FastForward Radio — Acceleration, Convergence, and Human Destiny

By | September 1, 2009

The World Transformed, Part 10

Our landmark 10-part series concludes with an exploration of two key driving forces behind the amazing era of transformation in which we find ourselves, acceleration and convergence, and a look at where the human adventure might ultimate be leading us. Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon talk with futurist John Smart about where humanity is heading. Will we be sexy immortal billionaires with super-powers? If so, where do we go from there? And what do black holes have to do with it all?

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Archived recording available here:

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John Smart Interview Part 1

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John Smart Interview Part 2


About our guest:

John Smart is a futures scholar and systems theorist who studies science and technological culture with an emphasis on accelerating change, evolutionary development, computational autonomy (human-independent machine learning) and the technological singularity. He is the founder and president of the Acceleration Studies Foundation. johnsmart.jpg
  • Dave Coles

    I’m trying to understand the evo-devo concept. I think I understand John to be suggesting that a Development imperitive might exist at levels above the organism, and maybe all the way up to the cosmos itself. But he’s right that I didn’t learn about development in school, just evolution. So my questions are: (1) What can we say about development in the organism that might be expandable/applicable to higher (or lower?) levels like humanity and the cosmos? (2) What are the preliminary indicators he spoke of that might indicate the existence of a developmental imperitive that operates at other levels than that of the organism? Thanks.

  • Harvey

    Please move the show to 4:30 in the afternoon on Thursday. I have schedule conflicts now.