[In-person] Curiosity Café: The Ethics of Future Medical Technologies

In this Curiosity Café, we will examine the expansive and sci-fi-esque domain of advancements in medical technologies and their ethical implications.

During the first half of our discussion, we will be considering ethical principles in the medical uses of artificial intelligence. Beginning with a brief overview of four central bioethical principles that clinicians use to navigate ethical dilemmas in medical practice: autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice, we then go into a real-world scenario where a hospital’s A.I. diagnostic system regularly outperforms human doctors. Should we use this device? Its efficacy raises ethical concerns — if we know it’s better, then perhaps we should defer to it, but what about when patients disagree with AI recommendations or experience worsened conditions after following AI advice?

In the second half, we’ll discuss genetic engineering. It seems to us that while the technology is safe, its high cost limits access to wealthier families, raising justice and equity concerns. At what cost does this technology come?

Join co-moderators Lea Love and Marybel Menzies for a futuristic discussion that will inspire you to reflect on technological advancement, question your assumptions, and explore the diverse applications of these technologies that have the power to radically transform how we see ourselves and the world we inhabit.

Space is limited! Please obtain a “Pay-What-You-Can” ticket from Curiosity Café here to attend this event. See the ticketing page for more info about tickets and other options including a limited number of free tickets. Come and hang out with us, grab food, and read through our handout from 6-6:30pm. Our structured discussion will run from 6:30-8:30pm with a 10 minute break in the middle.

Hope to see you there!

(Also consider signing up for our next Curiosity Class "Social Harms and Cancel Culture" on Saturday June 7th and our next Philosophical Skills Workshop "How to Evaluate an Argument" on Saturday June 21!)

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This event is brought to you by Being and Becoming, a Toronto based non-profit. We aim to create community around exploring everyday concepts and experiences so that we may live more intentional, thoughtful, and meaningful lives. We use philosophy as a tool with which we can come to a richer understanding of the world around us.

By offering activities, spaces, and other opportunities for conversation and co-exploration, we hope to enable the meeting and fusion of individuals and their ideas. Everyone is welcome, regardless of background: indeed, we believe the journey is best undertaken alongside explorers from a variety of disciplines, cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.

Find out more about Being and Becoming here.

About the Curiosity Café Series:

For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to join us at our Curiosity Cafés and are wondering what they’re all about: every two weeks, we invite members of our community to come out to the Madison Avenue Pub to engage in a collaborative exploration of our chosen topic. Through these events, we aim to build our community of people who like to think deeply about life’s big questions, and provide each other with some philosophical tools to dig deeper into whatever it is we are most curious about.