Provocateurs wanted.
Do you enjoy thinking about what others say as much as they enjoy arguing their own views?
The Langara College Department of Philosophy invites you to attend the Philosophers' Jam, a forum for the expression of provocative ideas. This dialogue series is intended for people who want to discuss ideas but whose busy lives prevent them from signing up for a credit course.
Philosophers' Jams are free and open to all Langara faculty, staff, and students, as well as the general public. Bring a friend or colleague and see you at the next Jam session! Just scroll down to register for future sessions.
Philosophers’ Jam Schedule
Speaker: Dr. Chelsea Rosenthal
Topic: Losing Privacy and Living the Sound Bite Life
Date: November 3, 2023
Time: 4-6 PM
Location: Room L224 at Langara College
Refreshments: Complimentary coffee, tea, and snacks provided.
Abstract: Living with limited privacy can involve being observed out of context: surveillance algorithms may only call attention to activities with certain features, social media followers may browse past half of our posts, and no observer is likely to experience the full context of our words and actions. So, losing privacy can create pressure for us to lead more fragmented lives, lives that seem okay when encountered as isolated sound bites, rather than richer, coherent wholes. But many of the especially meaningful aspects of our lives – lasting interpersonal connections, long-term goals and projects, and personal growth and change – are extended over longer periods of time and woven into our lives in more complicated ways. Focusing on producing good fragments can undermine features of our lives that we usually recognize as meaningful. In this sense, privacy may help us to lead more meaningful lives – or at least reduce one obstacle to it.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Chelsea Rosenthal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Simon Fraser University. Before that, she was an Assistant Professor/Faculty Fellow in the Center for Bioethics at New York University. She did her doctoral work in NYU’s Philosophy Department and holds a joint JD degree from NYU's law school. Her research focuses on ethics, philosophy of law, and political philosophy, with current projects on moral uncertainty, privacy and content moderation on social media, and the ethical responsibilities of lawyers.