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** Apologies for any cross posting ** --- You are invited to join us for the thought leader teleconference ><>< MORE THAN HUMAN? with NEIL HARBISSON ><>< Monday 18th June 2012, 3pm Diagnosed as a child with achromatopsia, an incurable vision disorder that only allowed him to see in grey–scale, Neil Harbisson could not perceive or distinguish colours. As a result of attending a cybernetics lecture given by Adam Montandon, the two began working on a way in which Harbisson could experience colour. The result of their labours: the ‘eyeborg’, a camera that hangs in front of the face. It sends visual signals to a chip in the back of the head that converts the signals to real–time sound waves. Neil hears colours, not through his ears, but through his bone. However, is the eyeborg part of who Neil is or simply an add-on extra? When renewing his UK passport, the authorities would not allow him to appear in his passport photo with the equipment on his head. Neil insisted that he had become a cyborg and that it was part of his body. After extensive discussions, he finally received recognition from the passport office that he was, indeed, a cyborg. During this teleconference Neil will offer his thoughts and comments on human enhancement and life as a cyborg. Having set up the Cyborg Foundation coupled with his general interest in technology as an extension to the human body Neil is in a unique position to offer some interesting personal insights in relation to human enhancement. Following Neil's presentation, PETE MOORE, science communicator and author of Enhancing Me: The Hope and the Hype of Human Enhancement will offer some of his observations on the topic. All callers will then be given the opportunity to engage in discussion and Q&A with the presenters. >> CONTEXT Developments in emerging technologies and their corresponding convergence are leading to very great increases in our power over matter, including human nature itself. As we speed up the exponential curve of Moore’s Law, the challenges that these advances in technology help us to focus on one key perennial question: what does it mean to be human? At the heart of every human culture lies a core set of assumptions about human nature. These assumptions are typically unstated, self–evident to members of the group and therefore almost invisible in their common life. Yet they become more evident as we become aware that they are in dispute; that the culture is unsure of its assumptions; that it is in the process of changing them. As advances in nanoscience, artificial intelligence and biotechnology continue the future of humanity is thrown into question. How should we treat human beings both now and in the future? Does the future hold some form of new, even post–human? This series will invite key thought leaders and commentators to share their ideas, opinions and comments on the future of humanity and give opportunity for other callers to ask questions and discuss the issues raised. In seeking to “host the conversation” BioCentre aims to gather together all articulate voices in order to have a productive conversation which spans the disciplines. HOW DO I JOIN THE CALL? >> Telecons are open to all and accessible worldwide. >> To receive call–in details, email your name and affiliation to: [log in to unmask] ********************************************************************** Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including list archive, can be found at the list web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html You may also change your settings and subscribe/unsubscribe to psci-com from the web site. Psci-com is part of the National Academic Mailing List Service, known as 'JISCMail'. It adheres to the JISCMail Acceptable Use Policy: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/acceptableuse.html and to the JISCMail guidelines for etiquette: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/etiquette.html Email commands: 1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example, send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] with the following message: set psci-com nomail -- [include hyphens] 2. To resume email from the list, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message: set psci-com mail -- [include hyphens] 3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message: leave psci-com -- [include hyphens] Please allow up to 24 hours for these commands to activate. Remember that you will need to send commands using the same email address that you used to register on psci-com. To contact the Psci-com list owner, please send an email to: [log in to unmask] **********************************************************************