The Future definition of “Self” and “Being Human”

Room 111

Friday April 6, 2018 - 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm


Right now we are seeing what CGI can do to bring us back characters (General Tarkin, Leia Organa) played by dead actors (Peter Cushing) or actors who have aged out of their roles that role (Carrie Fisher). What do we do when avatars of ourselves become available, when we can send holograms of ourselves to “work”, when we can rent out our memories for fun and profit? What happens when travel companies start offering paid vacations in return for all movie rights to your memories of that dive in the subglacial lakes of Antarctica, or your parasail over the mouth of an open volcano? What will “self” mean when we can swap memories with other people--or even with animals? These and other possibilities on our horizons will challenge our understanding of what and who we are. Join us as we discuss a future that will depend less on flying cars and more on neuroscience and the technology growing out of it.


Guests