Proposal:
To produce three ~4 minute videos exploring the key philosophical and scientific arguments behind 1) rejuvenation therapies, 2) cryonics and 3) mind uploading.
In 2013, the BIOPS team wrote, produced and launched Posthuman: An Introduction to Transhumanism, a 10 minute educational video that outlines three central tenets of transhumanist thought. As of today, the video has been seen more than 80,000 times, and the BIOPS YouTube account has accumulated 2,800+ subscribers from the single video.
The video has been used by many student organizations worldwide, and has been presented as part of educational lectures for university courses on the future. It has been the subject of discussion groups by freethinkers, artists and progressives as a centrepiece for thinking about the long-term future, existential risks and human augmentation amongst a plethora of other topics. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with the video championed as ‘the kind of thing’ needed by communities with similar values, such as the Effective Altruism movement.
We articulate the challenges as two problems to be solved: The Information Gap and the Values Gap. Articulated with regards to ending ageing, the problems are:
The Ageing Information Gap - Most people do not know we can end ageing.
The Ageing Values Gap - Most people do not believe we should end ageing.
Mere awareness is the first step towards acceptance and endorsement of anti-death sentiments. Proponents of ageing research and artificial intelligence suffer the costs of pervasive negative stereotypes and tropes - in part due to the dystopian imagery of science fiction. It is clear to most researchers in the field that humanity has the skills, tools, and intelligence to solve the ageing problem, but lacks the motivation and awareness to do act on a large scale. This is why a high-quality media production outlet could have a critical impact on the extent to which research on ageing is funded, the time-frame in which these technologies are developed and their eventual widespread adoption.
It’s crucial that we communicate clearly that transhumanist thinking is not characterised by some insane cult of technology, but that of ordinary individuals who are taking the challenges of being human very seriously. As a consequence, we propose that the tone of the video be in keeping with An Introduction to Transhumanism: thoughtful, concerned and detached. This distanced approach allows us to articulate the various possible futures without engaging contrarian/devil’s advocate reactions from viewers.
Team Leader:
Peter Brietbart
Leader workload:
Full time
Team Members:
Peter Brietbart - Writer, Producer, Director
Marco Vega - Writer, Assistant Producer
Mihai Badic - Lead Animator
TBC - Additional Animators
George McKenzie - Voice Capture
Holly Hagan-Walker - Narration
Steven Gamble - Soundtrack, Sound Effects, Mastering
Members workload:
Minimal - script/storyboard input and feedback
Members only?
No
Funding Required?
Yes
Funding Level:
£1,000 per minute of full-feature animation. This includes writing, research, storyboarding, illustration, animation, voice work, original soundtrack, sound effects and mastering.
Metrics for evaluating success or failure:
View count, likes, subscriptions, comments.
Increased LongeCity subscribers/members.
Milestones / Interim Steps:
N/A
Edited by Peter Brietbart, 15 October 2014 - 08:20 PM.
