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Monday, October 10, 2011

Transcendent Man: Documentary & Discussion


Transcendent Man: Documentary & Discussion

(Posted by Emily Effner)

"Transcendent Man" is a documentary directed by Barry Ptolemy, that introduces the life and ideas of Ray Kurzweil, the renowned futurist who journeys the world offering his (relatively controversial) vision of the future. The idea he has made popular is called the "Technological Singularity", and it refers to the hypothetical future emergence of greater-than-human intelligence through technological means. As this suggests, it means downloading the human mind and potentially living forever... and all within the 21st century.

These are pretty spectacular predictions, but are they really that spectacular in light of the rate of technological development?

How do you think this would affect society?

Even if people were given the option to live forever do you think they would?


The "Future of Technology" is a huge meaty discussion topic that we don't expect to tackle in one session, but thought that a viewing of the documentary and short discussion would be, A) Fun and B). A good start for additional discussions on technology.

"Transcendent Man" Official Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjhB6J23Qjs&feature=related


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