Lecture series abstracts

Lives Well Lived Documentary Screening

Lives Well Lived is an award-winning documentary that has played at numerous festivals and aired on PBS. This 90-minute documentary interviews 40 seniors who are living life to the fullest and have wisdom to share. Participants will have a chance to discuss lessons from the film after the screening. Light refreshments and free swag! Open to the public. Free tickets on Eventbrite.

This is the kick-off event for the A Life Well Lived - Kalamazoo (LWL) events series in 2024-25 co-organized by the WMU Ethics Center, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI at WMU), and the Kalamazoo Lyceum. Filmmaker Sky Bergman will visit Kalamazoo for the closing LWL event on March 15.

Debates, Dilemmas, and Decisions in AI Governance

As AI continues to influence sectors ranging from human resources to agriculture to criminal justice, the need for effective governance structures is becoming more pronounced. Decision-makers have started to act, which positions us to review our current standing and progress to-date. This presentation does so by addressing several key issues—debates and dilemmas—surrounding the governance of artificial intelligence. Emphasizing a public policy perspective, the presentation reviews the status with respect to ongoing debates between 1) centralized and decentralized governance, as well as 2) the tension between competition and cooperation in global circles. It further emphasizes the 3) core issue of how governments and organizations are working to balance innovation with the need for regulation, and finally assesses progress related to 4) calls for diverse participation of stakeholders, including by policymakers, industry, and civil society, in shaping the future of AI policy. For each issue, the presentation reviews the nature of the debate, current evidence suggesting the direction of travel, and remaining gaps and decisions to be made. It examines specific developments such as emergence of the AI ethics auditing ecosystem, the bifurcation between vertical and horizontal governance in the EU and US, and the role of public opinion in shaping technology policy.

Daniel Schiff is an Assistant Professor of technology policy at Purdue University’s Department of Political Science and the co-director of GRAIL, the Governance and Responsible AI Lab. As a policy scientist with a background in philosophy, he studies the formal and informal governance of AI through policy and industry, as well as AI's social and ethical implications in domains like education, manufacturing, finance, and criminal justice. His interdisciplinary and mixed methods research addresses topics such as industry standards and organizational practices for AI ethics, public and elite opinion and influence dynamics in the policy process, the development of social responsibility attitudes amongst future computing and engineering professionals, and the role of the public in governing emerging technologies. At GRAIL, he focuses on fostering interdisciplinary research collaborations to study AI's social, policy, and ethical implications using diverse theoretical approaches and rigorous methods. He works with many passionate and talented graduate and undergraduate students, academics, and practitioners. Dr. Schiff studied philosophy at Princeton University, focusing on robotics and intelligent systems, before completing a master’s degree in social policy at the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in public policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Building an Ethics Ecosystem for AI:  What, Why, and How?

Ethical problems in AI and big data systems are not just caused by bad actors. Even well-meaning people often repeat the same mistakes, such as relying on outdated tools or working in isolation from others with relevant expertise. There's also a frequent lack of input from stakeholders who will be affected by these systems. This talk identifies the root cause of these ongoing issues and argues that we need an "ethics ecosystem" for AI and Big Data—where technical experts, humanists, and affected communities all work together. The talk explains what this ecosystem would look like and the important role that humanists and others can play in building and maintaining it.

Dr. John Basl, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of philosophy at Northeastern University.  He specializes in moral philosophy and applied ethics, with a particular focus on AI and data ethics. His research delves into how emerging technologies raise new philosophical questions and challenge established theories. He believes that philosophy provides crucial tools and insights for guiding the ethical development of technology. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, Dr. Basl strives to make philosophical concepts accessible and applicable to real-world issues, while deeply engaging with the technologies and contexts he studies to help realize their potential in ethically responsible ways.

A New Argument for Pacifism

Pacifism is the radical view that harming persons without their consent is necessarily morally impermissible. Dr. Hereth defends a novel argument for pacifism grounded in epistemic justice vis-à-vis admissible reasons. Suppose Amish is about to be murdered by Attacker and you can save Amish only by killing Attacker at zero risk to yourself or others. But Amish, who wants to live but is also a pacifist who objects to all non-consensual killing, asks that you not kill Attacker. What should you do? 

Assuming a pro tanto obligation to easy rescue, justification is necessary to permissibly forego killing Attacker to save Amish. Dr. Hereth then argues, first, that it is implausible and epistemically unjust to interpret Amish as waiving or forfeiting their right to life or other-defense. Second, they argue that the reason Amish gives for not killing Attacker in Amish’s defense is morally admissible only if you are a pacifist. Third, Dr. Hereth argues that, because Amish’s reason is prima facie morally legitimate and, therefore, admissible, that is prima facie evidence for pacifism.

Dr. Blake Hereth is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Ethics, Humanities, and Law at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed). They work in neuroethics, bioethics, applied ethics and philosophy of religion. They completed their Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Washington, Seattle, in 2019. Before coming to WMed, Dr. Hereth was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Wexler Lab at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, working as part of a team investigating the ethics of consumer neurotechnology. Dr. Hereth is a member of the American Philosophical Association's Committee on LGBTQ People in the Profession, which they chaired from 2022-2024. 

KalaSalon: A Life Well Lived

When you ask someone, “What is a life well lived?,” the responses will vary in thought and direction. To explore the concept, Western Michigan University’s Center for the Study of Ethics in Society, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at WMU, and the Kalamazoo Lyceum have collaborated to bring community voices into the conversation to answer this question. In 2024 and 2025, A Life Well Lived - Kalamazoo will host several connected events in the Kalamazoo area, each hoping to inspire a dialogue around living a purposeful and full life. The event series will seek to engage residents in a variety of ways in an effort to uncover the depth and breadth of wisdom our community holds. Ultimately, the hope is for the programs to inspire more intergenerational relationships, a stronger sense of community, and a shared hopeful vision for the future. For this event, join the series' organizers for pizza and conversation about this topic.