Critical Conversations 2024–25:
The Internet Is Not What You Think
What is the internet? How far back in history can we find its precursors, in the form either of mechanical social, or perhaps even biological information networks? What are the political and philosophical ideas that drove early efforts to network human society? And is the internet a fulfilment of these ideas, or does the actually existing internet turn out to be in certain respects fundamentally different from the political and philosophical vision that guided its early development?
In this series of conversations, we will be taking a maximally wide-focused view of these questions, and we will be looking in particular at their importance for understanding the unprecedent technological revolution we are currently living through, as well as its economic, political, cultural, and psychological consequences. We will be focusing in particular on those thinkers who have articulated a theoretical account of the nature of information networks, the possibility of machine intelligence, or the utopian (or dystopian) prospects of a society reliant on machine-aided decision-making.
About the Series Leader:
Justin Smith-Ruiu is a historian and philosopher of science. A professor at the University of Paris, Smith-Ruiu is the author of Irrationality: A History of the Dark Side of Reason (2019), The Philosopher: A History in Six Types (2016), and Divine Machines: Leibniz and the Sciences of Life (2011).
Session Details:
The 2024–2025 series will unfold over eight sessions, on Thursdays from October 2024 to June 2024. Conversations will begin at 19h00 and run for ninety minutes, in person, at the Library. Smith-Ruiu will begin each meeting with some opening remarks, before guiding a group discussion on the topic at hand. Please note, sessions will not be recorded.
Sessions will be held:
- 10 October 2024
- 14 November 2024
- 12 December 2024
- 9 January 2025
- 13 February 2025
- 10 April 2025
- 15 May 2025
- 12 June 2025
Please have a look at the Critical Conversations 2024-25 Syllabus for more information on this season’s meetings and readings.
Registration Details:
This series will take place in person at the Library and is open to both Library members and non-members.
By registering, participants commit to attending all sessions and completing the assigned readings. To maintain the continuity of the series, attendance to individual sessions is not permitted.
Advance payment and registration is required:
Non-member rate: 150€
Library member rate: 120€
Discounted* Library Members rate: 100€
*Seniors, persons with a disability, job seekers, and students
Please email programs@americanlibraryinparis.org with any questions.
