Natasha Vita-More

Transhumanist Natasha Vita-More on Whole Body Prosthetic

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Natasha Vita-More

It has been almost two months since I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Dr. Natasha Vita-More at her family house in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Vita-More has been at the forefront for several decades and her projects such as Primo Post Human have lead the NY Times to call her “the first female philosopher of transhumanism.” Thus I was very happy to do my first in-person interview with Natasha and discuss her ideas about Whole Body Prosthetic and Substrate Autonomous, Networked Avatar Bodies by Design.

During our 36 min conversation with Dr. Vita-More we cover a variety of interesting topics such as her whole body prosthetic project; backing up the body as well as the mind; “back-casting” her vision and ultimate goals; the problem of identity in moving from one substrate to another; the timeline and scientific break-throughs in robotics, artificial intelligence and cognitive neuroscience necessary to make the whole body prosthetic a reality; consciousness and quantum mechanics; the reception of the Transhumanist Reader; dealing with skeptics and whether the world is ready for transhumanism and radical life-extension…

I owe very special thanks to Richard and Tatiana Sundvall for producing this video because without them it would not have happened. I am also obliged to videographer Carl Geers not only for doing a great job behind the camera but also for putting up with my mercilessly caustic sense of humor for three long days.

As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full. To show your support you can write a review on iTunes, make a direct donation, or become a patron on Patreon.

 

Who is Natasha Vita-More?

Natasha Vita-More, Ph.D. is the founder and creative director of esDESiGN and the producer and host of H+TV online. Her research concerns the design aesthetics of human enhancement and radical life extension, with a focus on emerging and speculative sciences and technologies. Her conceptual future human design “Primo Posthuman” has been featured in Wired, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, Net Business, Teleopolis, and Village Voice. She has appeared in over twenty-four televised documentaries on the future and culture, and has exhibited media artworks at National Centre for Contemporary Arts, Brooks Memorial Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art, Women In Video, Telluride Film Festival, and United States Film Festival and recently “Evolution Haute Couture: Art and Science in the Post-Biological Age” and is the recipient of several awards: First Place Award at Brooks Memorial Museum, Special Recognition at Women in Video, and special recognition for “Futures Podcast Series”.

Dr. Vita-More is a proponent of human rights and ethical means for human enhancement and is published in Artifact, Technoetic Arts, Nanotechnology Perceptions, Sistemi Intelligenti, Metaverse Creativity, D’ARS, and the Global Spiral. She is co-editor of the forthcoming book The Transhumanist Reader: Classical and Contemporary Essays on the Science, Technology, and Philosophy of the Human Future (Wiley-Blackwell 2013). For more see Natasha.cc

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Natasha Vita-More on The Transhumanist Reader: The Story Behind The Book

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Transhumanism is both misunderstood and feared. Ignorant people with an ideological agenda have gone as far as labeling it “the most dangerous idea.” Thus a comprehensive book – a Transhumanist Reader, documenting both the origins and the current state of transhumanist thought has been long needed. So, when I discovered that a new book aimed at accomplishing just that is being published, I knew I simply had to interview one of the editors.

It is time to bring some basic intellectual clarity on the topic and who is better prepared to help us do that but Natasha Vita-More – “the first female philosopher of transhumanism”.

Dr. Natasha Vita-More has already been a guest on Singularity 1 on 1. Her previous two interviews were both interesting and popular and I enjoyed talking to her about her life and work. This time our conversation is more focused on issues related to the publishing of The Transhumnist Reader.

As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full. To show your support you can write a review on iTunes, make a direct donation, or become a patron on Patreon.

The Transhumanist Reader [Synopsis]

Transhumanist-ReaderThe Transhumanist Reader: Classical and Contemporary Essays on the Science, Technology, and Philosophy of the Human Future is the first authoritative and comprehensive survey of the origins and current state of transhumanist thinking.

