Reconsidering Humanity: Big Data, the Scientific Method, and the Images of Humans explores visions and hopes in current discussions of Big Data research. As broadly conceived “movement”, Big Data projects revolutionary expectations for the scientific exploration of humans and ambitious visions implying a veritable a paradigm shift for the scientific method’s potential to contribute to previously inaccessible understanding of the nature and essence of humans, humanity and human societies. The symposium initiates a cross-disciplinary, in-depth and critical exploration of such grand prospects, queries the notion of Big Data profoundly changing the premises of the science of humans and humanity, and asks what consequences this would have on the evolving images of humans, humanity and, ultimately, human identity. Ten specially invited key-note speakers introduce various aspects of this complex theme, with a particular emphasis on forward-looking, bold, visionary, and provocative ideas.
Organizer and chair: Urban Strandberg, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, urban.strandberg@gu.se
Co-organizer and chair: Christian Munthe, Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science christian.munthe@gu.se
Organizing host: Centre for European Research at University of Gothenburg (CERGU)
www.cergu.gu.se.
Host venue: Visual Arena Lindholmen
http://visualarenalindholmen.se/Sponsor: Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ)
http://www.rj.se/en