Abstract
As science and technology continue to evolve at breakneck speed, and as society is becoming increasingly tech-driven in a world that is rapidly changing a number of questions demand answers: Are we (or will we be) able to always get the expected and desired results and benefits from the development of technology, including AI and robotics, and boost our IQs? Or will this turn into a nightmare, with corporations reading our minds, hackers overwriting our identities, governments controlling our actions, machines running our economies and even our lives? In short, as Steven Hoffman puts it, “are we headed for a paradise of plenty, where our technology eliminates hunger, disease, poverty, and war? Or will this be the end of our reign as the rulers of the planet”? This paper focuses on certain epistemological uncertainties related to some of the recent major advancements in science and technology from a social science and humanities perspective, emphasizing the importance of public understanding of science and technology and democratic decision making in the interest of the public good.
Presenters
Fatos TarifaProfessor, Political Science, University of New York Tirana, Tiranë, Albania Fiona Todhri
Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tirana, Tiranë, Albania
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Science, Technology, Social Science, Epistemology, Uncertainties, Public interest, Democratic decision-making