The rapid pace of emerging technologies is playing an increasingly important role in overcoming fundamental human limitations. Featuring core writings by seminal thinkers in the speculative possibilities of the posthuman condition, essays address key philosophical arguments for and against human enhancement, explore the inevitability of life extension, and consider possible solutions to the growing issues of social and ethical implications and concerns.

Edited by the internationally acclaimed founders of the philosophy and social movement of transhumanism – Max More and Natasha Vita-More, The Transhumanist Reader is an indispensable guide to our current state of knowledge of the quest to expand the frontiers of human nature.

Who is Natasha Vita-More?

Natasha Vita-More, Ph.D. is the founder and creative director of esDESiGN and the producer and host of H+TV online. Her research concerns the design aesthetics of human enhancement and radical life extension, with a focus on emerging and speculative sciences and technologies. Her conceptual future human design “Primo Posthuman” has been featured in Wired, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, Net Business, Teleopolis, and Village Voice. She has appeared in over twenty-four televised documentaries on the future and culture, and has exhibited media artworks at National Centre for Contemporary Arts, Brooks Memorial Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art, Women In Video, Telluride Film Festival, and United States Film Festival and recently “Evolution Haute Couture: Art and Science in the Post-Biological Age” and is the recipient of several awards: First Place Award at Brooks Memorial Museum, Special Recognition at Women in Video, and special recognition for “Futures Podcast Series”.

Dr. Vita-More is a proponent of human rights and ethical means for human enhancement and is published in Artifact, Technoetic Arts, Nanotechnology Perceptions, Sistemi Intelligenti, Metaverse Creativity, D’ARS, and the Global Spiral. She is co-editor of The Transhumanist Reader: Classical and Contemporary Essays on the Science, Technology and Philosophy of the Human Future (Wiley-Blackwell 2013).

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Ray, Aubrey, Natasha And Many Others Support Singularity 1 on 1. What About You?!

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If you’ve been around Singularity Weblog you already know that I have a passion for it. Of course, one of my favorite features is the Singularity 1 on 1 podcast. I mean, who wouldn’t enjoy reading mind-blowing books and talking 1-on-1 to some of the most inspiring people from around the world across a variety of cutting edge fields and disciplines?! No wonder I love it so much.

Still, what is even more inspiring and motivational is knowing that what I do is not in vain. That it makes a real-world difference to you – my audience. Because without you there is no blog. Without you there is no podcast. Without you there can really be no Socrates.

And so it is with great pleasure that I am putting together this short collection of testimonials in support of my fund-raising campaign. Testimonials such as those are perhaps the best measure of real-world impact that I can wish for. Hope you enjoy them and consider showing your support too:

https://www.singularityweblog.com/donate-and-support-singularity-weblog/

Also, please be aware that regardless of whether I meet my starting goal or not, I am guaranteed to get a minimum of 90% of all funds raised.

Dr. Ray Kurzweil: I Support Singularity 1 on 1

 

Dr. Aubrey de Grey: I Support Singularity 1 on 1

 

Dr. Natasha Vita-More: I Support Singularity 1 on 1

 

https://www.singularityweblog.com/donate-and-support-singularity-weblog/

 

Other Testimonials:

“Singularity 1-on-1… bringing the future into my iPhone, one download at a time!” Trevor

“I wish I could give more, because this is probably the most life changing and thought provoking podcast and website that I’ve come across. Keep it up, Socrates.” Hans

“You have a great interview style (you let the guest talk!) and consistently interesting guests. Even when I do not think I will be interested, I end up enlightened. Thanks and please keep up the good work.” Jonathan

“Small, my contribution may be. Large, this idea will be.” Michael Crump

“Mind Enhancing Interviews from Socrates!” R. Kaaper

“I’ve listened to 90% of your podcasts. Your interviews and list of guests is fantastic! I hope you end up with the funds to continue.” JZGreenline

“Best wishes with this Nikola. Singularity 1on1 has my attention like no other broadcast.” iswasbe

“I have about 40 podcasts in rotation, but Nikola’s Singularity 1-on-1 is the only one that every episode gets fully sync’d to every device so that i can replay anytime. The guests are first rate and the discussions are hugely informative, insightful and compelling.” Nick Heasman

