Research Triangle Park, N.C.  The National Humanities Center hosted its second annual conference on "The Human & The Humanities," November 8 – 10, 2007. In three days of stimulating sessions, participants exchanged ideas and discussed issues surrounding how developments in science are challenging traditional notions of "the human" as part of the Center’s ongoing initiative Autonomy, Singularity, Creativity (ASC). Speakers representing a wide range of disciplines, from neurolinguistics to primatology, computer science to philosophy, presented talks on subjects including empathy in non-human animals, creativity in computers and non-human species, and implications for law and social policy that may result from prolonging human longevity, incorporating nanotechnology, and genetic engineering.

Below are images from this year’s conference.* To see video of the sessions or to learn more about the ASC initiative, please visit the Center's ASC Web site.

*To view this slideshow you will need the Adobe Flash Player, available for free download.