Jos de Mul. From mythology to technology and back. Fourfold Hermeneutics. De Mul on Prooi on Kiyozawa on Epictetus. March 28, Online workshop. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. 5.30 PM Hong Kong time. 

Jos de Mul. From mythology to technology and back. Human‐animal combinations in the era of digital recombinability. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, March 28, Online lecture, 4PM Hong Kong time. 

In Greek mythology, we come across wonderful human-animal combinations: the Centaur, the creature with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse; Medusa, the woman with eyes of stone, from whose head snakes grow instead of hair; Chimaera, the monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and a snake for a tail? They sowed death and destruction. Quite comforting that they don’t exist.

Or should we say: did not yet exist? Because human-animal combinations are among us again, and this time not as creations of mythological imagination, but as products of contemporary biotechnology, such as cybrids and chimeras. Think of mice with sizable pieces of genetic code that originated from the human genome, used in cancer and pharmaceutical research, or pigs with a human heart, that are grown for medical applications.

Such biotechnological creations evoke a lot of discussions and resistance in public debates. This resistance is partly based on rational arguments, such as health risks, but often strong emotions, like feelings of disgust, play a major role as well. Why would that be the case? All things considered, contemporary biological insights inform us that human beings, like all species, actually are already polygenomic organisms, and for that reason, fundamental biological concepts such as ‘individual’ and ‘species’ deserve considerable nuance. On closer inspection, the mythological human-animal combinations appear to contain more truth on this point than nineteenth-century biology, which was strongly driven by a separative cosmology, which still haunts common sense conceptions of life today.

In his lecture De Mul will discuss recent developments in postgenomic molecular biology from the perspective of the interconnective cosmology of Greek mythology. Not in order to claim the ‘eternal truth’ of this ancient cosmology, but to show that it contains insights that help us to better understand contemporary postgenomic biology and philosophical anthropology and to situate them in a broader world-historical context.  

Full text of lecture

Jos de Mul. The Total Turing Test. Robotics from Japanese and European perspectives [Translation of the Japanese original: ジョス・デ・ムル . 総合的チューリング・テスト ─日本的観点およびヨーロッパ的観点からロボティクスを考える─  Ritsumeikan Studies in Language and Culture. Vol.31 (2020), Vol.32, no.2, 95-107.]

It’s a great honor and pleasure to be here again at the Graduate School of Sociology of Ritsumeikan University. I have wonderful memories of my 2016 stay in Kyoto as a guest professor.[1] It was a privilege to work with my Japanese colleagues – especially Yuko Nakama, with whom I have collaborated in the past decade in different projects about landscape and space – and to discuss with the students who attended my course at Ritsumeikan, on the relevance of Greek tragedy for understanding the human condition in our present, high-technological world. During my stay in 2016 I also spent quite some time researching android robotics in the Kansai region. Especially interesting were the visits to the Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories in the Advanced  Telecommunications  Research Institute International (ATR) in Kansai Science City.

Although the subjects mentioned – landscape, tragedy, and robotics – seem to be quite diverse, my research in these fields share a comparative approach, bringing in dialogue Eastern and Western, more particularly Japanese and European perspectives in these three domains. In each of these domains we find striking similarities as well as fundamental differences. In my lecture today I hope to demonstrate  this, taking the so-called Turing Test as starting point for a reflection on the similarities and differences of Asian and Western perspectives on and attitudes towards robotics.

In the first part I will analyze three recent Western science fiction movies in which the Turing test plays a prominent role. Although all three movies are fiction films, they reveal some important characteristics of the Western view on robotics. In the second part I will contrast the Western approach with the way the Turing Test is approached in Japanese robotics, more particular in social android robotics. Hiroshi Ishigiro’s ERICA (ERato Intelligent Conversational Android) will be my main example. In the third and final part I will I will argue that, in the final analysis, the difference in approaches in Western and Eastern robotics is closely connected with different religious worldviews, which even in a secularized world still inform robotics and AI research at a fundamental level.