“This is an important project that I fully support. It is one of the few online shows that digs deeply into the issues of technology and the future.” Dr. Natasha Vita-More

“Everyone should follow @singularityblog and support Nikola and his amazing Program, “Singularity 1 on 1.” TJL-2080

“This is my favorite podcast. Nikola does great interviews and lands intelligent thinkers in a variety of disciplines. I hope he reaches his goal.” Carson McKnight

“An amazing podcast. One of the best” Sharon

“Nikola rocks! Fantastic work spreading important transhumanist ideas, tools, and behaviors.” John Smart

“Thank you Socrates for all your great work! Your style of interviewing guests really appeals to me, your questions are always very insightful and well thought-out. Thanks for all the great time I had watching your interviews.” Toni Hiller

“Nikola’s podcast Singularity 1 on 1 is bar none, the very best Singularity podcast on the internet. With a guest list of intellectual giants it is seriously a who’s who of futurism and accelerationistas. Please, please contribute if you can.” Matthew J. Price

“My friends and I are driving back from our beach vacation today and my phone is loaded with your pod casts! Thanks for an interesting drive, Socrates!” Matt Chorey, Cincinnati, Ohio

https://www.singularityweblog.com/donate-and-support-singularity-weblog/

 

One Last Thing:

I stumbled upon a secret research study proving that anyone who donates to the Singularity 1 on 1 fund-raising campaign will live long and prosper after the singularity.

The study was conducted in 2045 by the AI research division at Singularity University.

So, if you like to ensure your place in the future don’t wait for the singularity!

Support Singularity 1 on 1 now and rest assured of your prosperous future! (You have just a few hours left and then your chance will be gone forever 😉

https://www.singularityweblog.com/donate-and-support-singularity-weblog/

Socrates

Transhumanism 101 with Natasha Vita-More

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Transhumanism is both misunderstood and feared. Ignorant people with an ideological agenda have labeled it “the most dangerous idea.” I thought that it was time to bring some basic intellectual clarity on the topic, and who is better prepared to help us do that than “the first female philosopher of transhumanism”!?

Dr. Natasha Vita-More has already been a guest on Singularity 1 on 1. Her first interview was both interesting and popular and I very much enjoyed talking to her about her life and work. This time our conversation is more focused on issues strictly related to transhumanism and the basics thereof, so I thought I’d call this episode Transhumanism 101.

During our conversation, Natasha covers a wide variety of topics such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the effect it had on transhumanism, science fiction, and science in general; the negative perception and fear of transhumanism stemming from some more recent publications such as Bill Joy’s Why The Future Doesn’t Need Us and Francis Fukuyama’s Post-Human Future; Natasha’s definition of transhumanism; similarities and differences between transhuman, posthuman and cyborg; critical thinking as one of the basic tenets of transhumanism; important writings such as Max More’s Towards a Futurist Philosophy, Eric Drexler’s Engines of Creation and Carl Sagan’s The Demon-Haunted World; her Ph.D. dissertation on human enhancement and life expansion; some of the reasons that people fear transhumanism and how to turn that around; some of her upcoming projects such as The Transhumanist Reader and H+TV as well as artistic events and conferences that she supports.

One of my favorite quotes that I will take away from this interview with Natasha is her call to “Get creative about the future!”

As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full. To show your support you can write a review on iTunes, make a direct donation, or become a patron on Patreon.

 

Who is Natasha Vita-More?

Natasha Vita-More, Ph.D. is the founder and creative director of esDESiGN and the producer and host of H+TV online. Her research concerns the design aesthetics of human enhancement and radical life extension, with a focus on emerging and speculative sciences and technologies. Her conceptual future human design “Primo Posthuman” has been featured in Wired, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, Net Business, Teleopolis, and Village Voice. She has appeared in over twenty-four televised documentaries on the future and culture, and has exhibited media artworks at National Centre for Contemporary Arts, Brooks Memorial Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art, Women In Video, Telluride Film Festival, and United States Film Festival and recently “Evolution Haute Couture: Art and Science in the Post-Biological Age” and is the recipient of several awards: First Place Award at Brooks Memorial Museum, Special Recognition at Women in Video, and special recognition for “Futures Podcast Series”.

