Events

Critical Thinking: Human Creativity, Big Data, Machine Learning

On the occasion of the opening of the Student Project House at ETH Zentrum, Critical Thinking ETH is organising a presentation on “Creativity and Digital Transformation” and a workshop with expert panel and open discussion on “Creative thinking in the era of Big Data and Machine Learning”.

The Student Project House is intended to be a laboratory for students to practice individual creativity and develop their own ideas. At the same time, there are fears that our creativity will become increasingly expendable through the use of computers and algorithms, since Big Data and machine technology will enable us to achieve our goals much faster in the future than inadequate human thinking. Do we still need spaces for creative thinking when artificial intelligence will soon be able to think better than we can?

Lecture with discussion
Creativity and Digital Transformation
Tuesday, October 26, 2021, 2:15 p.m., Alumni Pavillon (MM C 78.1)
Luc de Brabandere, fellow and senior advisor at Boston Consulting Group

In June 2008, Chris Anderson, then editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, published an article titled “The End
of Theory. The Data Deluge Makes the Scientific Method Obsolete.” This revolutionary notion raised some philosophers’ awareness. Could we really work without concepts and without theories? Is Plato and Aristotle’s legacy suddenly threatened? The answer is complicated and this presentation will enable participants to see how, since the Internet appeared, the nature of the creativity challenge has changed. If “thinking outside the box” remains essential for new ideas, imagining “new digital boxes” becomes even more important.

Luc de Brabandere is a corporate philosopher, fellow and senior advisor at Boston Consulting Group. Based in Brussels, he is co-author of Thinking in New Boxes: A New Paradigm for Business Creativity (Random House, 2013). He is a member of the faculty of various Universities. He leads strategic seminars with boards, executive committees and the management of companies and various organisations. He helps people looking to develop new strategic visions, new products and services, and long-term scenarios to prepare for the future.

Seminar with panel discussion
Creative thinking in the era of Big Data and Machine Learning
Wednesday, October 27, 2021, 09:00-11:30, VisDome – ETH Kuppel (HG K30.1)

Based on this topic, the tension between Machine learning - Big Data - human creativity will be addressed. Or somewhat exaggerated: «Why do we still need student makerspaces if machines will be able to do everything better in the future?» or «Do we still need makerspaces and creative thinking spaces precisely because machines will not be able to do everything better in the future?»

Discussion Panel:

• Luc de Brabandere, fellow and senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group
  
• Urs Brändle, PhD in biochemistry, project manager computational competencies in teaching (Rectorate ETH),
  previously study coordinator at ETH’s Department of Environmental Sciences
  
• Hannes Mayer, senior researcher, Department of Architecture,
  machine learning/AI in connection with architecture
  
• Hongyang Wang, doctoral student, Department of Civil Engineering, decentralized ledger technology,
  governance in AEC, technology in architecture

Both events can be attended individually.
COVID certificates compulsory for participation.

Event flyer with programme: Download Link (PDF, 363 KB)

CTETH-SEMINARY

Until it doesn't matter anymore -
Inclusivity in higher education

Monday, 27 January 2020, 09:00 - 16:15
ETH Zurich, HG E 33.1

The subject of inclusion/exclusion in a broad sense is examined. The focus will be on the following diverse areas: educationally disadvantaged groups, disabilities, peripheral regions, as yet unestablished structures and approaches, and the related question of how such diversity - in addition to gender equality - can be given a place in an ETH inclusion strategy.
The topic of "gender", which is usually in the foreground, is not the focus of this event, even though we consider this discussion to be very important. For once, however, the focus should consciously be on those diversities that are more in the background in public perception.

Seminary in German only, discussion in German and English.

Online registration required by 15 January 2020: Link
Seminary flyer: Download Link (PDF, 653 KB) 

BROWNBAG SEMINAR

42 Minutes Critical Thinking:
Big data, multi-perspectivity, fake think: Science in the crisis of confidence?

Based on the articles published in the upcoming issue of 42, Prof. em. Gerd Folkers and philosopher Reto Givel discuss this question. 

Wednesday, November 27, 2019, 12:15-13:45
ETH Hönggerberg, Information Center Chemistry Biology Pharmacy, HCI G2

Brownbag is offered. No registration required.
The event is German only.
Flyer: Download Link (PDF, 522 KB) |  Issue 12 of 42 as PDF: protected page Link

START-UP-CALL PRESENTATION

Critical Thinking Market

Project leaders present projects that have been supported by Critical Thinking.

