Invitation to the Summer Philosophical School of UCU

The LvBS Center for Ethics and Technologies invites to the Summer Philosophical School “New Technologies, Social Media and the Future of Democracy,” organized together by the Center and the UCU Philosophy Department with the support of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and UCU. The school will be held July 1-8, 2018 in the village of Strilky, Starosambirsky district of Lviv region. More than 30 participants – students, masters and young specialists majoring in different fields – will be selected on the basis of the competition results; the competition task is essay-reflection on the well-known publication of Bill Joy “Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us?”

The development of modern technology accelerates at an unprecedented pace: every day we are witnessing new discoveries that become a real catalyst for social change and at the same time have a direct impact on such fundamental concepts as freedom, truth and rationality.

Just last year there were events, the consequences of which we can only see in the future. Robot Sophia’s citizenship, a series of dangerous cyber attacks by the authoritarian regimes, rapid development of the blockchain technology, the first attempts of national governments to resist fake and other products of “social engineering” – all this is an incomplete list of cases, to resolve which requires not only engineering or scientific knowledge, but also the understanding of public processes, as well as human nature, values and expectations.

Topics to be considered by the participants of the Summer Philosophical School

  •             Robotics and new ways of distributing wealth. Prospects and risks of basic unconditional income, future employment.
  •             Equality and access to technology. Can we ensure equal access to technology for all people? How to counteract the criminal use of technology, for example, by authoritarian regimes?
  •             Are new technologies a form of self-destruction or, conversely, a continuation of people in their creations?
  •             Artificial intelligence, biotechnology and ethical responsibility: is a human a biological machine? What is the advantage and threat of techno-humanism and dataism?
  •             Security and cyberspace. What will the future wars be like and how to avoid them?
  •             Social engineering and changes in the political system. How will political technologies, electoral systems and expectations of voters change under the influence of social networks?

The organizers invite young people who are interested in the development of technology and the future of mankind, have leadership skills and take an active part in community life. We invite everyone who is interested in the actual problems of humanity related to technologies: climate change, cyberwar, robotics and labor market, prospects of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, etc.

Terms of participation.  Participation is free. To become a member of the school, you need to fill out a registration form, on the basis of which a competitive selection will be held. Good knowledge of English is a prerequisite for participation in the school.

The deadline for submitting a registration form – May 27. The results of the competitive selection will be announced by June 6, 2018. Contact person: Maria Kryvonis, philosophy@ucu.edu.ua, 096 4334498.

Traveling. Travel expenses to the place of the Summer Philosophical School location are paid by the participants.

Accommodation and meals.  The school is funded by the Ukrainian Catholic University and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. The organizers provide accommodation and meals for the participants of the Summer Philosophical School.  Participants will live in a recollects house in the village of Strilky of Lviv region.

Note. LvBS Center for Ethics and Technology is an initiative of Lviv Business School of UCU (LvBS) to study the impact of technology on society and people, and popularize ethical aspects of technological development. The goal of the project is to set up a platform for communication among technology business, society, scientific and research institutions. The project is being implemented with the support of the Charitable Fund “Believe in Yourself” (Povir u Sebe) – a not-for-profit organization founded by Victor and Iryna Ivanchyk. The project partner is the UCU’s International Institute of Ethics and Contemporary Issues.