Dr. Vita-More is a proponent of human rights and ethical means for human enhancement and is published in Artifact, Technoetic Arts, Nanotechnology Perceptions, Sistemi Intelligenti, Metaverse Creativity, D’ARS, and the Global Spiral. She is co-editor of the forthcoming book The Transhumanist Reader: Classical and Contemporary Essays on the Science, Technology, and Philosophy of the Human Future (Wiley-Blackwell 2013).

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Do We Need to Have a “Future Day”?

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“In thinking about how to get people interested in and excited about Transhumanist ideas explicitly, one idea I thought about was to create a holiday for the future. You think about all these holidays we have they are all about past events, but what if there were a holiday specifically oriented towards future events. So you could have many of them, you could have a ‘Singularity Day’, an ‘Artilect War Day’ for the future war, or simply a ‘Future Day’, to try and bring people together around the idea of creating a better future”

The remarks above were made by Ben Goertzel during the question and answer period of last week’s H+ Leadership Summit (see the full video at the end of the article), a discussion held in virtual world Second Life on leadership and the realization of Transhumanist goals. Author and polymath Howard Bloom, who positively influenced the musical careers of Michael Jackson, Prince, John Cougar Mellencamp, Kiss, Queen, Bette Midler, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Simon & Garfunkel, and many others, responded enthusiastically to Goertzel’s suggestion, calling the idea ‘fabulous’, and stating that in addition to being a source of excitement and means to raise awareness regarding Transhumanist ideas, an event of this nature could have broad reaching societal affect, potentially altering the prevailing mood of the time by turning over a new leaf of optimism. Bloom argues that in periods of economic collapse “we lose our sense of a future,” and “the thing that pulls us out of the trenches, and back up onto the landscape and charging toward the future is someone’s willingness to give us a vision of the future”. During the 1930s, the vision serving this function was the vision to electrify every home – which at the time, he points out, seemed “absolutely absurd.” And having a vision, in and of itself, can have a leveraging effect, he says, as a vision of the future “pulls us into the future.”

When it comes to optimism and moving forward, the Transhumanist outlook has a great deal to offer. Before us we see perpetual and accelerating progress, important breakthroughs occurring regularly, with radical predictions being met and exceeded, and knowledge exploding. And the Transhumanist vision more broadly is one of innovation and pushing beyond boundaries. But, as Bloom and others point out, in the interest of reaching as many people as possible, it’s best the holiday not be specifically Transhumanist, and instead be something more general so that everyone could readily understand and easily connect with. Natasha Vita-More adds that it should be something “beyond religion, beyond politics, and has the vision of expanding our horizons.”

The success of related events, such as Yuri’s Night:A World Space Party, an event celebrated annually in now more than 30 countries, indicates viability in the ‘Future Day’ idea. Yuri’s Night, in addition to honoring Yuri Garagin – the first human in space, who flew the Vostok 1 spaceship on April 12, 1961, is meant to inspire interest in space exploration, and more generally, science. I attended the event this year in Edmonton Alberta, held at the Edmonton Space and Science Center, and found it did just that. But ‘Future Day’ could be much more expansive. Natasha Vita-More and others identify other successful future oriented events in the past, such as the ‘World’s Fair’ (which this year was held only in China) and Bruce Mau’s ‘Massive Change’ initiative, as examples of events with similar magnitude and/or spirit to what a ‘Future Day’ could strive to become. Bloom remarks “we need people to apply their minds to the future the way they applied their minds to the World’s Fairs in the past”, where projects just kept get “bigger, and bigger, and bigger.”

Holidays have many positive social functions. For one, they create connections across entire societies, and sometimes internationally. In celebrating, people develop parallel experiences, and forge subtle bonds. ‘Future Day’, then, could offer people a means to relate to one another regarding the future.  And as Goertzel points out, a holiday celebrating the future could serve to unify diverse groups already oriented around future building, by “giving them something to contribute to without making them feel as though it was diluting their mission.”

