Governance for All / Philosophy unbound / Robotics and A.I. and …

The Future Now Show February 2015

about Governance for All / Philosophy unbound / Robotics and A.I. and …

featuring
Karin Jironet, Co-founder of In Claritas, the Netherlands
Markus Petz, Head of Special Projects & Development, Experience Alternative Tampere, Austria
Katie Aquino, aka “Miss Metaverse”, Futurista™, USA
Annegien Blokpoel, Founder & CEO, PerspeXo, the Netherlands
Paul Holister, Editor, Summary Text

about Governance for All and ..

The westernised world seems to be living in a state of increasing fear, with many believing we face a clash of civilisations. On one side our cherished democratic ways and on the other, it seems, a rigid, hierarchical (religious) force hell-bent on destroying us. Is there an outlook that is more inclusive of the differences and would we even see it in this polarised climate (which the Hebdo attack may have been intended to worsen)? Might causes of the clash be going unrecognised, like blowback from things we have done in their countries. Does our fear maybe even stem from insecurity inflicted on ourselves by globalisation? When the very nature and causes of the situation are so clouded, how do you decide on a direction?

about Philosophy unbound and …

Philosophy unbound is a group trying to reclaim philosophy from stuffy academia and bring it alive for people in something akin to the underground music scene. (Imagine your teenage daughter of a Saturday night saying “Dad, I’m going to a philosophy gig in town tonight. I might be home late.”) By keeping it practical, relevant to people’s lives and participative, the hope is that it will spread widely. Will it? What broader impact might it have? And if you want to get really speculative, how would it look with the involvement of enhanced humans or artificial intelligences?

about Robotics and A.I. and …

Computing power is growing exponentially, and technological advance is accelerating – maybe also exponentially. There is no obvious reason this will stop. Look far enough ahead – and given the nature of exponential growth that might not be so far – and our future offers artificial intelligences that make us look puny, the possibility of humans merging with said intelligences and wild ideas like uploading our consciousness into immortal machines that could head out to the stars, unfettered by the frailty of human bodies. But what is to stop an elite few from taking the spoils and leaving the rest of us behind? We keep losing jobs to machines and this won’t stop so why are working hours and the retirement age going up? A classic utopia vs dystopia discussion seems in order. Which way are we leaning?

The Future Now Show
February 2015
Credits

Moderator
Annegien Blokpoel, Founder & CEO, PerspeXo, the Netherlands

Thought Leaders
Karin Jironet, Co-founder of In Claritas, the Netherlands
Markus Petz, Head of Special Projects & Development, Experience Alternative, Tampere, Austria
Katie Aquino, aka “Miss Metaverse”, Futurista™, USA

Intro voices
Ferananda Ibarra, VillageLab, Mexico
Gunvanthi Balaram, freelance writer, editor, translator, India
Jack Gallagher, Artistic Director & Choreographer, Bodies Anonymous

and
Mario de Vries, Media Specialist, Design
Paul Holister, Editor, Summary Text