What?
The first symposium will examine the interactions of humanity with the machines it has created—how the machines help us, hinder us, and change us. In particular, we will look at how the new technology, which in some ways emulates or relies on the patterns of the kind of “thinking” and behavior that we consider to be uniquely human, causes us consciously or unconsciously to refine our ideas of what it means to be human. We will also look at the mutual influence of the sciences and the humanities, using literature to examine the ways in which we process and refine new ideas in the larger culture, and at how the very act of examination, interpretation, and visionary prediction can inspire new technologies or change the course of their development.

Who?
We expect to bring three distinguished guests to the first symposium: novelist Richard Powers, Swanlund Chair in English at the University of Illinois and author of such trenchant examinations of technology as Galatea 2.2 and Plowing the Dark; MIT robotics/embodied intelligence researcher Rodney Brooks, subject, with his research group and robots, of the film Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control; and theologian Anne Foerst, whose work has focused on the spiritual and ethical implications of the new technologies. Nationally-regarded Utah writers, philosophers, historians, scientists, and engineers will enliven the conversation.

What?s In It For You?
In addition to fostering collaboration and discussion among scholars and students of various disciplines, the main goal of the symposium is to open this conversation to the general public—people who have thought long and hard about these issues, people who are curious, and people who are just beginning to consider the implications and impact of technology in their own lives and the impact of the way they live their lives on the development of technology. All who attend will be invited to be full participants in the conversation through panel discussions, question-and-answer periods, and hands-on demonstrations of new technologies. By Saturday morning, we should all have a more richly inflected response to the question, What makes us so special?

When?
The main events of the symposium will include keynote lectures and readings on Thursday and Friday evenings and on Saturday morning, and, all day Friday, a rich offering of panel presentations, discussions, short-take sessions, interdisciplinary sessions for graduate students across disciplines, and hands-on demonstrations.

What Else?

To broaden the discussion beyond the University of Utah campus, the King's English Bookshop will help to assist and arrange book groups for community members who would like to read and discuss books by symposium participants. There will be screenings of the film Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control. And participants will be interviewed by local, regional, and national writers and media hosts. For these and other events, keep your eyes on this space.