I'm giving one of the keynotes at this conference next month on BioArt and BioEthics. More details to follow. It's in Belfast, 22-23 June.
We should welcome with open arms the rich possibilities of technologically enhancing our bodies. Just so long as we don't all end up looking, and thinking, and acting the same.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/may/01/body-enhancement-cosmetic-surgery-genetics
FACT's major event within their Climate for Change exhibition is called the UNsustainable UNconference. I'll be helping to facilitate and unprogramme the event. Join us on 9th May from 1pm-5pm. The participants set the agenda on the day. If you want to give a talk on a key issue, then register your interest here.
In April, I managed to get to Mexico and the Yucatan region days before the swine flu outbreak. Two days after returning, it was game over.
- Call for Applications -Closing Date for Applications: 1 July 2009 ESF-LiU Conference The Perfect Body: between Normativity and Consumerism Scandic Linköping Väst, Linköping, Sweden 9-13 October 2009 www.esf.org/conferences/09273
Chaired by: Katrin Grüber - IMEW, DE & Ursula Naue - LSG, AT
ESF Contact: Anne Blondeel-Oman - ablondeel@esf.org
Enhancement as the improvement of desired characteristics (W. French Anderson) means to focus on abilities, capacities and quality of life. These categories can be viewed and defined from different value-driven perspectives which are based upon certain viewpoints on what constitutes “normality”. Furthermore they are framed by the concept of autonomy. The general approach towards the issue of enhancement can be understood in the context of consumerism – the “production” of enhanced persons as an act of individual freedom and choice. But another approach, which will be the main focus of the conference, is based upon the fact that perspectives of disabled persons on enhancement have been neglected so far. This is important as enhancement technologies can have different societal and political implications for disabled and non-disabled persons. The discussion about enhancement focuses on therapy of something in need of treatment. But with regard to disability, this debate about enhancement in contrast to therapy and treatment has to be re-thought and re-contextualised.
Hence, the conference takes as its starting point the view that it is socio-politically as well as ethically necessary and important to look at enhancement technologies from a “disability-perspective”. In the context of historic developments and the intersection of medicine and economy, enhancement technologies will be discussed from several different scientific perspectives. The conference is organised as an interdisciplinary dialogue and aims to provide an open forum for discussion and networking. This approach towards enhancement technologies is necessary, as the field of enhancement is an increasingly important area of intervention into life and the body. The conference will be the first international meeting to bring together Disability Studies, Science, Technology and Society Studies and Ethics. The following are some of the questions that will be discussed: § To what extent and in what way does consumerism influence the current debate about enhancement technologies? § Which problems arise from this understanding of enhancement technologies for disabled and non-disabled persons and consumers of these technologies? § What are the consequences of enhancement technologies for disabled persons? § Is the “upgrade” an upgrade from old established norms or is a “new normal body” created? § Who is excluded by both starting points of enhancing the human being? § Do enhancement technologies carry a risk of excluding certain groups within society, such as disabled persons? § How can consumerism be embedded in an ethical framework? § What role does normativity play? § What new possible forms of exclusion and inequality on several levels might occur as a result of using enhancement technologies?
Questions such as these make it quite clear that the conference is a necessary and important way of approaching enhancement technologies that already have implications for both human beings and for society.
