ARTIFICIAL intelligence, free will, scientific knowledge and the increasingly polarised political landscape will be among the questions confronting philosophers for Notre Dame University’s inaugural history of philosophy symposium.
The symposium, organised by the uni’s Centre for the History of Philosophy in collaboration with its School of Philosophy & Theology, will explore how the ideas of the past continue to shape contemporary debates.
Associate Professor Heath Williams said philosophy remained relevant to questions about human identity, the limits of scientific knowledge and the implications of emerging technologies.
“Are human beings just a collection of cells, or is there something more to being a human person than what the strictly physical sciences tell us?” he said.
One of the major issues confronting contemporary philosophers was the question of artificial intelligence.
“The biggest question we’re grappling with is whether AI is conscious,” Dr Williams said.
“Should it be afforded personhood status? Is it intelligent and does it have moral rights?”
The symposium will also consider how philosophical thinking could help people navigate political polarisation, encouraging reasoned debate and a willingness to listen to opposing viewpoints.
“Philosophers specialise in having mature, sophisticated conversations and debates about difficult topics,” Dr Williams said.
“I think that we look at what’s going on in the world today with the increasingly heated nature of political discourse and polarisation, and we think that our field can contribute to make this situation better by teaching people how to listen to our interlocutors and to entertain someone else’s point of view, but also be able to articulate your own position in a way which is clearly reasoned and well argued.”
He said philosophers had a responsibility to connect their work with the wider community, including young people.
“Our duty as philosophers is to make ourselves relevant.
“As educators, we’re being asked to pivot into the online space.
“We’re not just called educators anymore; some people refer to us as content creators.
“We are competing in the digital space for students’ attention, and so we’re sort of increasingly asked to create engaging online and digital materials.
“I’ve uploaded some videos with recordings that I’ve done with different people, about Martin Scorsese’s movie Silence, and also about the film Ex Machina.
Digital space
“So there are efforts within the philosophical community… to actually compete in the digital space.”
The event will bring together academics specialising in ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary philosophy, with scholarly papers followed by responses from students and discussion with the audience.
Dr Williams said understanding the history of ideas was essential to making sense of the present.
“We cannot possibly understand today’s world unless we understand the history of ideas that preceded it,” he said.
The symposium will be held in Fremantle on Thursday, November 12, from 9am – 4pm, with a second event in Sydney on November 19.
Registration is free but essential at https://events.nd.edu.au/symposium-history-of-philosophy.
by STEVE GRANT