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Our general theme will be on the mysteries of technology as seen in the light of spiritual science. While a foundation in Anthroposophy is helpful, it is not required for participation.
This will be a 2-part series that includes:
The Turing Machine and what computers can and cannot doArtificial Intelligence or Automated Imbecility? Can machines think and feel?
What you will learn: Overcoming our fears of the future and artificial intelligence in particular are important for a healthy confrontation with Ahriman. Here you will learn about Rudolf Steiner’s vision of the future in regards to technology from a professor of computer science.
Can machines think and be intelligent? We have the Turing Test and its extensions – is this adequate? Can machines have sensations and feelings? Prof. Valdemar Setzer will answer these questions by exploring the Turing Machine, the Decidability Problem, and the Halting Problem. He will lead us to the issues of the “singularity”, man-machine symbiosis, and transhumanism. How can something non-physical act physically without violating physical laws? Is the human being a machine?
More About the Speaker
Valdemar Setzer is an Anthroposophist and a retired professor of computer science at the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics of the University of São Paulo (USP) where he continues to supervise theses, research, and teach. He was Visiting Professor at the Universities of Texas in Austin and at Stuttgart in Germany. He received his doctorate from USP in 1967. He was founder and Director of the Electronic Computing Center at USP, head of the departments of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at IME, President of the Undergraduate Committee of IME, and active in his profession in numerous ways. He has published 12 books (see list on his website) and has published numerous technical articles in national and international magazines and congresses. He has been an invited speaker for events that the Goetheanum.
