hi everyone my name is Francesca
Ferrando
I'm a professor here at NYU and I am a
philosopher of that posthuman I would
like to thank all of you for being here
today to discuss this wonderful topic I
would like to thank Andres and Lucy for
organizing this event and I would like
also to say hi to Barcelona I was
studying there as an Erasmus student and
I truly loved it
so hi everyone I'm really excited today
to discuss whether the topic of the
alignment of Technology so let's address
this question more thoroughly can
technology be enlightened
more specifically can we become
enlightened to the use of technology and
in our interactions with technology
before we can address these questions we
need to ask another crucial question a
question which was at the base of all
ancient philosophies what is that we
need to live a happy life
in order to live a happy life we need to
know that everything is possible for
instance thinking through nature in the
new burnished we can become our own work
of art but it is also important to
remember that everything is possible in
the material and semiotic network of
transcendence that is existence
everything is possible in a material
sense through the relations that I
create in my life every day through my
intentions my thoughts my material
networking in this lifetime it is not
just about my ideas or about who I want
to be it is not just about the abstract
dream constructed in my mind but it is
about how I am actually living this life
and what disease creative so how can the
quantumness over sip eligos help us with
this this is the topic of this wonderful
event the quantumness of our Sabella
goals the quantumness of asparagus helps
us understand the unlimited
possibilities we are part of in the
sense we are beyond humanity beyond
technology beyond we are as an open
network as a bridge we are
norther to understand more clearly his
concept of being I want to play a little
game and I want you to imagine now
imagine imagine that you are much more
than what you think you are now think of
your body extensively expanding to all
the connections and interactions that
make you you all your organs the
bacteria that inhabit your body the gut
flora that keeps you healthy the clothes
you are wearing the food you eat every
day the water you are the water you
intake and expel through your body the
thoughts you have the emails you write
the websites you visit the energy you
give and receive you are and you're also
part of a species part of a planet
you are living in a changing world and
these changes include our daily
interactions with technology you're
living in a continent where some people
spend more time in front of a screen
then doing anything else this
enchantment with technology comes from
its power to materialize an all human
dream that everything is possible this
is one of the most ancient human dreams
the idea that yes everything is possible
but once technology becomes an addiction
big power is lost in a society where
babies learn to say iPod before they say
mum we need to rethink where we are and
where we want to be so let's go back to
our question can technology be
enlightened and again let's not think of
technology as something abstract but
it's something very material embodied
and dimensionally specific
yes everything is possible but nothing
is neutral everything we do is driving
us to a specific direction as a species
we can become empowered by the unlimited
possibilities that technology is opening
but we need to do it mindfully and with
full awareness otherwise the power of
the technological paradigm shift is
going to push our human techno addicts
to complete oblivion of the reason to
live eventually bringing anxiety and
emptiness so what is the reason to live
why do we live the reason to live the
sense of living is that by living by
existing by being we are shifting the
directions of our species of our planet
of this dimension the reason to live is
that by living we are actually we are
actually seing the potentiality of
existence by choosing one models of the
bendi which means a way of living in
letting instead of another
we are actually creating the cantos the
material actualization of existence this
irresistible agency can cause confusion
and illusion so we need to meditate on
our location in this world in which we
are living what do we stand for what is
our vision what is it that we want and
I'm asking you again
what is it that you want
ways of revealing I'm talking to you
through my digital avatar right now I am
in New York City
five hours earlier than you in Barcelona
here is five in the morning and I'm
sleeping even though much physical body
and mind are resting my avatar is giving
you a message this message which is
related to the prophecy of technology is
that technology can be enlightened and
can bring enlightenment in the quantum
arcipello goes of possibilities yes it
is possible technology can be
enlightened but technology is not a
singular term it is a plural RC peligro
of different technologies and of
different ways to interact with
technology furthermore technology is a
notion stands on relations
let's bring an example
currently digital technologies and
humans are intrinsically correlated as
many of the inputs to the development of
technology come from some specific human
bodies human minds visions and needs of
the people who code right now for
instance the tentative of making
technology more addictive by some of the
companies that are managing platforms
used by a large majority of users
including children is based on the will
to gain more time of the users in front
of the screen
Facebook for instance is based on
advertisements which are embedded in
content accessed by the users when they
are online this is why is between little
comas free for users since you are
paying by spending time on it and by
sharing data this data that you freely
provide is used to sell access to you
for instance by targeting specific ads
in your newsfeed to summarize these
companies are actually making money when
you are using their platforms so they
want you to spend more and more time
online this is what coders call brain
hacking or addiction coding
brain hacking addiction coding and this
is something we need to reflect upon is
addiction something we want in our
social and individual relations to
technology my answer is no addiction and
enlightenment do not go hand in hand to
become enlightened
there cannot be any attachment left
following the addiction to technology
would be impeding the process of
enlightenment but of course brain
hacking is just one example of intention
in relation to technology there are many
other examples we can bring for instance
think of that email you send some days
ago the email full of wisdom and
kindness made you in the person who read
it feeling good and inspired behind it
email there was also an intention which
brought specific reactions now
I like to think of Technology through
the suggestion given by Martin Heidegger
in his famous essay the question
concerning technology in which he
defines technology is a way of revealing
a way of revealing a way of reading in
other words technology is neither good
or bad it is full potentiality and
actuality in the sense technology is not
innocent
since out of the unlimited possibilities
that can be actualized only some
maturely manifest in the sensitive
texture of space-time following our
previous example we can state that an
email is not just an email out of the
unlimited potential of technological
revealing what we are bringing forth is
relevant to the whole ontological intra
acting of existence
I would like to end this conversation by
bringing you into the conversation and
enact a short meditation to understand
where we stand in our technological
relations reflecting on the intentions
aspirations actions reactions
consequences and materials that are
entangle with us realizing how these
entanglements change us as much as we
change them full relationality code
changing both terms of the relations a
liquid movement on hybridization
this is our conclusive meditation I
would like to ask you to sit comfortable
as you already are in this beautiful
room in Barcelona I would also like to
ask you to close your eyes if you are
comfortable with that now think of the
technology you use daily or a bit early
it can be your phone your laptop or any
other technological device choose the
one that you use more often if that is
possible and now focus on that think of
the body of such technology think of its
shape of its color of its material
well the materials that now constitute
your technological companion came from
who made it when is the first time you
use it each day is it in the morning in
the afternoon and for how long do you
use it for for what purposes do you use
this kind of technology
what kind of searches do you do what
kind of videos do you play in it what
kind of conversations do you have on it
what kind of a need of energy to you
experience when working with it for
instance are you anxious are you
inspired are you in a hurry are you
relaxed
are you mindful when you use this kind
of technology now take a minute and let
all the details that you have
recollected freely come to your mind
contemplate your interactions and please
do not judge yourself nor this piece of
technology
we are always in relations we are the
technology we use the technology we use
becomes us
these are intra actions to call Karen
Barad interactions that are constantly
changing the sensitive material
framework of space-time next time you
are on your computer or on your phone
just be aware of the unlimited
consequences possibilities actions and
reactions of the waves that you are
creating in these single-use in these
specific moment yes technology can be
enlightened technology can bring
enlightenment but first we need to
locate ourselves in this relation it is
a co-relation it is who we are
my name is Francesca Fernando my website
is the posthuman dot org and I'm looking
forward to connect to all of you for
further developing this highly inspiring
conversation on the Enlightenment of
Technology so thanks so much all of you
I really looking forward to meeting you
and yes
let's bring enlightenment through
technology within technology and
in our species thank you so much for
your kind attention
