The Road to Domination? The Open Society and New Technologies
Friday, April 29, 2022
3:00 am – 11:30 am EDT/GMT-4 Online Event
3 am New York l 9 am Vienna
The OSUN Open Society Research Platform invites network members to attend a hybrid workshop with in-person panels and online presentations on "The Road to Domination? The Open Society and New Technologies."
The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence, advances in biotechnology, deployment of (semi-)autonomous weapons, and the predictive power of algorithms – all these technologies shape and alter our moral, social, and political relations in profound ways. And while few doubt the potential of new technologies in areas such as medicine, communication, or transportation, philosophers and social scientists raise serious doubts about the neutrality of technology, the prospects for human agency in a world governed by machines and the liberating effects of technology.
The development of new technologies also challenges central concepts of the idea of "open society." In The Open Society and its Enemies, Karl Popper famously asserts that an open society "sets free the critical powers of man," whereas a closed society submits to "magical forces." In an open society, therefore, individuals are confronted with personal decisions and the prospect of a radically open future.
But new forms of global domination by Big Tech and the growing tendency to outsource fundamental decisions to algorithms fundamentally challenge the idea of open society. Current practices of technological solutionism might well stifle free expression and democratic self-government.
Keynote Speaker:
Claudia Aradau
Speakers:
Elke Schwarz
Nazam Laila
James Muldoon
Vladimir Cvetkovic
Elana Zeide
Philippe Foret
Meem Arafat Manab
Silviu Craciunas