PHL 281: Humanity and the Digital Age

In this course we will consider the rapidly changing nature of human life in light of new technologies, especially those made possible by the internet age and explosion of capacity in data transfer and storage, such as artificial intelligence (AI), social media and Big Data. These technologies bring new and exciting possibilities for connectivity, security and convenience, but also present significant ethical issues. These include concerns with ChatGPT (and other AI tools), the personal and social effects of social media use, moral effects of AI use, data collection by apps, and the intensification of marketing manipulation due to this technology, as well as concerns about privacy, algorithmic bias, and more. Some questions we will consider include: How does social media affect us? Will AI help us flourish as human beings, or eliminate the need for us to develop and exercise many capacities that make our lives meaningful? What do these changes (with their inevitable losses and gains) tell us about what it means to be human? By the end of this course students should be able to identify ethical considerations and reason critically to arrive at thoughtful moral decisions with issues surrounding these concerns, particularly privacy and confidentiality, and the responsible and healthy use of big data, social media, and AI. We will engage with readings and films for the course.