EFTA01004777.pdf

From: "Jeffrey E." <jeevacation@grnail.com> To: John Brockman <MEM> Subject: Re: Invitation to the first "Brockman Conference" Sept 7-9thY Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2018 19:34:04 +0000 i will fund the entire thing . On Sat, Jul 21, 2018 at 9:17 PM, John Brockman <MINIM> wrote: JE: I. BELOW IS A DRAFT OF THE INVITATION I AM SENDING THIS AFTERNOON. 2.. THANKS TO YOUR COMMENT ON "DEEP THINKING" WE HAVE A NEW TITLE "POSSIBLE MINDS". 3. I HAVE COME UP WITH A VERY AMBITIOUS PLAN AND LONG TERM AGENDA WHICH IS TO RESURRECT THE HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL MACY CONFERENCES OF THE 1940S-1950S (WIENER, MCCULLOCH, PITTS, VON NEUMANN, SHANNON, BATESON, MEAD). KAHNEMAN HAS AGREED TO CHAIR THE FIRST "BROCKMAN CONFERENCE" (BELOW). 3. ON FURTHER DISCUSSION CARNEGIE HALL DOESN'T WORK FOR THE GROUP OR FOR ME. I TALKED TO NUMEROUS PEOPLE THAT DO THIS KIND OF THING AND ALL STRONGLY ADVISED AGAINT IT ITS HARD TO FILL A HALL; ITS A FULL-TIME JOB AS PRODUCER (A JOB I DONT WANT OR NEED) FAILURE IS A BIG POSSIBILITY; I HAVE NO INTEREST IN, AND DON'T DO EVENTS FOR THE PUBLIC. I KNOW WHO I WANT TO TALK TO AND WHY. AND LIKE YOU, I ONLY WANT TO TALK TO SMART PEOPLE. WITH A PUBLIC EVENT YOU ALSO HAVE TO DEAL WITH HOW MANY OF THIS OR THAT SEX, RACE, AGE, ETC. I DONT WANT OR NEED TO GO THERE. WHAT I'M PLANNING IS MORE SIGNIFICANT, CONSEQUENTIAL, AND FUN. GIVE ME A CALL. I'M AT THE FARM. F.astover Farm 325 Guilds Hollow Road. RR 132 Bethlehem, CT 06751 Ma : hitt itIFIXNACC To: Chris Anderson, Rodney Brooks. George M. Church. Daniel C. Dennett . David Deutsch. Anca Dragon. George Dyson. Peter GailS011. Neil Gershenfeld, Alison Gopnik, Torn Griffiths. Danny Hillis. Caroline Atones. David Kaiser, Seth Lloyd. Hans Ulrich Obrist. Judea Pearl, Sandy Pentland. Steven Pinker, Venki Ramakristutan, Stuart Russell. Joan Tallin. Max Tegmark, Frank Wikzek. Stephen Wolfram From: John Brockman I am writing to invite you to the first "Brockman Conference" and to give you an important update on the book regarding a change of title. UPDATE ON THE BOOK DEEP THINKING: Twenty Five Ways of Looking at AI Just as the book went to the printer, we realized that Gary Kasparov has recently published a book with the same title. After some consideration and asking for suggestions. Kevin Kelly came up with a much better title that does a better job of framing the overall content of the essays: POSSIBLE MINDS: Twenty Five Ways of Looking at Al Stewart Brand has contributed the first jacket blurb: "Intelligences born and intelligences made have a lot to offer each other. For that beneficial blend to occur, the contextual framing that the voices in this book spell out will be crucial." —Stewart Brand THE BROCKMAN CONFERENCE Two years ago, I organized a weekend conference in Washington. CT which resulted in twenty five important thinkers writing consequential essays that arc pan of a new, and important conversation. When I wrote to the participants last month regarding the possibility of another conference. the response was overwhelmingly positive. Thus, save the date: WHEN 5pm Friday. September 7th — Sunday noon. September 9th WHERE At the beautiful high-end resort, Winvian Farm (111111111111111, a 5-star Relais & Chateaux resort hotel in Morris, CT, six miles front Eastover Farm. I have reserved their EFTA01004777 conference room. and have a hold on 15 guest cottages for Friday and Saturday nights rl yt2uObxlc). WHAT The rust meeting two year; ago was very consequential and resulted in 25 essays that arc the beginning of a new conversation that reclaims the narrative about Al for science. RSVP The hotel has a beautiful conference space can accommodate a maximum of 22 people. I need a response by Wednesday next week, July 25th. AGENDA The purpose of this initial conference is to explore a plan to update to The Macy Conferences of the 1940s and 1950s. The original participants wanted to create a new social science for their time and. in so doing, asked people in various