In his new book “Deep Utopia: Life and Meaning in a Solved World,” philosopher Nick Bostrom ponders what life could be like in a “solved world” – a world where everything works and works better than if human hands got in the way. “What then?” asks Bostrom, is the reason to work? “Is it to earn extra income or because working is an intrinsically valued activity?” Bostrom is the head of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford and a philosopher with a background in theoretical physics, computational neuroscience, logic, and artificial intelligence. He has been called the “Superintelligent Swede” because of the deep philosophical work he undertakes as he examines the trajectory of human life at the intersection of destruction and possibility. Bostrom says, “If artificial intelligence can be achieved, it would be an event of unparalleled consequence – perhaps even a rupture to the fabric of history” – a rupture, Bostrom says, “will change the course of human history but is it the end of human history?” We invited Nick Bostrom to join us for a Conversation That Matters about our flirtatious and tempestuous relationship with the evolution of intelligence.
Category: Altruism
Nipun Mehta – Who Must We Be?
”We need to move from transaction to relationship.” Nipun Mehta brings us on a transcendental journey to find our compassionate selves. Through the transforming story of his walking pilgrimage across India, Nipun kicks off by sharing his three key values: success, service and stillness. Further life snippets trigger us to ask ourselves fundamental questions such as “Where did you learn to be good?” or “Who must we be to walk towards futures we cannot imagine?” For one thing is certain, Nipun loves life and the humans that constitute it. He generously shares with the audience the guiding statements shaping his daily life, work and service, as they are all intertwined. By taking inspiration from figures of compassion and wisdom such as Mother Teresa, Gandhi or Desmond Tutu, he insists that creating a “we-to-we” community centred around our relationship to the other rather than the value involved in the transaction process will make us all more complete humans. As he concludes, “we are not merely what we do but we become who we are by what we do”. A true lesson of community, service and humility to help us navigate the unknown of tomorrow.
Designing for the Intelligence of the Heart | Nipun Mehta | IDG Summit 2023
Join Nipun Mehta on day 1 of the IDG Summit 2023 as he discusses the importance of designing for ‘heart intelligence’ in a world increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence (AI). Nipun illuminates the importance of differentiating between content and context, why we should design for AI (renamed artificial intimacy) and how his initiative ServiceSpace has turned the impact model on its head by starting with inner development. About Nipun Mehta Nipun Mehta is the founder of #ServiceSpace, an incubator of projects that work at the intersection of #volunteerism, #technology, and the gift economy – inspiring people to be the change they wish to see. What started as an experiment with four friends in #siliconvalley grew to a global ecosystem of over 400,000 members that has delivered millions of dollars in service for free. Much of his work explores how we can help more people to embrace #giving and #gratitude. Mehta has received many awards, including the Jefferson Award for Public Service, the President’s Volunteer Service Award, and Wavy Gravy’s Humanitarian Award. He serves on the advisory boards of the Seva Foundation, the #dalailama Foundation, and the Greater Good Science Center. About Inner Development Goals In 2015, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGs) provided a comprehensive plan for a sustainable world by 2030. However, progress is not happening fast enough, and we urgently need to increase our collective abilities to face and work effectively with complex challenges. This is why we are co-creating the Inner Development Goals (#IDG) – a non-profit, open-source initiative committed to fostering inner development towards more sustainable futures. We research, collect, and communicate science-based skills and qualities that help us to live purposeful, sustainable, and productive lives. Follow our journey from inner growth to outer change: https://innerdevelopmentgoals.org
Collective & Individual trauma in Palestine/Israel with Dr. Gabor Maté
We have invited Dr. Gabor Maté to address some of the pressing questions on our hearts, and to offer his insights on the unfolding tragedy in Palestine and Israel. In this Q&A session, we explore the roots of systemic violence, the impacts of historical and intergenerational trauma, and pathways to restore our shared humanity. How might we break tragic cycles of trauma transmission, widen our circles of compassion, and stand for dignity and justice?
Riane Eisler | What Could Possibly Go Right?
Riane Eisler is a social systems scientist, cultural historian, futurist, and attorney whose research, writing, and speaking has transformed the lives of people worldwide. Her newest work, Nurturing Our Humanity: How Domination and Partnership Shape Our Brains, Lives, and Future, co-authored with anthropologist Douglas Fry, shows how to construct a more equitable, sustainable, and less violent world based on Partnership rather than Domination. Dr. Eisler is founder and president of the Center for Partnership Studies (CPS), dedicated to research and education. She answers the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” with thoughts including: That “there’s still this distracting argument between capitalism or socialism” and that “yes, we need enlightened government policies, but we really need to go deeper and wider and beyond” The focus on four cornerstones for partnership or domination systems: family/childhood, gender, economics, narratives/language The use of social wealth economic indicators as better measures for quality of life.
The Path to Self Realization with Piero Ferrucci
This interview will help you understand the way Psychosynthesis can help in the path of self knowledge and realization. Piero Ferrucci has written several books and is an excelled psychotherapist living in Italy. visit www.pieroferrucci.it for more
CHASING BUDDHA — The award-winning documentary about Buddhist nun Venerable Robina Courtin
Honored at Sundance, featured in cinemas, on Australia’s SBS, and on television worldwide, this inspiring film launched Courtin-Wilson’s career when he was nominated for Best Documentary Director at the Australian Film Industry Awards in 2000. Australian ex-Catholic, ex-political activist and feminist, Venerable Robina Courtin has been a Buddhist nun since 1978. Teaching Buddhism around the world, she shatters the stereotype of a Buddhist nun, her intense and direct style leaving an indelible impression on everyone she meets. In the heart of America’s bible belt, Venerable Robina visits Kentucky State Penitentiary, guiding death row inmates and others on the path to enlightenment. Determined to harness their minds and deal with their violent crimes, they inspire Venerable Robina to work even harder at her own rigorous spiritual practice. Ven. Robina says: “I’m grateful to Amiel, my nephew, for his generosity these past ten years in donating 50% of all income from the sale of Chasing Buddha to my Bodhichitta Trust, which supports many worthy projects. Now he is kindly offering everyone access to the film here on YouTube.”
Moving Towards Global Compassion
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Dr Paul Ekman engage in an interactive teleconference with His Holiness in Dharamsala, India and Dr. Ekman in California on May 18, 2018.
The Meaning Crisis | Jeremy Lent
Author of renowned books ‘The Web of Meaning’ and ‘The Patterning Instinct’, Jeremy joins me to discuss how to combine traditional knowledge with scientific understanding to navigate the polycrisis, the impact of cultural worldviews and how to shift them, and how we can use interconnectedness as a foundation to creating a better and more diverse world.
Fred Matser – interview during GAIA Action Tank 2022
Fred Matser is a Founder of Fred Foundation & Essentia Foundation A life-changing experience radically affected his vision on life, death, and the human condition, Fred uses insights gained from his intuition, to restore the dynamic balance and harmony in ourselves, between people and in nature. The interview was held on: 09.05.2022