DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL MARCH 30 Investigating transhumanisms and their narratives

Starting Wednesday June 20th and until Friday June 22nd 2018, the first International Conference on the study of transhumanist movements, entitled ‘Investigating Transhumanisms and their Narratives’ will be hosted by the Ethics and Transhumanism Chair of Lille Catholic University, under the sponsorship of the Hauts-de-France regional authority. The event will be the first international conference on transhumanism(s) organised in France by the first French university research chair especially devoted to the study of transhumanism and its societal and ethical challenges.

The common theme running through this year’s conference will be narratives used by transhumanists, as well as by those outside the field trying to interpret transhumanism and capture its meanings. What do transhumanists tell us and what do we say about them? What lies behind such stories? What are the interests, fears, and questions fueling their narratives? Beyond simply looking ahead, the transhumanist imagination also moves us to try anticipating its most far-reaching outcomes. What is the meaning of such speculation?

The overall conference programme has been set (please see below). The originality of the event lies in its mix of traditional academic components (talks, symposiums, panels, among others ) with an added interactive learning reach for some of its activities (audience-focused scientific workshops, participatory forums, ‘predictive justice’ debating, public discussion of a cult film, a transhumanism-themed escape game, and others). The conference is organised in such way that it will enable audiences to intermingle, combining the ambition and usual components of a high-level academic event and a thought-provoking off-conference range of artistic and cultural activities (a performance on the theme of transhumanism, an artist’s talk, a music festival in Lille in the evening, among others).

The conference’s international characterwill be prominently displayed by the wide national diversity of attendants and keynote speakers. The conference’s scientific committee displays a similar national diversity as it brings together twenty researchers belonging to French and foreign universities. Simultaneous translation for English and French will be provided for the main talks, and for activities of an artistic and cultural nature.

An especially congenial conference location. Because of its history and the scope of its Grandes Écoles and faculties since its foundation, Lille Catholic University has fostered a multidisciplinary debate on the relations between society, science, and technology. It offers high quality operational facilities. Recently ranked as the second most beautiful university in France, Lille Catholic University is also ideally located in one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods of the capital of French Flanders. Due to its regional, national, and European location, the city of Lille benefits as well from ease of access with direct road, air, and high-speed train connections to London, Paris, Brussels, and further afield. The city of Lille displays remarkable architectural, artistic, and cultural appeal. During the conference, attendants will be able to stroll the city streets to the beat of a music festival being in full swing at the time.

CONTACTS

Conference website: www.ethconference2018.com  (the website will be accessible from 30 November 2017)

DavidDoat, holder of the Ethics & Transhumanism Chair: [email protected]

StanislasDeprez, Ethics & Transhumanism Chair: [email protected]