Invited Speakers will include:
· Michael BURY - RHUL London., UK Another look at the body · Inez DE BEAUFORT - Erasmus MC, NL tbc · Barbara DUDEN - Hannover U., DE Never good enough? The "body" between normativity and consumerism · Marcus DÜWELL - Utrecht U., NL Liberal Societies and the Moral Evaluation of Human Capacities: Ethical presuppositions in the Enhancement-debate · Jennifer FISHMAN - McGill U. Montreal, CA · Joakim ISAKSSON - Umeå U., SE · Rosemarie GARLAND-THOMSON - Emory U., US · Katrin GRÜBER - IMEW, DE Cochlea implant as a case study for promises and expectations · Robin MACKENZIE - Kent U., UK · Judit SANDOR - CEU Budapest, HU · Silke SCHICKTANZ - UMG Göttingen, DE Morality and Perspectivism in the Therapy-Enhancement-Distinction · Frida SIMONSTEIN - Yezreel Valley College, IL Reprogenetics, enhancing and the invisible vessel · Jackie Leach SCULLY - Newcastle U., UK This is how I am: Bodies, difference, and identity · Bertrand TONDU - Toulouse U., FR Cyborgs and Humanoid Robots: Myth and Reality · Simo VEHMAS - Jyväskylä U., SF Dimensions of disability · Paul VERSCHURE - U. Pompeu Fabra, ES How to Build a Cyborg · Anne WALDSCHMIDT - Cologne U., DE Body, power, difference - reflections about normativity, normality and disability · Gregor WOLBRING - Calgary U., CA Ableism, Transhumanism and the transhumanization of Ableism: The Future has started today?
Full conference programme and application form accessible online from www.esf.org/conferences/09273
Some grants are available for young researchers to cover the conference fee and possibly part of the travel costs. Grant requests should be made by ticking appropriate field(s) in the paragraph "Grant application" of the application form.
Kind regards, Corinne Wininger Communications Officer - ESF Conferences
European Science Foundation - Communications Unit 1 quai Lezay-Marnésia, BP 90015 67080 Strasbourg Cedex, France Phone: +33 (0)388 76 21 50 Fax: +33 (0)388 76 71 80 clemoal@esf.org www.esf.org/conferences
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This conference is organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF), in partnership with Linköping University (LiU).
With support from
The Northwest legacy projects for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Abandon Normal Devices (23-27 Sept, 2009)
Originally uploaded by andymiah
I'll be working with AND during these next few months and probably calling one a few people to get involved. Keep your calendar free!
From recycling to mass protests on social networks like Facebook, having an ethical conscience is becoming part of our daily lives. Now it's the turn of governments and companies to change, writes Andy Miah
Stelarc, Martyn Ware, Andrew Shoben, Dr Jonathan Freeman, Chaired by Michelle Kasprzak
What do we want our bodies to look like in the future? How will technology shape our relationship with the physical environment and the multifaceted identities we create? A panel including Stelarc (Brunel University), Martyn Ware (the Illustrious Company), Andrew Shoben (Greyworld), Dr Jonathan Freeman (Goldsmiths, University of London) and Michelle Kasprzak (Scottish Arts Council), will explore the shifting boundaries between the technologically adapted body and the concept of self and the sense of place.
Duration: 1 hour.
Organised by: PEACH, presence research in action www.peachbit.org
http://www.sciencefestival.co.uk/Events/Talking-Science/Bodies-of-the-Future
New publication in the journal Surveillance and Society Rich, E. & Miah, A. (2009) Prosthetic Surveillance: The medical governance of healthy bodies in cyberspace, Surveilance and Society 26(1), 163-177. http://www.surveillance-and-society.org/ojs/index.php/journal/article/view/prosthetic/prosthetic
The special edition of this journal also includes a review of Medicalization of Cyberspace, which was also just reviewed in Body and Society
Monday and Tuesday I was running What Do You Get If...? a two-day workshop exploring the role of social media in a) the arts and b) health and environmental issues.
I organized a 2 day event as part of the EPSRC Digital Economy cluster. The first was on Web 2.0 and the Arts, the second on Web 2.0 and Health.
Last week, I was in Linz for a couple of days and met up with people at ARS Electronica Centre (AEC). What an amazing place. Theire new enlargement is a stunning building with so much great tech. They're managing to bridge artistic programme and pedgagogic experiences very nicely. It feels like the Mecca of Linz. We also learned that Linz is Hitler's hometown and a major exhibit of the European Capital of Culture programme for the year explains his roots, as an artist and advocate of a cultural policy regime that would put Linz at the heart of Austrian cultural activity.
