2B | |
---|---|
Directed by | Richard Kroehling |
Written by | Bob Coen Eric Nadler Christian Plummer |
Produced by | Bob Coen Eric Nadler |
Starring | James Remar Kevin Corrigan Jane Kim Hayley DuMond |
Music by | Michael Galasso Jihae |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
2B is a 2009 science fiction film directed by Richard Kroehling and starring James Remar, Kevin Corrigan, Jane Kim, and Hayley DuMond. It is based on the ideas of transhumanism and the technological singularity. The film was released on October 2, 2009 at the Woodstock Film Festival. It was produced in conjunction with Terasem Media and Films. [1]
Set in the near future, 2B portrays a familiar decaying world on the cusp of "great transformation and awesome wonders". The story is based upon real science and evolving technologies. When the world's first transhuman is created by a renegade corporate CEO and bioscientist, the foundations of society's beliefs are threatened in a transhuman world where man merges with technology. [2]
Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement that advocates the enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies that can greatly enhance longevity, cognition, and well-being.
Extropianism, also referred to as the philosophy of extropy, is an "evolving framework of values and standards for continuously improving the human condition". Extropians believe that advances in science and technology will some day let people live indefinitely. An extropian may wish to contribute to this goal, e.g. by doing research and development or by volunteering to test new technology.
Keith Ian Carradine is an American actor who has had success on stage, film, and television. He is known for his roles as Tom Frank in Robert Altman's film Nashville, E. J. Bellocq in Louis Malle's Pretty Baby, Mickey in Alan Rudolph's Choose Me, Wild Bill Hickok in the HBO series Deadwood, FBI agent Frank Lundy in Dexter, Lou Solverson in the first season of Fargo, and U.S. president Conrad Dalton in Madam Secretary. He also had a recurring role as Penny's father Wyatt in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. He is a member of the Carradine family of actors that began with his father, John Carradine.
James J. Hughes is an American sociologist and bioethicist. He is the Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies and is the associate provost for institutional research, assessment, and planning at UMass Boston. He is the author of Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future and is currently writing a book about moral bioenhancement tentatively titled Cyborg Buddha: Using Neurotechnology to Become Better People.
The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) is a technoprogressive think tank that seeks to "promote ideas about how technological progress can increase freedom, happiness, and human flourishing in democratic societies." It was incorporated in the United States in 2004, as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, by philosopher Nick Bostrom and bioethicist James Hughes.
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William James Remar is an American actor. He has played numerous roles over a 40 year career, most notably Ajax in The Warriors (1979), Albert Ganz in 48 Hrs. (1982), Dutch Schultz in The Cotton Club (1984), Jack Duff in Miracle on 34th Street (1994), Richard Wright in Sex and the City (2001–2004), and Harry Morgan, the father of the title character, in Dexter (2006–2013). Since 2009 he has done voice-over work in ads for Lexus luxury cars. Remar studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City.
Many of the tropes of science fiction can be viewed as similar to the goals of transhumanism. Science fiction literature contains many positive depictions of technologically enhanced human life, occasionally set in utopian societies. However, science fiction's depictions of technologically enhanced humans or other posthuman beings frequently come with a cautionary twist. The more pessimistic scenarios include many dystopian tales of human bioengineering gone wrong.
Natasha Vita-More is a strategic designer in the area of human enhancement and life extension. Her interests are located within the ethical uses of science and technology and socio-political implications of revolutionary advances impacting humanity's future.
Martine Aliana Rothblatt is an American lawyer, author, entrepreneur, and transgender rights advocate. Rothblatt graduated from University of California, Los Angeles with J.D. and M.B.A. degrees in 1981, then began to work in Washington, D.C., first in the field of communications satellite law, and eventually in life sciences projects like the Human Genome Project. She is also influential in the field of aviation, particularly electric aviation, as well as with sustainable building.
Kevin Corrigan is an American character actor. He has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s, including as Uncle Eddie on the sitcom Grounded for Life (2001–2005). His film appearances include supporting roles in Goodfellas (1990), Rhythm Thief (1994), Walking and Talking (1996), Henry Fool (1997), The Departed (2006), Superbad (2007), Pineapple Express (2008), Seven Psychopaths (2012), The King of Staten Island (2020), and co-starring roles in Big Fan (2009) and Results (2015). He has been twice nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male.
Posthuman or post-human is a concept originating in the fields of science fiction, futurology, contemporary art, and philosophy that means a person or entity that exists in a state beyond being human. The concept aims at addressing a variety of questions, including ethics and justice, language and trans-species communication, social systems, and the intellectual aspirations of interdisciplinarity.
The Terasem Movement is a group of three organizations based in the United States. The name was inspired by Earthseed, a fictional religion from the works of Octavia Butler. The movement was founded by Martine Rothblatt and Bina Aspen Rothblatt, and is guided by principles called the "Truths of Terasem".
The Woodstock Film Festival is an American film festival launched in 2000 by filmmakers Meira Blaustein and Laurent Rejto in the Hudson Valley region of New York. The festival takes place each fall in the towns of Woodstock, Rosendale and Saugerties and the city of Kingston.
Taking Woodstock is a 2009 American historical musical comedy-drama film about the Woodstock Festival of 1969, directed by Ang Lee. The screenplay by James Schamus is based on the memoir Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert and a Life by Elliot Tiber and Tom Monte.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to futures studies:
Choker is a 2005 American science fiction action horror film written and directed by Nick Vallelonga and starring Paul Sloan, Colleen Porch, Hayley DuMond, Anthony John Denison, Robert R. Shafer, Katrina Law, and Jesse Corti. The film premiered on March 19, 2005, at the Other Venice Film Festival and was released under the title Disturbance on DVD by MTI Home Video in October 2006.
Transhumanist politics constitutes a group of political ideologies that generally express the belief in improving human individuals through science and technology. Specific topics include space migration, and cryogenic suspension. It is considered the opposing ideal to the concept of bioconservatism, as Transhumanist politics argue for the use of all technology to enhance human individuals.
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Immortality or Bust is a 2019 feature documentary focusing on the 2016 U.S. Presidential campaign of Transhumanist Party nominee Zoltan Istvan. Directed by Daniel Sollinger, it won two awards at film festivals - the Breakout Award at the 2019 Raw Science Film Festival and Best Biohacking Awareness Documentary at the GeekFest Toronto 2021. It is distributed by Gravitas Ventures.