Giulio Prisco (born in Naples in 1957) is an Italian information technology and virtual reality consultant; [1] [2] [3] as well as a writer, futurist, [4] transhumanist, [5] and cosmist. [6] [7] He is an advocate of cryonics [8] and contributes to the science and technology online magazine Tendencias21. [9] He produced teleXLR8, an online talk program using virtual reality and video conferencing, and focused on highly imaginative science and technology. [10] [11] He writes and speaks on a wide range of topics, [12] including science, information technology, emerging technologies, virtual worlds, space exploration and futurology. [13]
Prisco's ideas on virtual realities, technological immortality, mind uploading, and new scientific religions are extensively featured in the OUP books Apocalyptic AI - Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Virtual Reality [14] and Virtually Sacred - Myth and Meaning in World of Warcraft and Second Life. [15] Prisco's ideas are also extensively featured in the 2017 book Dynamic Secularization - Information Technology and the Tension Between Religion and Science [16] and the 2019 book Transhumanism - Engineering the Human Condition: History, Philosophy and Current Status, [17] both published by Springer.
Formerly a researcher at CERN, a staff member at the European Space Agency, and a senior manager at the European Union Satellite Centre, 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 the executive director, and the board of directors of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, [18] from which he resigned in 2021. [19] He is currently the president of the Associazione Italiana Transumanisti. [20] He is also a founding member of the Order of Cosmic Engineers, and the Turing Church, [21] [22] 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. [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]
Prisco has been repeatedly at odds[ citation needed] with technocritic Dale Carrico who argues that transhumanism is technological utopianism turned into a new religious movement. [29] Prisco agrees but counters that transhumanism is an “unreligion” because it offers many of the benefits of religion without its drawbacks. [30]
Published works
Books
Prisco has published two books. The first, published in 2018 and again in 2020 with its second edition, is titled "Tales of the Turing Church: Hacking religion, enlightening science, awakening technology". [31] The second book, published in 2021, is titled Futurist spaceflight meditations. [32]
Book chapters
Prisco has also written the chapter "Transcendent Engineering" for the 2013 book The Transhumanist Reader: Classical and Contemporary Essays on the Science, Technology, and Philosophy of the Human Future [33] and the chapter "Future Evolution of Virtual Worlds as Communication Environments" in the 2010 Springer book Online Worlds: Convergence of the Real and the Virtual. [34]
References
- ^ "Mi otra vida virtual, El Pais".
- ^ "Mondes virtuels, Web de demain ?". Le Monde.
- ^ "SECOND LIFE : PUBLICIDAD DE PÍXEL". Archived from the original on 2007-11-02.
- ^ "The Ci'NUM Designers of Tomorrow". Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
- ^ "Giulio Prisco's blog".
- ^ Sirius, R.U. Transcendence: The Disinformation Encyclopedia of Transhumanism and the Singularity. ISBN 978-1938875090.
- ^ "Everything That Rises".
- ^ "La eternidad no empieza aquí… por ahora".
- ^ "Tendencias21".
- ^ "TeleXLR8 wants to be the "TED" for virtual worlds".
- ^ "MIND and MAN: Getting Mental with Giulio Prisco".
- ^ "Future and You podcast, Feb 20th 2008".
- ^ "Globalization and Open Source Nano Economy". Archived from the original on 2008-06-29.
- ^ Geraci, Robert M. Apocalyptic AI - Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Virtual Reality. ISBN 978-0-19-539302-6.
- ^ Geraci, Robert M. Virtually Sacred - Myth and Meaning in World of Warcraft and Second Life. ISBN 9780199344697.
- ^ Bainbridge, William Sims. Dynamic Secularization - Information Technology and the Tension Between Religion and Science. ISBN 978-3-319-56502-6.
- ^ Manzocco, Roberto. Transhumanism - Engineering the Human Condition: History, Philosophy and Current Status. ISBN 978-3-030-04958-4.
- ^ "Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies bio page for Giulio Prisco".
- ^ "I have resigned from the IEET Board of Directors".
- ^ "Associazione Italiana Transumanisti: Umanesimo Scientifico: intervista a Giulio Prisco".
- ^ "Turing Church - WRSP".
- ^ Singler, B. (2020). "'Blessed by the algorithm': Theistic conceptions of artificial intelligence in online discourse (2020)". AI & Society. 35 (4): 945–955. doi: 10.1007/s00146-020-00968-2. PMC 7191134. PMID 32355422.
- ^ "Order of Cosmic Engineers". Archived from the original on 2008-09-14.
- ^ "Secondhand Smoke: Give Me That New Transhumanist Religion".
- ^ "Giulio Prisco To Present in Second Life Conference on the Future of Religion". Archived from the original on 2008-08-20.
- ^ "Un universo paralelo (y digital)". Archived from the original on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
- ^ "Technological Transcendence: An Interview with Giulio Prisco".
- ^ "Ten Cosmist Convictions (Mostly by Giulio Prisco)".
- ^ "Amor Mundi: Giulio Prisco's Defense of Superlative Nonsense".
- ^ "Transhumanist spirituality, again".
- ^ Prisco, Giulio. Tales of the Turing Church: Hacking religion, enlightening science, awakening technology. ISBN 979-8610545066.
- ^ Prisco, Giulio. Futurist spaceflight meditations. ISBN 979-8514323104.
- ^ More, Max. The Transhumanist Reader: Classical and Contemporary Essays on the Science, Technology, and Philosophy of the Human Future. ISBN 978-1118334317.
- ^ Bainbridge, William Sims. Online Worlds: Convergence of the Real and the Virtual. ISBN 978-1-84882-825-4.