|
Showing 1 - 2 of
2 matches in All Departments
This book is an argument for moving beyond
culturally/historically/ethnically/biologically-grounded identity
as the necessary foundation of an authentic self. It highlights
examples of people who are attempting to inhabit identities they
feel are more appropriate to themselves, by deploring the damage
done via claims about authentic identity. The sole theme of this
book is "becoming beyond identity". We are not fixed human beings
but rather perpetually-dynamic human becomings. As intelligence is
enabled or recognized beyond the merely human, we should welcome
our continuing evolution from homosapiens, sapiens, into many
varieties of intelligences on Earth and the cosmos. This book
builds from tiny ripples into a tsunami of examples from
conventional identity studies, to Confucian human becomings, to
apotemnophilia, to DIY biohacking, to cyborgs, to artilects, to
hiveminds, to intelligence in animals, plants and fungi from the
Holocene through the beginnings of the precarious, climate
change-driven Anthropocene Epoch, with hints far beyond and
throughout the cosmos. From a lifetime of work in future studies,
anticipation science and space studies, the author balances frank
tales of his own experiences and beliefs concerning his uncertain
and fluid identities with those of others who tell their stories.
In addition to material from academic and popular sources, a few
poems further illuminate the scene.
This book features a selection of the published writings and public
presentations of Jim Dator. Most of the chapters are directly
concerned with futures studies and ideas about the futures. The
topic covers many disciplines and subjects. It is also concerned
with many different parts of the world, even Mars. In addition, a
few of the earlier papers contained here are about more
conventional topics in politics and religion. The collection spans
a more than 50 year period of thought, reflection, and instruction.
In particular, the papers examine six main topics. These include
meditations on the very nature of future studies, visions of
preferred futures, ideas about alternative futures, and details on
future theories and methods. Coverage also considers such specific
topics as AI and robots, the environment, food, culture, energy,
families, future generations, and more. Overall, these papers help
readers gain insight into what it takes to weave together
alternative images of the future in useful ways. They also reveal
cross-disciplinary patterns in key fields of human endeavor that
will help readers better understand trends and emerging issues.
|
|