Globalized Digital Networks and Horizontal Information Processing
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Futures Studies Jim Dator Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies Department of Political Science University of Hawaii at Manoa
Futures Studies Jim Dator Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies Department of Political Science University of Hawaii at Manoa Published as "Futures Studies ," in William Sims Bainbridge, ed., Leadership in Science and Technology. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Reference Series, 2011, Vol. 1, Chapter Four, pp. 32-40. Who Are Futurists, and What Do They Do? It is a common cliché to assert that all humans are futurists. Without a doubt a distinct human capability is to dream, scheme, plan ahead, and then create the technologies necessary to strive for and perhaps attain the dream. But many other species do so as well. Humans are not unique in this except for the scope of their dreams and the power of their technologies. But if all humans are futurists, then humans are also chemists, physicists, historians, priests and everything else. Yet we still needed physicists and engineers to get to the Moon in spite of eons of dreams and stories about space flight, and it seems even the most fundamental and protestant among us still feel the need for some kind of priests to keep us out of hell, and so it probably is the case that futurists can be useful in helping us think more clearly about the causes and consequences of our dreams and fears about the futures. No one can accurately "predict" exactly what "the future" of anything of consequence will be, though there are many charlatans who say they can, and who are paid big bucks for their "predictions", almost all of which prove not only to be false, but dangerously so. -
Detroit Techno and Dystopian Digital Culture
Hooked on an Affect: Detroit Techno and Dystopian Digital Culture Feature Article Richard Pope Ryerson University Abstract Detroit techno is typically historicized as having grown out of the late 1970s and early 1980s middle-class, consumerist, and aspirational high school social party scene, giving the impression that Detroit techno artists created forward-thinking music as a means to acquire subcultural capital and (re)produce their identities. In this essay, this position is nuanced for a more complex understanding of techno’s relation to the quotidian phenomenological encounter with the dystopian setting of Detroit. Concomitantly, predominant theorizations of affect within the humanities, which emphasize the utopian, hopeful dimensions of affect’s inherent productivity, are supplemented for an understanding of productive energy revolving around affects of dystopia and on a certain hopelessness which scholars, in the years ahead, will increasingly have to negotiate. Keywords: techno, Detroit, dystopia, affect, aesthetic, desire, subculture Richard Pope is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Ryerson University. His recent work examines the dystopian horizon of contemporary capitalism and popular culture. He has published previously in Camera Obscura, Space and Culture, Film-Philosophy, and Cinema Journal (forthcoming). Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture 2 (1): 24–44 ISSN 1947-5403 ©2011 Dancecult http://dj.dancecult.net DOI 10.12801/1947-5403.2011.02.01.02 Pope | Hooked on an Affect 25 Without sounding too new-agey or metaphysical, I think that Detroit, the actual “location of Detroit, is the instigator behind everything. —Jason Huvaere (in Sicko 2010: 92) It’s the emptiness in the city that puts the wholeness in the music. -
Boundaries in Cyberpunk Fiction: William Gibson's Neuromancer Trilogy, Bruce Sterling's Schismatrix, and Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash
BOUNDARIES IN CYBERPUNK FICTION: WILLIAM GIBSON'S NEUROMANCER TRILOGY, BRUCE STERLING'S SCHISMATRIX, AND NEAL STEPHENSON'S SNOW CRASH by Michelle Toerien Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at the University of Stellenbosch Supervisor: Mr. R. Goodman March 2000 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Declaration: I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work contained in this thesis is my own original work and that I have not previously in its entirety, or in any part, submitted it at any university for a degree. Signature: Date: Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za ABSTRACT Cyberpunk literature explores the effects that developments in technology will have on the lives of individuals in the future. Technology is seen as having the potential to be of benefit to society, but it is also seen as a dangerous tool that can be used to severely limit humanity's freedom. Most of the characters in the texts I examine wish to perpetuate the boundaries that contain them in a desperate search for stability. Only a few individuals manage to move beyond the boundaries created by multinational corporations that use technology, drugs or religion for their own benefit. This thesis will provide a definition of cyberpunk and explore its development from science fiction and postmodern writing. The influence of postmodern thinking on cyberpunk literature can be seen in its move from stability to fluidity, and in its insistence on the impossibility of creating fixed boundaries. Cyberpunk does not see the future of humanity as stable, and argues that it will be necessary for humanity to move beyond the boundaries that contain it. -
