On May 8,2024, the Department of History of Science of Tsinghua University held the 63rd lecture of the THU History and Philosophy of Science Lecture Series in the Department Hall. The lecture was delivered by Professor Christopher Coenen of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The theme of his report was ' Another Bernal ? On the relationship between the history and the present of western technological futurism and science and technology research. This report is chaired by Professor Wang Wei, Department of History of Science, Tsinghua University.
At the beginning of the seminar, Prof. Coenen gave participants a brief introduction to Karlsruhe Institute of Technology ( KIT ) and Institute of Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis ( ITAS ). Founded in 2009, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is the oldest university of science and technology in Germany. It was formed by the merger of the Karlsruhe Research Center ( formerly the Nuclear Research Center ) established in 1956 and the Karlsruhe University of Technology established in 1825. Its ITAS Institute is mainly devoted to the research and evaluation of the development of new science and technology. The main research fields include the complex interaction between technology and science, sustainable energy development and social transformation, and biotechnological ethics.
Subsequently, Professor Coenen took the academic background of John Desmond Bernal as the subject of the report. He pointed out that Bernal was a pivotal scientist in the 20 th century and made pioneering contributions in many fields such as molecular biology, international scientific cooperation and scientometrics. In " the social function of science, " Bernal discusses the importance of scientific research to society and strongly advocates the study of the relationship between science and society. At the same time, he also envisages the development path of technological futurism in his book.
In the second half of the lecture, Professor Coenen first briefly introduced the concept of Transhumanism, and then focused on the impact of Western technological futurism on contemporary science and technology research. He pointed out that the current concept of technological futurism is mainly derived from Bernal 's ideas, especially the current concern of human beings for the integration of human and machine. At the same time, the current technological futurism has evolved into transhumanism, the goal of which is to enhance and transform human capabilities and lifespans through technological means. By further exploring the ideas of Bernard and others, Professor Coenen believes that the current technological futurism implies both utopian and anti-utopian tendencies. He emphasized that in modern society, science and technology are not only the product of knowledge, but also contain social and political ideas. At present, the rapid development of science and technology makes it urgent for us to critically examine the social impact of technological futurism to ensure that the development of science and technology can benefit all mankind.
Finally, Professor Coenen proposed for a emergence of “another Bernal”, that is, we need scientists who have both a rich scientific literacy and a critical perspective on technological development. He argues that scientists must pay attention to the impact of technology on society and actively participate in public discussions to ensure that scientific and technological progress is consistent with social interests.
After the report, the audience had an in-depth exchange with Professor Coenen on the collectivity of transhumanism, the difference of imagination between Bernal and other science fiction writers, and the field-related issues of empirical science.
Written by : Wen Zhanhong
Audit : Wang Wei