It's a very special place to visit.
This month, I start writing a colum for The Guardian, one of the UK broadsheet papers. The science Editor, Ian Sample has invited me, along with PZ Myers, Chris French and Simon Singh to keep abreast of the latest scientific developments. Naturally, I'll be focusing on the ethical issues arising from emerging technologies, so keep an eye on its pages. Now, all I need is for someone to adequately update my Wikipedia entry. It's soooo out of date and and I dare not touch it!
Environmental issues will occupy a considerable amount of my year in 2009. FACT gives of its UNSustainable year with Climate for Change, an exhibition that will explore how social change can take place around arts institutions. Each day, its Gallery 1 will be occupied by grassroots organizations
Today, I'm at FACT for a talk an event run by Natural England.
In the opening film, we're reminded how 80% of the Northwest of England is green and the event marks the First Inaugural lecture of Natural England.
Laura Sillars kicks off with a talk about Climate for Change - signalling the range of issues around which environmental concerns gravitates . She talks about FACT's history in Liverpool, as a space where art flourished in part due to the troubles the city faced - the TATE Liverpool, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra - FACT grew within this climate. We have a 93 year old camera lady and 6 year old web producers.
Joe Dwek, Chair of the NWDA Board Environment Sub Committee - £2.6b of gross product comes from natural economy - legacy of our work - importance of excellent green economy to draw business interests - 11 main streams of economic growth incl health and well-being, flood alleviation, climate change etc. Jonathon Porrit - champion and ambassador for environmental concerns in UK. Special advisor to Prime Minister for many years - put environment on the map.
Jonathon Porrit: creating wealth within environmental limits - predispositions against notion of limits - collective act of unsustainable illiteracy - must ustd how limits will become the dominating factor in economy - broader debate about flows from capital assets - research behind the 3yr project v important - now bigger player in town - economic crisis - new economic reality dwarfs some of the concerns that were working their way up the politic agenda before this period - v little recognition in any of the mainstream political parties that the causes that lay behind economic are v same that lead to collapse of ecosystem - we can cope w ustdg what caused the economic disaster, but not what leads to plaent's collapse - by creating insane assett bubbles (debt) or deregulation - we don't hear politicians giving much recognition to this - ARch Bishop of Canterbury now much better representatives of radical change, i welcome this, but we need politicans to utter something similar - before going over to the dark side too much, want to mention 3 important issues.
1) eruption of new deal thinking: green new deals, breaking out allover the place - language extremely symbolic - back to great depression - different recovery packages - Barack Obama led here wth $900b to get things going - main thing is not global spend, but % of each of those stimulus packages directed towards 'green' economic activity, and this is less good - HSBC Report analyses these packages on sustainability job creation: top is South Korea $40b, 80% to low carbon sustainable, smart transportation, bottom is UK with likely just over £1b - total is 6% of recovery spend - indicative of how far we've progressed - fture of humankind represents just 6% of our money - senior reps in World Bank proud of what they've done on 'sustainable' - around 15% of investment - what is the heading for the other 85%!!?? - ie. if not sustainable = unsustainable - but 100% must go to sustainble - Roosevelt 'Conservation Core' employed over 2m people in the USA doing funl conservation work - not heard much yet today to match - yet Ground work, National Trust offer more value to economy than billions punted into rescuing failing car companies - eg. Groundwork Mersyside - if want to make a difc, this is a v good way to go - government still looks to private sector to do this work - still does not see voluntary sector as important - concerns around energy and food - local food production - in england a long way to go still - you might say evidence base not strong enough - yet, the evidence base is rock solid - we don't need any more evidence about how to do this - research is not now the means by which we will convince people of this issue - big treat for 2009: developing another strategy! -
