Karlsruhe Institute of Technology’s Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (KIT-ITAS‪)‬ Templeton Research Lectures

The previous work of project director Hava Tirosh-Samuelson has paved the way for a serious academic analysis of the cultural significance of transhumanism. That work focused primarily on movements and trends within the United States, and only touched on the European discourse on human enhancement and converging technologies. Europe is also a site for leading intellectual developments regarding postsecularism. In order to engage European intellectuals who are at the forefront of this scholarship and to expand the reach of the project, we plan to hold an interdisciplinary, international research conference in Germany to reflect on the connection between secularized religion and technological innovation. This conference will gather leading social theorists, humanists, theologians, specialists in technology and science policies, and other public intellectuals to explore the social, cultural, and religious ramifications of transhumanism. The conference is being organized in collaboration with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology’s Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (KIT-ITAS) and will be held in the Karlsruhe-Heidelberg region on July 8-9, 2013. Christopher Coenen with KIT-ITAS is serving as the conference coordinator.