WILL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND EXPERTS SAVE THE WORLD?
Time: 19 February 2025, at 13.00–17.15, after which a reception with refreshments
Place: Technopolis Yliopistonrinne, Häggman Hall, Kalevantie 2
Please register here on 12 February 2025 at the latest – The first 100 registrations will be accepted.
In a world fraught with complex and potentially catastrophic system-level challenges, science and technology are often heralded as the panacea. These fields not only offer solutions but also inspire us with tales of human ingenuity and our relentless pursuit of the extraordinary – such as the ambitions of tech magnates to develop all-problem-solving AIs and colonize Mars. Yet, we must ask: Can these grand promises and visions truly be realized, and are we genuinely in control?
Simultaneously, the reliance on expert knowledge to guide decision-making has led to an increase in technocratic governance. But where does this leave democracy? What constitutes expert knowledge, and can it ever be truly impartial? Moreover, does science require salvation from its own excesses?
This seminar delves into these pressing questions concerning the interplay between science, technology, expert knowledge, and society. It invites a critical and interdisciplinary dialogue among the diverse academic community at Tampere University.
Keynote speakers and their abstracts
Seminar Programme
13:00 Opening words
Juha Teperi, Director, Tampere IAS, Tampere University
13:05 Introduction to the theme
Olli Herranen, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Tampere IAS, Tampere University
Part 1: Expert Knowledge and The World
13:15 Imagined Expert Authority in Technopolitical Decisions
Darrin Durant, Professor University of Melbourne
13:55 The Precarious Future for Evidence-based Decision-making and Expertise in a World Shaped by Authoritarian Populism
Johan Söderberg, Professor, Gothenburg University
14:35 Break
Part 2: Science and Technology
14:55 Contestation of Expertise. Medicine as a Case in Point
Pia Vuolanto, Academy of Finland Fellow, Tampere Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Studies, Tampere University
15:35 Interpretability as the Next Step in AI
Antti Kuusisto, Senior Research Fellow, Tampere IAS, Tampere University
16:15 Break
Part 3: General Discussion
16:25 All speakers: Panel Discussion – The audience discusses with the speakers
17:15 Closing words
Juha Teperi, Director, Tampere IAS, Tampere University
17:15-18:15 Reception and refreshments in the green room of Häggman Hall.
Please register here on 12 February 2025 at the latest – The first 100 registrations will be accepted.