Uncertainty and the Human Condition: Challenges and Opportunities

Event time: 
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 - 5:00pm
Event description: 

An interdisciplinary webinar hosted by the Georgetown Humanities Initiative on February 22, 5:00-6:30pm. Register Here.

“Uncertainty is arguably one of the most universally felt phenomena, and the issues we may be uncertain about appear as boundless as the universe. We may be uncertain about the future (a minute, a day, a year from now), the underlying nature of reality, the possibility of true knowledge, and the meaning or purpose of life. But what does uncertainty actually mean? And is it something we ought to try to mitigate, embrace, or does the answer depend on the circumstance?

This interdisciplinary panel will explore the origins and conceptualizations of various uncertainties, their effects, and the “solutions” they might or might not entail.”

Featuring:

Dr. Daniel Kahneman, 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences Winner, Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, and Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, Emeritus, Princeton University

Ruth Ozeki, novelist, filmmaker, Zen Buddhist priest, Professor of English Language and Literature, and Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities, Smith College

Dr. Alan Lightman, novelist, essayist, physicist and Professor of the Practice of the Humanities, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dr. Brianne Bilsky, John B. Madden Dean of the Berkeley College and Humanities Program Lecturer, Yale University

Dr. Oleg Svet, adjunct professor, Center for Security Studies, Georgetown University (moderator)