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]
Giulio Prisco | |
|---|---|
 Giulio Prisco, picture by David Orban | |
| Born | 1957 (age 66–67) Naples, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation(s) | Information technology consultant, virtual reality consultant, writer, futurist, transhumanist, cosmist |
| Known for | Advocacy of cryonics, contributions to transhumanism |
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 by William Sims Bainbridge[16] and the 2019 book Transhumanism - Engineering the Human Condition: History, Philosophy and Current Status by Roberto Manzocco,[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". Archived from the original on 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
- ^ "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.