The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and the Humanities Center at Carnegie Mellon University welcome you to the Pittsburgh Humanities Festival presented by Citizens.

Can computers understand morality? How do we unlearn the misconceptions surrounding soul food? What really is ASMR, and how can it bring communities together in miraculous ways? Discover the answers to these questions and more as we investigate what makes us all human through a reimagined week of new ideas brought to light.

Featured Events

Apr 3, 2024 - Moral AI and How We Get There

Can computers understand morality? Can they respect privacy? And what can we do to make AI safe and fair? World-renowned researcher in moral artificial intelligence Vincent Conitzer examines the moral concerns of AI. As AI increases in our daily lives from self-driving cars to robotic surgeons, concerns also increase about the morality of AI. These concerns range from racial equity to personal privacy. Join Conitzer on the exploration of Moral AI and How We Get There.

Apr 4, 2024 - **** Up: What Sex Workers, Milk Bankers, Plastic Surgeons, Bra Designers, and Witches Tell Us about Breasts

Sarah Thornton has spent years excavating the diverse truths of mammary glands- from the strip club to the operating room. Women’s chests have become a billion-dollar business, as well as a stage for debates about race, gender, and desire. An experienced sleuth, Thornton resolves to venture behind the scenes to uncover the social and cultural significance of breasts.

Apr 5, 2024 - Exploring the Tastes, Perceptions, and Histories of Soul Food

You may think that you know the true history of soul food, but you probably don’t. Adrian Miller traces the journey of this cuisine from West Africa to the American West by showing what people of West African heritage ate before European contact, during The Middle Passage, during slavery in the American South, after Emancipation, and while migrating and settling in other parts of the United States, including Pittsburgh. Miller ends by identifying the current and future trends in soul food. In the end, you’ll see that soul food is healthier than its current image suggests. The material for this presentation is drawn from Miller's James Beard Award-winning book, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time.

Apr 6, 2024 - Describing the Indescribable: How Strangers On The Internet Discovered ASMR In Common

ASMR is best known as a modern, online phenomenon where its fans watch hypnotic videos of brushing, tapping, waving, etc. in order to relax. But long before the term was coined online, people experienced it in their everyday lives... they just didn't know how to talk about it. Join Chia Kwa of Whisperlodge on an exploration of the power of words, and how finding the right ones allowed anonymous internet strangers to unite into a thriving community. This presentation will end with a live ASMR demonstration using binaural audio technology.

Apr 8, 2024 - Terence Blanchard & Damon Young: Creating Worlds Through Jazz

Join Terence Blanchard and Damon Young for an intimate conversation on jazz, opera, and speaking the truth.

Terence Blanchard received Oscar nominations for his original score for Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman and his original score for Da 5 Bloods in 2021. From these nominations, Blanchard became only the second Black composer to be nominated twice in the original score category, duplicating Quincy Jones’ feat from 1967’s In Cold Blood and 1985’s The Color Purple. Blanchard has also won seven GRAMMY Awards.

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Date: April 3-8, 2024

Location: Greer Cabaret Theater

655 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh PA 15222

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