IEET Fellow Linda MacDonald Glenn, J.D., L.L.M. will speak at:

A Spotless Mind? Policy, Ethics & the Future of Human Intelligence

http://www.thehumanfuture.org/events/

Friday, February 16, 2007

8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

National Press Club

529 14th Street N.W.

Washington, D.C.

Is a machine-dominated society á la The Matrix or a Borg-esque collective intelligence looming in humanity’s future?

Emerging technologies in the areas of neuro-enhancement and artificial intelligence promise to drastically alter: our ability to augment human intellectual and sensory capacity; the role of machines; and how we connect, communicate, and share information.  But, will such changes bring about the panacea promised by their proponents, or will they be akin to opening Pandora’s Box?  Even before such interventions become possible, their exploration should not be left to the realm of science fiction writers and pop-culture movie moguls.  Rather, society, as a whole, must engage both science fact and science fiction in confronting the issues presented by these technologies - from who gets them to how they should be used.

To that end, the Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future (IBHF) at Chicago-Kent College of Law/Illinois Institute of Technology is hosting a conference that brings together some of the key voices in the discussion of these critical 21st-century issues:

Keynoters:

U.S. Representative Brad Sherman, J.D., CPA, (D-CA), member of the House Committee on Science;

Patricia Smith Churchland, Ph.D., professor of philosophy at the University of California San Diego and author of Neurophilosophy: Toward a Unified Science of the Mind-Brain; and

Charles T. Rubin, Ph.D., IBHF fellow, associate professor of political science at Duquesne University, IBHF fellow, and author of the forthcoming book Why Be Human? Defending Progress Against Its Friends.

Special Presenters:

William P. Cheshire, Jr., M.D., neurology consultant at Mayo Clinic,
associate professor of Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, and Center on Nanotechnology and Society fellow;

Marsha Darling, Ph.D., IBHF fellow, and professor of history and
interdisciplinary studies and director of the African American & Ethnic Studies Program at Adelphi University;

Jim Davies, Ph.D., assistant professor at Carleton University’s
Institute of Cognitive Science;

Andrew Imparato, J.D., president and CEO of the American
Association of People with Disabilities;

C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D., IBHF fellow and associate professor of
bioethics and contemporary culture at Trinity International University;

Katrina Sifferd, J.D., Ph.D., IBHF affiliated scholar and adjunct
faculty member at Elmhurst College; and

Lee Zwanziger, Ph.D., assistant professor in Science and Technology
Studies at Virginia Tech, and senior science policy analyst with the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration.

The event will be chaired by Nigel M. de S. Cameron, Ph.D., president of IBHF, and associate dean and research professor of bioethics at Chicago-Kent College of Law/IIT.

RSVPs are required.  There is no charge for the event.

For more information:  http://www.thehumanfuture.org/events

 

To RSVP, contact

Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future

E-mail: rsvp@thehumanfuture.org

Phone: 312.906.5337

Fax: 312.906.5388