Information Ethics Roundtable
We are excited to bring back our in-person Information Ethics Roundtable conference from March 31 – April 2, 2023. For questions about the IER, please contact Don Fallis (d.fallis@northeastern.edu) or Kay Mathiesen (k.mathiesen@northeastern.edu).
19th Annual Information Ethics Roundtable
Ethics and Epistemology of Virtual Reality
March 31-April 2, 2023
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Virtual reality is a hot topic both practically and philosophically. In 2021 Mark Zuckerberg announced that the “metaverse” would be the successor to the internet. And in 2022 the philosopher David Chalmers came out with the book Reality+, which champions the value of “simulated life.” Chalmers takes as his starting point the hypothesis that we are likely in a simulation right now and don’t know it. What is certain is that the use of virtual and augmented reality is spreading. Virtual and augmented reality systems are being used in video games, dating, healthcare, job training, military operations, and cultural institutions. While many of these systems are in very early stages, it is imperative that we engage now in serious reflection on their ethical and epistemological ramifications. This conference provides an opportunity for scholars to gather together to reflect on what virtual and augmented reality means for our understanding of ourselves and our society.
The Information Ethics Roundtable is a yearly conference, which brings together researchers from disciplines such as philosophy, information science, communications, public administration, anthropology and law to discuss the ethical and epistemological issues related to emerging information technologies.
Keynote Speaker: David Chalmers, Department of Philosophy, NYU
Location: Northeastern University, Boston, Massachussetts
March 31, 2023
Cabral Center
40 Leon Street
Apr 1st and 2nd
Renaissance Park 909
1135 Tremont Street
Sponsors:
Northeastern Department of Philosophy and Religion
Northeastern Ethics Institute
Northeastern University College of Social Sciences and Humanities
Khoury College of Computer Sciences
Information Ethics Roundtable conferences are free and open to interested students and scholars. However, we would like to know you are coming so we can have name tags and refreshments available for attendees. Registration deadline is March 15, 2023.
Call for Submissions is below.
Link to registration: coming soon
Call for Abstracts for the 19th Annual Information Ethics Roundtable on
Ethics and Epistemology of Virtual Reality
March 31-April 2, 2023
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Topics include, but are not limited to:
- In what ways can Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) help us gain knowledge and understanding?
- In what ways are VR and AR a threat to knowledge? How might we address these threats?
- How can VR and AR enhance human well-being?
- Are VR experiences any less meaningful than those in physical reality?
- In what ways might VR and AR decrease well-being or other important moral goods?
- What is the moral status of simulated life?
- How do moral norms transfer to our actions in AR and VR?
- What ethical benefits or threats are there in using AR and VR?
- What ethical approaches, codes, or policies should we implement in the creation and use of VR and AR?
Proposal requirements:
Please submit a 500-word extended abstract of your paper as a .doc or .pdf file. Include your name, affiliation and email on your submission.
If accepted, you are expected to submit a full paper by March 15, so that we can share it with your commentator.
Proposals should be sent to IERoundtable2023@gmail.com by November 30th.
Deadlines:
– Submission of Proposals: December 1, 2022
– Notification of Acceptance: Mid-December 2022
– Full Paper Deadline: March 15, 2023
– Conference Dates: March 31-April 2, 2023
We expect for this conference to be fully in-person.
For further information, please contact k.mathiesen@northeastern.edu.
Virtual Events
- February 9, 2021 (will be rescheduled) – Catriona McKinnon, “Should we tolerate climate denial?’ – Revisited?”
- March 10, 2021 – Josh Simons, “Regulating Informational Infrastructure: Are Facebook and Google utilities for democracy?”
- April 8, 20201 – Jeff Hancock, “Can AI Mediate Communication? Understanding AI in Human-to-Human Interaction”
- May 5, 2021 – Silvia Milano, “Epistemic fragmentation and the challenge to civic governance of AI services”
Virtual Events
- October 19 2020 – Massimo Pigliucci, “The Philosophy of Pseudoscience”
- November 18, 2020 – Rachel Sterken, Jessica Pepp, and Eliot Michaelson, “On Retweeting”
- December 16, 2020 – Kevin Zollman, “Conformity, Social networks, and the Emergence of Pluralistic Ignorance”
“Justice and Fairness in Data Use and Machine Learning”, Northeastern University
“Surveillance, Algorithms, and Digital Culture”, University of Copenhagen
“Data and Ethics”, University of Illinois
Intellectual Freedom and Censorship”, University of Arizona
“Transparency and Secrecy”, University of Wisconsin
“Information Ethics and Global Citizenship”, University of Alberta
“Information Ethics and Policy”, University of Washington
“Privacy and the Challenge of Technology”, Hunter College
“Information Rights as Human Rights”, University of Arizona
“Consumer Health Information”, Bridgewater State College
“Misinformation and Disinformation”, University of Arizona
“Information Ethics and its Applications”, Hunter College
“Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Property”,University of Arizona
“Secrecy”, Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association
“Intellectual Property”, Montclair State University
“Privacy”, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
