Virtually Human: The Promise-and the Peril-of Digital Immortality

by Martine Rothblatt Ph.D. Narrated by Jeff Cummings, Laural Merlington

Overview

Virtually Human explores what the not-too-distant future will look like when cyberconsciousness-simulation of the human brain via software and computer technology-becomes part of our daily lives. Meet Bina48, the world's most sentient robot, commissioned by Martine Rothblatt and created by Hanson Robotics. Bina48 is a nascent Mindclone of Martine's wife that can engage in conversation, answer questions, and even have spontaneous thoughts that are derived from multimedia data in a Mindfile created by the real Bina. If you're active on Twitter or Facebook, share photos through Instagram, or blogging regularly, you're already on your way to creating a Mindfile-a digital database of your thoughts, memories, feelings, and opinions that is essentially a back-up copy of your mind. Soon, this Mindfile can be made conscious with special software-Mindware-that mimics the way human brains organize information, create emotions and achieve self-awareness. This may sound like science-fiction, but the nascent technology already exists. Thousands of software engineers across the globe are working to create cyberconsciousness based on human consciousness and the Obama administration recently announced plans to invest in a decade-long Brain Activity Map project. Virtually Human is the only audiobook to examine the ethical issues relating to cyberconsciousness and Rothblatt, with a Ph.D. in medical ethics, is uniquely qualified to lead the dialogue.

Editorial Reviews

DECEMBER 2014 - AudioFile

Rothblatt explores the increasing connections between humans and machines as society shifts towards what the author calls cyberconsciousness—the digital storage of culture and identity. Laural Merlington offers a narration that isn’t nearly as stirring or intriguing as Rothblatt’s ideas. She remains steady and clear throughout, but her tone lacks the energy of Rothblatt’s prose. Jeff Cummings’s contribution to the production is narrating the introduction by Ray Kurzweil. He is also lukewarm in his delivery as he fails to capture Kurzweil’s enthusiasm for the book. The low energy of the narrators does not serve Rothblatt’s exploration into digital consciousness well. She covers fascinating elements of the human-digital connection in terms of what it means for humans and what it means for potentially conscious machines. L.E. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2014 - AudioFile

Rothblatt explores the increasing connections between humans and machines as society shifts towards what the author calls cyberconsciousness—the digital storage of culture and identity. Laural Merlington offers a narration that isn’t nearly as stirring or intriguing as Rothblatt’s ideas. She remains steady and clear throughout, but her tone lacks the energy of Rothblatt’s prose. Jeff Cummings’s contribution to the production is narrating the introduction by Ray Kurzweil. He is also lukewarm in his delivery as he fails to capture Kurzweil’s enthusiasm for the book. The low energy of the narrators does not serve Rothblatt’s exploration into digital consciousness well. She covers fascinating elements of the human-digital connection in terms of what it means for humans and what it means for potentially conscious machines. L.E. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172359903
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	09/09/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

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