Jos de Mul. From mythology to technology and back. Human‐animal combinations in the era of digital recombinability. In: Bruno Accarino, Jos de Mul und Hans-Peter Krüger (Hrsg.). Internationales Jahrbuch für Philosophische Anthropologie. Band 10 (2020)/ International Yearbook for Philosophical Anthropology. Volume 10 (2020) Katharina Block &Julien Kloeg (Eds.). Ecology 2.0 - The Contribution of Philosophical Anthropology to Mapping the Ecological Crisis.  Berlin: De Gruyter, 2021, 79-97.

Who does not know the wonderful human-animal combinations in Greek mythology?[1] The Centaur, the creature with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse; Medusa, the woman with eyes of stone, from whose head snakes grow instead of hair; Chimaera, the monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and a snake for a tail? They sowed death and destruction. Quite comforting that they don’t exist.

Or should we say: did not yet exist? Because human-animal combinations are among us again, and this time not as creations of mythological imagination, but as products of contemporary biotechnology, such as cybrids and chimeras. Think of mice with sizable pieces of genetic code that originated from the human genome, used in cancer and pharmaceutical research, or pigs with a human heart, that are grown for medical applications.

Such biotechnological creations evoke a lot of resistance in public debates. This resistance is partly based on rational arguments, such as health risks, but often strong emotions, like feelings of disgust, play a major role as well. Why would that be the case? All things considered, contemporary biological insights inform us that human beings, like all species, actually are already polygenomic organisms, and for that reason, fundamental biological concepts such as ‘individual’ and ‘species’ deserve considerable nuance. On closer inspection, the mythological human-animal combinations appear to contain more truth on this point than nineteenth-century biology, which was strongly driven by a separative cosmology, which still haunts common sense conceptions of life today.

In this essay I will discuss recent developments in postgenomic molecular biology from the perspective of the interconnective cosmology of Greek mythology. Not in order to claim the ‘eternal truth’ of this ancient cosmology, but to show that it contains insights that help us to better understand contemporary postgenomic biology and philosophical anthropology and to situate them in a broader world-historical context.  

Bruno Accarino, Jos de Mul und Hans-Peter Krüger (Hrsg.). Internationales Jahrbuch für Philosophische Anthropologie. Band 10 (2020)/ International Yearbook for Philosophical Anthropology. Volume 10 (2020) Katharina Block &Julien Kloeg (Eds.). Ecology 2.0 - The Contribution of Philosophical Anthropology to Mapping the Ecological Crisis.  Berlin: De Gruyter, 2021, 318 p.

Philosophical anthropology reflects on the human condition, which is put into urgent question by today’s ecological crisis. An Ecology 2.0 has developed to meet this challenge. In this volume, contributing authors probe both theoretical approaches to ecology and the tradition of philosophical anthropology itself. The tradition bears fruit and stands to be extended beyond its usual textual bases, mirroring the sense in which questions of human existence as such take on an intensified role.

Ádi Brigitta.  "A felhasználó egy személy, nem csak pénzkereseti forrás" Interjú Jos de Mul. Media Design Online. November 25, 2021. (https://designisso.com/2021/11/25/jos-de-mul-interju/)

„A felhasználó egy személy, nem csak pénzkereseti forrás”

Az okos technológiák, mint például a telefon vagy akár a számítógép, mindennapi életünk szerves részét képezik, és ezáltal hasznos és kevésbé hasznos applikációk vesznek minket körül, melyekkel különösebb felülvizsgálat nélkül, szinte természetesen élünk együtt. Ezek az applikációk gyakran játékossá teszik számunkra a reggeli tornát, a tanulást vagy épp a vásárlást. Jos de Mul holland filozófussal, antropológussal, sokoldalú gondolkodóval a Játékos Identitások – Digitális kultúra ludifikációja című könyv kapcsán beszélgettünk, amely Johann Huizinga holland kultúrtörténész Homo Ludens (Játszó Ember) elméletéből indul ki.  Huizinga szerint a játék olyan tevékenység, amely bizonyos időbeli és térbeli keretek között, követhető rendben, az általunk elfogadott szabályok mentén, gazdasági és más érdekek nélkül történik. Jos de Mul és kutatótársai szerint napjainkban a játék jellemzői hasonlatosak az új technológiák jellemzőihez; az applikációk például játékos mechanizmusokat (érmegyűjtés, felhasználók közötti verseny, stb.) építenek be, és ez hatással van a munkavégzésre, a gazdaságra, a kultúrateremtésre egyaránt.

