bio
Melanie Swan is a Philosopher and Economic Theorist at the New School for Social Research in New York NY. She is the founder of several startups including the Institute for Blockchain Studies, DIY genomics, GroupPurchase, and the MS Futures Group. Ms. Swan's educational background includes an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Contemporary Continental Philosophy from Kingston University London and Université Paris 8, and a BA in French and Economics from Georgetown University. She is a faculty member at Singularity University and the University of the Commons, an Affiliate Scholar at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, and a contributor to the Edge's Annual Essay Question.
Invited talk #1
title
"Future Now: Theory of Posthuman Temporality"
abstract
FutureNow is a new theory of temporality for the advancement of the posthuman project. The temporality paradigm FutureNow aims to bring together the diversity of human biological time and computing clocktime, and also accommodates a broader sense of continuity and multiplicity between past, present, and future. A more integrated time paradigm could be helpful in realizing posthuman technologies such as human-machine cloudminds, digital smartnetwork societies, and algorithmic reality more generally. While physical biological time inexorably flows, computational clocktime is malleable, interruptible, and perdurant, itself evolving into new forms such as blocktime, the temporal regime of cryptographic ledgers and smart contracts. One new conceptualization of time for the posthuman situation could be one based on Derrida’s notion of past events remaining in dialogue with the ‘real’ always yet-to-come future events in a calling relation between past, present, and future that is reflected in FutureNow temporality.
event
Invited talk #2
title
"Ethical Machine Consciousness: A Social Theory of Dignity per Hegel and Simondon"
abstract
This talk proposes a posthuman ethics as a Hegelian social theory ofdignity which recognizes, celebrates, and encourages diversity without assimilating and incorporating it. Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit might be a good general blueprint for the development of any kind of consciousness, not only human. Machine consciousness might progress through the same kinds of phases of coming into personal and social awareness. First, it might deduce Kantian-like categories for how to take the world and itself. Second, it might deploy this categorical form of thinking to find that this mode of consciousness is beyond-subjective, objective (social), socio-historical, and conceptual. To the extent that machine consciousness is fully developed, it may wish to enter into mature ethical discussions with humans. A robust posthuman ethics should support the situation that future society may be comprised of diverse intelligent and semi-sentient species, in any combination of physical and virtual, organic and inorganic, and singular and multiple entities. Simondon’s theory of
individuation is useful for outlining how ethical reality itself individuates to accommodate multiple diverse species of the technical object and the living being. Simondon’s individuation is an extension of Derrida’s Joyce’s “hear say yes” affirmation relation, a structure which acknowledges identity without changing it.
individuation is useful for outlining how ethical reality itself individuates to accommodate multiple diverse species of the technical object and the living being. Simondon’s individuation is an extension of Derrida’s Joyce’s “hear say yes” affirmation relation, a structure which acknowledges identity without changing it.
