Table Talk is an open conversation between students on a present-day topic. This edition will focus on Botox bars, designer babies and making death optional. How far should we go to “fix” humanity? Would you like to live a thousand years? And will we in the future see our bodies as adaptable hardware, or is this already the case?
The limits of what it means to be human are stretched and tested by technology. With more and more technologies focusing on the human body, life and ageing might look and be experienced completely different in the (near) future. Do you feel comfortable treating your body as a piece of hardware, always looking for the next way to improve? How far would you go to stay healthy? Will we look, feel and act in different ways?
When we think of human enhancement we quickly think of artificial intelligence, humanoids and edited DNA. However, humankind has always had a keen eye for altering their looks, course of life or abilities. Even something widely accepted as tattoos shows our willingness to alter ourselves. From plastic surgery, mental exercises and taking medicine and supplements; there are relatively easy ways to become a better - or different - version of yourself. Would you be willing to walk this new path of human enhancement? Do natural boundaries of death and decay make us human, or is the essence of humanity our everlasting curiosity for technique and change? A roundtable conversation on bodies and machines, natural life, and human versus post-human.
Do you feel like talking about this subject? Come and join this conversation. Participating is free, registration is required.
Table Talk
Do you feel the need to just talk freely with other students about recent developments, interesting topics or current events? To share thoughts and views with others from different disciplines and backgrounds? Studium Generale offers the possibility to talk, discuss and listen with fellow students on a regular basis.
Every session, our discussion will be centered on a central theme of which you do not have to have background knowledge. It is meant as a casual but in-depth exploration of the topic, ourselves and the people around us.
The talks will be in English and moderated by Camie Karstanje, programme manager science of Studium Generale and herself a recent graduate (2015).
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Date: Wednesday 17 April
Time: 16.00 - 17.00 hours (Doors open: 15.45)
Location: Sanders L1-11, Woudestein campusTicket information
Entrance: free, registration required