Jos de Mul. Cyber Homo Ludens. Contribution to the Panel Discussion of the conference Videogames and High Culture. Bari . December 17, 2021.

Jos de Mul. Is life a simulation? Lecture Studium Generale Erasmus University. Rotterdam: Campus Woudenstein, Erasmus Paviljoen, February 2, 2022, 15:30-17:00. (De opname van de lezing is te zien op YouTube)

“You take the blue pill...the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill...you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

Is life merely a simulation? When the Matrix released in 1999, the movie dealing with this question became a global phenomenon. And while the story of robots controlling our very reality might have seemed a silly science fiction premise then, the idea of life being a mere simulation kept philosopher Descartes up for nights back in the 1600’s. What other philosophical ideas are there to be found in The Matrix?

On December 22, The Matrix Resurrections premiered in the US, more than 15 years after the original trilogy ended. The series was known for the many philosophical ideas it brought to the big screen. From Plato’s famous allegory of the cave, to Descartes’ ideas of a ‘deceiving demon’. The directors of the movie even made all actors read philosophical works before the movie started filming. In this lecture, professor of philosophy Jos de Mul will look back at the old trilogy, he will interpret the new movie (which was released on January 26 in The netherlands), and he will tell us what we can learn philosophically from these films. Moreover, he will go into detail on the influence the movie has had on society. Think, for example, of the controversial ‘Red Pill’ movement that developed over the past decade. He will use excerpts from the films to analyze the movies to the greatest detail. Are you prepared to swallow the Purple Pill?

Transhumanismus aus Sicht der Philosophischen Anthropologie Helmuth Plessners. In: Olivia Mitscherlich-Schönherr (Hrsg.), Das Gelingen der künstlichen Natürlichkeit. Mensch-Sein an den Grenzen des Lebens mit disruptiven Biotechnologien. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2021, 351-365. [Open access: download the entire book for free]

Mit den Worten Unmensch und unmenschlich sollte man sparsam sein.

Helmuth Plessner

Zusammenfassung

Der Beitrag vergleicht die extra-, trans- und posthumanisti­schen Utopien der Menschenverbesserung mit der philosophischen Anthropolo­gie von Helmuth Plessner kritisiert den Transhumanismus anhand der drei an­thropologischen Grundgesetze, die Plessner in seinem Opus Magnum „Die Stufen des Organischen und der Mensch“ (1928) formuliert. Es wird gezeigt, dass der Transhumanismus mit Plessners erstem anthropologischen Gesetz überein­stimmt: dem Gesetz der „natürlichen Künstlichkeit“ des Menschen. Es gibt jedoch zwei wichtige Unterschiede, die den Transhumanismus zu einer radikalisierten philosophischen Anthropologie machen. Erstens wollen Transhumanisten im Gegensatz zu Plessner die natürliche Künstlichkeit nicht nur beschreiben, son­dern auch aktiv befördern. Zweitens bemühen sich die Transhumanisten, das gegenwärtige Mensch-Sein in eine transhumane oder sogar posthumane Le­bensform zu verwandeln. Während Plessner die Möglichkeit von Lebensformen jenseits der exzentrischen Position des Menschen nicht für möglich hält wird mit Bezug auf Bienen, Oktopoden und Craniopagus Zwillingen argumentiert, dass die Natur bereits polyzentrische und polyexzentrische Lebensformen kennt und dass die technische Realisierung dieser Lebensformen mindestens logisch nicht aus­geschlossen ist. Gleichwohl gibt es gute Gründe gibt, sich den transhumanisti­schen Träumen nicht begeistert zu überlassen. Plessners zweites Grundgesetz - das Gesetz der „vermittelten Unmittelbarkeit“ - lehrt, dass die Entwicklung von Techniken weder vorhersehbar noch kontrollierbar ist. Und das dritte Grundge­setz - das Gesetz des „utopischen Standorts“- macht deutlich, dass eine Über­windung der konstitutionellen Heimatlosigkeit des Menschen - wenn dies über­haupt möglich wäre - das Ende der menschlichen Lebensform bedeuten würde. In einem Einzeiler zusammengefasst: Transhumanisten lassen sich mit jemandem vergleichen, der alle Vorbereitungen für eine wilden Party trifft, zu der er selbst allerdings nicht eingeladen sein wird.

