Dr. Samuel Stoner Delivers Cornell Great Books Lecture

6:30 PM
BMH 101

Dr. Samuel Stoner, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Assumption University, will deliver the Cornell Great Books Lecture, “Can Books be Great in the Age of A.I.? – A Critique of Methodical Reason.” The lecture will take place on Monday, November 25 at 6:30 PM in BMH 101. 

Should we keep reading the great books of the past? Does the rapid scientific and technological progress that characterizes our world make the great books irrelevant? Can books be great in the age of A.I.?

The answer to such questions, this lecture argues, requires understanding the nature of modern science itself—both to clarify how and why it influences our lives and to discover what its most impressive effects may conceal from view.

In this lecture, Dr. Samuel Stoner will explore the power and limits of modern science by examining its origins in René Descartes’s defense of methodical reasoning. Dr. Stoner will discuss why Descartes thought a critique of the great books was required to initiate the modern scientific project. He will also show why these same books might be necessary for a thoughtful life that incorporates novel technologies without being deceived by their promise, dominated by their power, or dehumanized by their products.