Holidays are traditionally backward looking in nature, and a means of cultural preservation rather than evolution. ‘Future Day’ could have the opposite effect, making people more enthusiastic about change, and offering a vision that makes us more inclined to reach toward the future, and less afraid to let go of past ideas that may be interfering with progress.

So what features might a holiday for the future have?

Festivals: Cutting edge technology exhibits, musical events, fanfare. I can imagine more digital versions of colorful international festivals like the Holi festival and future oriented large-scale art installations the scale of Burning Man.

Activities for Kids: A great way to introduce kids to Transhumanist ideas. Could include school projects in the way kids do Christmas projects – plays about the future, crafts about the future etc.

Parades: A good way to get corporate sponsorship, and a good way to get media attention. Another great way to get kids interested in futurist ideas.

Parties: All kinds of parties. Wild parties celebrating future social liberation, cognitive enhancement parties, costume parties, dress like your avatar parties.

Celebrity Endorsement: Leonardo DiCaprio endorsed official secular holiday Earth Day in year 2000, and celebrities endorse social causes all the time. Future Day could also have cutting edge, provocative appeal that would motivate celebrities to associate themselves with the event.

Peaceful Protests: My guess is that as more people become excited about the future and want to see certain technologies developed sooner rather than later, more will come to feel there are unnecessary obstacles standing in the way of future tech. To date there is not much activism going on related directly to achieving Transhumanist goals, although some have taken matters into their own hands, in the form of Singularity political letter writing. Using ‘Earth Day’ as an example – holidays offer an opportunity to raise awareness regarding political and social issues. There are many humanitarian aspects of Transhumanism worth campaigning for, and this could be one way in which university students are involved in ‘Future Day’.

The Second Life conversation on ‘Future Day’ concluded with agreement that the idea should be pursued, and that refining the vision and working out the details would occur between H+ board members over the next couple weeks. Board members also discussed the benefits such an event would have for Transhumanism more specifically, such as shifting the focus from risks and ethics to something with more vision and more ‘fun’, and creating a vehicle and franchise in which to deliver Transhumanist ideas to the public. It will be exciting to see what they come up with, and watch the idea evolve as others become involved in the planning.

About the Author:

Nikki Olson is a writer/researcher working on an upcoming book about the Singularity with Dr. Kim Solez, as well as relevant educational material for the Lifeboat Foundation. She has a background in philosophy and sociology, and has been involved extensively in Singularity research for 3 years. You can reach Nikki via email at [email protected].

Humanity+ community event in Second Life, September 15, 2011

[youtube]https://youtu.be/6TW6FnvUFcE[/youtube]

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Visual Culture and Transhumanism

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‘Visual Culture’ has to do with the creation, transmission and perpetuation of ideas in culture by visual means. Imagery, including shapes, colors, logos, fonts, apparel, and more broadly, ‘styles’, become symbols acting to carry and transmit meaning in a particular culture, and communicate ideology. A culture’s symbols can originate in that culture, or be a combination of new and borrowed ideas and meaning from others. For instance ‘tie-dye’, although dating back to ~500 AD, in the West is seen primarily as a symbol of hippie culture, communicating a particular set of social, political, and lifestyle beliefs.

What can we identify in the Singularity and Transhumanist community as playing this particular role, and what ideology does some of the present visual culture communicate?

Transhumanist visual culture can be characterized broadly as forward looking imagery that captures Transhumanist concepts, such as augmented sensory experiences, redesigned bodies, indefinite lifespans, and so on. There is a long history of art in the Transhumanist movement, dating back to the late 1970s/early 1980s with the work of Natasha Vita-More, who named the Transhumanist art movement and wrote the Transhumanist Art Statement and Extropic Art Manifesto, as well as many other papers and presentations promoting and addressing this topic. Transhumanism, however, is now more an intellectual movement than anything else, being markedly less aesthetic than related movements such as the cyberpunk, psychedelic and industrial movements. And so unfortunately, the visual aspect of Transhumanist culture is not well known by many Transhumanists today, and at present does not hold a lot of significance for them. However, there are some rich visual elements abound, and from all corners of Transhumanist thought.

