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Julian Nida-Rümelin
Keynote: “Digital Humanism — The Alternative to Silicon Valley Ideology” (in German)
The digital transformation is accompanied by an ideology that undermines human agency and responsibility. At the same time—and seemingly in contradiction to this—old fantasies of human omnipotence are resurfacing in the form of transhumanism. In Silicon Valley, a libertarian ideology of the pure global market is merging with the Nietzschean vision of the superhuman. Digital Humanism counters this with the exclusivity of human responsibility and the imperative of humane design, even in the context of dynamically evolving digital technologies.
Masterclass following the keynote by Prof. Julian Nida-Rümelin (in German)
Complementing the keynote address, the masterclass—limited to 25 participants—offers an intensive workshop and discussion format on the topic. It is explicitly open to all faculties and disciplines and provides an opportunity to reflect on one’s own research projects as well as to engage in direct dialogue with the invited speakers.
Recommended reading for the masterclass:
- Digitaler Humanismus (mit Nathalie Weidenfeld), Piper, 2018 sowie das und um die Kapitel zu Chat GPT & Metaverse erweiterte Ausgabe Was kann und darf KI, Piper, 2023
- Digital Humanism: For a Humane Transformation of Democracy, Economy and Culture in the Digital Age (mit Nathalie Weidenfeld), https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-12482-2
- „Digitaler Humanismus: Philosophische Aspekte künstlicher Intelligenz“ in Künstliche Intelligenz https://www.nomos-shop.de/de/p/kuenstliche-intelligenz-978-3-7560-0828-5
- „Digital Humanism and the Limits of Artificial Intelligence“ in Perspectives on Digital Humanism, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-86144-5
- „Philosophical Foundations of Digital Humanism“ (mit Klaus Staudacher) „Humanism and Enlightenment“ (mit Dorothea Winter) in Introduction to Digital Humanism(https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-45304-5_8?fromPaywallRec=false)
- „Digitaler Humanismus und das Paradoxon der KI-freundlichen Position“ in Künstliche Intelligenz und Wir (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-662-71567-3)
About the speaker:
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Julian Nida-Rümelin, former Minister of State, is the rector of the newly founded Humanistic University of Berlin and a member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences.
He served as Minister of State for Culture in the first Schröder government and as president of the German Society for Philosophy.
In recent years, JNR has focused intensively on anthropological, epistemological, and technological-philosophical issues. He led an EU research project on the ethics of robotics and has examined the philosophical and ethical aspects of autonomous driving and, more generally, the use of software systems in professional and private practice (Digital Humanism, SPRINGER, 2022).
JNR is Director of the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation.
His most recent publications include: Eine Theorie praktischer Vernunft (DeGruyter 2020) and his major political work: Was Demokratie ausmacht und wie sie aus der Krise kommt (2025).
He is a recipient of the European Medal from the Bavarian State Government and the Bavarian Order of Merit.
Relevant books on the topic:
Digital Humanism (Open Acess SPRINGER, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-12482-2)
Perspectives on Digital Humanism (Open Acess SPRINGER, https://dighum.ec.tuwien.ac.at/perspectives-on-digital-humanism/digital-humanism-and-the-limits-of-ai/)
Introduction to Digital Humanism (Mitherausgeber) (Open Acess SPRINGER, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-45304-5)
"Digitaler Humanismus und das Paradoxon der KI-freundllichen Anti-KI Position“ in VDW Künstliche Intelligenz und Wir (Open Acess, SPRINGER) https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-662-71567-3
© Diane von Schoen