Welcome to the Center for Science and Thought
The Center for Science and Thought (CST) is a radically interdisciplinary platform designed to address urgent questions that arise at the intersection of philosophy and various natural sciences.
The CST is located at Konrad-Zuse-Platz 1-3, 53227 Bonn.
Job Offer WHF (8h/week)
To support the development and work of the interdisciplinary network "Feminist AI", the Center for Science and Thought is looking for a WHF as soon as possible.
Application Deadline: 28.02.2025
Current News of the CST
With the EU AI Act entering into force under the New Legislative Framework, the standardization of AI technologies transitions from a conceptual goal to a legal mandate. In recent years, efforts have been made to evaluate the societal impacts of AI technolo- gies beyond mere legal safeguards, aiming to “operationalize,” “standardize,” and even “certify” ethics. At the same time, actual ethical concerns regarding the operationalization of ethics have grown. In the forthcoming conference, our main questions focus on hidden stakeholders, values, and how profit-making might interfere with certifying and standard- izing AI technologies.
New Interdisciplinary Network Approved
The interdisciplinary network 'Feminist AI' at the University of Bonn will
start in January 2025 with the aim to strengthen the networking and visibility
of female researchers at the University of Bonn and to promote a critical
engagement with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
More Information
At the fall meeting of the "Deutsche Medienfrauen" ("German Media Women"), Dr. Julia Maria Mönig discussed current cases of discrimination and short-term problems of artificial intelligence applications, as well as the potential opportunities offered by the technology, under the question “Disadvantage pre-programmed? - The gender problem of AI”.
Here you can find additional news.
Events of the CST
Workshop, February 28th 2025, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
In today’s rapidly evolving world, advanced technologies like AI are not only transforming economies and governance but also reshaping societal values and human coexistence. While those technologies are already widely discussed within the disciplines of computer science, economics or applied ethics, their development and application concern core issues of the humanities. Over the course of the conference, we want to discuss not only how these technologies should be designed and used, but also how digital technologies influence concepts of humanity or society.
March 13 2025, 09:30 am, CST
Join us for a thought-provoking morning at the Center for Science and Thought, where leading AI scholars and experts take on some of the most overused terms in AI discourse—and dismantle them.
More information
Whitepaper Launch & Workshop with Jocelyn Maclure and Markus Gabriel
Wednesday, 18th December 2024, 3-5pm
IZPH
The research project "Certified AI" explores the question of what a
certification of "trustworthy AI" could look like. The philosophy team, Nicholas
Kluge Corrêa and Julia Maria Mönig, research this question from an ethical
perspective. With their latest publication they offer guidance to computer scientists and
programmers on how to try to make AI-based applications more "ethical".
More information
Here you can find more events.
Research of the CST
The aim of the project is to develop procedures to examine generally accepted standards for AI systems and their verification, as well as to explore business models for an AI certification. Our research investigates the ethical-philosophical significance of these dimensions.
Rethinking AI for Just and Sustainable Futures.
We investigate how to design AI (artificial intelligence) and other digital technologies in a responsible way, placing the questions of social justice and environmental sustainability at the very heart of our work.
Our research program is a collaboration between the Universities of Cambridge and Bonn and numerous international partners, and is funded by the Mercator Foundation in Germany.
The 'Towards New Demarcation Criteria for Borderline Consciousness' Project is an interdisciplinary project involving a collaboration between philosophers of Bonn and Cambridge and neuroscientists from the epilepsy clinic in Bonn. Its main purpose is to create an international research forum to develop new criteria for determining whether and when non-human entities, such as non-linguistic animals, new brain organisms, or advanced AI systems can be considered conscious.
You can find more information about our research projects here.