disciplines to talk and interact with each other. Participants included a who's who of cutting edge scientific intellectuals: H. Ross Ashby. Gregory Bateson. Julian FL Bigelow. Warren McCulloch, Margaret Mead. F.S.C. Northrop. Walter Pitts, Arturo Rosenthbleuth. John Von Neumann. Claude Shannon. Heinz V0n Foerster. W. Grey Walter. Norbert Wiener, and 1.t. Young. A list comparable to the participants in the Possible Minds Project. I might add. McCulloch. as Chairman. presided over the sessions and decided who to invite and what they should talk about. von Foerster, as Secretary. was the driving force of the project. It was McCulloch who insisted over Norben Wiener's objections that "mind" be inuoduced into the mix, and for this, he recruited Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead The disciplined represented over the decade ranged across economics, electrical engineering, biology, chemistry, medical research. neuroscienc. philosophers, physics, physiology. psychiatry, and zoology. The ambition for their agenda seems remarkble but not when you consider it in the context of WWII and the postwar cold war and nuclear threat. Interestingly, although people look at cybernetics as a necessary defense effort, the people involved were almost all deeply humanistic while at the same time being erudite and leaders in their respective scientific disciplines. (For examples of the interdisciplinary aspect of the Macy Conference. sec selected title of talks below.) I am inviting the participants in the POSSIBLE MINDS book and a few other people who have important insights and expertise to contribute. Just as McCulloch invited Bateson and Mcad to emphasize mind. I was to balance the narrative concerning technology and engineering with a focus on human intelligence and thinking. In the regard. Danny Kahneman has agreed to serve as chair of the meeting. I am very excited about this project and very much want your participation. Best. JB John Brockman 917-744-8920 mobile Edge Foundation, Inc. 260 Fifth Avenue tel: New York, NY 10001 ax Visit the EDGE website edgarg: 'An epicenter of bleeding-edge insight across science, technology and beyond...A lavish cerebral feast" -THE ATLANTIC SELECTED MACY CONFERENCE TALKS The Psychological Moment in Perception John Stroud The Neurotic Potential and Human Adaptation Lawrence S. Kubic Quantum Mechanical Theory of Memory Heinz von Foerster Sensory Prosthesises Norbert Wiener The Manner in Which and Extent to Which Speech Can Bc Distorted and Remain Intelligible L.C.R.Licklider The Redundancy of English Claude E. Shannon Experience in Learning Primitive Languages Through the Use of Learning High Level Linguistic Abstractions Margaret Mead On the Development of Word Meanings Heinz Weiner The Development of Language in Early Childhood John Stroud Body Symbolization and Development of Language Lawrence S. Kubic Communication Patterns in Problem-Solving Groups Alex Bavelas Communication Between Sane and Insane: Hypnosis Lawrence S. Kubic EFTA01004778  Communication Between Animals Herbert C. Birch Presentation of a Maze-Solving Machine Claude Shannon In Search of Basic Symbols Donald M. MacKay The Position of Humor in Human Communication Gregory Batmen The Place of Emotions in the Feedback Concept Lawrence S. Kubic Homeostasis W. Ross Ashby Discrimination and Learning in Octopus J. Z. Young Mechanical Chess Player W. Ross Ashby Investigations on Synaptic Transmission Walter Pits Studies on Activity of the Brain W. Grey-Walter please note The information contained in this communication is confidential, may be attorney-client privileged, may constitute inside information, and is intended only for the use of the addressee. It is the property of JEE Unauthorized use, disclosure or copying of this communication or any part thereof is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by return e-mail or by e-mail to jeevacation@gmail.com, and destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachments. copyright -all rights reserved EFTA01004779