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The Project
What new civic virtues
are required for
the networked age?
Digital networking and algorithms are transforming the ways we make decisions and interact with one another. In 2018, scholars at the University of Oxford launched a research project to promote human flourishing in this evolving technological landscape.
Today, the choice is not between citizens and machines, it is about identifying and protecting humans’ uniqueness as moral decision-makers.
These ideas and goals are at the heart of the Citizenship in a Networked Age report.
The Project
What new civic virtues
are required for
the networked age?
Digital networking and algorithms are transforming the ways we make decisions and interact with one another. In 2018, scholars at the University of Oxford launched a research project to promote human flourishing in this evolving technological landscape.
Today, the choice is not between citizens and machines, it is about identifying and protecting humans’ uniqueness as moral decision-makers.
These ideas and goals are at the heart of the Citizenship in a Networked Age report.
The Project
Digital networking and algorithms are transforming the ways we make decisions and interact with one another. In 2018, scholars at the University of Oxford launched a research project to promote human flourishing in this evolving technological landscape.
Today, the choice is not between citizens and machines, it is about identifying and protecting humans’ uniqueness as moral decision-makers.
These ideas and goals are at the heart of the Citizenship in a Networked Age report.
Launch Events
The Citizenship in a Networked Age event series kicked off in June 2020. The latest virtual event was hosted by Tsinghua University (Beijing). Watch a recording below:
Other news about the events and project:
- 13 October: Citizenship in a Networked Age was the subject of an episode of the Stories of Impact podcast, “An Agenda for Rebuilding Our Civic Ideals”.
- 11 June: The AEI Events podcast released a miniseries on Citizenship in a Networked Age. Listen to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.
- 10 June: The Royal Institution hosted a virtual event featuring expert panelists Andrew Briggs (Oxford Department of Materials), Michael J. Reiss (University College London), and Dame Wendy Hall (University of Southampton).
- 7 June: The team launched a three-part podcast series, now available to stream on our website. It is now available on Apple Podcasts and other distributors.
- 2 June: The University of Oxford has issued a press release about the project.
- 27 May: A video of the kick-off symposium is on YouTube.
Citizenship in a Networked Age Launch Events
27 May 2020 |
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Hague, NL. Watch the recorded symposium here. |
2 JUNE 2020 |
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, UK. Listen to the podcast. |
10 JUNE 2020 |
ROYAL INSTITUTION, LONDON, UK. |
June 2020 |
AEI events podcast. |
30 SEP. 2020 |
TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY, BEIJING, CHN. Watch the recorded conference here. |
TBA JAN. 2021 |
Bangalore, IND |
TBA MAY 2021 |
ROME, IT |
The Podcast
We are excited to announce three new episodes of the Citizenship in a Networked Age podcast:
Episode 1: “Citizenship in a Networked Age” (ft. Andrew Briggs and Michael Reiss, with Dominic Burbidge)
Episode 2: “Trust, Unity & Democracy in the Networked Age” (ft. Nancy Snow and Rosalind Piccard, with Dominic Burbidge)
Episode 3: “Our New Networked Community following COVID-19” (ft. Jens Koed Madsen and Zizi Papacharissi, with Dominic Burbidge)
Our Digital Global Village
The Report
An Agenda
for Rebuilding
Our Civic Ideals
for Rebuilding
Our Civic Ideals
How can we embrace the positive features of social and technological change while addressing their deep implications for citizenship?
The Process
Global Engagement
The research for this report benefited from consultation with leading international experts of technological change and human flourishing. In addition, a local advisory group convened multiple times in the University of Oxford to refine the report’s scope of inquiry.
We are grateful to those who gave generously of their time at the following conferences and consultation meetings:
- Expanded Reason Congress | Rome, Italy | September 2018
- OECD 2030 Future of Education | Paris, France | October 2018
- Global Innovations for Character Development | Nairobi, Kenya | October 2018
- Fuller Theological Seminary | Pasadena, California | October 2018
- Conference on science, philosophy and religion, from the perspective of the Abrahamic faiths | Aiya Napa, Cyprus | November 2018
- Cyber Policy Center | Stanford University | USA | 2019
- Legatum Institute | UK | 2019
- Abigail Adams Institute | USA | 2019
- Harvard University | USA | 2019
- Center for the Study of Statesmanship | Catholic University of America | USA | 2019
A summary of the research ideas gathered through the initial consultation phase is available in the publication, ‘Promoting Human Flourishing through the Best of Scientific Insight and Spiritual Wisdom: A Global Engagement’ (2019).
A look inside the report
A look inside
a selection of key topics explored in Citizenship in a Networked Age
Values-Based Decision-Making
How can the technologies of the networked age contribute to values-based civic engagement? Learn more.
Public and Private Spaces
How does privacy provide protected space for citizens to reflect on what matters most to them? Learn more.
Decision-Making by Machines and Citizens
How can machine decision-making serve the goals of a just society and a united citizenship? Learn more.
Meet Our Authors
Dominic Burbidge
Lead Author, University of Oxford
Dominic Burbidge researches decentralisations (technological and governmental), citizenship, and social trust. He is Research Director in the University of Oxford, External Advisor to Templeton World Charity Foundation, and Director of the Canterbury Institute. Dr. Burbidge is the single author of two books and nine peer-reviewed articles, which focus on the nature of democracy, social trust, and human connectivity.
Andrew Briggs
University of Oxford
Andrew Briggs is the inaugural holder of the Chair in Nanomaterials at the University of Oxford. In 1999, he was elected Honorary Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society for his innovative methods and applications of microscopy. From 2002-2009, he was Director of the Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration in Quantum Information Processing. He has more than 600 publications, with nearly 25,000 citations. His latest book, It Keeps Me Seeking: The Invitation from Science, Philosophy, & Religion, with Hans Halvorson and Andrew Steane, was published by OUP in September 2018.
Michael J. Reiss
University College London
Michael J. Reiss is Professor of Science Education at University College London, Visiting Professor at the Universities of York and the Royal Veterinary College, an Anglican priest, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, the Society of Biology, and the Royal Society of Arts. He is President of the International Society for Science & Religion and of the International Association for Science and Religion in Schools. Previously, he was Specialist Advisor to the Houses of Commons (education) and Lords (bioethics). His recent books address topics including science pedagogy, strategies for teaching about human origins, and values in sex education.
“Citizenship in a Networked Age” was funded by a grant to the University of Oxford from Templeton World Charity Foundation. The opinions expressed in this project are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc.
