner
Silicon Valley Fairy Dust - Sherry Turkle
Tues Mar 17 Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplain
Utilitarianism (excerpt), John Stuart Mill
An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (excerpts), Jeremy Bentham
The Life You Can Save (excerpt), Peter Singer
Adam Smith and the Invisible Hand, Emma Rothschild
The Reluctant Prophet of Effective Altruism, Gideon Lewis-Kraus
Pausing AI’s Developments Isn’t Enough. We Need to Shut it All Down, Eliezer Yudkowsky
My Name is Greg, and I’m Addicted to Tech, Greg Epstein
[possibly additional assignments from his book]
Tues Mar 24 NO CLASS, Spring break
[no readings]
Tues Mar 31 Future Techno-Utopias with Guest: Prof. Kevin Esvelt
When Are We Obligated to Edit Wild Creatures?, Kevin Esvelt
The Tails Coming Apart as Metaphor for Life, Scott Alexander
The Character of Computation, Kevin Esvelt
Tues Apr 7 Biomechatronics, Access, and Mobility with Guest: Prof. Hugh Herr
Brave New World (Summary), Aldous Huxley
Cyborgs and Space, Clynes and Kline
The Cyborg as Warp-Speed Evolution, Ashley Dunn
The World as I see It: The Meaning of Life, Albert Einstein
Tues Apr 14 Project Progress Presentations
Summarize your interviews/conversations related to your project
You provide a list of the best readings related to your project, with pdfs (or links) and highlights to key excerpts informing your personal thinking for the class to learn from
Tues Apr 21 Three Frameworks: Utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics, Dr. Nathan Barczi
Review readings from February 17 to be discussed today
Tues Apr 28 TBD.
Tues May 5 Final Project Presentations
Tues May 12 Final Project Presentations