Heidegger, Personhood and Technology
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An Evolutionary Heuristic for Human Enhancement
18 TheWisdomofNature: An Evolutionary Heuristic for Human Enhancement Nick Bostrom and Anders Sandberg∗ Abstract Human beings are a marvel of evolved complexity. Such systems can be difficult to enhance. When we manipulate complex evolved systems, which are poorly understood, our interventions often fail or backfire. It can appear as if there is a ‘‘wisdom of nature’’ which we ignore at our peril. Sometimes the belief in nature’s wisdom—and corresponding doubts about the prudence of tampering with nature, especially human nature—manifest as diffusely moral objections against enhancement. Such objections may be expressed as intuitions about the superiority of the natural or the troublesomeness of hubris, or as an evaluative bias in favor of the status quo. This chapter explores the extent to which such prudence-derived anti-enhancement sentiments are justified. We develop a heuristic, inspired by the field of evolutionary medicine, for identifying promising human enhancement interventions. The heuristic incorporates the grains of truth contained in ‘‘nature knows best’’ attitudes while providing criteria for the special cases where we have reason to believe that it is feasible for us to improve on nature. 1.Introduction 1.1. The wisdom of nature, and the special problem of enhancement We marvel at the complexity of the human organism, how its various parts have evolved to solve intricate problems: the eye to collect and pre-process ∗ Oxford Future of Humanity Institute, Faculty of Philosophy and James Martin 21st Century School, Oxford University. Forthcoming in Enhancing Humans, ed. Julian Savulescu and Nick Bostrom (Oxford: Oxford University Press) 376 visual information, the immune system to fight infection and cancer, the lungs to oxygenate the blood. -
Heroes of Humanity in Literature
International Journal of Arts and Sciences 3(4): 77 - 87 (2009) CD-ROM. ISSN: 1944-6934 © InternationalJournal.org Heroes of Humanity in Literature Tamar Mebuke, Tbilisi State Technical University, Georgia Abstract: Rebellious spirit of man, rejection of evil, and the imperfection of the world find their archetypal reflection in the image of Prometheus, fighter for the progress of man who dared to oppose God himself. The fire, obtained by him for man, is identified with reason itself. At the same time this image carries the duality of benefactor and criminal, since creation of something new and advanced leads to mutiny against reality itself and rejection of its laws. Nevertheless, through this myth Western civilization has been trying to understand itself in its cultural self-consciousness. Keywords: Prometheus, creators, the tragedy of culture. Myths represent basic, archetypal ideas of man. One of the “basic” thoughts of humanity, characteris- tic of any mythology, is the myth about demarcation of gods and people. It reveals the need for a compromise between arbitrariness of human will and reaction of the outer world. On the other hand, it is connected with the supposition of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe that the only question, standing behind the history of humanity is the question of God existence. Russian philosopher N. A. Berdyaev (1938) wrote: “For nearly half a millennium European Christian humanity has been having a trial with God. In the Christian world scepticism, agnosticism, disbelief, atheism are the symptoms of this process that takes the form of speculation over the problem of theodicy. But if there is a trial, then there must be the one with whom it is. -
WILPF CONGRESS Resolutions and Proposals 1919 ©The Women’S International League for Peace and Freedom 1919
WILPF CONGRESS Resolutions and Proposals 1919 ©The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom 1919 This booklet contains the text as passed by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom at their second congress in 1919. It is specifically reprinted in May 2019 on the occasion of the 100rd anniversary of the congress. 2nd edition, August 2019 Full Congress report can be found on www.wilpf.org RESOLUTIONS AND PROPOSAL Part 1: Resolutions . 2 A. Resolutions Presented to the Peace Conference of the Powers in Paris . 3 B. Resolutions for Future Work Submitted to the National Sections . 9 C. Action to be taken . 17 Part 2: Proposals . 20 Proposals . 21 1 The following pages are an extract of page 241–279 in the original version of the Congress Report of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom’s second Congress, which took place in Zurich, Switzerland, from the 12–17 May 1919. 2 PART 1: RESOLUTIONS 3 A. RESOLUTIONS PRESENTED TO THE PEACE CONFERENCE OF THE POWERS IN PARIS The following Delegation was appointed by the Congress to present these Resolutions: Jane Addams, President, USA; Charlotte Despard, Great Britain; Gabrielle Duchêne, France; Rosa Genoni, Italy; Clara Ragaz, Switzerland; Chrystal Macmillan, Secretary, Great Britain. I. ON FAMINE AND BLOCKADE This International Congress of Women regards the famine, pestilence and unemployment extending throughout great tracts of Central and Eastern Europe and into Asia as a disgrace to civilization. It therefore urges the Governments of all the Powers assembled at the Peace Conference immediately to develop the inter-allied organizations formed for purposes of war into an international organisation for purposes of peace, so that the resources of the world – food, raw materials, finance, transport – shall be made available for the relief of the peoples of all countries from famine and pestilence. -
