A Constitution for the 21st Century

Join the American Philosophical Society and the McQuillan Institute for Science, Technology, and the Human Future on Thursday, October 29, 2026 to welcome Sheila Jasanoff, Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies at the Harvard Kennedy School, for a lecture on "A Constitution for the 21st Century." Prior to Sheila Jasanoff's lecture, there will be a half-day, interdisciplinary workshop that explores topics in science, technology, and democracy. 

Event Description
We are all today citizens of an emerging, borderless world in which technologies for managing data, genes, and climate can regulate our lives and reshape the meaning and purposes of being human, as well as being political actors. Recent striking retreats from the democratic principles that animated much of the 20th century are inextricably linked to developments in science and technology. Yet decisions about how these technologies should be deployed are taken largely outside the purview of democratic processes. The rights, duties, and entitlements of humans are often treated as subordinate to the goals of technological efficiency and economic growth. In short, science and technology have supplanted democracy in ordering our lives and, in so doing, have become ends in themselves. On October 29, the American Philosophical Society and the McQuillan Institute for Science, Technology and the Human Future will explore these issues with a half-day, interdisciplinary workshop and a public lecture entitled A Constitution for the 21st Century by Sheila Jasanoff, Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Panel Descriptions
Panel 1: American Citizenship and Public Reason since 1776
At the 250th anniversary of the United States, democratic governance confronts a central paradox. From its founding, the US government has struggled to define the proper relationship between “the people” and their elected representatives, through both federal and state constitutions. Political theory and practice are preoccupied with the legitimacy of those elected to make decisions in our name. We have, however, left largely implicit the constitutional status of the experts and institutions tasked with knowing for the people. From Jefferson’s faith in citizens’ enlightened rationality to the recent Supreme Court ruling against “expert agencies” in Loper Bright v. Raimondo, American politics questions how far experts, by virtue of specialized knowledge, have a right to govern in our name. This panel interrogates how ideas of what citizens should know and how they should be governed are linked in American politics. How are the few empowered to know for the many? What visions of citizen understanding are embedded in institutions and processes of public reasoning? And how, over time, has the American public held experts to account?

Panel 2: The Ethics of Invention at the Frontiers of Life
The rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” enjoy a central position in our civic lexicon. More often than not, the interpretation of these words turns upon the meaning of the word liberty. Recent developments in the biosciences and technologies, however, have destabilized our understanding of the meaning and worth of human life. Biotechnologies are increasingly developing the power to control the dynamics of life, from reproduction to aging and dying, raising difficult questions of what counts as life and which interventions society sees as impermissible. Biotechnological developments often transcend the territorial boundaries of nation-states and concentrate power outside of democratic processes. This panel juxtaposes perspectives from the creative arts, law, bioethics, and cutting edge science to reflect on the challenges posed to the dignity of human life as knowledge and technology advance. What are the responsibilities of scientists, citizens, ethical experts, and the state in steering technologies with the potential to redefine what it means to be human? How can societies navigate between competing notions of progress and risk? And how can we imagine a politics that embraces the desire for new knowledge while also respecting the dignity of human life?

Provisional Program (Subject to Adjustments) 
● 3:00 Panel 1 – American Citizenship and Public Reason since 1776
● 4:00 Coffee Break
● 4:15 Panel 2 – The Ethics of Invention at the Frontiers of Life
● 5:15 Reception
● 6:00 Welcome and Introduction 
● 6:05 Public Lecture -- A Constitution for the 21st Century with Sheila Jasanoff 
● 6:50 Closing and Adjourn