CS Colloquium
Spring 2025
Presented by the Computer Science Department
Mondays 12:00 - 12:50pm, Stevenson Hall 1300
All lectures are free and open to the public
Call for Participation Join the Mailing List Colloquium Archive
Exemplarist Technology Ethics: Why Seymour Papert and Neo matter more than principles
Alex Mussgnug
Stanford University
Stevenson 1300
Monday, November 17, 2025
Most technology ethics starts with theory: utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics. But what if we started with people instead? This talk introduces exemplarist technology ethics — an approach that grounds ethical understanding in the study of individuals who embody technological virtue. I'll examine Seymour Papert, the visionary computing educator who saw technology as a tool for human empowerment rather than replacement, and Neo from The Matrix, whose choices illuminate what technomoral courage looks like. I end with a theory outlining how and what we can learn from fictional and real technomoral exemplars.
Held in collaboration with the Center for Ethics, Law, and Society.
Fall 2025 Short Presentations of Student Research and Awards
Dept Event
Stevenson 1300
Monday, November 24, 2025
Short presentations of research carried out by Sonoma State Computer Science Students, and CS awards.
Fall 2025 Presentations of Student Capstone Projects
Dept Event
Stevenson 1300
Monday, December 1, 2025
Short presentations of capstone projects carried out by Sonoma State Computer Science Students