Minds and Machines
A Journal for Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy and Cognitive Science
Special Issue: Transhumanism, Cognitive Enhancement and AI (expected: November 2009)
Submissions are invited for a special issue of the journal Mind and Machines on the topic of transhumanism, cognitive enhancement, cyborgization, uploading and artificial intelligence.
Guest editors:
* James Hughes Ph.D., Public Policy Studies, Trinity College, Hartford CT USA
* Mark Walker Ph.D., Dept. of Philosophy, New Mexico State University
Contact us with any questions at james.hughes@trincoll.edu
Important dates
Submission deadline: Jan. 15, 2009
Notification of acceptance/rejection: March 15, 2009
Final revision deadline: May 15, 2009
Focus of the Special Issue
Transhumanists believe that we can and should use technology to overcome the limitations of the human brain and body. For example, transhumanists advocate using technology to radically increase our lifespan, intelligence, happiness, and virtue. In relation to the themes of the journal of Minds and Machines transhumanists advocate cognitive enhancement along three vectors.
One vector is cognitive enhancement using pharmaceuticals, genetic therapies and tissue engineering. Direct modification of the organic brain will allow human beings to increase our intelligence, expand our memory, sharpen our capacity for concentration, and eliminate cognitive and psychological disabilities.
A second vector is through ‘cyborgization’ - the incorporation of devices, nanorobots and computers into the body. This trajectory may permit the augmentation of the senses with artificial hearing and sight superior to organic ears and eyes, the direct augmentation of cognition with brain prostheses, and connecting the brain wirelessly to the Internet. These technologies will likely converge with the growth of virtual worlds and augmented reality, blurring divisions between the “virtual” and the “real.”
The third vector of human enhancement is through the creation of ‘mind-children,’ computers and robots with, at least, human-level cognition, emotions and abilities. These machine minds may be created either through efforts to create artificial life and general intelligence, and/or by uploading human minds into machines. Once created these machine minds may be far more capable and powerful than organic humans.
This special issue of Mind and Machines will explore the philosophical problems and implications of the transhumanist project in regards to these processes, cognitive enhancement, cyborgization and the creation of mind children. How far can these processes go, and how far should they go?
Possible Topics:
* What philosophical questions are posed by efforts to enhance intellectual, aesthetic and moral abilities with drugs, gene therapies, brain machines and computers?
* What philosophical questions are posed by cyborgization, uploading and the blurring of the real and virtual?
* How plausible are cognitive enhancement, human-machine integration, immersive virtual reality and the brain prostheses?
* How should we regulate cognitive enhancement, cyborgization and uploading?
* Is uploading the mind to a computer platform possible?
* What ethical guidelines should govern uploading and the intentional creation of machine minds?
* What implications do these technologies pose for personal identity and legal personhood? At what point, if any, do machines minds become rights-bearing persons?
* How likely is it that our descendents will be embodied in machines that stand to us in intelligence as we do our hominid ancestors?
Length
We anticipate that this issue will contain around 10 papers and, as a working guide, the papers should be between 4000 and 12,000 words in length.
Formatting instructions
Formatting guidelines are available here:
http://www.springer.com/computer/artificial/journal/11023
Submission procedure
Manuscripts must be submitted electronically and in the Microsoft Word (not LaTex) format to james.hughes@trincoll.edu (not to the Springer site), properly formatted, by January 15, 2009.
Review process
Each submission will ideally receive two reviews. Completed review forms will be forwarded to the corresponding authors. Please suggest up to three external reviewers to facilitate the review process.
About Mind and Machines
Affiliated with the Society for Machines and Mentality, the journal Minds and Machines fosters a tradition of criticism within the AI and philosophical communities on problems and issues of common concern. Its scope explicitly encompasses philosophical aspects of computer science.
The journal affords an international forum for the discussion and debate of important and controversial issues concerning significant developments within its areas of editorial focus. It features special issues devoted to specific topics, critical responses to previously published pieces, and review essays discussing current problem situations.
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