The winter term 2016/17 at the Orient-Institute Istanbul starts with the new lecture series “Designing Nature, Upgrading Human Life? Reflections on how Medicine, Science and Technology transform our lives” (a detailed program will follow soon).

Recent developments in Medicine, Science and Technology enable an unprecedented “optimization” of the human being. Our lecture series is dedicated to the interdisciplinary and intercultural discussion of the consequences of these developments. How do scientific advances in body modification impact conceptualizations of humanity and the nature of life? What are the cultural and social consequences of scientific and technical interventions into human biology? Do these interventions in the biological nature of human beings and their resulting changes actually lead to an improvement of life? These and other questions will be addressed.

With this lecture series, the Orient-Institut Istanbul presents its new research field “Human, Medicine and Society” to the public with the aim of starting a scientific dialogue on these issues between German and Turkish scientists.