Kansas City Transhumanism Meetup Group

For our first Kansas City Transhumanism Meetup, we’ll explore how transhumanist ideas have been portrayed in movies, television, books, and video games—and how those fictional depictions compare with the technologies and philosophical questions being discussed today.
Popular media has been imagining enhanced humans, digital consciousness, artificial intelligence, radical life extension, and human-machine integration for decades. These stories often provide an accessible starting point for discussing what transhumanism actually is, what technologies could make some of these ideas possible, and what ethical questions they raise.
We’ll discuss examples such as:

• Altered Carbon — substrate-independent minds (SIM), digital consciousness, and changing bodies
• Transcendence — advanced AI, neurotechnology, and the possibility of consciousness existing beyond the biological brain
• Black Mirror — digital identity, simulated minds, memory technologies, and unintended consequences of emerging technology
• Westworld — artificial consciousness, personal identity, memory, and what it means to be human
• Ghost in the Shell — cybernetic enhancement, brain-computer interfaces, and identity in a highly augmented world
• Cyberpunk 2077 — neural implants, artificial bodies, human enhancement, and digital consciousness
• The Matrix — simulated reality, artificial intelligence, and the relationship between the mind and the physical world
• Gattaca — genetic engineering, human enhancement, and the social consequences of biotechnology

We’ll use these examples as jumping-off points for an informal group discussion about which transhumanist technologies are already emerging, which remain speculative, and how popular culture influences the way society thinks about humanity’s technological future.
No technical or academic background is necessary. Whether you’re already familiar with transhumanism or have simply enjoyed one of these movies, shows, books, or games and want to learn more, you’re welcome to join us.
Come meet other people in the Kansas City area interested in emerging technology, share your favorite examples of transhumanism in popular culture, and help us kick off the KC Transhumanism Meetup!