Monday, 18 November 2019, 13:00 – 17:00
Alumni-Pavillon, MM C78.1, ETH Zentrum

No registration needed, free entrance. Flyer: Download Link (PDF, 475 KB)

BROWNBAG SEMINAR

42 Minutes Critical Thinking:
Is an academic career still attractive in today's society?

Based on the articles published in the upcoming issue of 42, Prof. em. Gerd Folkers and philosopher Reto Givel discuss this question. 

Wednesday, September 25, 2019, 12:15-13:45
ETH Hönggerberg, Information Center Chemistry Biology Pharmacy, HCI G2

Brownbag is offered. No registration required.
The event is German only.
Flyer: Download Link (PDF, 269 KB) |  Issue 11 of 42 will be published on
September 23, 2019

SiP TALK #6

Symposium on Science, Technology and Public Policy

How do we mitigate and adapt to climate change? How do we champion sustainability in the mobility landscape? And how do we improve the quality of life in rapidly expanding cities worldwide? This SiP-Talk showcases the efforts of some of the best technical universities in the world to institutionalize policy- focused, interdisciplinary research and teaching in this field.

Participantsofthepanel: Prof. Ambuj Sagar, Indian Institute of Technology Prof. Noelle Selin, MIT, Prof. Joanna Chataway, University College London, Prof. Joël Mesot, ETH Zurich, Prof. Sarah Springman, ETH Zurich

Tuesday, 17 September 2019, 17:15 - 18:45,
followed by an aperitif
ETH Zurich, Main Building, Semper Aula (HG G 60)

More Information: Link | Flyer: Download Link (PDF, 152 KB)

TALK & HACKATLON

Inclusion in the Workplace

Inclusion in the Workplace is a 1.5-day event composed by a talk, followed by a hackathon. Join us for the Talk only (open to public) or both Talk + Hackathon.

Join us for the talk to find out more about key challenges and best practices. Experts from academic, corporate and non-profit world will share their perspective and experience in promoting inclusive workplace and society. We will open with a keynote speech by Wu Qing, followed by a panel discussion with Prasad Ramakrishnan, Emily Elsner-Adams and Alexander Lochbaum, moderated by Stefano Brusoni. The Talk is open to anyone who is interested in the topic of inclusion and diversity at large.

Talk: September 5th, 4.00 pm to 5.45 pm + apéro, ETH Zurich (ML Building, room H44)
Hackathon: September 6th, 9.00 am to 6.00 pm, ETH Student Project House (HPZ building, F floor)

Register here: Link | More information: Link

PAUL BERNAYS LECTURES 2019

The Paul Bernays Lectures are an annual and three-part honorary lecture series about the philosophy of the exact sciences. This lecture series is established in honour of the eminent logician, mathematician and philosopher of logic and mathematics Paul Bernays who was engaged in teaching and research at ETH from 1934 to 1959.

The theme of this year’s Bernays Lectures is: «Quantum Computing and the Fundamental Limits of Computation». They will be held by Prof. Dr. Scott Aaronson, University of Texas at Austin, USA.

Monday, 2 September 2019, 17.00, E7, ETH Main Building
Tuesday, 3 September 2019, 09:00, F3, ETH Main Building
Tuesday, 3 September 2019, 10:00, F3, ETH Main Building

All lectures are given in English and are self-contained. More information: Link

BROWNBAG SEMINAR

42 Minutes Critical Thinking

Based on the articles published in the upcoming issue of "42", Prof. em. Gerd Folkers and philosopher Reto Givel discuss the question: "Economization of Higher Education: Is Knowledge Disappearing because of Competence Orientation?"

Wednesday, 15 May 2019, 12:15-13:45
ETH Hönggerberg, Information Center Chemistry Biology Pharmacy, HCI G2

Brownbag is offered. No registration required. The event is German only.
Flyer: Download Link (PDF, 271 KB) |  Issue 10 of "42": protected page Link

START-UP-CALL PRESENTATION

Critical Thinking Market

The winners of the Start-Up-Call present the projects that were supported by Critical Thinkin. Input talks, presentations, networking, apero and more!
 

