Twice per term, meeting on a Tuesdays from 5.30pm - 7pm
Online, via Zoom
The discussion group is open to students at all levels of study (including medical students), as well as faculty. We will be joined each session by an expert who specializes in the particular topic under discussion.
With the rapid development of AI and biotechnologies (including those relating to germline gene editing, brain-computer interfaces, life extension, etc.) come vast powers to reshape ourselves and the natural world. As technological advances grant us new powers, so do they blur some boundaries between humans, animals, and machines, prodding us to ask the question: what does it mean to be human?
Drawing upon readings in the humanities (including philosophy, theology, literature, etc.) and the sciences, this group will attempt to bridge the existential and empirical study of human identity - and within that context, ask if and how such reflections might help chart a path forward in relation to the right uses of new and potent technologies. We will focus in particular on questions of human purpose, place, and flourishing within the natural order.
Under the umbrella of TORCH Medical Humanities, this will be a casual reading and discussion group. We will be joined each session by an expert who specializes in the particular topic under discussion - and the readings for each session will take a total of roughly 1 hour to complete.
Hilary 2026 Sessions:
-
10 February
-
A Discussion on the Desirability of Life Extension with Professor John K. Davis
-
3 March
-
A Discussion on the Desirability of Mass Automation and Universal Basic Income with Marius Ostrowski
Please contact Andrew Moeller if you are interested in joining: andrew.moeller@history.ox.ac.uk.
Medical Humanities Research Hub, TORCH Research Hubs
