Apr 6, 2023

How to Manifest a Posthuman Existence Not Only in Theory, but in Practice?

Francesca Ferrando

Hosted by Stephen Julich and Jonathan Kay

Summary

This episode is a continuation from our previous reading of Francesca Ferrando’s new text Existential Posthumanism: A Manifesto. We will take a deep dive into unpacking this text section by section, discussing its the main questions:

When did existential posthumanism arise?
What is existential posthumanism?
How to enact existential posthumanism?
What is the difference between spirituality and existential posthumanism?

We will also address the importance of introducing posthumanist approaches to pedagogy in institutions like CIIS.

Dr. Ferrando (pronouns: they/them) teaches Philosophy at New York University (US), NYU-Program of Liberal Studies, as an Adjunct Assistant Professor. Dr. Ferrando holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy (University of Roma Tre, Italy), to which the European Doctoral Fellowship was granted. They received an M.A. in Gender Studies (Utrecht University, Holland), Director of the Program: Prof. Rosi Braidotti. Dr. Ferrando was a Visiting Scholar at Columbia University (US) twice, and an Independent Researcher at the University of Reading (England), working on Cyborg Theory with Prof. Kevin Warwick. Recipient of the Philosophical Prize "Premio Sainati", with the Acknowledgment of the President of the Italian Republic, Dr. Ferrando is the author of several publications; their latest book is Philosophical Posthumanism (Bloomsbury). Their work has been translated into a dozen languages, including (in alphabetic order): Chinese, Hungarian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Turkish, Spanish and Urdu. Dr. Ferrando is the Founder of the Global Posthuman Network. In the history of TED talks, they were the first speaker to give a talk on the subject of the posthuman.

The EWP Podcast credits

East-West Psychology Podcast Website
Connect with EWP: Website • Youtube • Facebook
Hosted by Stephen Julich (EWP Core Faculty) and Jonathan Kay (PhD student, EWP assistant)
Produced by: Stephen Julich and Jonathan Kay
Edited and Mixed by: Jonathan Kay
Introduction music: Mosaic, by Monsoon on the album Mandala
Music at the end of the episode: tundra immanence (blowing meditation), on the album becoming - song: contemplative transnomadic sono - fictioning, by Jonathan Kay
Introduction Voiceover: Roche Wadehra

Your Host

Stephen Julich and Jonathan Kay

Stephen Julich has worked as an adjunct instructor in History and Anthropology at the City College of New York, as a lecturer in Jungian Studies at the University of Philosophical Research in Los Angeles, and as an adjunct instructor at the California Institute of Integral Studies where he has taught classes on ensouled writing and Western Esotericism.

Jonathan Kay is a professional musician, and is currently a PhD student in the department of East-West Psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco under the mentorship of Dr. Debashish Banerji.

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