2013: The Human Machine
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ABOAGORA 2013 , organised on August 13-15, discussed the complex relationships between man and machine. The human being itself can be viewed as a corporeal machine, an assemblage of forces, actions and mechanisms, from the optics of the eye to the processes of cognition. It is also possible to interpret the machine as an extension of human senses. The boundaries between man and machine can be blurred by using technological devices as integral parts of the human body. The theme “The Human Machine” can also pay attention to all practices that create humanness in a machine: How do we assume machines to feel and think? What kind of personal qualities do they have? Machines have also served as vehicles of human creativity, as tools but also as the expressions of abstract thought. Aboagora addressed this fascinating area, which has been a fertile ground for artistic and scientific exploration during recent decades.
Agora Speakers
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The Agora lectures are available on ABOAGORA’s YouTube channel:
Kevin Warwick (Professor of Cybernetics, University of Reading)
“The Disappearing Human-Machine Divide”
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Bruce Sterling (Science Fiction Author)
“Augmented Ubiquity”
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Mia Consalvo (Canada Research Chair in Game Studies and Design, Concordia University, Montreal)
“Avatars, Players, Platforms and Participation”
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Timo Airaksinen (Professor of Philosophy, University of Helsinki)
“Robot Desires”
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Photos (Kevin Warwick, Bruce Sterling, and Mia Consalvo): Otto-Ville Väätäinen