Pierre Clastres As Comparative Political Theorist : the Democratic Potential of the New Political Anthropology
This document is downloaded from DR‑NTU (https://dr.ntu.edu.sg) Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Pierre Clastres as comparative political theorist : the democratic potential of the new political anthropology Holman, Christopher 2017 Holman, C. (2017). Pierre Clastres as comparative political theorist : the democratic potential of the new political anthropology. European Journal of Political Theory. doi:10.1177/1474885117729772 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/145146 https://doi.org/10.1177/1474885117729772 © 2017 SAGE Publications. All rights reserved. This paper was published in European Journal of Political Theory and is made available with permission of SAGE Publications. Downloaded on 26 Sep 2021 06:51:29 SGT PIERRE CLASTRES AS COMPARATIVE POLITICAL THEORIST: THE DEMOCRATIC POTENTIAL OF THE NEW POLITICAL ANTHROPOLOGY Christopher Holman Advanced publication in European Journal of Political Theory in 2017. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1474885117729772 Introduction: Clastres and the Project of Comparative Political Theory Within the history of 20th century French ideas the philosopher-turned-anthropologist Pierre Clastres holds a significant place.1 In particular, Clastres’ ethnological work detailing the social structure of indigenous Amazonian societies and the political mechanisms through which this structure is instituted – in particular their rejection of coercive power in the name of a principle of equality – influenced a generation of some of the most talented democratic political theorists in France, such -
An Academic Strategic Plan in Service to Humanity Academic Strategic Plan for Vanderbilt University
Discovery VANDLearningERBILT An Academic Strategic Plan in Service to Humanity Academic Strategic Plan for Vanderbilt University Table of Contents July 2014 Executive Summary……………………………………………..i – iv 2013-14 Academic Strategic Plan Introduction……………………………………………………1 Vanderbilt Values……………………………………………....2 The 2013-14 Strategic Planning Process……………………...4 The Past: What a Difference a Decade Makes……………….6 The Present: Challenges and Distinctions……………………11 Strategic Thinking for Vanderbilt’s Future: The Four Themes Undergraduate Residential Experience (URE)…………………15 Trans-institutional Programs (TIPs)…………………………….19 Healthcare Solutions (HS)………………………………………..25 Education Technologies (ET)……………………………...……..31 Stewardship……………………………………………………38 Final Thoughts………………………………………………...39 Appendices Addendum Organization Chart Executive Committee Steering Committees Academic Planning Groups Concept Development Communication and Outreach Abbreviations Academic Strategic Plan for Vanderbilt University Executive Summary July 2014 - Draft Vanderbilt University aspires to shape the future of higher education and to foster the creation of knowledge that together improve the human condition. Vanderbilt embraces this vision by focusing on the following goals: • to pursue excellence in education by offering experiences that merge the advantages of a liberal arts college with those of a world-class research university • to pursue excellence in scholarship, creative expression, and research that address important problems and questions facing our community, our country, and the world • to leverage the many synergies between discovery, learning, and service across our entire community of scholars and learners to seek accomplishment and seize opportunities • to be transparent and accountable to all the University’s constituencies • in sum, to be among the very best research universities in the world In pursuing these goals, Vanderbilt will fully commit to cultivating an environment for learning across a broad base of humanist, social, and natural science disciplines. -
Global Catastrophic Risks Survey
