The Theory of Evolution
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The 'Crisis of Noosphere'
The ‘crisis of noosphere’ as a limiting factor to achieve the point of technological singularity Rafael Lahoz-Beltra Department of Applied Mathematics (Biomathematics). Faculty of Biological Sciences. Complutense University of Madrid. 28040 Madrid, Spain. [email protected] 1. Introduction One of the most significant developments in the history of human being is the invention of a way of keeping records of human knowledge, thoughts and ideas. The storage of knowledge is a sign of civilization, which has its origins in ancient visual languages e.g. in the cuneiform scripts and hieroglyphs until the achievement of phonetic languages with the invention of Gutenberg press. In 1926, the work of several thinkers such as Edouard Le Roy, Vladimir Ver- nadsky and Teilhard de Chardin led to the concept of noosphere, thus the idea that human cognition and knowledge transforms the biosphere coming to be something like the planet’s thinking layer. At present, is commonly accepted by some thinkers that the Internet is the medium that brings life to noosphere. Hereinafter, this essay will assume that the words Internet and noosphere refer to the same concept, analogy which will be justified later. 2 In 2005 Ray Kurzweil published the book The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology predicting an exponential increase of computers and also an exponential progress in different disciplines such as genetics, nanotechnology, robotics and artificial intelligence. The exponential evolution of these technologies is what is called Kurzweil’s “Law of Accelerating Returns”. The result of this rapid progress will lead to human beings what is known as tech- nological singularity. -
October 2003 SOCIETY
ISSN 0739-4934 NEWSLETTER HISTORY OF SCIENCE VOLUME 32 NUMBER 4 October 2003 SOCIETY those with no interest in botany, the simple beauty of the glass is enough. Natural History Delights in Cambridge From modern-life in glass to long-ago life, it’s only a short walk. The museum houses ant to discuss dinosaurs, explore microfossils of some of the Earth’s earliest life Wancient civilizations, learn wild- forms, as well as fossil fish and dinosaurs – flower gardening, or study endangered such as the second ever described Triceratops, species? If variety is the spice of life, then and the world’s only mounted Kronosaurus, a the twenty-one million specimens at the 42-foot-long prehistoric marine reptile. Harvard Museum of Natural History show a Among its 90,000 zoological specimens the museum bursting with life, much of it unnat- museum also has the pheasants once owned urally natural. by George Washington. And many of the The museum will be the site of the opening mammal collections were put together in the reception for the 2003 HSS annual meeting. 19th century by “lions” in the history of sci- The reception begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, 20 ence, like Louis Agassiz. November, and tickets will be available at the Much of the museum’s collection of rocks and meeting registration desk. Buses will run from ores is the result of field work, but the museum the host hotel to the museum. houses not only that which has been dug up, but The Harvard MNH is an ideal spot for his- also that which has fallen out of the sky. -
Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
THE FRONTIERS COLLEctION THE FRONTIERS COLLEctION Series Editors: A.C. Elitzur L. Mersini-Houghton M. Schlosshauer M.P. Silverman J. Tuszynski R. Vaas H.D. Zeh The books in this collection are devoted to challenging and open problems at the forefront of modern science, including related philosophical debates. In contrast to typical research monographs, however, they strive to present their topics in a manner accessible also to scientifically literate non-specialists wishing to gain insight into the deeper implications and fascinating questions involved. Taken as a whole, the series reflects the need for a fundamental and interdisciplinary approach to modern science. Furthermore, it is intended to encourage active scientists in all areas to ponder over important and perhaps controversial issues beyond their own speciality. Extending from quantum physics and relativity to entropy, consciousness and complex systems – the Frontiers Collection will inspire readers to push back the frontiers of their own knowledge. Other Recent Titles Weak Links Stabilizers of Complex Systems from Proteins to Social Networks By P. Csermely The Biological Evolution of Religious Mind and Behaviour Edited by E. Voland and W. Schiefenhövel Particle Metaphysics A Critical Account of Subatomic Reality By B. Falkenburg The Physical Basis of the Direction of Time By H.D. Zeh Mindful Universe Quantum Mechanics and the Participating Observer By H. Stapp Decoherence and the Quantum-To-Classical Transition By M. Schlosshauer The Nonlinear Universe Chaos, Emergence, Life By A. Scott Symmetry Rules How Science and Nature are Founded on Symmetry By J. Rosen Quantum Superposition Counterintuitive Consequences of Coherence, Entanglement, and Interference By M.P. -
