Dec 3rd: The Social Responsibility of the Scientist

I’ve been interested in technology and culture issues for a long time. I remember as a kid reading a speech by Richard Feynman on the value of science. In it, he tells a story about how science is like a key that can open the gates of heaven or hell, depending on how we use it. I’m a firm believer in the potential for technology to improve our lives, but we do have to be thoughtful about our actions–we should be discussing issues of science and society more frequently, more openly, and in more depth.

For 45 years, the Technology and Culture Forum at MIT has been looking at how technology shapes and is shaped by society, covering topics ranging from food to filmmaking to war. For this Thursday, they’ve organized a forum on scientific social responsibility with renowned stem-cell researcher George Daley, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and Ph.D. in oceanography Katharine Jefferts Schori, and David Urion, Associate Professor of Neurology and Director of the Division of Service Learning, Harvard Medical School:

• What: The Social Responsibility of the Scientist
• When: Thursday, December 3, 2009, 7-9pm
• Where: MIT campus, Building 10, Room 250 (click for map)

For more on technology, culture, and scientific social responsibility:

• Check out the audio archives of the Technology and Culture Forum
• MIT course 21A.340J / STS.075J Technology and Culture: available on OpenCourseware
• Watch a video on technology and culture on MITWorld

Related posts:

1. Dec 1st CIMIT Forum: Life Science Innovation
2. NIH Draft Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research: one more week to comment
3. Micro/Nano-technology Seminar Series @MIT
4. Science In the News – a Harvard seminar series
5. Screening of Coma with author Robin Cook