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BookPreface(partial,totheforthcoming2013publicationofthesamename) TheHumanFuture:7PhilosophicalDialogs ByRaymondKolcabaPh.D. Preface What scenarios will define the next decades and century? The scenario discussed in these dialogs is the winding down of the human future. It is not that we will obliterate or degrade ourselves through a biotech accident, terrorist assault, nuclear winter, or environmental catastrophe. The participants in these dialogs confront our end happenings by inches through personal preference, genetic transformation, technological modification, and machine intelligence. Hegel said that wisdom only comes with the setting sun. Many of you have beenwatching the sun setting. We know much about the day that is ending. Most of us are uncomfortablyfamiliar with the promise of present realities. We dont need to be futurists to sense deep in our bones that our future will be very different than our past. Our experience tellsus where rapidchange promises to lead. My aim is to flush out what to many of you is obvious and provide it with a rationalcontext. As is typical with philosophical thought, the dialogs offer reasons for opinions, explanations of those reasons, and topics covering bodies of explanation. The mode of presentation is conceptually systemic. As dialogs, they are supposed to be a springboard for discussions of issues. I will haveachievedmygoalinwritingthemiftheypromotetopicaldiscussionsimportant forcurrentunderstandingandinsomecases,decisionmaking. Writing about the future rides a plausibility curve anchoredtothepresent.Whatisfantastic,that is, beyond such a curve, usually fails to create a sense of urgency inthe hereandnow.Topics of discussion need to be related to where we live. I tried to incorporate enough current developments in thediscussionstorenderplausible proposeddirectionsofchange.Itried tohug the plausibility curve and make discussion of the human future urgentandnecessary. You can bethejudgeofwhetherIhavesucceededinthisregard. Inspiration for the dialogs began piecemeal in experience. Each dialog had a root in historical incident as its startingpoint.Forthisreason,thesecomponentsareauthenticinbeingpartofmy living experience. For example, I attended a speech where the image of the speaker was projected on a large screen behind her. I decided to build the first dialogaroundthatexperience and some of its implications. I hope that the particulars and sometimes peculiarities ofmylife haveseededthedialogswithcontentbeyondtheusual. Contents: 1. LossoftheWorld..............................................................8 RaymondKolcabaPh.D.Copyright2013

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AngelicMachines.............................................................37 ImitatingaSimulation.......................................................65 LifesWorth....................................................................108 HumanObsolescence...................................................143 UnnaturalHistory............................................................168 InquirysMother...............................................................211

RaymondKolcabaPh.D.Copyright2013