This summer we took my course on ethical and socially responsible innovation online, based on science fiction movies. This is an exciting change from the face-to-face course and has led to a number of innovations in the way the course is taught. It also meant that I had to capture some of the essence of the course in video.
One of the introductory videos for the new course format is a version of a 20-minute lecture I give on the need to think differently about the intersection between technology, society, and the future. Given the importance of this issue, especially in the context of a college focused on transdisciplinary approaches to ensuring a just, sustainable, and dynamic future, I thought it was worth posting the video here.
This video was recorded for the students in the class, so it’s probably not as entertaining as the average TED talk. That said, I hope it is accessible enough that anyone who is concerned about where our society is going and how we can do things differently can get something out of it.
By way of background, the course itself is built around ten science fiction films, which provide a starting point for a discussion of the complexities of ethical and socially responsible innovation. You don’t need to know this to watch the video – but the context may help explain the movie reference off!