From Ephemeralization and Stigmergy to the Global Brain
Accelerating Socio-Technological Evolution: from ephemeralization and stigmergy to the global brain Francis Heylighen http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html ECCO, Vrije Universiteit Brussel Abstract: Evolution is presented as a trial-and-error process that produces a progressive accumulation of knowledge. At the level of technology, this leads to ephemeralization, i.e. ever increasing productivity, or decreasing of the friction that normally dissipates resources. As a result, flows of matter, energy and information circulate ever more easily across the planet. This global connectivity increases the interactions between agents, and thus the possibilities for conflict. However, evolutionary progress also reduces social friction, via the creation of institutions. The emergence of such “mediators” is facilitated by stigmergy: the unintended collaboration between agents resulting from their actions on a shared environment. The Internet is a near ideal medium for stigmergic interaction. Quantitative stigmergy allows the web to learn from the activities of its users, thus becoming ever better at helping them to answer their queries. Qualitative stigmergy stimulates agents to collectively develop novel knowledge. Both mechanisms have direct analogues in the functioning of the human brain. This leads us to envision the future, super-intelligent web as a “global brain” for humanity. The feedback between social and technological advances leads to an extreme acceleration of innovation. An extrapolation of the corresponding hyperbolic growth model would forecast a singularity around 2040. This can be interpreted as the evolutionary transition to the Global Brain regime. Evolutionary progress The present paper wishes to directly address the issue of globalization as an evolutionary process. As observed by Modelski (2007) in his introductory paper to this volume, globalization can be characterized by two complementary processes, both taking place at the planetary scale: (1) growing connectivity between people and nations; (2) the emergence of global institutions. -
Open Dissertation.Pdf
The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School TRANSHUMANISM: EVOLUTIONARY LOGIC, RHETORIC, AND THE FUTURE A Dissertation in English by Andrew Pilsch c 2011 Andrew Pilsch Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2011 The dissertation of Andrew Pilsch was reviewed and approved∗ by the following: Richard Doyle Professor of English Dissertation Advisor, Chair of Committee Jeffrey Nealon Liberal Arts Research Professor of English Mark Morrisson Professor of English and Science, Technology, and Society Robert Yarber Distinguished Professor of Art Mark Morrisson Graduate Program Director Professor of English ∗Signatures are on file in the Graduate School. Abstract This project traces the discursive formation called “transhumanism” through vari- ous incarnations in twentieth century science, philosophy, and science fiction. While subject to no single, clear definition, I follow most of the major thinkers in the topic by defining transhumanism as a discourse surrounding the view of human beings as subject to ongoing evolutionary processes. Humanism, from Descartes forward, has histori- cally viewed the human as stable; transhumanism, instead, views humans as constantly evolving and changing, whether through technological or cultural means. The degree of change, the direction of said change, and the shape the species will take in the distant future, however, are all topics upon which there is little consensus in transhuman circles. In tracing this discourse, I accomplish a number of things. First, previously dis- parate zones of academic inquiry–poststructural philosophy, science studies, literary modernism and postmodernism, etc.–are shown to be united by a common vocabulary when viewed from the perspective of the “evolutionary futurism” suggested by tran- shuman thinkers. -
Alvin Toffler 1 Alvin Toffler
Alvin Toffler 1 Alvin Toffler Alvin Toffler Alvin Toffler (2006) Born 4 October 1928 New York City Residence Los Angeles, California Nationality United States Ethnicity Jewish Education Multiple honorary doctorates Alma mater New York University Occupation Futurist, journalist, writer Known for Future Shock, The Third Wave Board member of International Institute for Strategic Studies Spouse Heidi Toffler Awards McKinsey Foundation Book Award for Contributions to Management Literature, Officier de L’Ordre des Arts et Lettres Notes [1] Alvin Toffler (born October 4, 1928 in New York City[2] ) is an American writer and futurist, known for his works discussing the digital revolution, communication revolution, corporate revolution and technological singularity. A former associate editor of Fortune magazine, his early work focused on technology and its impact (through effects like information overload). Then he moved to examining the reaction of and changes in society. His later focus has been on the increasing power of 21st century military hardware, weapons and technology proliferation, and capitalism. He founded Toffler Associates, a management consulting company, and was a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation, visiting professor at Cornell University, faculty member of the New School for Social Research, a White House correspondent, an editor of Fortune magazine, and a business consultant.[3] Toffler is married to Heidi Toffler, also a writer and futurist. They live in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles, California, just north of Sunset Boulevard. The couple’s only child, Karen Toffler, (1954–2000) died after more than a decade suffering from Guillain Barre Syndrome at the age of 46[4] [5] Alvin Toffler 2 Early life and career Alvin Toffler was born in New York city in 1928. -
