Tuesday, March 8, 6 p.m., online via Zoom.

A wave of new technologies could allow us to become smarter, calmer, happier—even more ethical. Gene editing, pharmaceuticals, and computer tissue implants could provide our brains with an upgrade. But should they?

Most of us feel uneasy with the idea of artificially enhancing the human brain, yet many of us drink coffee to focus, drink alcohol to be more social, and meditate to calm our mind. What makes one method more acceptable and the other less? Is technology simply the next logical step?

Join Humanities Washington for a conversation on the future of the human mind. Could brain-enhancing technologies allow more people to become who they want to be? Or will they cause greater inequities, particularly if the technologies are accessible mainly to the wealthy? What would it mean to have your brain functioning altered, perhaps permanently, by a corporation? What are the ethical implications—individually and societally—for creating a new kind of mind?

This online seminar will feature William Kabasenche, philosophy professor at Washington State University and Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau member; Timothy Emmanuel Brown, assistant professor in bioethics and the humanities at the University of Washington; and Sara Goering, philosophy professor at the University of Washington.

For accommodation requests, contact Asia Lara at asia@humanities.org, at least seven days in advance if possible.

To register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QB6psKkvTqyM2JKtcyo6Cw