Conference on Religion, Ethics and Science (CORES 2022)

Brave New World? Revisiting Utopia

This year we mark the 90th anniversary of Aldous Huxley’s "Brave New World," a novel that sounded the warning about society’s impulse to perfect itself by making human life an object of rationalization and control. Published in 1932, at a time when societies around the world were broken along lines of class, caste, color and creed, the novel depicted a World State scientifically and technologically engineered to advance a vision of a perfect environment.

Ninety years later in February 2022, ASU’s Conversations on Religion, Ethics and Science (CORES 2022) will host a series of provocative and timely conversations to examine the ever-present push towards utopian visions. The conversations will explore utopianism through a series of questions, including:

• How is utopia imagined?
• How inclusive can utopia be?
• What promise and perils may emerge from new technologies aimed at bringing about utopian improvements of humans and the human condition?
• What spiritual ideas inform our utopian visions, particularly in our digital age?
• What role is there for ethical, political, and religious guidance in realizing utopian visions, if any? 

The opening plenary session, featuring science fiction writers Neal Shusterman and Nnedi Okorafor in a conversation that asks, "Utopia for Whom?", takes place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 10.

On Friday, February 11, these questions will be taken up in a day-long conference that includes discussions with visiting scholars Andrew Briggs (Oxford), S.D. Chrostowska (York), Kanta Dihal (Cambridge), Allison Duettmann (Foresight), N. Katherine Hayles (Duke), Ian Markham (VTS), Alfred Nordmann (Darmstadt), and Fred Turner (Stanford).

ASU discussants include Gaymon Bennett (SHPRS/Lincoln Center) and John Carlson (SHPRS/CSRC), Lois Brown (English/Center for the Study of Race and Democracy), Paul Carresse (SCETL), Ben Hurlbut (SOLS), Faheem Hussain (SFIS), Tara Nkrumah (CGEST), Erica O'Neil (Lincoln Center), Hava Tirosh-Samuelson (Jewish Studies) and Mako Ward (SST).

Hosted at Arizona State University, Conversations on Religion, Ethics, and Science (CORES) models a dialogical approach of intellectual humility and relational integrity. By bringing together scholars, students and life-long learners from a variety of academic disciplines and religious and secular communities, much can be achieved through dialogue that is not only informed and respectful, but also productive and solutions oriented.

CORES is supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

COVID 19 Guidelines: Please keep in mind the CDC RECOMMENDATIONS as well as ASU COMMUNITY OF CARE HEALTH PROTOCOLS on how to keep yourself and others healthy. Consistent with ASU’S CURRENT GUIDELINES, face coverings are required during this event and negative COVID tests prior to attending are highly recommended. Face coverings will be available upon entry for those who may have forgotten them.

 

This event is hosted in partnership with:

BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science

Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology

Center for Jewish Studies

Center for the Study of Economic Liberty

Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict

Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics

School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership

Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing

Center for the Study of Race and Democracy

Ashley Wilkins

Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict

amwilki1@asu.edu

https://csrc.asu.edu/cores/conference2022