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Human Development

Our selection of videos on this month's theme: Human Development Futures

 

USAID Future of Development Symposium

The United States Agency for International Development, the United States Department of State, the National Defense University, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted this one day Symposium on the future of development. The Symposium was based on the understanding that the future will be more complex, more interconnected, and more uncertain than the past or even the present day. The agenda was developed to take into account the expected and unexpected, as well as the myriad of interactions influencing development. The day was designed to tackle new trends and unknown challenges that are not wholly predicted by distant past events, linear developments, or incremental change.

The Symposium was anchored around three major themes—Evolution, Revolution, and the 2025 Vision. The first theme, Evolution, focused on gradual evolutionary changes more consistent with traditional trends and futures analysis. The second theme, Revolution, looked at unexpected, revolutionary events in international development. The third theme, 2025 Vision, built on the first two themes to examine a combined vision of what development will look like in 2025 and beyond, and how those involved in development will need to adapt to meet a changing and evolving world. The Symposium also posited “Thinking Ahead” questions, designed to challenge participants to tackle development issues in a new way, and allow participants to address new approaches to development.

 

Africa Human Development Report 2012
Africa Human Development Report 2012: Towards a Food Secure Future

 

The 7 Billionth Human: What Does This Birth Mean?
The United Nations Population Division estimates that the world’s population will reach 7 billion around October 31, 2011. To explore the impact of this milestone, the Hopkins Population Center and the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health hosted the symposium “The Seven Billionth Human: What Does This Birth Mean” on October 14.

 

2045: A New Era for Humanity
2045: A New Era for Humanity

 

Panel of Futurists discuss the Global Future 2045 International Congress
Alan Steinfeld of http://www.NewRealities.com hosts a panel of futurists: Drs. JJ Hurtak & Desiree Hurtak - both with the Academy for Future Science, Stuart Mason Dambrot of Critical Thought TV and Oonagh O'Regan, founder of Market Assist.

 

Ray Kurzweil — Immortality by 2045
In this video Ray Kurzweil discusses his predictions about radical life extension, singularity, life expansion and the imminence of physical immortality. He invites participants to the second international Global Future 2045 congress (June 2013).

 

TEDxSwarthmore - Corinna Lathan - Innovation, Empathy, and the Future of Human-Machine Interaction
The interaction between humans and technology has changed drastically in the last 20 years. This relationship shapes our society in positive and negative ways, and the next 20 years promises to bring about even more profound changes.

 

Michio Kaku on The Future of Human Evolution
Michio Kaku tackles the question of whether and how mankind continues to evolve in the present age. Kaku explains how evolutionary pressure has changed since our ancestors first evolved into the species we are today.

 

Joel Garreau on the Future, Technology and Humankind
An interview with educator and author Joel Garreau after his keynote at the 2011 Forward with Ford Conference. We talked about the ways technology is evolving the human race. We also discussed his three scenarios for human-machine interactions.

 

Nick Bostrom - Future of Humanity Institute
Professor Nick Bostrom, Director & James Martin Research Fellow, Nick Bostrom is Professor in the Faculty of Philosophy at Oxford University and founding Director of the Future of Humanity Institute and of the Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology within the Oxford Martin School.

 

The end of humanity: Nick Bostrom at TEDxOxford
The end of humanity: Nick Bostrom at TEDxOxford

 

Nick Bostrom: Humanity's biggest problems aren't what you think they are
Oxford philosopher and transhumanist Nick Bostrom examines the future of humankind and asks whether we might alter the fundamental nature of humanity to solve our most intrinsic problems.

 

Global Futures: The great transition alternative
Paul Raskin, GTI Director Harvard University

 

The Rise of the South: Current Trends > Future Possibilities
Featuring a discussion of the 2013 UNDP Human Development Report "The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World".

 

Book Discussion on Radical Evolution: What It Means to Be Human
Joel Garreau talked about his book Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies -- and What It Means to Be Human, published by Doubleday. He looks closely at scientific efforts to enhance human capability through technology and our increasing understanding of the genome. 

 

Taking on the Singularity: Jason Silva and Douglas Rushkoff at the 92Y
Douglas Rushkoff and Jason Silva talk about about psychedelics, technology, and the "designer reality". What Douglas Rushkoff is trying to argue is that we don't yet know what's happening right here in this realm - so it might be a little early and foolhardy to be talking about uploading humanity to a new, technologically mediated platform. The opportunity of a digital age - of any new age - is to regain a sense of purpose. Whether it's reevaluating what our economy is for, or reevaluating what technology is for. Or even to consider the value system of "progress" and its own embedded biases.

 

Bionics, Transhumanism, and the end of Evolution
Bionics, Transhumanism, and the end of Evolution

 

A look at future Human evolution
A look at future Human evolution, what we might look like and how we have already changed

 

Kurzweil: A Future of Humans Merged With Machines
Futurist Ray Kurzweil says technology merging humans and computers is advancing on many levels to enhance both body and mind. He talks with WSJ's Andy Jordan about what he envisions for the year 2029 and beyond, why he thinks humans will one day live forever, and even what post-"singularity" sex will be like.

 

Are Robots the Future of Human Evolution?
From our telephones to our vacuum cleaners to our cars, we have robots that live and work beside us.

 

Harvey Fineberg: Are we ready for neo-evolution?
Medical ethicist Harvey Fineberg shows us three paths forward for the ever-evolving human species: to stop evolving completely, to evolve naturally -- or to control the next steps of human evolution, using genetic modification, to make ourselves smarter, faster, better. Neo-evolution is within our grasp. What will we do with it?

 

Humanity in a Digital Society: Gerd Leonhard at the Future of Mobile AMS 2013
This is a clip from Gerd Leonhard’s talk at The Future of Mobile (i.e. everything:) at the Mobile Convention Amsterdam.

 

The Future of Human Evolution
A film that explores humanities future.

 

Vernor Vinge - Foresight and the Singularity - Interview
Interview with renowned author Vernor Vinge - about the Technological Singularity, ways to think about it, strategic forecasting, future studies and risk.

 

Future of Human Augmentation
Joe Dvorak's lecture at Muskegon Community College in 2010 focused on the future of "replacement" parts for the human body and how it could affect human development and potential. According to Dvorak, we could see the appearance of "an entirely new form of human being: 'homo superiorus.'"

 

George Dvorsky - Journalism, Human Enhancement & The Singularity
Interview at Humanity+ @San Francisco 2012 by Adam Ford
George Dvorsky: Contributing Editor at io9; futurist, bioethicist, Buddhist, animal rights advocate, public speaker, CrossFitter, primal eater, Burner, and music freak.

 

2057: Future of human civilization
2057: Future of human civilization

 

 

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