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5 January 2012

Bostrom's paper inspiration for Jay Scheib play

Professor Bostrom's paper 'Are you Living in a Computer Simulation?' inspires play showing in New York this month

 

World of Wires adapted and directed by Jay Scheib after the film by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Screenplay by Rainer Werner Fassbinder based on the novel Simulacron-3 by Daniel F. Galouye.

Reeling from the reality of people living their lives inside of machines, World of Wires is Jay Scheib’s new adaptation of Welt am Draht, filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1973 science-fiction television series. The play is an all-bets-are-off homage to the startling possibility that you too might be ones and zeroes in someone else's immaculately programmed world. World of Wires is also inspired by the works of Oxford University Professor Nick Bostrom, including his compelling paper, "Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?"

World of Wires will run at The Kitchen, New York, 6-21 January, 2012 

Visit Nick Bostrom's website to read the original paper and other resources.


22 December 2011

Academic Vacancy at the FHI

We are pleased to announce a vacancy for a James Martin Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Foundations and Future of Artificial Intelligence

Applications are invited for a fixed-term, Postdoctoral Research Fellowship within the Future of Humanity Institute. The post is fixed-term for the period 30 January 2012 (or as soon as possible thereafter) to 30 September 2012. Please click here for more information.

Further particulars, including details on how to apply, are available here. Please note the deadline for applications is is noon (UK time) on Monday 23 January 2012.


7 December 2011

Oxford ranked number 1 in the world in Applied Ethics

The work of the UEHIRO centre for Practical Ethics and the FHI has led to Oxford being recognised as the world leader in Applied Ethics, according to the latest Philosophical Gourmet report.

The Philosophical Gourmet is widely considered the most influential and important survey in the field of philosophy. FHI researchers also contribute regularly to the Practical Ethics blog (http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/).  Overall, the Oxford Faculty of Philosophy was rated number 2 in the world.


2 November 2011

Student Prize Competition

The FHI invites submissions to its prize competition 'Crucial Considerations for the Future of Humanity'

 

One prize of £2000 will be awarded for the best original or most promising thesis proposal which also shows superb academic merit.  

The deadline for submissions is 10 December 2011. 

See our Prize webpage for further details or download a PDF of the competition poster.


12 October 2011

Nanotechnology: can it break through the regulation?

Read the Oxford Martin School blog post on our recent seminar 'Killing it softly - regulation and nanotechnology' by Pythagoras Petratos.

"The existing regulation of nanotechnology is only effective in so far as it hinders the progress of nanotechnology into society, argues Pythagoras Petratos. The existing fragmented regulation leads to significant delays, during which time nanotechnology companies can be forced out of business [...]"

Read full story here.


26 September 2011

NESTA Conference: Anders Sandberg

Video of Anders Sandberg's presentation at NESTA conference now available

 

Anders Sandberg was recently an invited guest speaker at the "Hot Topics: Mind over matter: Will Computers Enhance or Limit Our Brains in the 21st Century?" conference, hosted by NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, an independent body with a mission to make the UK more innovative).

Anders discussed the implication of brain-computer interfaces with other speakers including: Kevin Warwick (Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading) and Emlyn Clay (Director of Openvivo, the UK partner of g.tec).

Videos of the talk are available here: http://www.nesta.org.uk/home1/assets/events/hot_topics_mind_over_matter


21 September 2011

WIC videos now available

Videos of the speakers' presentations are now available to view via the Conference page or our WIC multimedia page

 

About the Conference:  The Winter Intelligence Conference 14-17 January 2011, arranged by the Future of Humanity Institute, was a great success. This unusual conference, bridging philosophy, cognitive science, and machine intelligence, brought together experts and students from a wide range of backgrounds for a long weekend of intense deliberation about the big questions: What holds together our experiences? What forms can intelligence take? How can we create effective collective or artificial intelligence?

Conference Report and other resources available on the Conference page.

Go to WIC Multimedia page.


1 September 2011

Latest podcast from Nick Bostrom

Listen to Professor Nick Bostrom discussing the Simulation Argument.

 

Nick Bostrom doesn't rule out the possibility that he might be part of a computer simulation in this interview with Nigel Warburton. Find out more in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast 


2 November 2011

Public Lecture by Dr K Eric Drexler

The Oxford Martin Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology is pleased to announce its Inaugural Lecture "Exploring a Timeless Landscape: Physical law and the future of nanotechnology"

Speaker: Dr K Eric Drexler, Academic Visitor to the Oxford Martin Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology  

Abstract: A methodology grounded in physics and engineering can answer a limited yet illuminating range of questions about the potential of physical technology. This line of inquiry leads to a crucial question: What can physics tell us about the potential of advanced nanotechnologies? Well-established physical principles show that this potential embraces productive nanotechnologies that have the potential to transform the material basis of civilization. This prospect calls for re-evaluating both research opportunities and broader choices with consequences for the human future.

Time and date: 10 November 2011, 5:30pm

Venue: Examination Schools, The High, Oxford.  Map and directions.

Registration: All are welcome to attend this free event, but registration is required.  To reserve a place, please email sean.oheigeartaigh@philosophy.ox.ac.uk

The Oxford Martin Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology is a new interdisciplinary horizontal Programme within the Oxford Martin School in collaboration with the Faculty of Philosophy at Oxford University. It explores possibilities in long-range technological change, including topics such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and existential risks, and the potential these developments have to reshape society and the world as we know it.  More information on our website....


1 August 2011

Bio-Ethics Bites

We are pleased to announce the release of the fourth 'Bio-Ethics Bites' podcasts, 'Status-Quo Bias' by Nick Bostrom. 

 

Suppose a genetic engineering breakthrough made it simple, safe and cheap to increase peoples’ intelligence. Nonetheless, if you asked the averagely-intelligent person on the Clapham Omnibus whether we should tamper with our genes to boost our brains, he or she might recoil at the notion. Nick Bostrom, director of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University, suspects that this reaction may be a result of what he calls ‘status-quo bias’Listen to the podcast.  

In this series of interviews ten leading influential thinkers represent various ethical perspectives and tackle controversial subjects arising out of recent scientific advances. The series is funded by Wellcome Trust and freely available.  For other interviews with Peter Singer, Jeff McMahan and Julian Savulescu please see our webpage http://www.neuroethics.ox.ac.uk/bio-ethics_bites


There are currently 101 News entries in our Archive. This is page 1 of 11.
Previous

22 December 2011

Academic Vacancy at the FHI

2 November 2011

Student Prize Competition

21 September 2011

WIC videos now available

1 August 2011

Bio-Ethics Bites

1 September 2010

Latest Publication

26 April 2010

Humanity+ UK 2010

23 March 2009

Dialog 2009 Conference

15 January 2010

JM Seminar HT10 - Week 1

12 November 2007

New Ethics Blog Launched

20 November 2006

Overcoming Bias FHI Blog