Tuesday 20 October 2026, 5.30pm - 6.45pm
Online - Please contact Andrew Moeller to express interest regarding the readings and video call link: andrew.moeller@history.ox.ac.uk.
The particular topic under focus this week will be germline genome editing.
Boundaries of Humanity Discussion Group Series
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.
The reading group is open to students at all levels of study (including medical students), as well as faculty. We will meet for about 1 hour, twice per term.
Under the umbrella of the medical humanities, this will be a casual reading and discussion group. The readings for each session will be introduced by a different participant - and the readings for each session will take a total of roughly 1 hour to complete.
Martin Gillies, Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer, Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford
Martin's current role is as a research assessor on an assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial of deep brain stimulation for chronic post-stroke pain, funded by the Jon Moulton Charity Trust. The trial aims to generate high-quality evidence for DBS in neuropathic pain and to use fMRI to improve surgical practice for the condition. Supported by the Academy of Medical Sciences, his main research interest is human brain electrophysiology: functional neurosurgery allows local field potentials to be recorded from deep brain structures while patients perform tasks, complementing scalp EEG through greater spatial resolution and fMRI through greater temporal resolution. These recordings can be studied in relation to cognition and autonomic function, among other domains. He also has interests in high-intensity focused ultrasound, working with the HIFU group headed by Professor David Cranston, and in the use of living human brain tissue for in vitro experimentation, a collaboration between neurosurgeons and biomedical academics at the university.
Medical Humanities Research Hub, TORCH Research Hubs