 دكتور بروفسور يوس دي مول. الربيع العربي وشهر العسل على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي - مجلة المصير - عدد ١٦ - ربيع ٢٠٢٠ - صفحة ١٠٧-١١٣  [[The honeymoon of the Arabic Spring and the social media. Al Masir. Nr. 16, Spring 2021, 107-113. Translation: dr. Khaled Chouket]

الربيع العربي وشهر العسل على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي

يوس دي مول*

 تم تصوير الربيع العربي على أنه ثورة الفايسبوك بسبب الدور الذي لعبته وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي فيه. ومع ذلك ، فإن السؤال هو ما إذا كان هذا الدور عظيمًا جدًا وكان التأثير إيجابيًا جدًا. ماذا تعلمنا الأفلام في مهرجان الفيلم العربي عن هذا؟

حقيقة أن مهرجان الفيلم العربي مخصص هذا العام لـ "الربيع العربي" ليس مفاجئًا بالنظر إلى الذكرى العاشرة لهذه الثورة. فالربيع العربي، الذي اندلع في الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا من ديسمبر 2010 إلى صيف 2012 وألهم ثورات ضد الأنظمة الاستبدادية في إيران (2011) والصين (2011) وأوكرانيا (2013)، من بين أمور أخرى، يعتبر حدثًا تاريخيًا مهمًا، ليس فقط بسبب تأثير الدومينو وسقوط الأنظمة الاستبدادية في تونس ومصر واليمن وليبيا ، ولكن أيضًا لأن وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي كانت ستلعب دورًا مهمًا فيه.

نظرًا لأن وسائل الإعلام في العديد من الدول العربية تخضع لسيطرة الأنظمة الاستبدادية، فإن التأثير السياسي المحتمل لـ Twitter و Facebook - قبل خمس سنوات من الربيع العربي كان محدودا، لكنه ابتداءا من عام 2011 سيكون لديه بالفعل 50 مليون تغريدة يوميًا و 500 مليون مستخدم على التوالي في جميع أنحاء العالم، ومن الطبيعي أن تكون لدى هذه الوسائط عدد أكبر في البلدان ذات الصحافة الحرة والنقدية. في عام 2009 ، تم تقديم النسخة العربية من Facebook ، مما أدى إلى فتح جمهور محتمل يصل إلى 250 مليون شخص وإنشاء مساحة عامة على الإنترنت حيث يكون للنساء والأقليات العرقية والدينية صوت أيضًا.

على الرغم من أن اللغة العربية المحكية لها لهجات مختلفة على نطاق واسع، إلا أن اللغة العربية المكتوبة تعمل كلغة مشتركة ، وترسل أخبار الثورة ودعوات إلى العمل كالنار في الهشيم من خلال "العالم العربي". ونظرًا لأنه اعتبارًا من عام 2010 ، أصبح من الممكن أيضًا مشاهدة الصور ومقاطع الفيديو في Twitter فقد سهل ذلك الاستخدام ، حيث وصلت الرسالة الثورية أيضًا إلى الأشخاص المتعلمين رقميًا وذوي الأمية المنخفضة.

ظهرت مجموعة كبيرة من المنشورات على مدار العقد الماضي حول تأثير وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي على الربيع العربي، بما في ذلك وسائل الإعلام الاجتماعية Carvins Distant Witness ، والربيع العربي وثورة الصحافة (2012)، والموجة الرابعة "هوارد وحسين" للديمقراطية ؟ الإعلام الرقمي والربيع العربي (2013)، الربيع العربي على "الجمالي أونلاين". وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي والتغيير الأساسي (2015) و Snowdons The People لم يكونوا مجرد صورة. الفيديو العامي بعد الربيع العربي (2020). لا يمكن إنكار أن وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي لعبت دورًا في تنظيم وتنسيق ونشر الاحتجاجات في جميع أنحاء العالم ، والتي تمت الإشارة إليها بالتالي باسم "ثورة الفايسبوك" أو "انتفاضة تويتر".