Transcript Document
The Institute of Advanced Study Sir Kenneth Calman Vice-Chancellor and Warden 11 October 2006 Shaped by the past, creating the future Based on ideas……… Durham’s Institute of Advanced Study is distinctive in organising the core of its work around a rolling programme of thematic priorities Core themes have ∂ • interdisciplinary appeal • are controversial • lie at the cutting edge of research • Shaped by the past, creating the future A few more ideas……… Heads of Department were contacted asking for big ideas that will be central to the development of their subject area, the following topics were suggested: • English Ethics after postmodernism: the role of the arts ∂ Epistemology and pluralism: are there aesthetic/literary kinds of knowledge as well as scientific/philosophical kinds? •Philosophy Realism versus anti-realism The origin of language Shaped by the past, creating the future • Theology and Religion Inter-religious understanding Religion in relation to science, liberal ideals and the postmodern condition • International Relations What does the rise of a 21st century Asian super-region mean for international relations and the international balance of power ∂ Is mass politics as we knew in the 20th century dead? • Law The protection of human rights The design of effective regulatory mechanisms Shaped by the past, creating the future • Applied Social Sciences Recognition of the ‘whole system’ nature of the world and the way in which we interact with it. Breaking down the boundaries between theory and practice • Health Models of health understanding and models of healthcare delivery ∂ Understanding well-being •Archaeology Climate change, economic development and the devastation of the cultural heritage in third world countries Past and present populations, health, cross-species contacts and diseases Shaped by the past, creating the future • Business Corporate social responsibility and the legitimacy of the capitalist economic system The balance between the public and private in how the public sector is organised • Physics What is the universe made of? The physics of complexity ∂ • Chemistry Sustainable energy Learning to control materials at all scales from the atomic through to meso/nano to macro Shaped by the past, creating the future • Geography Developments in planetary geomorphology Climate change and the adaptation required in a world driven by complex interactions Relational geographies: territorial space versus space made through human and non-human practices Trans-humanism and the increasing attention being paid to the inseparability of human life from its nature and technology ∂ Shifts in the understanding of identities • Earth Sciences Comparative planetology The 3D capture and visualisation of Earth Structures Shaped by the past, creating the future Seeing the bigger picture….. •The changing environment » ecologically » geographically » technologically • A reduction in carbon emissions • Bioethics • Globalisation and the challenges it brings • The global distribution of water ∂ Shaped by the past, creating the future • • The concept of being human in a non-human age The tensions and conflicts between cultures, races and religions • Poverty and power • Social hope ∂ • Can people be induced to sacrifice their welfare for the welfare of future generations? • What is our legacy to our children in the 21st century? Shaped by the past, creating the future The RSA Journal (Oct 2006) includes an article on The Millennium Project, a global think-tank striving to find solutions to the biggest challenges destined to face us in the future. The 15 interlinked challenges that form the primary concerns of the Millennium Project are: Sustainable development for all Sufficient clean water Balancing population growth and resources Genuine democracy Globally sensitive policy making ∂ Global convergence of communications technologies Reducing the threat of disease Reduction of ethnic conflict Meeting growing energy demands Ethical market economies Improved capacity to make decisions during change Changing status of women Stopping crime networks Scientific breakthroughs to support the human condition Incorporating ethical considerations into global decisions Shaped by the past, creating the future So we are seeing the bigger picture at Durham…….. Perhaps we could have our own ∂ ‘The little Durham book of Big Ideas’…………. Shaped by the past, creating the future