3) Multipliers: need to find - not the prerogative of the greenies - how? - key multiplier is health sector - has been in denial about impc of this area - climate change strategies - The Guardian DfH and Dept for work and pensions, where more cognitive behaviour therapists on assumption that economic downturn leads to depression - is this the best way to prepare people for harder times - Natural England - best way to deal with problems is to offer opportunities to collaborate in natural enviroment - takes out of circumstances and find collegiality - beter than popping pills and trite advice -
Wonder if we're benetting as much as we should - UNEP report 'green jobs' indicating of 8 major sectors in economy, provides great advice on how to recover building on natural environment - controversil since all about monetizing benefit we derive from natural systems - many feel deeply uneasy about this - world is trashing bw $2-5t of economic value each year by misvaluing and misunderstnding and mismanaging natural assests - eg. value of polination = £0.5t ie. if had to do it by man made means, rather than birds, bees, bugs etc - in China peasants must pollinate, since over application of pesticides has irrevocably destroyed - gather pollen - back into orchards to polinate by hand - not just China - almond growers in California within 2 years of the same due to damage to bees - now growing awareness - but absent from lives of most decision makers for 250yrs - welcome green infrastructure, but also about mental infrastruture - still don't think enough about why people dismiss this analysis - often dismissed as 'insufficiently material' - impc of education, enable schools to speak to this agenda - turn into source of wonderous inspiration - moving through single most important transition in history of mankind - towards cohabitation with natural world - GVA calculatins not enough -
QandA
Q: Vice Chair of Sustainability Group of Northwest: many different constituencies - people helped to better health before they can be involved at all - issue of science and research base - why are scientists doing this research when there's enough evidence? - if dont keep up with research, we lose a lot of knowledge economy, which is one of the less damaging - how help people to see that public funds require precise reporting A: I'm not against the research - but commenting on - there's not a nutrionist in the world that denies evidence of influence on youth education attainment - yet, still dependent on freelance passion of Jamie Oliver to make it happen - people describe it as an absolutely important
Q: role of religion around the world? A: dont believe will achieve targets until energy of religious movements is fully deployed. I do not see churches militant in defence of planet earth - though yes Dalai Lama big help -school of Islamic scholars -
A: Barack Obama not Commander in Chief, but Farmer in Chief - can't do ath unless completely fix dysfunctional food production system
DEBATE
Damian Waters, CBI: rooftops of manchester could be made green
financial support: NWDA, City of Liverpool, Environment Agency, CBI, Natural Economy Northwest, Forestry Commission England, Natural England, SITA Trust
Biodigital lives
Call for papers and presentations:
Biodigital lives: making, consuming and archiving the lives of technoscience: 14 July 2009, 9am - 5.30, Educational Development Building (EDB), University of Sussex, UK,
Hosted by the Centre for the Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics (CESAGen), the Centre for Material Digital Culture and the Centre for Life History and Life Writing Research,
Convened by Dr Kate O'Riordan and Dr Adrian Mackenzie, other confirmed participants include Dr Caroline Bassett, Anna Dumitriu, Dr Joan Haran, Dr Adam Hedgecoe, Dr Margaretta Jolly, Professor Maureen McNeil, Dr Sharif Mowlabocus, Dr Jussi Parikka, Ms Lizzie Thynne, Mr Kirk Woolford,
The aim of this one-day workshop is to examine issues and questions about digital and biodigital life, lives and identities framed by biosciences, contemporary media and biopolitical cultures. From the lives of scientists to the technologisation of life, 'Biodigital lives' will analyse biotechnological and bioinformatic forms and practices of identifying, archiving and storying the living. It will discuss diverse forms of new/digital mediation and informatics as they pertain to the lives of people, plants, animals, microbes, viruses and ecosystems entangled in global media, biopolitical institutions and bioeconomies.
