Russell
--- Forwarded mail from mbauwens@innet.be (Michel Bauwens)
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 23:49:47 +0100
To: whitaker@palladium
From: mbauwens@innet.be (Michel Bauwens)
Subject: Re: Your documentary....
This sounds like a very good idea. Perhaps we could organise some groupmeet
one evening? Feel free to post the synopsis to the list, with my email, but
please add that I will be incommunicado as of the 22nd of August and that I
arrive in the Bay Area on the 29th.
Many thanks,
If you have a phone number, I might give you a ring before the 1st, is that
okay?
>
>Michel,
>
>This actually sounds very interesting. However, speaking for myself
>only, I'm actually leaving for Japan on 1 September. Here's what I
>suggest: I'd like to forward your message to the Extropians mailing
>list, and open up participation in this programme to a number of
>bright, articulate local extropians. How would this sound to you?
>
>Regards,
>Russell
>
>> >
>> >Sincere thanks for your attention,
>> >
>> >Michel Bauwens
>> >
>> ><<<Dear Sir/Madam:
>> >
>> >What follows is a generic letter to inform you about a documentary project
>> >on the post- and 'superhuman' consequencies of new developpements in
>> >technology (bio-genetics, Artificial Intelligence, nanotechnology,...) as
>> >well as on the meaning and 'metaphysics' of technology. We would like to
>> >present our project to you and to request eventual assistance.
>> >
>> >1. THE DOCUMENTARY
>> >
>> >TECHNOCALYPS is a documentary project that is a joint initiative of
>> >Michel Bauwens, former editor-in-chief of the dutch-language digital
>> >convergence magazine 'Wave'; of Frank Theys, multimedia artist who recently
>> >directed a play on the 'Technological Singularity' entitled '2012'; and
>> >Eric Kint, producer of Itinera Films.
>> >
>> >The choice of title has been chosen to represent a fusion of an
>> >accelerating technological quest (the digital revolution) and utopian
>> >desires for redemption, coupled wit the apocalyptic fears which are
>> >intensifying at the end of the second millennium.
>> >
>> >The documentary's main theme is the possible future evolution towards
>> >posthuman or superhuman intelligence and ability. We want to map the
>> >philosophical
>> >implications of these matters. In discussions on the subject scientists are
>> >using terms out of the metafysical domain. On the opposite, people with a
>> >spiritual or religious background are getting interested in the new
>> >technological developments so that there is a certain convergence of
>> >technological and spiritual concerns. Our main concern is this interesting
>> >cross-over where both domains start to poach on each others territory.
>> >
>> >
>> >The documentary consists of three parts:
>> >
>> >Part 1: DEUS EX MACHINA
>> >
>> >Part 2: ELECTRIC GAIA
>> >
>> >Part 3: PREPARING FOR THE SINGULARITY
>> >
>> >Part 1: DEUS EX MACHINA
>> >
>> >Thist part will show how the Digital Revolution may be considered as a
>> >scientific/technological quest to transcend all natural limits, leading us
>> >to a kind of materialistic 'God' project. After showing some of the more
>> >far-reaching scientific advances (bio-genetics, artificial intelligence,
>> >nano-technology,=8A) we will present Extropian thought, which aims to
create
>> >a transhuman and post-human future and will discuss themes such as the
>> >eventual obsoleteness of the mind and the body. This science-based optimism
>> >will be contrasted with negative interpretations as expressed by ecologists
>> >and other types of 'neo-Luddite' schools of thought.
>> >
>> >Part 2: ELECTRIC GAIA
>> >
>> >This second part will contrast the positive and negative spiritual
>> >interpretations of technological evolution: will the technological
>> >evolution bring closer humankind's rush to the Omega Point, as predicted by
>> >Teilhard de Chardin, or will it create a kind of technological Anti-Christ.
>> >We also examine a variety of spiritual implications and aspects of
>> >cyberspace, such as the spiritual nature of cyberspace as an immaterial
>> >realm, magical aspects of interfacing with virtual worlds, and other such
>> >issues.
>> >
>> >Part 3: PREPARING FOR THE SINGULARITY
>> >
>> >This is a more social approach on the subject. Here we show how people
>> >prepare for the coming edge of time (life-extension, psychedelics and smart
>> >drugs, cryonics,=8A).
>> >
>> >
>> >2. THE AUTHORS & PRODUCER
>> >
>> >Michel Bauwens is a Belgian internet consultant who combines a longstanding
>> >flirtation with psycho-technologies and comparative religion, with a
>> >cyber-philosophical study of the implications of the digital revolution for
>> >society, organisations, and daily life. Michel Bauwens has worked for the
>> >United States Information Agency as an information analyst, has created a
>> >virtual information centre as information manager for British Petroleum,
>> >and has been editor-in-chief of the digital convergence magazine Wave. He
>> >now works as an independent internet consultant and has consulted with
>> >various organisations and companies in their migration to cyberspace
>> >environments.
>> >
>> >=46rank Theys has studied plastic arts, film/video and philosophy in
>> >Brussels.He works as a scriptwriter, theatre director and videomaker.
