Research Colloquium of Gerhard Schurz and Christoph Schamberger

Alexander Christian (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf), Tuomas K. Pernu (King's College London, University of Helsinki)

Gerhard Schurz and Christoph Schamberger kindly invite you to attend two talks at the Research Colloquium at Heinrich Heine University on 28 January 2025:

1) From 18:15 to 19:45. The talk by Dr. Alexander Christian „On the Responsible Integration of Large Language Models in Higher Education";

Abstract: This talk addresses the ethical challenges and opportunities posed by the integration of large language models (LLMs) in higher education. While acknowledging the potential of LLMs to enhance personalized instruction and efficiency for educators, I argue that their uncritical use raises serious concerns regarding academic integrity, bias, and the potential erosion of critical thinking skills. I propose a principle-based ethical framework for LLM integration, grounded in transparency, accountability and critical literacy. This framework includes practical recommendations for revising assessment methods, integrating LLM literacy into curriculum design, and providing comprehensive faculty development to cope with the detrimental effects of LLMs.

Speaker: Dr. Alexander Christian is a lecturer at the Department of Philosophy at the Heinrich Heine University in Duesseldorf. Since 2022 he is responsible for a cross-faculty program on ethics of science and bioethics at the HHU and serve as the managing director of the German Society for Philosophy of Science (GWP). His research interests lie in the intersection of research ethics and bioethics, in particular good scientific practice in biomedical research, ethical implications and responsible regulation of human genome editing and the denial of virological and epidemiological evidence. Recent publications include: Wissenschaftsleugnung. (2024). In A. Christian & I. Gawel (Eds.), Fallstudien, philosophische Analysen und Vorschläge zur Wissenschaftskommunikation. De Gruyter. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110788341


2) From 19:45 to 21:15. The talk by Dr. Tuomas Pernu „On Control".

Abstract: Control is a central notion in philosophy. Most prominently, discussions on agency, free will, and moral responsibility boil down to the issue of control. Control is a central notion in science too: not only do controlled experiments and studies form the basis of all of empirical research, there is a growing interest in mathematical control theory and its applications in a variety of fields of science. But what is control? There is surprisingly little general, philosophical discussion on the notion. In fact: such a discussion is nonexistent. In this presentation, I will take steps towards mending this situation. First, I will review the diversity of issues where the notion of control appears paramount. Second, and more fundamentally, I will outline a general account of control that could help us make sense of all the diversity of control we appear to be faced with.

Speaker: Dr. Tuomas Pernu is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy of Science & Research Ethics at the Uni of Eastern Finland (Doctoral School & Dept of Social Sciences). He works on a variety of topics related to philosophy of science and philosophy of mind (including connections to moral & legal philosophy).Some representative publications include: Pernu, T. K. & Helanterä, H. (2019). “Genetic relatedness and its causal role in the evolution of insect societies”. Journal of Biosciences 44:107; Pernu, T. K. (2018). “Mental causation via neuroprosthetics? A critical analysis”. Synthese 195, p. 5159-5174; Pernu, T. K. (2017). “The five marks of the mental”. Frontiers in Psychology 8:1084; Pernu, T. K. (2008). “Philosophy and the front line of science”. The Quarterly Review of Biology 83, p. 29-36.


The event will be held in a hybrid format: in person in Room 24.53 01.81 and with the option to join via Zoom. For the Zoom link, please email [email protected]. We look forward to your participation.