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Short
Biography |
Mr Kostas
Physentzides, has interest in different fields such as
physics, cyberspace, ecology, spirituality, philosophy,
psychology, astrophysics and cosmology. He is concerned
about climatic changes, deforestation, unemployment and
poverty. He believes that keeping children hungry, sick,
exploited and unloved, polluting and destroying the planet's
ecosystem, violating the dignity and freedom of living
beings, is a crime. He believes that light, love,
intelligence and creativity resides in every living being.
He considers that working for a better world is a blessing. |
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Presentation |
Cyberspace and the transformation of
consciousness
Kostas
PHYSENTZIDES
(University of Thessaly, Department of Planning and Regional
Development,
Pedion Areos, Volos 38334, Greece, +30-24210-74577,
kphysent@uth.gr)
Abstract
Today we stand at the crossroads of a global shift in
consciousness. Amongst the major crises humanity is facing
there is a technological one. Humanity’s way of handling the
new technologies -nanotechnology, bioengineering, Artificial
Intelligence (AI), communication & information systems,
etc.- within the next few decades will determine the quality
of human life and humanity’s own survival.
These new technologies are becoming an integrated part of a
global digital information world called Cyberspace.
Cyberspace is incessantly transforming society, and visa
versa, through its embedment within all social structures
(visible and invisible). Cyberspace’s embedding into the
physical phenomenal world causes the latter to be
spiritualised through the virtual (e.g. intelligent/smart
structures) and the spiritual to be materialised through the
production of new spaces and new forms. Therefore, in order
to fully understand the (re)structuring of our society it is
not enough to regard Cyberspace as a phenomenon but also
examine it as a noumenon (from Greek nous=mind).
According to Vernor Vinge’s ‘technological singularity’
scenario, introduced at NASA’s Symposium VISION-21 (March
1993), the convergence of the new technologies before the
mid 21st century will give birth to a super intelligence
(more intelligent than a human being). That event could be
equally significant to that of the production of biological
life on Earth. That artificial super intelligence will be
able to control resources at a global scale and, given our
civilisation’s dependability on digital technology, it could
become a thread to humanity’s survival
(http://www.singinst.org).
It is humanity’s responsibility to correctly use its
technological creations in the building of a new human
society where individuals and groups will be encouraged to
freely unfold their inner creative potential. That could be
achieved by adding to the digital intelligence human
qualities such as love, justice and respect of life in all
forms.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, consciousness,
Cyberspace, emergence, technological singularity,
virtuality.
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