Topics might include:
How digital/life history and genetic genealogies intersect
Biomediation and biotechnological media in reading and writing lives
Biodigital memory, narration and identity (e.g. Memory and archive, genetics and life story, digital life practices)
Genomic databases and biobanks as biographical resources
Techniques of writing, reading, editing and publishing the lives of species and populations
Life archives and life histories of humans and non-humans
Synthetic biology and bioinformatic communities from the perspective of biological literacy, design and participation
Genomes as digital/media artefacts - new media/biotech convergences and commercial genealogies
Genetics and genomics as/in life narratives and popular culture
Aesthetic encounters in biodigital life in sci-art, film, games, software, art etc
Genealogies and critical potentials of bioart/digital media art intersections
The workshop aims to make visible, and interrogate, the very different kinds of info-bio mediation, hybridisation and divergence that are taking place, to work through some of the specificities and connections across diverse fields of contemporary digital life making and storying. The workshop will be arranged around short presentations and will favour discussion and broad participation. Please send abstracts of 300 words and a short bio to Kate O'Riordan by April 20th 2009: k.oriordan@sussex.ac.uk
Key Dates:
Monday 20th April - deadline for all submissions
Monday 11th May - final confirmation and draft programme
Tuesday 26th May - final programme published
Wednesday 3rd June - final deadline for registration
Tuesday 14th July - EVENT
Please note that the Journal of Media Practice will be holding an event on Monday 13th July at the same venue and participants are encouraged to stay for both events.
From March 2009, I will be writing a monthly online clolumn for the Guardian's science section, focusing on ethics and emerging technologies. I will include links to articles here. April 09: Make me a superhero / March 09: 'We're All Activists Now' / still to come: social media / life-extension / ethical culture / cosmetic surgery / climate change / synthetic biology / artificial life
On 17th March, I'll be running an event at FACT in Liverpool on Social Media and Health/Environment funded by the EPSRC Digital Economy research cluster. For this reason, the event is free, but we have limited spaces. We are now open to a general audience. For more information about the event, please link here. Drop me a line if you'd like to attend
Presentation given 15 mins ago on human enhancement technologies.... [slideshare id=1063373&doc=Miah2009Brussels-090224064515-phpapp01]
and some photos from the event..
and some notes too...
Human Enhancement
European Parliament
Martinjntje Smits, Ratheneau
What is new about human enhancement
Laissez faire
Pro-enhancement
Case by case
Restrictive
Total ban
Human Enhancement: A Reasoned Restrictive or (Cautionary Permissive?) Approach
Roberto Mordacci
HE under the idea of Public Reason
- HE: poltical not metaphysical
- Improving t human condition not
- Equality, freedom and integrity of individuals as public goods
- Framework for justice as fairness in health issues (Rawls, Daniels)
Principle of respect
-in a cooperative society, reasonable individuals woul agree..treat others with respect
5 principles fundamental for our self respect and mutual cooperation
- recognizably human body
- naturally unrestricted desire
- complex theoretical and practical rationality
- freedom of the will
- equal dignity
permissible iff
- does not intentionally disfigure human body
- does not intentionally restrict width of human desire
- does not intentionally impair t ex of human rationality
- does not impede t human ability to choose freely
- does not violate equal dignity of indivs ie does not generate discrimination or unfairness
Tsjalling Swierstra
techno-moral change
-what should be europe’s goals?
- not passively following trajectory defined by most powerful technology actors
-habituation
- techno-moral learning
- what morals, what technology?
Accept contingency: in a technological world, fewer natural givens
Local experimentation, global evaluation
Issues to regulate
- should be reversible
- HUMAN ENHANCEMENTS values and negative freedom
- Gap between blue-print-technology and technology-in-practce (unexpected)
- Political and ethical
- Moratoria rather than absolute bans
Thought experiments
- stimulate techno-moral imagination by providing rich descriptions – need morality fiction not science fiction
- what is god life, etc
organize deliberative forums
epidemic of accountability issues on the horizon
defining a good society is in the end a political issue
communicate diverging positions widely
value lasting diversity
Hans - Mr Buscani’s assistant
Questions & Answers
Q: Why are we still discussing enhancement in such broad terms
Q: Recognizable body necessary?
