JCU to Host 5th Posthuman Studies Online Workshop
How can old dualisms, such as male-female, organic-cybernetic, and human intelligence-artificial intelligence be avoided? What implications does the question of truth have for art and ethics? Can the concept of ‘truth’ be renounced? These are just some of the questions that the workshop will tackle.
5th JCU Posthuman Studies Workshop,
John Cabot University’s History and Humanities Department is proud to announce the 5th JCU Posthuman Studies Workshop, called “Truth, Relativism and the Posthuman Paradigm Shift.” The workshop will be held online on Saturday November 28, 2020, from 5.30pm to 8.45pm.
Organized by JCU Philosophy Professors Brunella Antomarini and Stefan Lorenz Sorgner, and alumna Chryssi Soteriades, the workshop will focus on the topics of truth and relativism. The aim is to discuss the importance of relativism as opposed to universalism, and the role that Western tradition has played in dualistic discrimination, which stems from the claim to be the only tradition able to reveal the ‘truth.’
“Philosophy today is dominated by naturalists as well as postmodern sceptics. Naturalism is closely related to transhumanism, postmodern scepticism to critical posthumanism. In general, thinkers of these two traditions are hostile towards each other. They do not realize that a philosophically-consistent naturalism leads to scepticism, which again is best explained on the basis of a version of naturalism. A philosophically plausible transhumanism ends up leading towards a critical posthumanism and vice versa. The discourses between the various philosophies of the posthuman need to be promoted. This is the goal of our workshop,” explained Professor Sorgner.
“Actually, in recent years, we witness a new attempt to restore a definition of truth as independent of knowledge, of agency, of systemic relations; ongoing discussions on this issue have built philosophical currents, such as Object-Oriented-Ontology, Speculative Realism, New Rationalism, whose need is to avoid the logical paradox of relativism. It’s the right time to propose a paradigm shift that avoids this ongoing rationalistic trend in philosophy,” added Professor Antomarini.
“When it comes to truth claims, it is worth considering in whose interest the judgment is. I am particularly interested in the narratives that are used to create truths.” said Chryssi Soteriades.
“It’s an honor to announce a world-leading transhumanist, Natasha Vita-More, and a distinguished philosopher from Roma Tre, Giacomo Marramao, as keynote speakers at the event,” said Professor Sorgner. Further speakers include world-leading philosopher of the posthuman Francesca Ferrando, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Immortalists Magazine Dinorah Delfin, and University Philosophy Professors Dario Cecchi and Massimo Dell’Utri. Professors Antomarini and Sorgner, Chryssi Soteriades, and other JCU students and alumni will also deliver talks at the workshop.
A recording of the 5th JCU Posthuman Studies Workshop will be available on YouTube’s Metahumanities Channel.
Read the program of the event.
Watch a live stream of the 5th JCU Posthuman Studies Workshop.
