Professor John Hartley Lecture:
Cultural Science and the Evolution of Meaningfulness
Wednesday, December 5th, 2012 - Birt Acres, Bute Building
Professor John Hartley will discuss how knowledge is created, distributed and grown in the era of digital media, social networks, and consumer-created content.
The public lecture will take place at 6:00PM in Bute Building. Following a drinks reception the lecture is scheduled to start at 6:30.
Speaking ahead of the conference Professor Hartley said, "Instead of seeing culture as heritage, resistance, or ‘suboptimal behaviour,’ cultural science is an attempt to study culture by combining humanities-based in-close investigation (particularity) with science-based evolutionary and complexity theory (scale and dynamics).
"It is the study of the evolution of meaningfulness in complex systems. This approach seeks to understand culture as a prime source of collaboration and innovation. As evolutionary biologist Mark Pagel writes: ‘Language really is the most potent trait that has ever evolved, and the most subversive tool we have. It allows you to implant a thought in someone else’s mind — without surgery.’"
This lecture will introduce the cultural science approach and show how it can assist in understanding policy and practice in the creative economy, digital culture and the growth of knowledge.
Professor John Hartley is a Professor of Cultural Science and Director of the Centre for Culture and Technology at Curtin University and is a Professor of Journalism, Media & Cultural Studies at Cardiff University.
The lecture is free to attend, but booking essential. To book a place please email Julie Jewell, JewellJ2@cardiff.ac.uk