>> >His last play, "2012" dealt with the Internet and the 'Singularity', a kind
>> >of technological 'end-time'. As a video artist he has won a number of
>> >prizes such as the 1=B0 price for video in the Filmfestival of Locarno
1983,
>> >the 1=B0 price of the Short Movie Festival of Brussels 1984, the
>Montb=E9lia=
>> >rd
>> >Prix Art Canal in 1987, the Bleustein-Blanchet Price 1991 (for his entire
>> >oeuvre), The Signaal Price 1993 for theater, the Kultuurprijs Alken-Maes
>> >and received the name of
>> >'cultural ambassador of Belgium'.
>> >
>> >Eric Kint is producer at the independent film production company Itinera
>> >=46ilms Ltd. Eric has a legal background. After specialising in copyright
>fo=
>> >r
>> >8 years he starts up a career as a film producer with the production for
>> >Avila Ltd of a feature art film Achterland, directed by Anne Teresa De
>> >Keersmaeker (Dance Screen Award & Best registration of a Choreography,
>> >=46estival International Film & Vid=E9o, Lyon 1994; Prix de la Meilleure
>> >Adaptation, Festival International du Film sur l'Art, Montr=E9al 1995).
>> >Itinera Films is now working on the following quality projects : a feature
>> >film 'Just Judges' in pre-production (shooting 1997), the TV documentary
>> >'Technocalyps' (shooting 1996/1997) and another feature film 'St Kilda' in
>> >development (shooting 1998).
>> >
>> >
>> >3. WHERE WE ARE NOW
>> >
>> >We are presently in the information gathering phase of our project, which
>> >will be followed by a preliminary trip in order to prepare the final phase
>> >of actually filming the documentary.
>> >
>> >
>> >4. HOW CAN YOU HELP US?
>> >
>> >Do you have any particular insights on, experience with, or point of view
>> >on the themes which will be examined in this project?
>> >
>> >Can you recommend any people, resources (print, audiovisual, and online)
>> >that could help us in achieving a deeper understanding of the subject
>> >matter?
>> >
>> >Can you tell us where you actually 'live' so that we can plan our
>> >preparatory trip, if you are prepared to meet us. Broad availability dates
>> >during the summer and the fall would be helpful.
>> >
>> >Right now, we are also trying to identify visual material for the project.
>> >
>> >5. TO FIND MORE INFORMATION?
>> >
>> >Subject questions should be directed at <mbauwens@innet.be>, or
>> ><f.theys@innet.be>. A preliminary essay on the subject of Technology and
>> >Spirituality is located at the URL http://www.iocom.be/pilot/techspir.txt.
>> >
>> >We are also preparing a website on this subject. We will be using an
>> >interpretative grid juxtapositing positive/negative interpretations on one
>> >axis, and 'materialist-scientific' vs. 'spiritual-religious' points of view
>> >on the other axis.
>> >
>> > pos.
>> > +
>> > +
>> > +
>> > mat.-scient. + + + + + + + + + + + + + spir.-relig.
>> > +
>> > +
>> > +
>> > neg.
>> >
>> >
>> >If you know of any suggestions for techno-spiritual resources that fit in
>> >this interpretative grid, please forward it to <mbauwens@innet.be> as well.
>> >
>> >
>> >Michel Bauwens, Internet Consultant / Cyber-marketeer
>> >IO Communications
>> >Address: ch. de Charleroi, 182 B-1060 Brussels, BELGIUM
>> >Tel: +32-2-534.07.37; fax: 07.57
>> >
>> >Please visit the Cybrarian's Guide to Cyber-Marketing located at:
>> >URL =3D http://www.iocom.be/pilot/cybermarketing/; <mbauwens@innet.be>
>> >
>>
>> Michel Bauwens, Internet Consultant / Cyber-marketeer
>> IO Communications
>> Address: ch. de Charleroi, 182 B-1060 Brussels, BELGIUM
>> Tel: +32-2-534.07.37; fax: 07.57
>>
>> Please visit the Cybrarian's Guide to Cyber-Marketing located at:
>> URL = http://www.iocom.be/pilot/cybermarketing/; <mbauwens@innet.be>
>>
>>
>>-- End of quoted excerpt from Michel Bauwens
>
>
>
>--
>"Here the ways of men part: if you wish to strive for peace of
> soul and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to be a devotee
> to truth, then inquire..." - Nietzsche
>
>Russell Earl Whitaker whitaker@sgi.com
>Webmaster, Silicon Junction
>Silicon Graphics, Inc. Mountain View, CA
>===============================================================
>http://reality.sgi.com/whitaker
Michel Bauwens, Internet Consultant / Cyber-marketeer
IO Communications
Address: ch. de Charleroi, 182 B-1060 Brussels, BELGIUM
Tel: +32-2-534.07.37; fax: 07.57
Please visit the Cybrarian's Guide to Cyber-Marketing located at:
URL = http://www.iocom.be/pilot/cybermarketing/; <mbauwens@innet.be>
---End of forwarded mail from mbauwens@innet.be (Michel Bauwens)
-- "Here the ways of men part: if you wish to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to be a devotee to truth, then inquire..." - NietzscheRussell Earl Whitaker whitaker@sgi.com Webmaster, Silicon Junction Silicon Graphics, Inc. Mountain View, CA =============================================================== http://reality.sgi.com/whitaker