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Spiritual Computing Craig Warren Smith [email protected] Chulalongkorn University November 2 2007 My Talk • What is Spiritual Computing? • • • • • • • • What is “spiritual?” Spirituality and religion Why SC is emerging now? Why does SC matter? Examples Methods Where Connections to philosophy Why Now? • Spiritual Computing is possible now due to – Changes in technology: • “UX” as competitive factor • Emergence of HCI – Changes in spirituality: • Buddhism’s new role • Secularization of spirituality in advanced markets • Post-modern “kick-back” in Asia What is “Spiritual?” • Spirituality, in this case, refers to: • “a learning process through which, over time, one gains the ability to enhance the meaningfulness of one’s own experience.” • This process has four phases: 1. 2. 3. 4. Stop/start Renunciation/letting go Purification/clarification Transformative action What does spirituality have to do with religion? • Spirituality constitutes the experiential core of religions as well as secular philosophic traditions. • Religions claim to transmit the spiritual innovations of their founders. • Over time, religious authorities are frequently disrupted by reformers offering new ways to transmit these innovations. What is Spiritual Computing? • “the ideas, methods, and practice needed to bring ‘spirituality’ into the design of nextgeneration technologies.” Examples? • Educational Serious Games (Wild Divine) • Health care • Computer Search • Home design • Biofeedback for stress reduction (Intel) Meaningful search (Google) Sacred space in homes (Microsoft) Methods? • Humanistic critique of AI • Weiser’s response: center/periphery • Varela’s innovations: – Seeing phenomenology with Buddhist eyes • Innovation in scientific method – First, second and third person science – From neuroscience to tech labs The Geopolitics of SC • The World Tour • USA: Cambridge, SF, Seattle • India: Gandhi in the tech sector • Thailand: Towards an ecoystem of “happiness technologies” What SC could mean to philosophy • Bringing the tech sector “kicking and screaming” to first principles? • New practical application for philosophy? • Catalyst for Western/Asian philosophic convergence? How you can help • Join the global web community (spiritualcomputing.com) • Keep abreast of developments in Thailand – Center for Ethics of Science and Technology • Give us your best thinking