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SUMMARY:Digital Transformation of Social Theory - Professor Steffen Roth (
 Excelia Business School and Wolfson College Cambridge)
DTSTART:20251125T173000Z
DTEND:20251125T190000Z
UID:TALK236743@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Professor Steffen Roth
DESCRIPTION:Can social theory run like code—one built on the paradoxical
  distinction between true and false distinctions?\n\nThis talk outlines a 
 programme to build a universal social theory machine: a Turing-style archi
 tecture that emulates established analogue traditions (from Durkheim and W
 eber to Parsons and Giddens) and recodes them into digital theory—matrix
 -based operations over true distinctions (mutually exclusive and jointly e
 xhaustive). The method is not metaphorical digitisation but formal recodin
 g: identify a theory’s guiding distinctions\, test their truth condition
 s\, and\, where needed\, translate false into true distinctions so that cl
 assical arguments can run as reproducible programmes. The result is the pr
 ospect of a “Supervacuus”: a minimal\, distinction-driven engine capab
 le of hosting and comparing theory programmes\, much as a universal Turing
  machine hosts algorithms.\n\nFor social theorising\, the payoffs are: (i)
  theoretical transparency in terms models that expose premises and reveal 
 the impact of small changes in guiding distinctions\; and (ii) a shift fro
 m analogue thematisations of digital phenomena to doing theory digitally\,
  with due modesty about premises and an even-handed treatment of rival pro
 grammes in a shared\, inspectable language.\n\nThis talk takes place as hy
 brid event. Please register your email address using this link to join onl
 ine: https://wolfson-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/2XcrgkiZT-SqvoPcAm
 -nQg#/registration
LOCATION:Gatsby Room (Chancellor's Centre)\, Wolfson College\, Barton Road
 \, Cambridge &amp\; Teams
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