Q: NSF and DoC in USA – first workshop on this – used term ‘launch and learn’ (conservative politican), recommendation was to advise US government asked professors in humanities and sciences to spend time on the issue – and in schools too – how balance it compared to this politics in USA?
Dorette Corbey
- lots of political issues
-
- developing technology for enhancement, rather than just for therapy
Tsjalling: neoliberal agenda behind enhancement debate – need more social perspective on converging technologies including enhancements. Do we really want to make people more compassionate, or greedy?
4 march – science in developing countries
Anders: public opinion in Sweden – many people accept enhancement to help others, though low for self-enhancement.
DISCUSSION
Is there a red line, beyond which we should not fund.
Is there a tool box?
Are there distinct European values
Framework of public policy, not defining human nature
Values that protect good of mutual cooperation
Job is to remove discriminating practices not just alter the circumstances.
Danish Council of Ethics: case of lorry driver – might be an argument in favour of necessity to discuss different specifics – lorry driver, main problem is that the brain chip means that others would have to have it too.
ME: but we stipulate how many hours people can work, so this becomes an issue of regulating working conditions.
Danish Coucil on Ethics – subcommittee on human enhancement – invited to a conerence held by Danish Union of Optometrists since new technology in USA related to fight against terrorism has made it possible to make implants thinner, giving ability to look through things.
Anders: values important, but also need facts to make important facts – many forms of enhancement becoming realities, but limited knowledge – eg. cognition enhancement – prevalent among higher academics – is a paper written under influence of modafinil worse? – need to research ecological properties – need efficacy and saety
Antonio: medicalization and enhancement are beyond traditional politics – this morning – obesity gene in newspaper – concern will lead to individualization of probles – haven’t heard much about corporate interests – in US direct to consumer influences perceptions of normality – media role in shaping social needs
Marshall, NTL: human dignity –should it be so important that we know what this is, isn’t it more important that individuals make this decision for him/herself –not all social pressure is bad
Chair: I’m deciding dignity, but are you? It’s dependent on how others react to me.
ME: but my conception of dignity is shaped by our common laws at least.
Marshall: but a man should be free
Roberto: yes, you have given an idea of dignity
Tsjalling: don't think there is hope for red line in the sand. General principles is that past experience doesn't necessarily guide us. – lorry driver – new technology shifts responsibilities – before it, we consider whether chair is too comfy, or working too much?
Roberto: overlapping consensus
Reverent from NL: human nature is relevant.
Jordi (MEP): Case by case approach with minimum standards
Chair: what if we create a working group, how create connections with citizens? Or should it be done by emmberstates?
Jordi: it is possible, we have an ethical board already. This q needs a broader discussion. Red line says taboo, but before red line, case by case approach, wth discsussion – want to allow pursuit of happiness, not make them happy (US constitution). What is able to make us all happier.
Chair: EU level committee.
Francois , EU: keep in mind dual dimension – enhancement of soldiers.
Jordi: or for disabled people.
Political scientist in Vienna: governance question – who is setting the agenda – citizen conferences in Denmark – who is framing the problem – is it really participatiory/deliberative/representative?
Manchester:
Should form a council where everyone is amateur
Peter, Free Uni of Brussels:
It also should not contribute to its criminalization through policy making.
Jordi: health literacy is EP buzzword.
Malcolm Harbour: need broader platform, engagement and citizen participation. At last workshop was about converging technologies. Had some debate about transhumanism. Our role is to inform politicians here and to get them engaged. Other is about global reach and issues – in Europe – eg. stem cell research – we do not have homogenous research. In UK and others, set up own bodies and practices, to approve work around genome. Though many regard UK as dangerously liberal. Human dignity and quality of life issues. One of biggest challenges on human dignity and old age – fact that already significantly prolonged life expectancy at a rate faster than any other decade – what this means for society as a whole – if elderly people can stay at home and live in domestic environment on own, this is a major enhancement of their dignity and their quality of life. European elections on 4 june in uk and vote.