Events

In this special talk for Pi Capital and the How To Academy, in the intimate and ultra-cool setting of Second Home, Evgeny Morozov, one of the most brilliant and respected commentators on the Internet, will discuss one of the most important issues today: namely, how technology companies promise us a seemingly genuine path towards social mobility. Thus, they are more than happy to provide the public with free services in exchange for our data. Initially those services were limited to communication and search online but today they increasingly include services that promise better healthcare (think wearables), better education (think MOOCs), better transportation (think Uber) and even better and free connectivity for all (think Internet.org).

But what are the moral, political, and social consequences of accepting this free bargain? And why are our governments so eager to go along with Silicon Valley’s plans?

The University of Cambridge has consistently pushed the boundaries of knowledge. This evening is a showcase of how that is continuing in the twenty-first century. Drawing on Cambridge’s unique combination of world-leading scientific and technical innovation with deep philosophical and historical insight, we present a series of short talks about how Cambridge is exploring the world of today to change the world of tomorrow.

From the advent of advanced robotics to the challenge of entrenched inequality, the nature of the problems facing the world is more complex, vast and urgent than ever before. Cambridge has the ability, vision and drive to tackle these problems, and it is therefore critical to consolidate, secure and expand our endeavour in order to ensure we do so. This evening will focus on four speakers, each with a transforming vision for how Cambridge can make a lasting impact on the world of today, and the world of tomorrow.

Introduced by Professor David Runciman, Professor of Politics and International Studies, other speakers are:

Geoffrey Kent had nothing but an East African shilling and an old Land Rover when he launched a safari business in 1962 with his parents in Nairobi. Today he is the chairman and CEO of Abercrombie & Kent, a pioneering internationally renowned luxury travel company that takes thousands of trekkers to the planet’s wildest frontiers.

New York Times columnist David Brooks is one of the leading public intellectuals of our times. His book The Social Animal, a study of the unconscious mind and the triggers that drive human behaviour, was one of the most talked about publications of 2011. David Cameron instructed all the members of his Cabinet to read it.

In his latest book, The Road to Character, Brooks argues that today’s ‘Big Me’ culture is making us increasingly self-preoccupied: we live in a world where we’re taught to be assertive, to master skills, to broadcast our brand, to get likes, to get followers. But amidst all the noise of self-promotion, Brooks will claim that we’ve lost sight of an important and counterintuitive truth: that in order to fulfil ourselves we need to learn how to forget ourselves.