University seminar "Horizons of Science Disciplines", 15/05/2025
The Center for Advanced Studies at Warsaw University of Technology invites you to the university-wide scientific seminar Horizons of Scientific Disciplines .
The seminar aims to showcase the achievements of teams representing specific disciplines at Warsaw University of Technology. In the planned meeting on philosophy, titled " Philosophy in the Age of Science and Technology ," lecturers from the Faculty of Administration and Social Sciences of Warsaw University of Technology will present two topics: " An Invitation to the Philosophy of Science " by Dr. Antonio Vassallo , and " Philosophy for Technology: Strengthening Communication with Benevolent AI " by Dr. Maciej Kulik and M.A. Ewelina Gajewska . The meeting will be moderated by Dr. Bartłomiej Skowron (WAiNS).
Invitation to the Philosophy of Science
Contrary to popular belief, philosophy is no longer solely concerned with ancient reflections on the meaning of life. At our Faculty, we explore how contemporary philosophy can critically engage with scientific and technological practices and how it can co-create them. Our research teams focus on the philosophy of physics, the philosophy of mathematics—with particular emphasis on topology and category theory—and the philosophy of computer science and algorithms. We address issues relevant to current scientific debates: from the foundations of quantum theory, through mathematical structures and logic, to the challenges of artificial intelligence and algorithmic ethics. In my talk, I will demonstrate how philosophy can interact with science and technology. The philosophy we practice is not a relic of the past, but a tool for deeper thinking—allowing us to better understand what we actually do as scientists and engineers.
Philosophy for Technology: Empowering Communication with Benevolent AI
Digitalization is rapidly transforming our societies, reshaping the dynamics of our interactions, and reshaping the culture of our debates. One of the main threats posed by digitalization—manifested in inappropriate online behaviors such as hate speech, fake news, and information bubbles—is the lack of benevolence, which underpins effective and morally good communication. Therefore, when we focus on the fundamental requirement of constructive, reasonable, and responsible interactions, countering ill will and promoting benevolence becomes our primary task. In this presentation, we draw on the concepts of justice, benevolence, and rationality from Socrates and Aristotle to demonstrate that perennial philosophical questions are more relevant than ever in contemporary contexts of digital technology. We explain that key concepts of online communication ethics, such as hate speech, the principle of benevolence, and benevolent AI, should rest on solid philosophical foundations. We thus outline a method developed by the New Ethos Laboratory to propose specific AI-based technological solutions, such as a virtual discourse moderator, automatic hate speech detection, and a benevolent ethical advisor. Combining philosophical analysis with the empirical method of corpus linguistics, we demonstrate that philosophy and technology must intertwine to effectively address the challenges of the contemporary world.
The online meeting will take place on May 15, 2025, at 4:15 p.m. on the TEAMS platform .
Registration for the event is required at the link: seminar.
If you have any additional questions, please contact us at hdn.csz[at]pw.edu.pl
We invite all interested parties to participate in the seminar.