Juan Enriquez

Redesigning Humanity: Evolution 2.0

LONG NOW BOSTON is organizationally independent but philosophically aligned with The Long Now Foundation in San Francisco.All moneys raised from these conversations help Long Now Boston fund regional programs. If you can’t make it to this event please consider contributing to the cause by using the “Chip In” button on our MeetUp page.The Long Now Boston effort was initiated by Bill Davison. Our Steering Committee includes: Kim Novick, Mary Mangan, John Hayes, James Butler, Lindsay Yazzolino, Grant Stephen, George Gantz, Paul Hoxie, Karin Rivard, Brittany Janis and Bill Davison. We look forward to seeing you soon!View our Code of Engagementhttps://bit.ly/EngagementCode

Long Now Boston

Humans have now flipped the process of evolution on its head: we are now directing our own evolution. What does that mean for our future?

The Foundry

What would Darwin write if he were alive today? For the last 3.8 billion years, evolution has proceeded according to the laws of natural selection: random variation and selection by reproductive fitness. Humans have now flipped that process on its head: we induce our own variations, and we select for properties we care about. Selective breeding, genomics, CRISPR, and modern medicine have created an earth-wide ecosystem where only 3% of mammals are wild. The rest, including humans, are engaged in our planetary-scale experiment in directed evolution. We have cured the most dread diseases, reduced infant mortality by over 90% and extended human lifespans significantly.Today we are beginning to be able to create new six-pair DNA-like molecules with the potential for self-replication to create new life forms, and with CRISPR we can conceive of implanting genes for radiation resistance for space travel and climate resilience in a warming world. We’re in the process of redesigning humanity itself. We’re also at the dawn of creating new alien intelligences with AI, which self-evolve even more quickly. The world today is very different from what Darwin saw on the Beagle. What would he write if he could see today’s lifeforms and ecosystems? The feedback loops he observed have tightened beyond recognition. Blind random variation is now often supplanted by directed alternatives. The process of evolution is itself evolving. What are the ethical implications of this new teleological selection? Are we building up “genetic debt?” What could humanity look like in ten thousand years? And as this technological wave overwhelms our societal frameworks, what can we do to adapt?Join us for a fascinating conversation with Juan Enriquez, author of <a href="https://a.co/d/08o7hfkT" title="https://a.co/d/08o7hfkT" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Evolving Ourselves</a>, to explore the future of evolution and life on earth. A discussion and informal networking with fellow Deep Time thinkers will follow the talk. Join us — the next ten thousand years start with the conversations we have today.

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Redesigning Humanity: Evolution 2.0

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Redesigning Humanity: Evolution 2.0

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