Dr. Evelyn Brister Presents on "Biodiversity, Emerging Technologies, and the Challenge to Environmental Ethics"
Greetings Philosophers,
We are excited to announce that we will be having a guest speaker join us on Friday, January 31st. This speaker is none other than our very own Dr. Evelyn Brister of the RIT Philosophy Department! Dr. Brister is a professor at RIT who focuses primarily on the philosophy of science and environmental philosophy. Dr. Brister will be discussing the implementation of biotechnologies for the preservation and restoration of various ecosystems, as well as the ethics behind their use. Below is an abstract in which to frame the upcoming talk.
Emerging biotechnologies and novel genetic manipulation techniques, including genetic modification, assisted migration, and advanced cryotechnologies, will prove useful in biodiversity conservation through scaling up biobanking and restoration activities, including coral reef restoration and de-extinction. How will these novel tools and techniques facilitate conservation? What ethical issues arise? How do we weigh the uncertain risks presented by new technologies against the harm of biodiversity loss? I will facilitate discussion on three related themes:
- How do these new tools and technologies challenge our fundamental understanding of life on Earth by altering the nature of species and our understanding of death and extinction?
- How do we weigh the risks of unintended consequences against the background prediction of losing half our biodiversity by 2050?
- What are the implications for inclusive decision-making when there are global impacts to species but a great amount of local culture variation in environmental values?
The event will take place in room EAS-2000 (campus map below) and will last from 5:30-7:30pm. The event will begin with a 30-minute presentation by Dr. Brister before shifting to an open discussion for the remainder of the time. This talk is open to anyone and everyone, so if you have a friend who might be interested, please invite them!
Dr. Brister has provided some additional resources for the ever-indulgent philosopher:
"Manipulating Time by Cryopreservation" – Dr. Brister, Cambridge University Press (Open Access Journal Article)
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-law-medicine-and-ethics/article/manipulating-time-by-cryopreservation-designing-an-environmental-future-by-maintaining-a-portal-to-the-past/ADF67444A415CAD64903B1297E93260E
“Should We Change Species to Save Them?” – New York Times (Article)
https://archive.md/2024.04.14-101628/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/14/science/australia-wildlife-assisted-evolution.html
“Life, Edited” – Hi-Phi Nation ft. Dr. Brister (Podcast)
https://hiphination.org/season-5/s5-episode-6-life-edited/
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us via our Club Discord server. Otherwise, we hope to see you all there!
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