GLOBAL CATASTROPHIC RISKS SURVEY (2008) Technical Report 2008/1 Published by Future of Humanity Institute, Oxford University Anders Sandberg and Nick Bostrom At the Global Catastrophic Risk Conference in Oxford (17‐20 July, 2008) an informal survey was circulated among participants, asking them to make their best guess at the chance that there will be disasters of different types before 2100. This report summarizes the main results. The median extinction risk estimates were: Risk At least 1 million At least 1 billion Human extinction dead dead Number killed by 25% 10% 5% molecular nanotech weapons. Total killed by 10% 5% 5% superintelligent AI. Total killed in all 98% 30% 4% wars (including civil wars). Number killed in 30% 10% 2% the single biggest engineered pandemic. Total killed in all 30% 10% 1% nuclear wars. Number killed in 5% 1% 0.5% the single biggest nanotech accident. Number killed in 60% 5% 0.05% the single biggest natural pandemic. Total killed in all 15% 1% 0.03% acts of nuclear terrorism. Overall risk of n/a n/a 19% extinction prior to 2100 These results should be taken with a grain of salt. Non‐responses have been omitted, although some might represent a statement of zero probability rather than no opinion. 1 There are likely to be many cognitive biases that affect the result, such as unpacking bias and the availability heuristic‒‐well as old‐fashioned optimism and pessimism. In appendix A the results are plotted with individual response distributions visible. Other Risks The list of risks was not intended to be inclusive of all the biggest risks. -
Deriving Morality from Politics: Rethinking the Formula of Humanity Author(S): Japa Pallikkathayil Source: Ethics, Vol
Deriving Morality from Politics: Rethinking the Formula of Humanity Author(s): Japa Pallikkathayil Source: Ethics, Vol. 121, No. 1 (October 2010), pp. 116-147 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/656041 . Accessed: 13/01/2011 10:19 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at . http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ucpress. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The University of Chicago Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Ethics. http://www.jstor.org Deriving Morality from Politics: Rethinking the Formula of Humanity* Japa Pallikkathayil Kant’s Formula of Humanity famously forbids treating others merely as a means. -
Sharing the World with Digital Minds1
Sharing the World with Digital Minds1 (2020). Draft. Version 1.8 Carl Shulman† & Nick Bostrom† [in Clarke, S. & Savulescu, J. (eds.): Rethinking Moral Status (Oxford University Press, forthcoming)] Abstract The minds of biological creatures occupy a small corner of a much larger space of possible minds that could be created once we master the technology of artificial intelligence. Yet many of our moral intuitions and practices are based on assumptions about human nature that need not hold for digital minds. This points to the need for moral reflection as we approach the era of advanced machine intelligence. Here we focus on one set of issues, which arise from the prospect of digital minds with superhumanly strong claims to resources and influence. These could arise from the vast collective benefits that mass-produced digital minds could derive from relatively small amounts of resources. Alternatively, they could arise from individual digital minds with superhuman moral status or ability to benefit from resources. Such beings could contribute immense value to the world, and failing to respect their interests could produce a moral catastrophe, while a naive way of respecting them could be disastrous for humanity. A sensible approach requires reforms of our moral norms and institutions along with advance planning regarding what kinds of digital minds we bring into existence. 1. Introduction Human biological nature imposes many practical limits on what can be done to promote somebody’s welfare. We can only live so long, feel so much joy, have so many children, and benefit so much from additional support and resources. Meanwhile, we require, in order to flourish, that a complex set of physical, psychological, and social conditions be met. -
UCLA Historical Journal
From British Womens WWI Suffrage Battle to the League of Nations Covenant: Conflicting Uses of Gender in the Politics of Millicent Garrett Fawcett Carol F. Cini Ifthe political citizenship ofwomen in all the countries concerned had become an establishedfact long enough to secure its organisation into concrete political power, it is impossible to doubt that this power would have been used to ensure such apolitical reorganisation ofEurope as would have rendered it certain that international disputes andgrievances should be referred to law and reason, and not to the clumsy and blundering tribunal ofbruteforce. - Millicent Garrett Fawcett, September i, 1914' Women are as subject as men are to nationalprepossessions and susceptibilities and it would hardly be possible to bring together the women ofthe belligerent countries without violent outbursts ofanger and mutual recrimination. - Millicent Garrett Fawcett, December 15, 1914' TTn JULY 1914, on the eve of World War I, Millicent Garrett Fawcett faced a m crucial decision. As president of the 50,000 member National Union of mMm Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) in Britain, she could stand for peace or for war. By early August 1914, Fawcett decided that it was politically expedi- ent to swing the women's suffrage movement in Britain behind support for the war which had just begun. Thus, during the war, she would stress women's nationalism and dedication to the defense of their country as a reason to grant them the vote. Historians have emphasized that Fawcett 's own patriotic devo- tion to -
