An archetype is a universal pattern, but not all universal patterns are archetypes. For example Gravity and Entropy are universal patterns but not archetypes. An archetype is a universal pattern of experience.
The assessment of Aliveness is a pattern of experience. This talk will follow how the assessment of what is alive changed in the 17th century after matter as a whole had been assessed to be alive; like for instance in alchemy which considered metals as living bodies and the primary metal was called ‘alive silver’. When alchemy changed to chemistry some matter was assessed to be alive, while other matter was not -- leading to the distinction between organic and inorganic. The next great change in the assessment of aliveness came in the 1940/50s when computational science evolved and Alan Turing came up with the Turing-test for artificial intelligence, stating that AI was alive when judged to be alive by a panel of experts. We are now in the era of the development of virtual humans.
The presenter will draw on his experience in developing computer assisted therapy (Cathy) in the 1990s and in the current development of AI companions to treat the global epidemic of loneliness affecting millions of people which is as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day.
Purchase your ticket to Robert’s Zoom presentation at TRYBOOKING
Robert Bosnak, PsyA, JD trained in Zurich, Switzerland as a Jungian psychoanalyst and is past President of the International Association for the Study of Dreams. He is the author of 6 books of non-fiction translated into 12 languages. He has taught on every continent (save Antarctica) and developed methods to explore dreams and memories by way of embodiment which led to the creation of the Embodied Imagination® (EI) method, a technique taught and practiced worldwide. In the late 1980s Bosnak became interested in complexity theory as it was being developed by the Santa Fe Institute and especially in complex adaptive systems (CAS) since he began to regard dreaming as ecologies of CAS. While doing work at MIT Bosnak got the opportunity to combine his fascination with dreaming with that for computers at the MIT Media Lab, where he developed initial methods for computer assisted therapy (Cathy) in the 1990s. He taught creative methodology at the Stanford School of Design (D-School) investigating the application of the EI method for research in theoretical physics. Robert Bosnak is a Clinical Instructor at the Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, with a special interest in the relationship between creative imagination and neuroscience. Besides having his office in Los Angeles, Bosnak has had a private practice on the Internet since 1997. He is co-Founder of Attune Media Labs, Inc. developing virtual human companions. His homes are in Santa Barbara, California and in Sydney.
Date: 5th February 2021
Time: 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Venue: Mitchell Theatre Level 1 Sydney Mechanics' School
of Arts, 280 Pitt St, Sydney
Cost: Members $10 Non-Members $20 Non-Member
Concession $15
*Psychotherapists and other practitioners can obtain credit for Professional Development hours recognised by PACFA and ACA for this presentation.