Rethinking the Human: A Seminar with Pierre Lévy
Location: Room C-8132, Lionel-Groulx Pavilion, Université de Montréal, and online at the following link: https://bbb.futuretic.fr/rooms/n2i-uak-apk-luv/join
The second and third sessions of the workshop “Rethinking the Human”, led by Pierre Lévy, will take place on October 7 and October 14, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at the Université de Montréal and online.
Description
Humanism is today under attack on three fronts :
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From post-humanism: Artificial intelligence and biotechnologies are said to herald the end of Man, or at least the end of traditional humanism.
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From ecological and anti-speciesist perspectives: Humanity must renounce its anthropocentrism. In light of the devastations of the Anthropocene, the biblical and modern ideal that we are destined to become “masters and possessors of nature” (Descartes) must be abandoned.
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From critiques of domination: The universalism and essentialism inherent in modern European humanism conceal patriarchal, colonial, and capitalist forms of oppression.
How, then, can we think of an essence of the human that escapes contemporary critiques of humanism? The aim here is to engage in some preliminary reflections toward the development of a future philosophical anthropology.
The purpose of these three lectures is to begin rethinking the human as a singularity within nature. Indeed, it seems impossible to undertake any ethical meditation without questioning the essence of the human—and thus without highlighting what distinguishes us from animals. We shall therefore examine the figure of a curious three-faced animal: speaking, political, and technical.
The video recording of the first session of Pierre Lévy’s workshop is available online:
https://nakala.fr/10.34847/nkl.1b7bumx6
This conference is held with the support of the CRIHN and will take place on their premises.