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Nanjing 2017 lectures

In the last ten days of September 2017, I was Liu Boming Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Nanjing University in China. In that time, I gave six classes to undergraduates on the topic: What does the history of science and technology say about the future of humanity? Here are the audio and notes for the classes, each lasting 2-3 hours:

1. The historical distinctiveness of science as a form of knowledge. Audio Notes

2. The distinctiveness of the West's Scientific Revolution Audio  Notes

3. Modern science's transformation of the human condition Audio  Notes

4. Historical Introduction to Transhumanism Audio Notes

5. The Political, Legal and Ethical challenges to Transhumanism Audio  Notes

6. Course summary and Dystopian Trans/Posthumanist Futures Audio Notes


I also gave four public lectures at various Nanjing area universities on the following topics (each one is 90 mins to 2 hours, including Q&A):

1. Do we live in a ‘post-truth’ world? (Nanjing University) Audio Notes

2. How should knowledge be governed? The task of social epistemology. (Nanjing University) Audio  Notes

3. Attitudes to risk as alternative world-views: Should we be ‘precautionary’ or ‘proactionary’ in our dealings with nature? (Nanjing Forestry University) Audio  Notes

4. Humanity 2.0: The struggle between a ‘transhuman’ and a ‘posthuman’ future. (Nanjing University of Science and Technology) Audio Notes