PERI Hosts Lectures by George DeMartino and David Sloan Wilson
APRIL 11, 4:00PM / Crotty Hall, UMass Amherst
GEORGE DEMARTINOÂ - The Tragic Science: How Economists Cause Harm (Even as They Aspire to Do Good)
 Economists seeking to promote social betterment also contribute to serious, enduring harm. One cause of economist-induced harm is the knowledge problem: Economists confront “irreparable ignorance” as they navigate an opaque world. Economists are trained to repress the problem, since recognition would seem to undermine much of what economists are currently doing. But there are productive and responsible ways to embrace irreparable ignorance. Prof. DeMartino explores one, “decision making under deep uncertainty,” an approach increasingly utilized in fields like economics that confront “wicked problems.”
George DeMartino is a Professor of International Economics at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies of the University of Denver. He is the co-director of the MA degree in Global Economic Affairs. Â
Free and open to the public / in-person at Crotty Hall, UMass Amherst or via Zoom at https://bit.ly/41sMkkr, Zoom passcode: 672236.Â
APRIL 14, 2:30PM / Gordon Hall, UMass Amherst
DAVID SLOAN WILSON - Multilevel Cultural Evolution Harm: From New Theory to Practical
 Darwin’s theory of evolution is celebrated for its explanatory scope in biology, but was confined to the study of genetic evolution for most of the 20th century. The study of human cultural evolution from a Darwinian perspective did not begin until the 1970s, but now it has matured to the point of deriving practical applications for all positive change efforts, no matter what the context (e.g., education, economics, health, environment) or scale (e.g., from the individual person to global governance). Professor Sloan Wilson will review these developments, including an introduction to the nonprofit organization ProSocial World as a hub for “studying” (=basic scientific research) and “stewarding” (=assisting positive change efforts) cultural evolution in real-world settings.
David Sloan Wilson is President, Prosocial World;SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences and Anthropology, Binghamton University
Free and open to the public / in-person at Gordon Hall, UMass Amherst or livestream the lecture at https://bit.ly/DavidSloanWilson.
The David Sloan Wilson lecture is sponsored by Social and Behavioral Sciences, Departments of Economics, Anthropology, and Public Policy, Five-College Anthropology Colloquium, Political Economy Research Institute.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BOTH EVENTS, GO TO peri.umass.edu/events.
Contact: Nicole Dunham for more information.
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