Thursday, 28 March 2019, 15:00 – 19:00
Kunstraum Walcheturm, Kanonengasse 20, 8004 Zurich

No registration needed, free entrance. Flyer: Download Link (PDF, 292 KB)

BROWNBAG SEMINAR

42 Minutes Critical Thinking

Based on the articles published in the upcoming issue of "42", Prof. em. Gerd Folkers and philosopher Reto Givel discuss the question "Cheating, egozentrism, excessive political correctness: A danger for honety in science?"

Wednesday, 13 March 2019, 12:15-13:45
ETH Hönggerberg, Information Center Chemistry Biology Pharmacy, HCI G2

Brownbag is offered. No registration required. The event is German only.

Flyer: Download Link (PDF, 274 KB) |  Issue 9 of "42": protected page Link

LECTURE & SEMINAR

University Education – where to?

Prof. Dr. Stefan Wolter
Director, Swiss Coordination Centre for
Research in Education, Aarau

Vortrag: Wednesday, 27. February 2019, 18.15 - 20.00 h
ETH Zürich, HG E 42, Pallmannzimmer
Seminar: Thursday, 28. February 2019, 09.00 - 12.00 h
ETH Zürich, LEE E 126

Flyer:

Lecture and seminar in German only.

BROWNBAG-SEMINAR | 42 MINUTEN CRITICAL THINKING – FRESH THOUGHTS & FREE FOOD FOR CRITICAL MINDS!

Wednesday, 05 December 2018, 12:15-13:45
ETH Hönggerberg, Information Center Chemistry Biology Pharmacy, HCI G2
Prof. Gerd Folkers and the philosopher Reto Givel discuss questions around the topic "The Russell Einstein Manifesto in the Time of New Media, Bots and Fake News" based on the texts in the current issue of "42".
The texts are available as PDF files: protected page Link
Brownbag is offered.

SEMINAR | AUTONOMY AND RESPONSABILITY IN ACADEMIA

Friday, 12 October 2018, 09:00 – 16:30, ETH Zentrum, CLA J1
From the academic base and the sponsorship side universities work very differently. This situation inevitably creates tensions and conflicts. The academic community constantly demands autonomy, a claim that only can be maintained if the community can handle the resulting restrictions. How should universities act in this field of tension?

Lecturers: Prof Gerd Folkers, President SWR, Director CTETH; Prof. Mirko Meboldt, Product Development & Engineering Design, D-MAVT, ETH Zürich; Dr Stefan Vannoni, Director Cemsuisse; Prof Ulrich Weidmann, Vice President for Human Resources and Infrastructure, ETH

Programme und flyer:

LECTURE & SEMINAR | UNIVERSITY OF TOMORROW: HUMBOLDT RELOADED

Jürgen Mlynek
Professor of physics,
Former President of the Helmholtz Association

Lecture | Thursday, 25 October 2018, 17.00 - 19.00, ETH Zentrum, Building CLA, J 1
Seminar | Friday, 26 October 2018, 09.00 - 12.00, ETH Center, Machine Laboratory, ML E 13

Flyer:

SIP TALK #4 | THE CODING OF LIFE. BREAKTHROUGHS AND BLIND SPOTS IN THE MATHEMATISATION OF THE LIFE SCIENCES

Thursday, 25 Oktober 2018 - 18:30 - 20:00, followed by an apéro, Alumni Pavillon, MM C 78.1

Scientific methods for understanding life are becoming ever more computational and mathematical. This SiP event will therefore be dedicated to the possibilities opened up by new computational technologies in the life sciences and – just as importantly - to their limitations.

Mit: Prof. Roy Wagner (ETH Zürich, D-GESS / The Turing Centre), Prof. Dagmar Iber (ETH Zürich, D-BSSE / The Turing Centre), Dr. Maël Montévil (IRI, Centre Pompidou), Prof. Alessandro Sarti (CNRS – EHESS, Paris), Prof. Gisbert Schneider (ETH Zürich, D-CHAB / The Turing Centre)

Flyer: Download Link (PDF, 855 KB) | Further information: Link

LECTURE SERIES | IMAGES OF THE MIND

Biweekly on Mondays, starting 25 September 3028, 17:15 – 18:45, HG D1.1

Different approaches of understanding and describing the mind will be presented and discussed. Various members of ETH's Turing Centre (with different disciplinary backgrounds ranging from computer science to philosophy) will present what they take to be crucial concepts, methods, challenges, and limits in our investigations of the mental.
The lecture series is open to the public.

