Beyond Good and Evil? 
Mathematics, Computer Science, and the Question of Responsibility

Rombuch 2019 as a PDF

[I]t is clear to most people today, in any case, that mathematics has crept into every aspect of our lives like a demon (...) and that mathematics is the source of an evil intellect that makes humans masters of the earth, but slaves to the machine. 

- Robert Musil (1880–1942) 

Even if one does not share the negative tone of the analysis that Robert Musil attributes to “those who were poor at mathematics in their youth and school days,” it is nevertheless undeniable that mathematics and computer science shape the modern world to an extent that can hardly be overestimated. However, the question of how to responsibly shape this influence is often dismissed with the argument that mathematics is concerned only with the correctness of its theorems, and computer science with the proper functioning of its algorithms—meaning that both operate “beyond good and evil.” However, we do not wish to allow the question of these two disciplines’ responsibility to be trivialized so easily. And so, during the upcoming winter semester and then during the field trip week in Rome, the 2019 Rome Seminar will examine the role of mathematics and computer science in society. This could involve, for example, the following questions:

• How do “autonomous” machines work—self-driving cars being just the best-known example—and who bears responsibility for their proper functioning or malfunction?
• What role do mathematics and computer science play in military research, and how do they shape modern warfare?
• What influence do data and numbers have on social conditions and political decisions? To what extent is the term “Weapons of Math Destruction” (Cathy O’Neil) justified?
• How do modern communication media, “social networks,” etc., affect the structure of Western democracies?
• What insights does a mathematical perspective offer on questions of justice, for example in the analysis of democratic electoral processes or fair distribution?
• How was the relationship between ethics and mathematics discussed in earlier times—for example, in ancient Greece?

The 2019 Rome Seminar will address these and other topics; as always, it offers a unique opportunity to look beyond the boundaries of one’s own field of study. In addition, the seminar focuses on practicing presentation, rhetoric, and discussion in an academic context that normally pays little attention to these aspects.