Time for sharing, not competing, say futurists
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Aslı Sağlam
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 15, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - The Futurist Association organizes its second summit. The summit that will take place at Istanbul’s İş Art Culture Center on June 25 is organized under the slogan ’Nanotechnology will come and everything will change.’ The aim of the futurists is to catch the latest technologies
The Futurists Association is preparing for its second summit, which will take place at Istanbul’s İş Art Culture Center on June 25 and be organized under the slogan "Nanotechnology will come and everything will change."
Though the word "futurism" entered the global lexicon a long time ago, the Futurists Association was not formed in Turkey until 2005. It is an offshoot of the World Future Society, a nonprofit, nonpartisan scientific and educational association created by a group of futurists who came together based on their mutual interests in how social and technological developments are shaping the future. Since its founding in Turkey, the association’s members have worked to keep up with the rapidly changing world.
’Futurism is a perspective’
Futurists Association Chairwoman Ufuk Tarhan said futurism is a perspective, a way of looking at life. "The future is not something we watch for and wait to happen, we shape the future and it’s in our hands to make it positive," she said. "Futurists are people who think this way."
Futurists believe that nanotechnology, the century’s major new discovery after the Internet, will change the lives of people not only in the technology and health sectors but also in social life.
The summit, sponsored by İş Bank, will be able to host only 800 attendees, which Tarhan said is a small number, but they could not afford to rent a larger place due to the current economic crisis.
The Futurist Summit 2009 will host prominent scientists and futurists, including main speakers Ray Kurzweil, whose fans range from Bill Clinton to Bill Gates and is considered the "biggest thinking machine" by Forbes; Thomas Frey, the CEO of the DaVinci Institute and United Nations Chairman of the Millennium Project; and Jerome G. Glenn, the project manager of the State of the Future Index.
The futurists will bring Kurzweil to their summit with a "teleporting" system, which will be used in Turkey for the first time. The system enables a person or object to appear in two different places; thus far, it has been used 250 times around the world. "In this way, we will show that everything is possible if we use technology for human benefit," Tarhan said. "Kurzweil will be there on stage, making eye contact with the audience, but his whole crew will be in Istanbul to manage the latest technology."
The association, which has 135 members, wanted to make a change at this summit and decided to open an area for the sponsors to promote their work, including nanotechnology. With the summit, the association aims to make positive future designs an indispensable part of people’s lives. Emphasizing that the "information age" revolution triggered by the Internet was now over, Tarhan said we are now in the "cybernation age," which symbolizes the mind and intelligence, adding, "The world will enter in a phase where it will change again with nanotechnology."
She believes that people today have no hope because they think that life equals money and money equals work. If this mindset continues, it will destroy humanity, Tarhan said.
The futurists say that everything Ğ not just physical things but knowledge and ideas Ğ has a design. "For instance, the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in 2001 was designed," said Tarhan, who also considers Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of Turkish Republic, and Bill Gates, the best-known entrepreneur of the computer revolution, as designers. "When Gates once said everyone will have PCs, he was right, and Atatürk designed a state that did not yet exist."
Although Tarhan believes that Turkish people don’t like planning and strategies, she says the country’s young population and creative and practical minds can make it a technology leader. "Once we can accept the developments in technology into our constitution faster, we have a bigger chance of winning," she said, adding: "Even for agriculture, we need technology. There is always development because humans are always in search of something."
Success comes with sharing
Futurists aim to make people understand that it is time to produce the optimum, not the maximum. The world has a new generation questioning each detail of life, such as the ingredients of the things they eat and drink. According to Tarhan, nanotechnology will create big advances in every sector.
Noting U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama’s adoption of a science-oriented approach to stem-cell research, which was banned during former president George W. Bush’s term, Tarhan said it’s the time for "Generation Generosity," and added: "Smart people realize that success comes with sharing. We want sharing instead of competition."
Though the word "futurism" entered the global lexicon a long time ago, the Futurists Association was not formed in Turkey until 2005. It is an offshoot of the World Future Society, a nonprofit, nonpartisan scientific and educational association created by a group of futurists who came together based on their mutual interests in how social and technological developments are shaping the future. Since its founding in Turkey, the association’s members have worked to keep up with the rapidly changing world.
’Futurism is a perspective’
Futurists Association Chairwoman Ufuk Tarhan said futurism is a perspective, a way of looking at life. "The future is not something we watch for and wait to happen, we shape the future and it’s in our hands to make it positive," she said. "Futurists are people who think this way."
Futurists believe that nanotechnology, the century’s major new discovery after the Internet, will change the lives of people not only in the technology and health sectors but also in social life.
The summit, sponsored by İş Bank, will be able to host only 800 attendees, which Tarhan said is a small number, but they could not afford to rent a larger place due to the current economic crisis.
The Futurist Summit 2009 will host prominent scientists and futurists, including main speakers Ray Kurzweil, whose fans range from Bill Clinton to Bill Gates and is considered the "biggest thinking machine" by Forbes; Thomas Frey, the CEO of the DaVinci Institute and United Nations Chairman of the Millennium Project; and Jerome G. Glenn, the project manager of the State of the Future Index.
The futurists will bring Kurzweil to their summit with a "teleporting" system, which will be used in Turkey for the first time. The system enables a person or object to appear in two different places; thus far, it has been used 250 times around the world. "In this way, we will show that everything is possible if we use technology for human benefit," Tarhan said. "Kurzweil will be there on stage, making eye contact with the audience, but his whole crew will be in Istanbul to manage the latest technology."
The association, which has 135 members, wanted to make a change at this summit and decided to open an area for the sponsors to promote their work, including nanotechnology. With the summit, the association aims to make positive future designs an indispensable part of people’s lives. Emphasizing that the "information age" revolution triggered by the Internet was now over, Tarhan said we are now in the "cybernation age," which symbolizes the mind and intelligence, adding, "The world will enter in a phase where it will change again with nanotechnology."
She believes that people today have no hope because they think that life equals money and money equals work. If this mindset continues, it will destroy humanity, Tarhan said.
The futurists say that everything Ğ not just physical things but knowledge and ideas Ğ has a design. "For instance, the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in 2001 was designed," said Tarhan, who also considers Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of Turkish Republic, and Bill Gates, the best-known entrepreneur of the computer revolution, as designers. "When Gates once said everyone will have PCs, he was right, and Atatürk designed a state that did not yet exist."
Although Tarhan believes that Turkish people don’t like planning and strategies, she says the country’s young population and creative and practical minds can make it a technology leader. "Once we can accept the developments in technology into our constitution faster, we have a bigger chance of winning," she said, adding: "Even for agriculture, we need technology. There is always development because humans are always in search of something."
Success comes with sharing
Futurists aim to make people understand that it is time to produce the optimum, not the maximum. The world has a new generation questioning each detail of life, such as the ingredients of the things they eat and drink. According to Tarhan, nanotechnology will create big advances in every sector.
Noting U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama’s adoption of a science-oriented approach to stem-cell research, which was banned during former president George W. Bush’s term, Tarhan said it’s the time for "Generation Generosity," and added: "Smart people realize that success comes with sharing. We want sharing instead of competition."