2021 Minnis Fall Lecture Series
The following information is provided from the Minnis Lecture Series website.
When: October 7, 14, 21, 2021
After decades of promoting human rights, Rev. Dr. William F. Schulz challenges us to think hard about how rights evolve with changing circumstances, and what rights will look like ten, twenty, or fifty years from now. In these Minns Lectures webinars, hosted by First Church Boston, King’s Chapel, and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, he details the many frontiers of rights today and the debates surrounding them.
Rev. Dr. William F. Schulz served as president of the Unitarian Universalist Association before becoming executive director of Amnesty International USA in 1994 and then president of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee from 2010–16. He is co-author with Sushma Raman of The Coming Good Society: Why New Realities Demand New Rights (Harvard University Press).
Lecture 1: Where Do Rights Come From?
Rights describe a good society. Just as our notion of the “good society” may change from generation to generation, so should our understanding of rights.
Respondent: Elias Ortega, President, Meadville Lombard Theological School
When: Thursday, October 7, 2021, 7:00 pm EDT
Lecture 2: Brave New World?
If rights change with changing circumstances, some rights may need to be reconceived. Today new technologies can track our every step and even produce “designer babies,” so how should we update the rights to privacy and personal sovereignty?
Respondent: Rachel Gore Freed, Vice President and Chief Program Officer, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
When: Thursday, October 14, 2021, 7:00 pm EDT
Lecture 3: Do Robots Have Rights? How about Rocks?
Animals, robots, and even ecosystems need to be considered holders of rights if we truly want to create a good society.
Respondent: Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, President and CEO, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
When: Thursday, October 21, 2021, 7:00 pm EDT