Yesterday was the first day of class here at MIT and the first meeting of our undergraduate ethics seminar. Each year brings a new group of engaged students, with the size of the class fluctuating from year to year, usually in the 10-15 person range. Last evening, however, as more and more students piled into the classroom, finally reaching 34 people, Sally Haslanger and I looked on, amazed. While there may be no rhyme or reason we can discern for this large class, perhaps our turbulent times have encouraged students to think more deeply about ethics and purpose in their personal lives.

After brief introductions all round, we handed out index cards for students to list three issues that are on their minds. As I read through the cards today, I was moved by the range and thoughtfulness of the responses. Topics of concern included immigration; our moral responsibility towards those less fortunate than ourselves; the ethics of climate change; unfettered capitalism; AI and its impact on our society; social media and the decline of real conversation and of meaningful relationships; our food supply and animal rights. It will indeed be a full semester! 

In addition to the seminar, Radius is hosting and co-hosting a full range of programs this semester. We are thrilled to once again be co-sponsoring two programs with the Communications Forum at MIT, continuing our Hack Your Mind series, hosting the 12th Annual Youth Summit on Climate Change (!), screening the film, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, and finally, on May 10, presenting the J. Herbert Hollomon Memorial Symposium: Humans Need Not Apply: Reflections on AI and the Future of Work. We'll certainly be adding more programs to the Spring line-up. Please check out our website and join us!