Lecturers: PD Dr. Dr. Norman Sieroka, Prof. Dr. Hans-Johann Glock, Prof. Dr. Thomas Hofmann, PD Dr. Harald Atmanspacher, Prof. Dr. Michael Hampe, Prof. Diane Proudfoot, Prof. Dr. Jack Copeland

Flyer: Download Link (PDF, 59 KB) | Further information: Link

PAUL BERNAYS LECTURES 2018

The Paul Bernays Lectures are an annual and three-part honorary lecture series about the philosophy of the exact sciences. This lecture series is established in honour of the eminent logician, mathematician and philosopher of logic and mathematics Paul Bernays who was engaged in teaching and research at ETH from 1934 to 1959.

The theme of this year’s Bernays Lectures is: «The Unity and Breadth of Mathematics – from Diophantus to Today». They will be held by Prof. Barry Mazur, Harvard University (USA).

«What is it that unifies Mathematics?»
Tuesday, September 11, 2018, 17.00 h, E 7, ETH Main Building
«New issues, and expectations, in the study of rational points»
Wednesday, September 12, 2018, 14.15 h, F 3, ETH Main Building
«Diophantine stability and the vanishing of L-functions at the central points»
Wednesday, September 12, 2018, 16.30 h, F 3, ETH Main Building
All lectures are given in English and are self-contained.

LECTURE & SEMINAR | PROF BISHOP

Prof Dr Robert C. Bishop, Professor of Physics and Philosophy at Wheaton College, Illinois
«Reduction, Emergence and Critical Thinking»
Lecture: Wednesday, 16 May 2018, 17.00-19.00, ETH Zurich, Main Building, Room HG D3.2
Seminar: Thursday, 17 May 2018, 09.00-12.00, ETH Zurich, Main Building, Room HG F26.5

Reduction, Emergence and Critical Thinking

A forced choice fallacy occurs whenever the options for choice are reduced such that viable options for debate are left out. Reduction/emergence debates very often reflect this kind of forced choice structure. Whether the physical world is structured reductionistically (all events such as your reading this abstract are merely the outcome of elementary particles and forces) or has some viable form of emergence (many events involve properties and processes that are more than mere outcomes of elementary particles and forces) has implications for how we think about consciousness, free will and ethics. Physics, which is often thought of as being a reductionistic science, actually offers an exemplary pattern for interlevel relations that is a viable alternative to the forced-choice framing of typical reduction-emergence debates. This pattern of interlevel relationships extends beyond physics with implications for our thinking about consciousness, free will and ethics.

Essay

Following his lecture and seminar at ETH Zurich Robert C. Bishop has written an essay on the topic, which is online now: Download Link (PDF, 126 KB)

Robert C. Bishop

Robert C. Bishop is the John and Madeline McIntyre Endowed Professor of Philosophy and History of Science and an associate professor of physics and philosophy at Wheaton College in Illinois. He received his master’s degree in physics and doctorate in philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin. Bishop's research involves history and philosophy of science, philosophy of physics, philosophy of mind, and metaphysics. Bishop is the author of The Philosophy of the Social Science and co-editor of Between Chance and Choice: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Determinism. Website of Robert C. Bischop: external page Link

LECUTRES | PROF. NADDAF 

Two lectures by Prof. Dr. Gerard Naddaf, York University, Toronto:
“Reflections on the early Greek notions of inspiration, creativity and consciousness”
Thursday, April 19, 2018, 17:15-18:45, ETH Zurich, Clausiusstrasse 59, RZ F 21
“Reflections on Plato’s relevance today”
Friday, April 20, 2018, 10:15-11:45, University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, KOL-E-21Download Flyer (PDF, 48 KB)

Blaue Stunde at the Rothaus Bar: Lecture on «What we learn from Gulliver's Travels»

Shipwrecked Lemuel Gulliver lands at Lilliput meeting its tiny people, the giant of Brobdignag and other most peculiar people. In his four part adventure novel of 1726 the Irish priest and politician Jonathan Swift explains his contemporaries a non-existing world. The message of the stories are more relevant then ever in our post factual times: Change your point of view! Prof. Gerd Folkers' speech bridges the satire of the 18^th century with the post factual era.
30 January 2018, 18.30 - 19.15, Rothaus Bar, Corner Langstrasse/Sihlhallenstrasse