Science and technology advancements are transforming how people live, work, and communicate. Meanwhile, ethical, legal, and governance concerns arise; the world thus calls for humanists and social scientists to guide decision-making for the betterment of society.
Photo 1: Prof Richard M Walker (second from left), Prof Jason Harding (first from left), Prof Matthew Manning (first from right) and Prof Christine Huang (second from right) led a roundtable discussion at THE Campus Live SE Asia 2023.In line with this, CityU’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) recently hosted a roundtable discussion titled “Notice the Unnoticed: the Significance of Humanistic Perspectives in Science and Technology” at Times Higher Education’s THE Campus Live SE Asia on 22 November 2023 in Manila, Philippines.
The session commenced with an introduction by Professor Richard M WALKER, Dean of CLASS, outlining the college’s approach to integrating humanistic perspectives into the realm of science and technology. He then introduced the three humanist technologists from CLASS, who engaged in profound discussions with scholars from Southeast Asia.
Professor Matthew MANNING, Head of CityU’s Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, initiated the discussion with the theme “Angels and Devils in the Brain”. He demonstrated how emerging technologies influence social scientists’ study of human behaviours. As a criminology and economics scholar, he shared examples of how criminals exploit new technologies for future crimes and what solutions crime science can bring to the table.
Following Prof Manning, Professor Christine HUANG Yi-hui, Head of CityU’s Department of Media and Communication, pinpointed the essence of strategic communication in the age of science and technology. As social media and new technology have altered people’s communication practices, Prof Huang provided technological recommendations to optimise communication strategies and handle the challenge of misinformation at large.
Photo 2: CLASS’s speakers and attendees exchanged insights during the roundtable discussion.Subsequently, Professor Jason HARDING, Head of CityU’s Department of English, explored the relationship between science and the creation of human values. Drawing on his expertise in literature, he referenced figures like J. Robert OPPENHEIMER and Bertrand RUSSELL to examine the impact of science and technology on inquiry in the arts and humanities. He probed into the complex interplay between scientific truth and human values, clarifying the blurred boundaries between the two.
To wrap up the dialogue, Prof Walker provided some key reflections as well as a glimpse into future research endeavours. Having formed a nexus between diverse disciplines, CLASS’s roundtable discussion gave a valuable preview of the multifaceted roles of humanistic perspectives in the technology-driven world.
