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Theme : science
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Tomorrow's people?
Hot on the heels of our Better Humans? report, this week the James Martin Institute at Oxford University is hosting a mega-conference on human enhancement and life extension. There are some outstanding speakers - scientists, philosophers and policymakers - from Europe, the US and Asia. The conference got underway yesterday and runs until Friday. The whole event can also be viewed as a webcast
from : jameswilsdon
15th March 2006
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land of many clocks
The UNCTAD report on investment and technology policies for competitiveness (a little light bedtime reading!) notes that Korea is an 'old tiger'. It's two economic miracles - one of whiplash-inducing catch-up growth, and then again its recovery from the 1997 crisis, are well-known. And yet it's going for a third, which they hope will take off on a platform of ubiquitous IT and RFID infrastructure. But will this give the old tiger new stripes? I'm not predicting whether they've hit on a...
from : mollywebb
12th March 2006
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Courting 'Asia's Other Powerhouse'
And where is the UK in this whirlwind of political and economic tourism? Well, we make our fair share of scoping trips. A Demos team has just returned from seven weeks in India studying dynamics of science and innovation for The Atlas of Ideas. The Telegraph reports today that the City of London is opening its first office in India, and the London Stock Exchange is looking to set up a link with the Indian stock market in Mumbai. It looks likely that the Chancellor will use his Budget on 22nd...
from : kirstenbound
6th March 2006
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Better and better
Two more comment pieces prompted by our Better Humans? collection have appeared in the past couple of days.Dylan Evans in yesterday's Guardian calls for the creation of new equivalents to the 'savage reservations' in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, where 'Freed from the oppressive technologies that regulate life in the World State, the inhabitants develop individuality, independent thinking and initiative.'And in today's FT, Richard Tomkins speculates on the drawbacks of eternal life.
from : jameswilsdon
28th February 2006
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What would Jesus say?
The website Christianity Today has posted a thought-provoking critique of our 'Better Humans?' collection. We're grateful to them for drawing our attention to a dilemma raised by human enhancement that we hadn't previously considered: namely what will happen 'When Jesus returns...in power and glory to call us to account, what will he find? Will he find faith upon the earth? Will he even find men and women? Or will he say, as he searches for fellow members of homo sapiens, the species he made...
from : jameswilsdon
23rd February 2006
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Corruption, or the means to fight it?
Are Japan and Korea more corrupt than we thought? Or are they finally cracking down on corruption that's been going on for years - a good sign? The Livedoor scandal that's being compared to Enron highlights the need for legal reform which will clarify the interactions between government and business. And Korean business is caught bribing politicians. "It is urgent for Samsung and other business groups to put an end to their improper connections with powerful politicians, the main obstacle to...
from : mollywebb
13th February 2006
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Who wants to live forever?
de Grey's claims may seem far-fetched, but even government research published this week acknowledges the possibility of significant increases in life expectancy in the coming decades.We can't predict the future. But we can start a public discussion about the possibility of dramatically extended lifespans - and the consequences for society.
from : samhintonsmith
8th February 2006
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Imagining people and the public imagination
Madeleine Bunting has a very thoughtful piece in the Guardian today, drawing on our imminent Better Humans? collection. To many people, her imagination of future humans might seem far-fetched - more Gattaca than Grauniad. But this only demonstrates the poverty of debate about technologies that should force us to ask, in public, some very, very big questions. In the US, there's a bunch of people shouting quite loudly about the radical 'benefits' of new technologies for humanity. They do this...
from : jackstilgoe
30th January 2006
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assess your tech
Our colleagues at the Wilson Center Foresight and Governance Project in Washington have released a new report on the future of technology assessment. James Wilsdon is one of the contributors, bringing the UK perspective to the debate. And Demos isn't just writing about this... In November, we brought some scientists and focus group participants together to talk about nanotechnologies. Watch some videos of the event.
from : mollywebb
19th January 2006
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The risks of success
A long procession of packed buses rumbles up the road to the Opening Session of the 93rd Indian Science Congress in Hyderabad. Security is tight. Just a few days earlier, terrorists stormed a conference at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, gunning down academics and showering the room with hand grenades, which thankfully didn?t go off. One Professor was killed and four are still in hospital.In his inaugural address, Prime Minister Manhoman Singh says the fact that science is a...
from : kirstenbound
11th January 2006
