Department of the History of Science, Harvard University

Upcoming Events

Jeff W. Lichtman: The Past, Present, and Future of Connectomics

November 3, 2026
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12:00PM - 1:30PM EST
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Science Center 469

Despite enormous effort and interest, the brain remains the most poorly understood aspect of human biology. How behavior, thoughts, and, more generally, consciousness are instantiated in the brain's physicality is a genuinely hard problem.  The challenge...

Jeff Lichtman AI Seminar event cover

Spring 2027 Courses

Open to graduate enrollment.

Healing the World

How have people understood and managed human health in the past? 

Tuesday and Thursday - 10:30-11:45 AM with Professors David Jones and Hannah Marcus
 

juxtaposition of ancient and modern doctor and patient

Digital Democracy

In the age of AI, what has happened to the dream of democracy, the faith that we can collectively govern ourselves? 

Monday and Wednesday - 12:00-1:15 PM with Professor Marc Aidinoff


 

Anti AI protest with signs and megaphone

Solving Genuinely Hard Problems in Science

What can we do, as a society, to help make progress on solving the hardest problems in science?

Tuesday and Thursday - 10:30-11:45 AM with Professors Peter L. Galison, Jeff W. Lichtman, and Logan McCarty