Much has been said about data mining and predictive analytics to influence the outcomes of national elections and shape our opinions. This doesn’t reflect the positive possibilities of predictive analytics to help society identify and protect the vulnerable amongst us. God Himself categorises people whilst at the same time knowing our individual uniqueness.
This term’s event will be on Friday 2nd February, when we are delighted to welcome Riding Lights Theatre Company to Worcester. They are touring with their new production, “Faith In The Questions”, which is a dynamic blend of theatre and discussion. It includes a new one act play, “Counting The Questions”, by Nigel Forde, followed by conversation with leading scientists.
Changing views of transsexuality are making waves in popular culture, politics and medicine. A 2015 parliamentary committee report called for a move away from viewing transgender identity as a disease or disorder of the mind, replacement of the present medicalised process for acquiring a gender recognition certificate with a simplified procedure based on self-declaration and a move towards the non-gendering of official records. Justine Greening, Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, has recently announced her intention to press ahead with these reforms.
Thursday 6th July
Science fiction is the literature of our age, questioning human origins, destiny and our relationship to what is not us, be it the universe, aliens, animals, robots that serve or…… super-intelligent cyborgs. In a “world without God”, will humans themselves become gods or become victims of their worst nightmares?
The speaker, Stephen May, science fiction fan and former lecturer in Systematic Theology at the University of Auckland, is author of Stardust and Ashes: Science Fiction in Christian Perspective (1998)
Machines are getting smarter all the time, and now people are talking about the ‘Doctor in your pocket’. This is all made possible by advances in ‘Artificial Intelligence’ that is equipping machines to ‘think like humans’, or in some areas, to out-think us.
Some of the big questions:
“What can these machines do?”,
“Will they be friend or foe?” and
“Can God help us face the challenges ahead?”
The speaker, Dr Kim Stansfield, is a Senior Lecturer in Systems Engineering at Warwick University, and has spent 25 years working on the development of robotic manufacturing, self-steering cars, business systems and sustainable energy systems.
Has science killed God? An interesting question. Lizzie Henderson is young, a Cambridge science graduate and a Christian, and she will be helping us think about this question and other stuff at The Hive on Friday 18th November, from 7-9pm. She is an evolutionary biologist and will explore some of the key issues in the science-faith discussion, as well as answering your questions.
The evening is free, but you need to book, by clicking HERE. If you’d like to send in your questions in advance, tweet us at @ReThinkWorcs, email info@rethinkworcester.co.uk or write to Re:Think, 4 Barbourne Terrace, Worcester WR1 3JS.