A Transhumanist Manifesto Gregory E
A peer-reviewed electronic journal published by the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies ISSN 1541-0099 15(1) - February 2006 Review of Designer Evolution: A Transhumanist Manifesto Gregory E. Jordan, Ph.D University of South Florida ([email protected]) http://jetpress.org/volume15/jordan.htm Designer Evolution: A Transhumanist Manifesto, by Simon Young. (2006). New York: Prometheus Books. Those expecting this book to be the definitive statement of transhumanist philosophy and ideas will be disappointed. “A Transhumanist Manifesto,” with an emphasis on the indefinite article, is just that – an idiosyncratic, personal statement by a broad- minded, well-read “layman” – “a piano player, even!” The book breathlessly tries to cover transhumanist art, immortality, Romanticism, Postmodernism, memetics, Buddhist anatta, Prometheus, genetic engineering, Star Trek, Enlightenment, evolution, ecology, humanism, socialism, liberalism, economics, ethics, homosexuality, eugenics, psychology, psychiatry, Jungian personality typology, Nietzsche’s will to power, existentialism, Frankenstein, Superman, robots, epistemology, nihilism, science, consilience, oris, monism, schizophrenia, zombies, Descartes, uploading, egalitarianism, sublimation, Orpheus, Maslow, original sin, creative living, selfish genes, the Sermon on the Mount, Prozac, Epsilonia, libertarianism, Camille Paglia, the noosphere, the meaning of life, ‘agnostoskepticism,’ ‘sciphobia,’ ‘bispectism,’ ‘eugoics,’ and countless other needlessly neologized topics. Much as one might -
The-Future-Of-Immortality-Remaking-Life
The Future of Immortality Princeton Studies in Culture and Technology Tom Boellstorff and Bill Maurer, Series Editors This series presents innovative work that extends classic ethnographic methods and questions into areas of pressing interest in technology and economics. It explores the varied ways new technologies combine with older technologies and cultural understandings to shape novel forms of subjectivity, embodiment, knowledge, place, and community. By doing so, the series demonstrates the relevance of anthropological inquiry to emerging forms of digital culture in the broadest sense. Sounding the Limits of Life: Essays in the Anthropology of Biology and Beyond by Stefan Helmreich with contributions from Sophia Roosth and Michele Friedner Digital Keywords: A Vocabulary of Information Society and Culture edited by Benjamin Peters Democracy’s Infrastructure: Techno- Politics and Protest after Apartheid by Antina von Schnitzler Everyday Sectarianism in Urban Lebanon: Infrastructures, Public Services, and Power by Joanne Randa Nucho Disruptive Fixation: School Reform and the Pitfalls of Techno- Idealism by Christo Sims Biomedical Odysseys: Fetal Cell Experiments from Cyberspace to China by Priscilla Song Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming by T. L. Taylor Chasing Innovation: Making Entrepreneurial Citizens in Modern India by Lilly Irani The Future of Immortality: Remaking Life and Death in Contemporary Russia by Anya Bernstein The Future of Immortality Remaking Life and Death in Contemporary Russia Anya Bernstein -
From Logos to Bios: Hellenic Philosophy and Evolutionary Biology
From Logos to Bios: Hellenic Philosophy and Evolutionary Biology by Wynand Albertus de Beer submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of D Litt et Phil in the subject Religious Studies at the University of South Africa Supervisor: Prof Danie Goosen February 2015 Dedicated with grateful acknowledgements to my supervisor, Professor Danie Goosen, for his wise and patient guidance and encouragement throughout my doctoral research, and to the examiners of my thesis for their helpful comments and suggestions. From Logos to Bios: Hellenic Philosophy and Evolutionary Biology by W.A. de Beer Degree: D Litt et Phil Subject: Religious Studies Supervisor: Prof Danie Goosen Summary: This thesis deals with the relation of Hellenic philosophy to evolutionary biology. The first part entails an explication of Hellenic cosmology and metaphysics in its traditional understanding, as the Western component of classical Indo-European philosophy. It includes an overview of the relevant contributions by the Presocratics, Plato, Aristotle, and the Neoplatonists, focussing on the structure and origin of both the intelligible and sensible worlds. Salient aspects thereof are the movement from the transcendent Principle into the realm of Manifestation by means of the interaction between Essence and Substance; the role of the Logos, being the equivalent of Plato’s Demiurge and Aristotle’s Prime Mover, in the cosmogonic process; the interaction between Intellect and Necessity in the formation of the cosmos; the various kinds of causality contributing to the establishment of physical reality; and the priority of being over becoming, which in the case of living organisms entails the primacy of soul over body. -
Fermi's Paradox-The Last Challenge for Copernicanism?