One prominent visual element of Transhumanist culture right now comes out of the work of Rachel Haywire, lead of Experiment Haywire, pioneer of machineKUNT records, founder of the multi-media arts and science festival Extreme Futurist Fest (EFF), and most recently, the Human 2.0 Council. Haywire is thought to be a major force contributing to cross pollination of Transhumanist and Industrial visual culture.

Haywire’s most explicitly Transhumanist projects, for instance, EFF and Human 2.0, deliberately incorporate industrial imagery. Why the crossover? Well for one, the ideology of the two movements in many ways coincides. For instance, Transhumanist’s share with industrial culture a belief in DIY biology/biohacking, which goes alongside tattoos and piercings for Industrialists. Pioneers in mixing Transhumanist and Industrial media are bands Front 242 and Front Line Assembly. Newer enthusiasts in this vein include Trimetrick, UCNX, Chris Coreline and Johan Ess. And industrial artists like Aunia Kahn readily incorporate Transhumanism into their art.

In discussing the motivations of the groups she leads and identifies with, Haywire writes “Transhumanism is not just a field of science for us. It is a lifestyle and an aesthetic. We are real life mutants and the soundtrack to our generation.” And the imagery for her projects is meant to express that. I would add that industrial imagery offers a different dimension from which to view Transhumanist concepts, often in a darker, more aggressive, more urgent, and in some ways more radical light – evoking a strong aesthetic response to the future.

Another source of visual culture in the Transhumanist movement comes from the logos of its institutions. One notable, although perhaps often over-looked logo, is that of the ‘Future of Humanity Institute’, which features the image of a black diamond.

The logo’s symbolism evokes thought on the existential risks faced by humanity via technology, in particular the possibility of a near future Great Filter. It is thought by some futurists that the greatest threats to human survival lay immediately ahead, as we approach the invention of technologies with the power to wipe out all of mankind.

The black diamond symbol is more widely associated with the ski and snowboard industry to mean ‘most difficult’, connoting ‘danger’. In search of a logo, Anders Sandberg explains how Nick Bostrom “saw the ski logo during a holiday and it clicked”. It’s not all doom and gloom, however, the Future of Humanity Institute also identifies with a lesser-known meaning behind the black diamond symbol related to logic. Sandberg writes: “The symbol also has a meaning in some branches of logic, representing “possibility”. Sandberg goes on to recount “I also liked it because it is a dynamic square: something solid, but potentially tipping over in one direction or another.”

The most original and arguably most optimistic visual culture elements associated with Transhumanism today are the work of Singularity Utopia. Her art is meant to affect, at times subconsciously, our views and behavior towards the future, as well as broaden the conceptual reach of Transhumanist ideas. She writes:

“My ‘Singularity ART’ is designed to open minds. Art is often recondite (esoteric) but hopefully the obscurity in my art is not excessive. Via my images I allude to intelligence exploding, thus upon this theme of explosiveness my images typically exhibit an overloaded celebratory aspect. My images represent a very exciting event. I want to capture the excessive abundance of supreme intelligence thus ‘excess’ is a feature of my images.

I want the explosiveness to be accessible to everyone, but for the vast majority of humans I realize extreme intelligence is currently inaccessible. Complexity and simplicity are the two balancing poles in my art. There is dichotomy between excess and minimalism. The concept of intelligence is simple but manifestations of intelligence appear complex for stupid people. Intelligence exploding is a simple concept, which people can theoretically imagine, but in practice many people simply do not have substantial imaginations thus they cannot visualize revolutionary new concepts.