“Change Is Not Merely Necessary to Life, It Is Life.” - Alvin Toffler 1928-2016
“Change is not merely necessary to life, it is life.” - Alvin Toffler 1928-2016 Over the course of his 87 years, he studied, wrote about, and advised on virtually every facet of our modern world. Together with his life-long partner and wife, Heidi, Alvin Toffler predicted and documented the dramatic evolution of the knowledge-based economy that replaced the Industrial Age. This Third Wave has shaped everything from our most personal lives, to society, culture, politics, enterprise, innovation, security, infrastructure, and even the frontiers of space. The Tofflers’ influential writings include articles for The Washington Post and Fortune, to books including Future Shock, The Third Wave, and Revolutionary Wealth, which have been translated into dozens of languages and are bestsellers in more than 30 countries. The books have earned their place in the American non-fiction lexicon by synthesizing complicated concepts of change to make them useful predictors of the future. Around the world, political and military leaders, economists, business leaders, musicians, and individuals continue to rely on his insights to understand, plan, and adapt to the increasingly rapid changes shaping our modern existence. Alvin served as a visiting professor at Cornell University, a faculty member of the New School for Social Research, and a visiting professor at the Russell Sage Foundation. He and Heidi have received numerous prestigious awards and honors for their work around the world. Alvin Toffler is the source of legacy and future for Toffler Associates. We extend his curiosity, methodologies, and passion to the organizations we support in becoming Future Proof® as we move through this knowledge age and into a complex future. -
Visions of Law and Lawyers in Cyberpunk Science Fiction
Buffalo Law Review Volume 45 Number 3 Article 9 10-1-1997 High-Tech Heroes, Virtual Villians, and Jacked-In Justice: Visions of Law and Lawyers in Cyberpunk Science Fiction Walter A. Effross Washington College of Law, American University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/buffalolawreview Part of the Computer Law Commons Recommended Citation Walter A. Effross, High-Tech Heroes, Virtual Villians, and Jacked-In Justice: Visions of Law and Lawyers in Cyberpunk Science Fiction, 45 Buff. L. Rev. 931 (1997). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/buffalolawreview/vol45/iss3/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Buffalo Law Review by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. High-Tech Heroes, Virtual Villains, and Jacked-In Justice: Visions of Law and Lawyers in Cyberpunk Science Fiction WALTER A. EFFROSSt We can anticipate the formation of subcults built around ... computer gaming and the like. We can even see on the horizon the creation of cer- tain anti-social leisure cults-tightly organized groups of people who will disrupt the workings of society not for material gain, but for the sheer sport of 'beating the system" .... Such groups may attempt to tamper with governmental or corporate computer programs .... 1 We [cyberpunk authors] are wise fools .... Very few feel obliged to take us seriously, yet our ideas permeate the culture, bubbling along invisibly, like background radiation. -
Transhumanism: an Ontology of the World's Most Dangerous Idea
TRANSHUMANISM: AN ONTOLOGY OF THE WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS IDEA Benjamin D. Ross Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2019 APPROVED: Robert Frodeman, Major Professor Adam Briggle, Committee Member Steve Fuller, Committee Member Doug Anderson, Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion David Holdeman, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Victor Prybutok, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Ross, Benjamin D. Transhumanism: An Ontology of the World’s Most Dangerous Idea. Doctor of Philosophy (Philosophy), May 2019, 175 pp., reference list, 94 titles. Transhumanism is the name given to the cultural and philosophical movement which advocates radical human technological enhancement. In what follows, I use perspectives drawn from existential philosophy to problematize transhumanists' desire to recast human finitude as a series of technical problems with technical solutions. The ontological account of transhumanism offered here questions the assumed benefit and inevitability across six chapters. Following an introductory chapter, Chapter 2 introduces the key players, and present the philosophy of transhumanism and the opposing view of bioconservativism. Chapter 3 offers a narrative of transhumanism beginning with its mythical antecedents, and proceeds to describe the emergence of contemporary transhumanist institutions. Chapter 4 focuses on the challenge that transhumanists Aubrey de Grey and Ray Kurzweil present to mortality. The chapter asks whether human immortality is a coherent idea, and consider the consequences of achieving a data-driven amortality. Chapter 5 continues the analysis of transhumanism as it challenges limits to knowledge (ignorance), and limits to well-being (suffering). Ray Kurzweil is presented as a key figure of transhumanist thought, along with David Pearce, who desires to eradicate suffering through genetic engineering. -
