Intelligence Squared and the James Martin 21st Century School, University of Oxford, Sponsored by Pi Capital present: "Everything you Need to Know About the Future in 2050"
Tuesday 22nd September 6:45pm, Kensington

A unique opportunity to see Oxford’s 21^st Century School in London!

Pi Capital, through it’s unique partnership is delighted to announce that the 21st Century School and Intelligence Squared (IQ2) are collaborating in a unique partnership to bring together top scholars for an exciting panel discussion entitled, "The World in 2050".  This will be a fascinating evening of provocative talks by scientific experts from the 21st Century School, covering the big questions about mankind’s future.  Do come and listen to the experts and add your voice to the debate.

THE WORLD IN 2050

in association with What kind of world will we inhabit 40 years from now? What moral codes will we live by? We’ve tended to leave these enormous questions to science fiction but time travel isn’t essential. In this fascinating evening of talks the scientific experts of the 21st Century School will reveal - sometimes to an alarming degree - just how much we already know about the world in 2050.  We know that we will no longer be able to call ourselves a ’fossil fuel’ civilisation. Reliance on oil is a dead end, but there are only a limited number of pathways to the energy future and we’ll be exploring the implications of each of them.  We also know that we’ll be, if not an arthritic civilisation, then at least a somewhat geriatric one: more than half us in the West will be over 50 by 2050. What impact will this have on how we work, how we organise our politics and above all how we deal with the relations between the generations? Inheritance, once the channel of wealth between the generations and upholder of class inequalities, will start to sputter as we all start living longer and hang on to our wealth into ever lengthening age. Will age replace class as the great dividing line within society?

One answer to this quandary - and an answer arguably more troubling than the problems it’s designed to solve - is ’a war on ageing’ that would involve not only fundamental research into ways of slowing or halting the ageing process, but also the development of entirely new varieties of human or quasi-human life: genetically engineered humans with resistance to disease, and cognitively enhanced humans with the minds of supercomputers. But the dangers are huge. In this new world where everyone of any intelligence is familiar with genetic engineering, it will be ever easier for trouble makers to develop bio-weapons, for example. Hence there will be a pressing need to ensure the biological enhancement of human beings with a view to improving their moral behaviour and minimising the possibility of self-annihilation.  Compared to 2084, 1984 sounds quite benign. Come and see the future as set out by the following speakers.

Speakers:   

Dr Ian Goldin Director, James Martin 21st Century School at the University of Oxford
Dr Malcolm McCulloch, Director of the Institute for Carbon and Energy Reduction in Transport (a 21C School Institute)
Professor Sarah Harper, Director of the Oxford Institute of Ageing (a 21C School Institute)
Professor Julian Savulescu, Director of the Programme on Ethics of the New Biosciences (a 21C School Institute)

The James Martin 21st Century School

The 21C School is an innovative research collaboration of world-leading academics and experts addressing humanity’s most urgent challenges and vital opportunities. It was established in 2005 at the University of Oxford to foster innovative thinking, deep scholarship and collaborative activity to address the most pressing risks and to harvest new opportunities of the 21st Century.  By stimulating cutting-edge research, intellectual exchange and public debate, the School aims to understand and contribute to the management of systemic risks and to leverage the opportunities arising from technological and social innovations. www.21school.ox.ac.uk.

If you would like to attend please RSVP to Kate Lewis

kl@picapital.co.uk

020 7529 5664