About us
This group is for people who are interested in the future and maybe want to help shape it.
The acceleration of technology means that the near future may bring radical changes to all of us. Major developments in technologies like anti-aging, nanotech, genetics, computing, robotics, and geo-engineering are going to make the next few years very exciting - and possibly also very dangerous. We could gain god-like powers - but we might also lose sight of our humanity, and destroy everything that we used to hold dear.
What's your view? Are things improving? Too slowly or too quickly? Are we are entering a new golden age? Or is the potential "Technological Singularity" something to fear? What does it mean to talk about "Human 2.0" and "Humanity+"? Or perhaps you view such talk as techno-hype? Maybe you just like the practical side of technology and want to find out more about possible paradigm shifts?
Anybody is welcome to this group - you don't have to be a Techno Geek or work for some futuristic company to be in our group. The future applies to us all!
Come join in the debate - have your opinions voiced and maybe make some interesting new friends.
All we ask is that members treat each other with the respect they would want for themselves. Our group has members of many ages and backrounds. We have many different perspectives on what the future may bring and like to share different ideas with each other. We approach the future with a open mind and sense of humility. Our group mission is to introduce you to some of the ideas, advancements and people who are making our future happen today.
If you have a subject you would like us to discuss at a meetup just drop us a line.
Note: Videos of some of the previous meetings are available on our YouTube Channel here https://www.youtube.com/user/LondonFuturists/ and here: (Older Archive).
Upcoming events
1
The Future Self: Transhumanism, Technology, and Flourishing
·OnlineOnlineThis event has not yet been announced, and the following content is subject to change
Make no mistake: the transhumanist impetus is here to stay. Humans dream their science long before doing it. Our species has a pretty formidable track record for putting things we can imagine, however unlikely they may seem at first, into action. Transhumanist narratives of hope and apprehension have become part of the collective imagination through which we envision, rehearse, and enact or prevent possible futures of the human condition. It comprises an untidy, eclectic mix of science, fact and fiction, philosophical speculation and religious yearning, cultural tropes and ideological posturing. Lest we confuse ethics with feasibility, an ethical assessment of transhumanist aspirations must always be reflective of this self-propelling force of technological imaginaries.
That's a paragraph from the Preface from the recently published volume "Technologies of the Future Self: An Ethics for Transhumanist Flourishing". The Preface continues:
A few years ago, when we first conceived this book project, we were struck by a mismatch between the exuberant technological idiom on the one hand, and the rather anodyne (mostly utilitarian and/or libertarian) moral idiom in which transhumanists talk about their collective imaginaries on the other.
Commonly, transhumanists cast their agenda as a quest for “overcoming human limits”, “transcending biological limitations”, and “unlocking human potential”. Even though they clearly advocate the use of advanced science and technology for the betterment of humankind, we find their goals and aspirations seldom if ever expressed in the language of “human flourishing”. In the eyes of transhumanists and their critics alike, central tenets of transhumanism are seen as clashing with ethical conceptions of the “good life” that are substantively defined in terms of "human nature", which transhumanists seek to transform if not overcome.
But surely, we sensed, this cannot be the final word on the matter. The present volume thus seeks to explore these philosophical tensions and, at the same time, suggest avenues that point towards a rapprochement.
This London Futurists webinar features an opening presentation from one of the co-editors of the volume, Georg Theiner, as well as commentary from an author of one of the chapters included in the book, Tracy Trothen.
Topics likely to be discussed include:
- Strengths and weaknesses of transhumanist narratives
- Conceptions of “human nature” and “flourishing”
- The roles of relationship, interdependence, and social justice
- Responses to the challenges of unprecedented technological disruption
- Should we welcome, or resist, a potential "Humanity 2.0"?
- Foundations for ethical decisions: Utilitarianism vs. virtues
The webinar will also include time for audience questions, feedback, and extended conversation.
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This event will be hosted on Zoom. To register, click here: (link to be added)
There will be no charge to attend the webinar.
The webinar will start broadcasting at 4pm UK time on Sat 18th April. To find this time in other timezones, you can use this conversion page.
Please log into Zoom up to 10 minutes ahead of the start time of the event, so you won't miss the start of the live broadcast.
As the discussion proceeds, attendees will be welcome to raise questions and vote to prioritise questions raised by others.
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About the speakers:
Georg Theiner (PhD, Indiana University) is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Villanova University, where he also teaches for the Cognitive Science Program and at the Law School. He works mostly in philosophy of mind and cognitive science, with a focus on technologically and socially distributed cognition, and has an abiding research and teaching interest in examining the impact of AI on the future of humanity. He has published numerous articles and book chapters in these areas, and is the author of a monograph, Res Cogitans Extensa: A Philosophical Defense of the Extended Mind Thesis (Peter Lang, 2011). He served as editor-in-chief of the journal Social Epistemology (Taylor & Francis) from 2019–2023, where he also guest-edited a recent special issue on “The Mind-Technology Problem in the Age of GenAI.”
Tracy J. Trothen is Professor of Ethics at Queen’s University, jointly appointed to the School of Religion and the School of Rehabilitation Therapy. Trothen is the author or editor of numerous articles, chapters, and ten books including Religion and the Technological Future: An Introduction to Biohacking, A.I., and Transhumanism, coauthored with Calvin Mercer. She co-chairs the American Academy of Religion’s (AAR) Artificial Intelligence Exploratory Session and is a fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR).
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For more information about the book Technologies of the Future Self: An Ethics for Transhumanist Flourishing see https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-99902-4, where members and friends of London Futurists can use the discount code PALAUT
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To register on Zoom for this event, click here (link to be added).
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