Debating the Singularity

 The Singularity  

Following a showing of Doug Wolens' film The Singularity, a panel of experts discussed what the future might be like at The Rathenau Institute.

Follow this discussion after a showing of Doug Wolens' film The Singularity. Led by Rinie van Est of the Rathenau Institute, Wolens, the director of the film, Rachel Armstrong, future thinker among biologists, Iain McGilchrist, psychiatrist/philosopher and authority on human’s nature, and Richard Fortey, expert on natural evolution, debate on the unknown, strange and beautiful world that awaits us in the future.

"If we become more machine-like, and machines more like us, will we sacrifice our humanity to gain something greater?"

In the film Wolens interviewed leading futurists, computer scientists, artificial intelligence experts, and philosophers including Ray Kurzweil about the question of what will humanity look like in the future.

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Ultimately, if we become more machine-like, and machines more like us, will we sacrifice our humanity to gain something greater? Or will we engineer our own demise? Even if the answers are impossible to know, Wolens film makes clear that we cannot postpone addressing the questions.

The Rathenau Institute promotes the formation of political and public opinion on science and technology. To this end, the institute studies the organization and development of science systems, publishes about social impact of new technologies, and organizes debates on issues and dilemmas in science and technology.




SOURCE  OpenWebcast

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