Technology can save the world – an interdisciplinary debate

Convenor

• Karishma Jain (Deputy Director, NanoDTC)

The present and impending environmental crises and resulting social crises require approaches that can grapple with the very complex nature of the problems we face. More specifically, they require researchers in scientific, technological and socially oriented disciplines to come together to explore and understand these complexities, and reflect on how socially oriented, non-technical approaches can work together with technical approaches to address the challenges we face. As a step towards creating spaces for these cross-disciplinary conversations, CRASSH and the NanoDTC are organising a joint event, with an intentionally provocative statement ‘Technology can Save the World’ as the primary subject of discussion.

The event will start with short contributions from PhD students from technologically as well as socially oriented disciplines, before the floor is opened up more broadly. A panel of more senior academics will be invited to comment on some of the points raised in the debate, and there will be time for reflection on opportunities to carry on cross-disciplinary conversations, and initiatives for joint work on the subject that can be referred to as ‘sustainability’.

At present we are looking for expressions of interest from PhD students for making opening statements of up to 3 minutes at this event. Please see the ‘call for papers‘. https://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/35973/#description

All forms of opening statements are welcome, including those talking about technologies that hold immense promise, the unintended impacts of the materials required to create technology, what ‘saving the world’ might mean in different contexts, the simultaneous emancipatory and controlling potential of technology, and so on.

Participation is encouraged from all disciplines across the University of Cambridge and beyond.