Global Catastrophic Risks
Global Catastrophic Risks Edited by Nick Bostrom Milan M. Cirkovic OXPORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Contents Acknowledgements ν Foreword vii Martin J. Rees 1 Introduction 1 Nick Bostrom and Milan M. Cirkoviô 1.1 Why? 1 1.2 Taxonomy and organization 2 1.3 Part I: Background 7 1.4 Part II: Risks from nature 13 1.5 Part III: Risks from unintended consequences 15 1.6 Part IV: Risks from hostile acts 20 1.7 Conclusions and future directions 27 Part I Background 31 2 Long-term astrophysics! processes 33 Fred C. Adams 2.1 Introduction: physical eschatology 33 2.2 Fate of the Earth 34 2.3 Isolation of the local group 36 2.4 Collision with Andromeda 36 2.5 The end of stellar evolution 38 2.6 The era of degenerate remnants 39 2.7 The era of black holes 41 2.8 The Dark Era and beyond 41 2.9 life and information processing 43 2.10 Conclusion 44 Suggestions for further reading 45 References 45 3 Evolution theory and the future of humanity 48 Christopher Wills· 3.1 Introduction 48 3.2 The causes of evolutionary change 49 xiv Contents 3.3 Environmental changes and evolutionary changes 50 3.3.1 Extreme evolutionary changes 51 3.3.2 Ongoing evolutionary changes 53 3.3.3 Changes in the cultural environment 56 3.4 Ongoing human evolution 61 3.4.1 Behavioural evolution 61 3.4.2 The future of genetic engineering 63 3.4.3 The evolution of other species, including those on which we depend 64 3.5 Future evolutionary directions 65 3.5.1 Drastic and rapid climate change without changes in human behaviour 66 3.5.2 Drastic but slower environmental change accompanied by changes in human behaviour 66 3.5.3 Colonization of new environments by our species 67 Suggestions for further reading 68 References 69 4 Millennial tendencies in responses to apocalyptic threats 73 James J. -
Anthropology Beyond Humanity
ANTHROPOLOGY BEYOND HUMANITY Edward Westermarck Memorial Lecture, May 2013 • TIM INGOLD • ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................. This article begins with a dispute between myself and anthropologist Robert Paine about Saami reindeer herding. Do reindeer transact with humans, as humans are alleged to do with one another? Or is a transactional approach no more appropriate for humans than it is for reindeer? Just at the point when transactionalism was on the wane in anthropology, it was on the rise in psychology and the study of animal behaviour. Studies of non-human primates, in particular, likened them to Machiavellian strategists. Picking up on this idea, philosophers Michel Serres and Bruno Latour have argued that human relations are stabilised, by comparison with the animals’, through the enrolment of ever more ‘non-humans’. By ‘non-humans’, however, they mean material-semiotic mediators rather than Machiavellian transactors. In the latter capacity, as smart performers, non-humans are supposed to interact only with other individuals of their species, not with humans. The idea that social relations should be confined to intraspecific relations, however, is shown to be a reflex of the assumption that humans are fundamentally different, in their mode of being, from all other living kinds. Rejecting this assumption, I argue for an anthropology beyond the human that would turn its back both on the species concept and on the project -
Human Genetic Enhancements: a Transhumanist Perspective
Human Genetic Enhancements: A Transhumanist Perspective NICK BOSTROM Oxford University, Faculty of Philosophy, 10 Merton Street, Oxford, OX1 4JJ, U. K. [Preprint of paper published in the Journal of Value Inquiry, 2003, Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 493-506] 1. What is Transhumanism? Transhumanism is a loosely defined movement that has developed gradually over the past two decades. It promotes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding and evaluating the opportunities for enhancing the human condition and the human organism opened up by the advancement of technology. Attention is given to both present technologies, like genetic engineering and information technology, and anticipated future ones, such as molecular nanotechnology and artificial intelligence.1 The enhancement options being discussed include radical extension of human health-span, eradication of disease, elimination of unnecessary suffering, and augmentation of human intellectual, physical, and emotional capacities.2 Other transhumanist themes include space colonization and the possibility of creating superintelligent machines, along with other potential developments that could profoundly alter the human condition. The ambit is not limited to gadgets and medicine, but encompasses also economic, social, institutional designs, cultural development, and psychological skills and techniques. Transhumanists view human nature as a work-in-progress, a half-baked beginning that we can learn to remold in desirable ways. Current humanity need not be the endpoint 1 of evolution. Transhumanists