Measurement Heresies Old and New: Ancients, Patients, AI, and Human Agency
June 22–23, 2027 | 3:00–5:30 PM BST (GMT+1)
Free Online Symposium
Organized by Michele Luchetti and Rebecca L. Jackson.
Co-hosted by the Measurement Lab in the Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities at Durham University.
About the Symposium
Emerging data technologies and techniques are creating unprecedented (perhaps even heretical) philosophical questions; in contexts as diverse as health, architecture, aesthetics, and education, the line between ethics and epistemology begins to blur. How can we measure without hidden undue influence over how people imagine themselves and without unintentionally dictating the bounds of human futures? Is normativity when measuring ever avoidable, or is it a responsibility we must always undertake? Or—are these questions about measurement so very new after all?
Ranging from ancient philosophy in Greece to 18th-century recipes of rural British women, from dancing in psychiatric wards in New York to determining the siting of 21st-century hospitals in Italy, this free online symposium creates the opportunity to leap across temporal and geographical boundaries to uncover the longer history of questions about the right units, the importance of traceability, and the role of humans as responsible measurers.
In particular, these presentations will center on (1) how units and scales relate to the characterization of measured targets and (2) the burden of dealing with human values when measuring. In today’s use of complex composite indexes for making public policy decisions—not to mention the influx of artificial intelligence technologies—traceability and responsibility have never been harder to manage. Rather than treating current technologies and practices as unprecedented, these talks will show that we can draw inspiration from the past to inform emerging futures.
Symposium Program
All times are British Summer Time (BST, GMT+1).
Day 1 — Tuesday, June 22, 2027
3:00 PM — Giulia Bonasio
Classics and Ancient History
Durham University
3:45 PM — Rachel Feldberg
History
University of York
4:45 PM — Javier Garcia-Martinez
Science and Technology Studies, History
University of Warwick
Day 2 — Wednesday, June 23, 2027
3:00 PM — Thomas Bonnin
Philosophy
Politecnico di Milano
3:45 PM — Elif Çelikörs
Psychology
Mount Saint Mary’s University
4:45 PM — David Sul
Psychometrics
University of San Francisco; University of the Virgin Islands
Presentation titles and additional program details will be announced in February 2027.
Organization
Organizers
Michele Luchetti and Rebecca L. Jackson
Co-host
Measurement Lab, Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities, Durham University
Registration and Participation
The symposium will take place online and is free to attend.
Registration information and details on how to join the sessions will be announced soon.
Organization
Organizers
Michele Luchetti and Rebecca L. Jackson
Co-host
Measurement Lab, Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities, Durham University