On Being Human The Provost announces the third year of an annual series of related lectures on a topic of major campus and broader societal importance. The lecture series will bring the University's research and teaching mission to bear on some timely societal issues. It will have the campus community as its core audience, but will be directed as well to the Durham, national, and international audiences. The substance of the lecture series will be developed with input from an appropriate committee of faculty and others and will generally draw its presenters from outside speakers. In addition to giving a public lecture, speakers will be invited to meet with students and faculty in smaller group activities.
This year's series explores how advances in neuroscience, genomics, robotics, and artificial intelligence are not only changing our conception of what it is to be human but also creating possibilities for changing 'human nature' in fundamental ways.
The series is intended to provide the background required for those on our campus and in the broader community to better engage in the debate currently underway in American society regarding the issue of what it means to be human.
The Provost wishes to thank the following Lecture Series Advisors for their work in helping to design this year's series: Allen Buchanan (Philosophy), Guven Guzeldere (Philosophy), Ranga Krishnan (Psychology and Neuroscience), Kam Leong (Biomedical Engineering), Russell Powell (PhD candidate in Philosophy), Dale Purves (Neurobiology), Priscilla Wald (English), and Hunt Willard (Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy).
Spring 2008 Lectures:
