Jamais Cascio on Futurism vs. Singularitarianism

http://www.meetup.com/futuresalon/calendar/11307631/

October 3, 2009 7pm

Venue:

Stone Creek Bar
140 E. 27th Street
New York, NY 10016
212-532-1037

New York Futures Salon presents:

Jamais Cascio to speak on:

Putting the Human Back in the Post-Human Condition
aka If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want to be Part of Your Singularity

With their unwavering focus on computing power and digital technology, leading Singularity proponents increasingly define the future in language devoid of politics and culture—thereby missing two of the factors most likely to shape the direction of any technology-driven intelligence explosion. Even if the final result is a “post-human” era, leaving out human elements when describing what leads up to a Singularity isn’t just mistaken, it’s potentially quite dangerous. It’s time to set aside algorithms and avatars, and talk about the truly important issues surrounding the possibility of a Singularity: political power, social responsibility, and the role of human agency.