Futurism, Futurology, Future Shock, Climate Change
PORTAL Journal of RESEARCH ARTICLE Multidisciplinary Futurism, Futurology, Future Shock, Climate International Studies Change: Visions of the Future from 1909 to the Vol. 15, No. 1/2 August 2018 Present John Potts Macquarie University Corresponding author: Professor John Potts, Department of Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia. john.potts@ mq.edu.au © 2018 by the author(s). This DOI: https://doi.org/10.5130/portal.v15i1-2.5810 is an Open Access article Article History: Received 24/10/2017; Revised 12/02/2018; Accepted 16/04/2018; distributed under the terms Published 23/08/2018 of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Abstract (CC BY 4.0) License (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/), allowing third parties This essay charts a brief intellectual history of the futures—both utopian and dystopian— to copy and redistribute the conceived in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It traces perspectives on the future material in any medium since 1909, when the term ‘futurism’ was coined in the publication of the ‘The Founding or format and to remix, and Manifesto of Futurism.’ The essay maps changes in the vision of the future, taking a transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even chronological approach in noting developments in the discourse on the future. A prominent commercially, provided the theme in pronouncements on the future is technological progress, first in relation to industrial original work is properly cited technology, later in the context of post-industrial or information technology. A turning-point and states its license. -
National Press Club Luncheon with Herbie Hancock, Musician
NATIONAL PRESS CLUB LUNCHEON WITH HERBIE HANCOCK, MUSICIAN MODERATOR: ALISON BETHEL, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, LEGAL TIMES, AND MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB BOARD OF GOVERNORS LOCATION: NATIONAL PRESS CLUB BALLROOM, WASHINGTON, D.C. TIME: 1:00 P.M. EDT DATE: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2006 (C) COPYRIGHT 2005, FEDERAL NEWS SERVICE, INC., 1000 VERMONT AVE. NW; 5TH FLOOR; WASHINGTON, DC - 20005, USA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ANY REPRODUCTION, REDISTRIBUTION OR RETRANSMISSION IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED. UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION, REDISTRIBUTION OR RETRANSMISSION CONSTITUTES A MISAPPROPRIATION UNDER APPLICABLE UNFAIR COMPETITION LAW, AND FEDERAL NEWS SERVICE, INC. RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PURSUE ALL REMEDIES AVAILABLE TO IT IN RESPECT TO SUCH MISAPPROPRIATION. FEDERAL NEWS SERVICE, INC. IS A PRIVATE FIRM AND IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. NO COPYRIGHT IS CLAIMED AS TO ANY PART OF THE ORIGINAL WORK PREPARED BY A UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE AS PART OF THAT PERSON'S OFFICIAL DUTIES. FOR INFORMATION ON SUBSCRIBING TO FNS, PLEASE CALL JACK GRAEME AT 202-347-1400. ------------------------- MS. BETHEL: Good afternoon and welcome to the National Press Club. My name is Allison Bethel, and I am executive editor at Legal Times and a member of the National Press Club Board of Governors. I'd like to welcome club members and their guests in the audience today, as well as those of you watching on C-SPAN. Please hold your applause during the speech so that we have time for as many questions as possible. For our broadcast audience, I'd like to explain that if you hear applause it may be from the guests and members of the general public who attend our luncheon, not necessarily from the working press. -
FUTURUM OR ADVENTUS? on Adventist Identity
FUTURUM OR ADVENTUS? On Adventist Identity H. Gutierrez, Florence, Italy One of the most distinctive characteristics of the Adventist church is its future oriented message. To a concrete and materialistic society1, busy and obsessed in dealing with the urgencies of the present and immediate situation2 and applied to get straightaway satisfaction of things3, our church reminds that no human present endeavour and strategy can bring about what only God‟s future is able to accomplish; it is hope, meaning and full restoration.4 The profiles seem to be rather clear. On the one side, we have the Adventist church as a future-oriented agency, and on the other side, we have our current society as a present- rooted entity. Yet to a deeper analysis and reflection this picture is not sufficiently convincing; actually, it doesn‟t appear so obvious at all. This is because, on the one side, modern society is at least as concerned with the future5 as we are. On the other side, it is not altogether clear what kind of future we Adventists are really speaking about6. 1 From a sociological perspective, our current society more than post-modern and post- materialistic has become hypermodern and hyperconsumeristic. See, Gilles Lipovetsky, Una felicità paradossale. Sulla società dell’iperconsumo. (Milano: Raffaelo Cortina editori, 2007), XI-XIX. Francesco Giacomantonio, Il discorso sociologico della tarda modernità. Individui, identità e democrazia, (Genova: Il melangolo, 2007). 15-35. Ulrick Beck, Risikogesellschaft. Auf dem Weg in eine andere Moderne, (Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp, 1986), 9-35. Zygmunt Bauman, Intimations of Postmodernity, (London: Routledge, 2004), 10-22.