In partnership with Intelligence Squared, join us for an evening of politics, ethics and insight with a lecture on the quest for immortality from Dr Aleks Krotoski.
From the epic of Gilgamesh to the alchemy of the philosopher’s stone, humanity has long dreamed about the idea of immortality. Today, many believe that dream could soon become a reality. The world’s most powerful technologists and investors are pouring billions into engineering longevity. For these modern-day immortalists, ageing is no longer an inevitability – it’s a technical glitch to be hacked, reversed, or eradicated altogether.
Drawing on her fascinating new book, The Immortalists, Krotoski will discuss her encounters with radical life extensionists transfusing their teenage son’s blood, transhumanists who want to upload consciousness to the cloud, biohackers flogging AI-powered wellness apps, and billionaire kingmakers building brand-new nations.
Join us for an evening of politics, ethics, and what it might mean – biologically, socially, and philosophically – if death becomes optional.
Dr Aleks Krotoski is an award-winning international broadcaster, author and academic. She has won Emmy, BAFTA, Radio Academy and Royal Society awards, and has written and presented landmark technology and social science series for both radio (with BBC Radio 4’s The Artificial Human and The Digital Human) and international television (with BBC World’s The Virtual Revolution). She has held fellowships at the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics and received an honorary doctorate from the Open University. She currently teaches at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. The Immortalists is her latest book.
The lecture will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. Your ticket includes a complimentary glass of wine.
