[ExI] LABoral Conference - Ideas Welcome

[Natasha Vita-More]

Recently, I sent an email concerning an upcoming 
conference at the LABoral 
http://www2.laboralcentrodearte.org/ which has a 
focus on gaming, immersion and VR, but also 
invites design and theory as they relate to the 
idea of homo ludens.  Thank you to those who 
emailed me off-list with your insights.

Below is my abstract.  While the concept is not 
novel, the particular angle I invite offers a 
unique way of dealing with the issue of humans 
vs. other intelligent life forms -- that of the 
"look" of future entities.  While this may seem 
ever so vogue, history evidences that humans are 
overly preoccupied with how one "looks" in 
regards to color of skin, physiognomy, as well as 
selection of garments and how such garments are worn.

While my presentation offers a sense of humor 
about this, it will include a brief but hopefully 
valid study of how this seemingly minor issue could cause a ruckus.

Please note, as usual I enjoy collaborations.  In 
light of this, your ideas will be seriously entertained!

_______________________________


Title:
"The Design War: Humanish vs. Postbiologicals – 
controversy that may affect humanity"

Abstract:
Struggles of political and religious hegemony 
reveal distinct biases concerning what is or is 
not an acceptable method of design for sapient 
life.  "Humanish," the biological 
fundamentalists, argue for classical 
style.  Postbiologicals, a variety of species 
derived from Homo sapiens and artificial general 
intelligence, might lobby for ingenuity.

One hundred thousand years ago, the human species 
experienced an indisputable improvement in its 
cognitive architecture.  Now, an evident shift 
from biological cells to programmable AI takes 
the processes of intelligence from human neurons 
to more resilient and faster performing substrates, one million times over.

This paper addresses the issue of species 
hierarchy as it concerns whether humanity ought 
to look biological as it merges with 
smarter-than-human intelligence.  In a perfect 
world, these species would learn to get 
along.  Due to the Singularity, humanity learns 
they are not the only life form with consciousness and aesthetic taste.


Natasha


<http://www.natasha.cc/>Natasha<http://www.natasha.cc/> Vita-More
PhD Candidate,  Planetary Collegium - CAiiA, 
situated in the Faculty of Technology,
School of Computing, Communications and Electronics,
University of Plymouth, UK
<http://www.transhumanist.biz/>Transhumanist Arts & Culture
<http://extropy.org/>Thinking About the <http://extropy.org/>Future

If you draw a circle in the sand and study only 
what's inside the circle, then that is a 
closed-system perspective. If you study what is 
inside the circle and everything outside the 
circle, then that is an open system perspective. - Buckminster Fuller


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