Giulio Prisco
Encyclopedia
Giulio Prisco, born in Napoli (Italy) in 1957, is an Italian
information technology
virtual reality
consultant; as well as a writer, futurist, and transhumanist. He is an advocate of cryonics
and contributes to the science and technology online magazine Tendencias21. He produces teleXLR8, an online talk program using virtual reality and video conferencing, and focused on highly imaginative science and
technology He writes and speaks on a wide range of topics, including science, information technology, emerging technologies
, virtual world
s, space exploration
and futurology
. Prisco's ideas on virtual realities, technological immortality, mind uploading, and new scientific religions are extensively featured in the OUP book "Apocalyptic AI - Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Virtual Reality"
Formerly a senior manager in the European Space Agency
, Prisco is a physicist
and computer scientist
. He served as a member on the board of directors of World Transhumanist Association
, of which he was temporarily executive director, and continues to serve as a member on the board of directors of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
and of the Associazione Italiana Transumanisti. He is also a member of the advisory board of the Lifeboat Foundation and a founding member of the Order of Cosmic Engineers, and the Turing Church, fledgling organizations which claim that the benefits of a technological singularity
, which would come from accelerating change
, should or would be viable alternatives to the promises of major religious groups
.
Prisco has been repeatedly at odds with technocritic
Dale Carrico
who argues that transhumanism is technological utopianism
turned into a new religious movement
. Prisco agrees but counters that transhumanism is an “unreligion” because it offers many of the benefits of religion without its drawbacks.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
consultant; as well as a writer, futurist, and transhumanist. He is an advocate of cryonics
Cryonics
Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation of humans and animals who can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine, with the hope that healing and resuscitation may be possible in the future. Cryopreservation of people or large animals is not reversible with current technology...
and contributes to the science and technology online magazine Tendencias21. He produces teleXLR8, an online talk program using virtual reality and video conferencing, and focused on highly imaginative science and
technology He writes and speaks on a wide range of topics, including science, information technology, emerging technologies
Emerging technologies
In the history of technology, emerging technologies are contemporary advances and innovation in various fields of technology. Various converging technologies have emerged in the technological convergence of different systems evolving towards similar goals...
, virtual world
Virtual world
A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...
s, space exploration
Space exploration
Space exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
and futurology
Futurology
Futures studies is the study of postulating possible, probable, and preferable futures and the worldviews and myths that underlie them. There is a debate as to whether this discipline is an art or science. In general, it can be considered as a branch under the more general scope of the field of...
. Prisco's ideas on virtual realities, technological immortality, mind uploading, and new scientific religions are extensively featured in the OUP book "Apocalyptic AI - Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Virtual Reality"
Formerly a senior manager in the European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
, Prisco is a physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
. He served as a member on the board of directors of World Transhumanist Association
World Transhumanist Association
Humanity+ is an international non-governmental organization which advocates the ethical use of emerging technologies to enhance human capacities.-History:...
, of which he was temporarily executive director, and continues to serve as a member on the board of directors of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies was founded in 2004 by philosopher Nick Bostrom and bioethicist James Hughes. Incorporated in the United States as a non-profit 501 organization, the IEET is a self-described "technoprogressive think tank" that seeks to contribute to understanding...
and of the Associazione Italiana Transumanisti. He is also a member of the advisory board of the Lifeboat Foundation and a founding member of the Order of Cosmic Engineers, and the Turing Church, fledgling organizations which claim that the benefits of a technological singularity
Technological singularity
Technological singularity refers to the hypothetical future emergence of greater-than-human intelligence through technological means. Since the capabilities of such an intelligence would be difficult for an unaided human mind to comprehend, the occurrence of a technological singularity is seen as...
, which would come from accelerating change
Accelerating change
In futures studies and the history of technology, accelerating change is a perceived increase in the rate of technological progress throughout history, which may suggest faster and more profound change in the future...
, should or would be viable alternatives to the promises of major religious groups
Major religious groups
The world's principal religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups, although this is by no means a uniform practice...
.
Prisco has been repeatedly at odds with technocritic
Technocriticism
Technocriticism is a branch of critical theory devoted to the study of technological change.Technocriticism treats technological transformation as historically specific changes in personal and social practices of research, invention, regulation, distribution, promotion, appropriation, use, and...
Dale Carrico
Dale Carrico
Dale Carrico is an American critical theorist and rhetorician. He is best known for proposing techno-progressivism as a more rational and sophisticated alternative to both transhumanism and bioconservatism....
who argues that transhumanism is technological utopianism
Technological utopianism
Technological utopianism refers to any ideology based on the belief that advances in science and technology will eventually bring about a utopia, or at least help to fulfill one or another utopian ideal...
turned into a new religious movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
. Prisco agrees but counters that transhumanism is an “unreligion” because it offers many of the benefits of religion without its drawbacks.