Human Nature and Technology
- Grades 9-12
- CTY-Level
-
Residential
- History and Social Science
This philosophy course explores questions of human nature in light of recent technological breakthroughs in communication, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and modern warfare. You will consider how our ability to transform our environment affects the way we perceive and value human life. From current and historical contexts, you’ll evaluate philosophical questions like: how did the agricultural revolution impact social order? When do cybernetic implants transform a person into a machine? In what sense is your online identity “you”? Does social networking enhance or replace authentic human interaction? Working with your classmates, you’ll critically assess these issues while developing your ability to construct and evaluate formal arguments. In this interdisciplinary course, you will study texts from literature, history, and science. Through critical reading and analytical writing, debates, group activities, and research projects, you’ll explore the relationship between human nature and technology, and gain an appreciation for humanity, how we work, and what our future holds.
Typical Class Size: 16-18
This course is
ungraded.
Summer Dates & Locations
After May 16, 2025, registration is available upon request pending eligibility and seat availability. To request placement, email [email protected] after submitting a program application.
Session One
Session Two
Testing and Prerequisites
| Math | Verbal | |
|---|---|---|
| Required Level | CTY-Level | or CTY-Level |
Students must achieve qualifying scores on an advanced assessment to be eligible for CTY programs. If you don’t have qualifying scores, you have several different testing options. We’ll help you find the right option for your situation.
Sign up for Testing Learn MoreCost and Financial Aid
Tuition
- Varies
Application fee
- Nonrefundable Application Fee - $55 (Waived for financial aid applicants)
- Nonrefundable International Fee - $250 (outside US only)
We have concluded our financial aid application review process for 2025 On-Campus Programs. We encourage those who may need assistance in the future to apply for aid as early as possible. We are committed to serving all talented youth regardless of financial circumstances. Financial assistance is available based on need.
Course Materials
Students should bring basic school supplies like pens, notebooks, and folders to their summer program. You will be notified of any additional items needed before the course begins. All other materials will be provided by CTY.
Sample Reading
These titles have been featured in past sessions of the course, and may be included this summer. CTY provides students with all texts; no purchase is required.
- Philosophy of Technology: The Technological Condition – An Anthology, Robert C. Scharff
- Natural-Born Cyborgs: Minds, Technologies, and the Future of Human Intelligence, Andy Clark
- On the Internet, Hubert L. Dreyfus
About History and Social Science at CTY
Enhance your critical thinking skills
Expand your ability to reason through difficult problems by taking one of our philosophy or logic classes. Learn how to craft strong and clear arguments in Big Questions, or explore the techniques of logic that lawyers, doctors, and mathematicians utilize to be successful in their fields in Logic: Principles of Reasoning.
Explore social justice in action
Develop knowledge and skills that will help you address issues of systemic inequality throughout the world. Engage the historical and legal challenges different populations face in Great Cases and Laws and Orders.
Meet our instructors and staff
This was my fifth summer working at CTY. I love the culture of CTY. For three weeks, students and staff from all over the world create their own special community unlike anywhere else. I love getting to be a part of that.
Amanda Mastronardi
Dean of Residential Life and CTY Alum
The students are so bright, interesting, and often willing to try some of the most silly and unique activities that the RAs create.
Rebecca Somer
Resident Assistant
CTY students have a contagious energy combined with a thirst for knowledge that I look forward to each summer. They remind me of why I became a teacher.
Antonia Richards
Chemistry Instructor