Hannah Arendt 50/80: The Institute of Bioethics, in partnership with the Católica Libraries, promote reflection on memory, responsibility and human dignity
Universidade Católica Portuguesa will host the initiative “Hannah Arendt 50/80 — Memory, Responsibility, and Human Dignity: From the Banality of Evil to the Ethical Challenges of Science and Technology” on 7 July 2026, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The event will take place in Lecture Room 1 of Católica Medical School.
Promoted by the Institute of Bioethics and the Católica Medical School Library, this session aims to provide an interdisciplinary reflection on the contemporary relevance of Hannah Arendt’s thought and the ethical challenges posed by science, technology, biomedical research, and artificial intelligence.
Drawing on Arendt’s reflections on the banality of evil, critical thinking, moral responsibility, and the human capacity for judgment, the event seeks to underscore the importance of historical memory in defending human dignity and fostering a culture of ethical responsibility.
The program will include two round tables: “Thinking to Judge: Hannah Arendt, Memory, and Responsibility in Contemporary Societies”, which will tackle issues such as artificial intelligence, disinformation, indifference, and uncritical obedience; and “From Memory to the Future: Human Dignity in Clinical Research and Artificial Intelligence”, focusing on biomedical research, data science, ethical oversight, and scientific integrity.
The session will feature contributions from José Manuel Pereira de Almeida, Mara de Sousa Freitas, Ana Folque Gouveia, Alexandre Castro Caldas, Marta Brites, Maria Telheiro, Sofia Menéres, Miguel Oliveira da Silva, Rui Tato Marinho, Daniel Macedo, Maria Cunha, Gonçalo da Silva and João Condeixa.
More than simply commemorating Hannah Arendt, this initiative invites us to reaffirm our responsibility to think, judge, and act, placing the dignity of the human person at the center of science, research, and technological innovation.
Join in the event: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/348165821454702?p=YjCBH9ue6Fuh0HrBrR
Meeting ID: 348 165 821 454 702
Passcode: wH3Ce2ng