Fermi’s Paradox – The Last Challenge for Copernicanism? Milan M. Cirkovi´c´ Astronomical Observatory Belgrade, Volgina 7, 11160 Belgrade, Serbia & Department of Physics, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovi´ca 4, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia e-mail: [email protected] Abstract We review Fermi’s paradox (or the ”Great Silence” problem), not only arguably the oldest and crucial problem for the Search for ExtraTer- restrial Intelligence (SETI), but also a conundrum of profound scien- tific, philosophical and cultural importance. By a simple analysis of observation selection effects, the correct resolution of Fermi’s paradox is certain to tell us something about the future of humanity. Already a more than three quarters of a century old puzzle – and a quarter of century since the last major review paper in the field by G. David Brin – Fermi’s paradox has generated many ingenious discussions and hy- potheses. We analyze the often tacit methodological assumptions built into various answers to this puzzle and attempt a new classification of the numerous solutions proposed in an already huge literature on the subject. Finally, we consider the ramifications of various classes of hypotheses for the practical SETI projects. Somewhat paradoxically, it seems that the class of (neo)catastrophic hypotheses gives, on bal- ance, the strongest justification for guarded optimism regarding our current and near-future SETI efforts. Key words: astrobiology – extraterrestrial intelligence – Galaxy: evolution arXiv:0907.3432v1 [astro-ph.EP] 20 Jul 2009 – history and philosophy of astronomy – observation selection effects If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it; for it is hard to be sought out and difficult. -
Unifying Knowledge for Sustainability in the Western Hemisphere
A New Dimension in Evolution: Impacts of Human Consciousness on Sustainability—and Beyond Charles M. McKenna, Jr. “The whole future of the Earth…seems to me to depend on the awakening of our faith in the future.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Letters to Mme Georges-Marie Haardt) From de Chardin’s The Future of Man – 1964 Abstract—Starting with the concepts of the “noosphere” – the sphere of thought – and the evolution of consciousness developed by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin in the first half of the last century, we will introduce a hypothesis declaring the interdependence of the noosphere with global systems, and extrapolate to new perceptions that these concepts, and others which seem to flow from them, could contribute to transforming historic views into more hopeful visions of the future of human development and life on Earth. Just as mental outlook plays an important part in each person’s life path, so also do the ideas and world-views – limiting or expanding – held by the global community affect the assumptions, boundaries, and decisions of the human family as we discover who we are in an ever-evolving existence of increasing knowledge and change. Approaching the issue of sustainability from an engineer’s point of view, we quickly see, as stated in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Implementation Plan for its newly promulgated Environmental Operating Principles, that it demands “…a new view of engineering that embraces the physical and biological sciences as well as those of the social and economic disciplines. …This shift in our understanding of engineering will be huge.” The paper will discuss three additional hypotheses as part of the movement toward sustainability; “moving from passive-reactive to active-creative world views,” “the breakdown of the false dualism between nature and human activity,” and “human thought and breaking the glass barrier between historical world views and a new paradigm that opens the door to new opportunities,” and will go on to discuss policy initiatives and technology development that would align with these new perspectives. -
The Making of Ethnicity in Southern Bessarabia: Tracing the Histories Of
The Making of Ethnicity in Southern Bessarabia: Tracing the histories of an ambiguous concept in a contested land Dissertation Zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Philosophie (Dr. phil.) vorgelegt der Philosophischen Fakultät I Sozialwissenschaften und historische Kulturwissenschaften der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, von Herrn Simon Schlegel geb. am 23. April 1983 in Rorschach (Schweiz) Datum der Verteidigung 26. Mai 2016 Gutachter: PD Dr. phil. habil. Dittmar Schorkowitz, Dr. Deema Kaneff, Prof. Dr. Gabriela Lehmann-Carli Contents Deutsche Zusammenfassung ...................................................................................................................................... iii 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Questions and hypotheses ......................................................................................................................... 4 1.2. History and anthropology, some methodological implications ................................................. 6 1.3. Locating the field site and choosing a name for it ........................................................................ 11 1.4. A brief historical outline .......................................................................................................................... 17 1.5. Ethnicity, natsional’nost’, and nationality: definitions and translations ............................ -
