Please note: this program starts at 19.30hrs
Introduction and discussion by Dr. Frank Schipper & Dr. Andreas Spahn (TU/e)
Robert Barry Ptolemy, USA 2009
language: English – subtitles: Dutch
Transcendent Man follows Ray Kurzweil around the globe as he presents the daring arguments from his best-selling book, The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology (translated in Dutch, 2011). Kurzweil predicts that with the ever-accelerating rate of technological change, humanity is fast approaching an era in which our intelligence will become increasingly non-biological and millions of times more powerful. This will be the dawning of a new civilization enabling us to transcend our biological limitations. In Kurzweil's post-biological world, boundaries blur between human and machine, real and virtual. Human aging and illness are reversed, world hunger and poverty are solved, and we cure death.
The documentary explores the social and philosophical implications of these changes and the potential threats they pose to human civilization. We will discuss the relation between techno-optimism and techno-pessimism and ethical aspects of the technological trends that Kurzweil foresees. Why is his view at the same time both so fascinating and troubling? Which role can technology play in addressing the challenges of our future?
Free admission, reservations: Natlab 0402946848
further information
http://transcendentman.com/