This is an in-person event at King’s College London. Obtain your complimentary tickets here.
About the event:
Our world is undergoing an unprecedented digital transformation. Almost no aspect of the social, political, cultural, economical, informational and biological realm remains unchanged. In this context, how does the digital hyperreality, through virtual, augmented and potential forms of reality, challenge the socio-political and cultural values and ideas of who we are and where we are heading? What is the impact on our conceptions of freedom, autonomy and authenticity, as well as trust, privacy and creativity on a personal and social level? How does the radically new technological landscape shape not only our living conditions but also our collective imaginaries and identities?
The intertemporal concepts of freedom and power remain pivotal in the wake of immersive technologies. While avoiding both the technophobic and technophilic dangers that lurk, it is crucial to explore the ways in which each person can interact with power relations that manifest through the physical reality and the digital hyperreality in order to preserve and further develop freedom and authenticity. In this talk, I shall attempt a preliminary exploration regarding the extend, the ways and the means by which contemporary philosophical thought can contribute to the effort not only to identify, comprehend and analyze these changes, but also to reflect on how we would like to regulate and guide them towards the benefit of the ideas and values that we believe constitute, preserve and evolve our humanness. I shall then conclude by proposing how one could navigate through the all-encompassing power of hyperreality, while managing to maintain and further develop freedom in the form of authenticity-as-creativity in our personal and collective fields.
Location:
Anatomy Museum, King’s Building, King’s College London
About the Speaker:
Nikos Erinakis is an Assistant Professor of Social & Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Culture at the University of Crete. He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy [University of London & recognised research student at the University of Oxford], having studied Economics [AUEB], Philosophy & Literature [Warwick] and Philosophy of the Social Sciences [LSE]. He has taught at the University of London and he also teaches at the University of Athens and the Athens School of Fine Arts. He has been honoured by the Academy of Athens with the Award for Excellent Philosophical Treatise for his philosophy book Authenticity and Autonomy: From Creativity to Freedom (Keimena, 2020). He is also the Director of Research at the think-tank ENA – Institute for Alternative Policies, while he is the Director of Strategic Development at the Corfu International Festival, a board member of the Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra and has been a board member of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival. He is also a published critically acclaimed poet, translator of modern European poets, and the editor of three philosophy collective volumes, while papers and articles by him have been published in peer-reviewed journals, collective volumes and the popular press.