Transhumanism
T ranshumanism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=T ranshum... Transhumanism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia See also: Outline of transhumanism Transhumanism is an international Part of Ideology series on intellectual and cultural movement supporting Transhumanism the use of science and technology to improve human mental and physical characteristics Ideologies and capacities. The movement regards aspects Abolitionism of the human condition, such as disability, Democratic transhumanism suffering, disease, aging, and involuntary Extropianism death as unnecessary and undesirable. Immortalism Transhumanists look to biotechnologies and Libertarian transhumanism other emerging technologies for these Postgenderism purposes. Dangers, as well as benefits, are Singularitarianism also of concern to the transhumanist Technogaianism [1] movement. Related articles The term "transhumanism" is symbolized by Transhumanism in fiction H+ or h+ and is often used as a synonym for Transhumanist art "human enhancement".[2] Although the first known use of the term dates from 1957, the Organizations contemporary meaning is a product of the 1980s when futurists in the United States Applied Foresight Network Alcor Life Extension Foundation began to organize what has since grown into American Cryonics Society the transhumanist movement. Transhumanist Cryonics Institute thinkers predict that human beings may Foresight Institute eventually be able to transform themselves Humanity+ into beings with such greatly expanded Immortality Institute abilities as to merit the label "posthuman".[1] Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence Transhumanism is therefore sometimes Transhumanism Portal · referred to as "posthumanism" or a form of transformational activism influenced by posthumanist ideals.[3] The transhumanist vision of a transformed future humanity has attracted many supporters and detractors from a wide range of perspectives. -
Between Holy Russia and a Monkey: Darwin's Russian Literary and Philosophical Critics
University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations Summer 2019 Between Holy Russia and a Monkey: Darwin's Russian Literary and Philosophical Critics Brendan G. Mooney Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the Comparative Literature Commons Recommended Citation Mooney, B. G.(2019). Between Holy Russia and a Monkey: Darwin's Russian Literary and Philosophical Critics. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/5484 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BETWEEN HOLY RUSSIA AND A MONKEY: DARWIN’S RUSSIAN LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL CRITICS by Brendan G. Mooney Bachelor of Arts University of South Carolina, 2012 Master of Arts University of South Carolina, 2015 Master of Arts Middlebury College, 2018 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Literature College of Arts and Sciences University of South Carolina 2019 Accepted by: Judith Kalb, Major Professor Alexander Ogden, Committee Member James Barilla, Committee Member Jeffrey Dudycha, Committee Member Cheryl L. Addy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School © Copyright by Brendan G. Mooney, 2019 All Rights Reserved. ii DEDICATION To the women who made this dissertation possible: Judith Kalb, Alice Geary, Lynne Geary, Alice Clemente, Megan Stark, Katherine Mark, Marilyn Dwyer, and, finally, Shannon, Eleanor, and Caroline Mooney. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project began, little did I know, after reading Lev Tolstoy’s 1889 novella The Kreutzer Sonata. -
HOW to UNDERMINE CARTER's ANTHROPIC ARGUMENT in ASTROBIOLOGY Milan M. Ćirković Astronomic
GALACTIC PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM: HOW TO UNDERMINE CARTER'S ANTHROPIC ARGUMENT IN ASTROBIOLOGY Milan M. Ćirković Astronomical Observatory, Volgina 7, 11160 Belgrade, Serbia e-mail: [email protected] Branislav Vukotić Astronomical Observatory, Volgina 7, 11160 Belgrade, Serbia e-mail: [email protected] Ivana Dragićević Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 3, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia e-mail: [email protected] Abstract. We investigate a new strategy which can defeat the (in)famous Carter's “anthropic” argument against extraterrestrial life and intelligence. In contrast to those already considered by Wilson, Livio, and others, the present approach is based on relaxing hidden uniformitarian assumptions, considering instead a dynamical succession of evolutionary regimes governed by both global (Galaxy-wide) and local (planet- or planetary system-limited) regulation mechanisms. This is in accordance with recent developments in both astrophysics and evolutionary biology. Notably, our increased understanding of the nature of supernovae and gamma-ray bursts, as well as of strong coupling between the Solar System and the Galaxy on one hand, and the theories of “punctuated equilibria” of Eldredge and Gould and “macroevolutionary regimes” of Jablonski, Valentine, et al. on the other, are in full accordance with the regulation- mechanism picture. The application of this particular strategy highlights the limits of application of Carter's argument, and indicates that in the real universe its applicability conditions are not satisfied. We conclude that drawing far-reaching conclusions about the scarcity of extraterrestrial intelligence and the prospects of our efforts to detect it on the basis of this argument is unwarranted.