Discover how philosophy shapes our modern world with ‘Philosophy Today’, our new public lecture series for 2024. Over six engaging lectures, Trinity College Dublin's distinguished philosophers will discuss their current research and reveal its practical applications.
Explore the connections between philosophical inquiry and everyday life as our speakers share their current work and offer a unique insight into its direct relevance to our day-to-day experiences.
Book your place by registering through the link below.
Event details
Date | Starts Thursday, 8 February & continues every second Thursday for six weeks
Time | 7.30pm - 9.00pm
Location | The Uí Chadhain Theatre (Room 2041B), The Arts Building, Trinity College Dublin
Cost | €75 for six lectures. Concessions apply.
Thursday, 8th February 2024 | Dr. Farbod Akhlaghi
‘Changing Partners: Should You Stop Your Beloved from Changing Who They Are?'
Is it wrong to stop your spouse from taking a job in a different country? Your child from going to university? Your sibling from getting married? Farbod Akhlaghi works on the ethics of transformative experience – experiences which change who we are, and which remain unknowable until we personally encounter them.
Thursday, 22nd February 2024 | Dr. William Ratoff
'How Should We Negotiate the Creation of Artificial General Intelligence?'
Artificial Intelligence is poised to revolutionize our lives. From self-driving cars to companion-bots, no aspect of our world, we envisage, will be quite the same again. How should we negotiate the creation of artificial general intelligence? Is the creation of such A.I. even desirable? Does it pose an existential risk to humanity? William Ratoff works on moral philosophy, especially topics in the ethics of artificial intelligence and new technologies.
'Caring About What Would Have Been'
Ever wondered how your everyday "what if" statements hold the key to unlocking insights about our world? John Divers works on modality – what we say (and think) that goes beyond how the world actually is and speaks of how the world could have been, could not have been, would have been or would not have been.
'Decoding Perception: Power, Status, & How We See Others'
Have you ever considered how we truly understand the people we interact with every day? What subtle signals do we rely on to interpret their thoughts and feelings, and how much does our understanding of them depend on the world around us? Emma Otterski works on social cognition – how to explain our (mis)understanding of others.
'What Is Wisdom'
Thursday, 18th April 2024 | Dr. Caleb Althorpe
'Making Work Meaningful'
What exactly makes work ‘meaningful’? Is it just whatever the worker feels is meaningful? Or is it work that has certain features, such as being complex, or giving the worker a say in how it is carried out? Caleb Althorpe does research in political philosophy and political theory, examining normative questions that fall at the intersection of philosophy, politics, and economics.