I am influenced by Minimalism, Conceptual Art, and Dada. My Singularity ART is an explanation of massive intelligence for stupid people, therefore due to the mainstream stupidity of humans I hint at Dadaism. Intelligence is conceptually very Anti-Establishment, thus you see the rationale for my Dadaistic hints. Principally I focus on the ‘concept’ in my images because I don’t want people to become sidetracked by surface details, thus via minimal rendering I artistically present my ideas. The Singularity is very strange and powerful but it’s also very simple. I simply want people to comprehend the awesome utopian power of the Singularity, thus via a jolt from my art I try to open human minds. The Singularity is bursting-out, breaking free. Dependent upon the level of intelligence in the viewer, my art will operate on subconscious or conscious levels.”

Just breaking onto the scene of mainstream Transhumanist consciousness has been the art work of Sniff Code, author of the science fiction book Clone. The work is highly provocative and imaginative, coupling imagery with short essays, creative works, and transhumanist poetry. And just announced, Sniff Code will be teaming up with Haywire in designing the website imagery for Extreme Futurist Fest.

So what’s next in this domain? As the popularity of Transhumanism increases we are sure to see it grow and fill out aesthetically—coming to have more of its own identifiable style perhaps, as well as more symbols in which memes can be communicated. Such an evolution is integral to the evolution of Transhumanists more generally, as Vita-More explains in the Transhumanism Art Statement:

As Transhumanist Arts come into focus
As more artists join our efforts
As more designs are produced
As more music is composed
As more stories are written
As the tools and ideas of our art continue to evolve,
So too shall we.

About the Author:

Nikki Olson is a writer/researcher working on an upcoming book about the Singularity with Dr. Kim Solez, as well as relevant educational material for the Lifeboat Foundation. She has a background in philosophy and sociology, and has been involved extensively in Singularity research for 3 years. You can reach Nikki via email at [email protected].

Natasha Vita-More on Singularity 1on1

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Want to find out who, according to the NY Times, is “the first female philosopher of transhumanism”?

Today’s episode of Singularity 1 on 1 features Natasha Vita-More. (As always, you can listen to or download the audio interview above, or scroll down and watch the video recording in full.)

During our conversation with Natasha, she covers a wide variety of topics such as her personal artistic background and how she got to be interested and involved in transhumanism, as well as her take on technology, religion, death, the singularity, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and others.

I found Natasha to be a fascinating interviewee and hope that you enjoy the interview as much as I did. As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full. To show your support you can write a review on iTunes, make a direct donation, or become a patron on Patreon.

Who is Natasha Vita-More?

Natasha Vita-More, Ph.D. researcher, University of Plymouth, is a theorist and media designer. She has been referred to as “the first female philosopher of transhumanism” (New York Times, 2008), a “spokesperson for superlongevity” (Wired 2000) and a “superhuman object of desire” (Atlantic Unbound 1998). Natasha is best known for designing the “Primo Posthuman” future human prototype, which project applies nanotechnology, biotechnology, artificial general intelligence, robotics, neuroscience, and advanced medicine.

Natasha is a visiting lecturer at academic institutions such as Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Applied Sciences, Universität für Angewandte Kunst Wien, Centre Interuniversitaire des Arts Médiatiques, University of Quebec, and other learning intuitions such as Metanexus Institute, American Philosophical Association, Sala Parallo, Trondheim Festival, Pecci Museum, SESCE Brazil, and Lisbon Arte e Ciência Cordoaria, and Russia’s National Centre for Contemporary Arts. As the former President of Extropy Institute (2002-2005), she is currently on the Board of Directors for Humanity+, Fellow at Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, Advisor of the Singularity University, Lifeboat Foundation, Alcor Life Extension Foundation, and Visiting Scholar at 21st Century

Her writings have been published in numerous books, she has appeared in more than twenty-four televised documentaries, and featured in magazines including The New York Times, Wired, Village Voice, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, U.S. News & World Report, Net Business, and Teleopolis. Vita-More is the author of the Transhuman Statement (1983), producer and host of “Transcentury Update” (1987-1994), and the founder of Transhumanists Arts, Sciences & Culture (1991) and H+ Lab (2005). For more see Natasha.cc

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