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{{Short description|2009 documentary film by Barry Ptolemy}}
{{future film}}
{{About|the 2009 film|the 1953 science fiction novel|The Transcendent Man}}
{{Infobox Film
{{Infobox film
| name = '''Transcendent Man'''
| image = TM Prod Still2.jpg | name = Transcendent Man
| image = Transcendent man poster.jpg
| image_size =

| caption = Ray Kurzweil being interviewed by Barry Ptolemy on the set of '''Transcendent Man'''
| director = Barry Ptolemy | caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = ]
| producer = Barry Ptolemy <br />Felicia Ptolemy <br />'''Executive Producers:''' <br />Joe Disanto, John Ramsay, Doobie White, Wren Waters
| starring = Ray Kurzweil | producer = Barry Ptolemy<br/>Felicia Ptolemy
| editing = Doobie White <br />Meg Decker | starring = ]
| country = USA | editing = Meg Decker<br/>Doobie White
| music = ]
| cinematography = Shawn Dufraine
| studio = Ptolemaic Productions<br>Therapy Studios
| country = United States
| released = {{Film date|2009|11|05|AFI Film Festival|2011|02|03|United States}}
| runtime = 83 minutes
| distributor = Docurama
| language = English | language = English
| imdb_id = 1117394
}} }}
'''''Transcendent Man''''' is a feature length documentary film about the life and ideas of renowned inventor, futurist, and author ] (''''']''''', ''''']''''', ''''']'''''). It is being produced by husband and wife team, Barry and Felicia ], and will be released in 2009. The film begins by telling the story of Ray's early day's as an inventor, including his influences, successes and accolades, and eventually delves deeply into his astonishing predictions about the future, raising profound questions about our humanity, our divinity, and our destiny.


'''''Transcendent Man''''' is a 2009 documentary film by American filmmaker ] about inventor, ] and author ] and his predictions about the future of technology in his 2005 book, '']''. In the film, Ptolemy follows Kurzweil around his world as he discusses his thoughts on the ], a proposed advancement that will occur sometime in the 21st century when progress in ], ], ], and ] will result in the creation of a human-machine civilization.
==Synopsis==


] distributed the film partnership with Ptolemaic Productions and Therapy Studios, using an original model involving a nationwide screening tour of the film (featuring Q&A sessions with Ptolemy and Kurzweil), as well as separate digital and DVD releases. The film was also released on ] and On-Demand on March 1, 2011, and on DVD on May 24, 2011.<ref name="Stewart">Stewart, A. (January 11, 2011). . ''Variety''. Retrieved September 10, 2011.</ref>
For the first time a documentary film team follows the great inventor and futurist ] and reveals over three decades of revolutionary thinking and living.


The film debuted for the first public screening at the ] in New York City on February 3, 2011. The same week, '']'' ran the Singularity cover story by ], with coverage about Kurzweil's ideas and the concepts, citing ''Transcendent Man''. Kurzweil toured the film, appearing on ], ], ], ], and '']''. Additionally, Kurzweil went on to discuss the film on '']'', '']'', and '']''.
Growing up in a household of artists, the religion of Ray's childhood home was original thought and creativity. It was this environment that inspired Ray to become an inventor at age 5. Later, a more formal education in ] taught Ray the idea of "many paths to the truth," which can still be found in his writings today.


==Synopsis==
By age 17 Ray had already received his first Presidential medal from ] and had been showcased on the popular television show, Steve Allen's "]". His career went on to earn him two more Presidential medals from Presidents ], and ]. He holds fifteen honorary doctorates and is an inductee in to the ]. His many inventions include the CCD flatbed scanner, the Kurzweil Reader, which was the first reading machine for the blind, and the Kurzweil Keyboard which was the first synthesizer to recreate the acoustic sounds of the grand piano and other instruments (which Ray was inspired to invent by lifelong friend, ]).
Raymond Kurzweil, noted inventor and futurist, is a man who refuses to accept the inevitability of physical death. He proposes that the ]—the exponential increase in the growth of information technology—will result in a "singularity", a point where humanity and machines will merge, allowing one to transcend biological ]: advances in genetics will provide the knowledge to reprogram biology, eliminate disease and stop the aging process; nanotechnology will keep humans healthy from the inside using robotic "]" and provide a human-computer interface within the brain; robotics, or ], will make superhuman intelligence possible, including the ability to back up the mind.


Most of the movie has an implication of a religious background, and is applying technology to accomplish the goals with what is considered to be "god like" powers, through interdependent connection. Kurzweil has been criticized as being a modern-day prophet, however the film describes a detailed list of his inventions. Ray's dedication to improving the blind's quality of life is displayed in the climax of the film, with his miniature blind reading tool. Ray speaks of emailing someone a blouse, or printing out a toaster utilizing ]. Eventually swarms of our nanotechnology will be sent by us into the universe to, as Kurzweil puts it, "wake up the universe".
] who contributed to The Singularity is Near has called Ray Kurzweil, "The best person I know at predicting the future..." Gates has invited Kurzweil to his house on more than one occasion and has said, "I agree with 99% of what Ray says."<ref>Kurzweil, Raymond (2005). '''The Singularity is Near'''. New York: Penguin Group. ]</ref>
Against this optimistic backdrop of human and machine evolution, concerns about Kurzweil's predictions are raised by technology experts, philosophers, and commentators. Physician ] warns of tragedy and views Kurzweil's claims as lacking a more moderate approach necessitated by ]. AI engineer ] champions the ] vision, but acknowledges the possibility of a ] outcome. AI researcher ] warns of a coming "Artilect War", where god-like artificial intellects and those who want to build them, will fight against those who don't. ], professor of ] at University of Reading, advocates the benefits of the singularity, but suggests the ] could also occur, where humans become subservient to machine and live on a farm, and the singularity is the point where humans lose control to the intelligent machines. Warwick basically spells doom for anyone who is human after the singularity. ] observes that advances in technology have finally made immortality a reasonable goal. At the end of the film, Kurzweil states, "if I was asked if god exists, I would say not yet."


==Cast==
Yet all of these accolades and accomplishments are just the foundation for Kurzweil's most profound contribution to mankind, his vision of the future.
* Tom Abate, Technology Reporter, '']''.
* ], Professor of Computer Science and Mathematical Physics, ].
* ], Chairman, ].
* ], Director, ], ].
* ], Artificial Intelligence Engineer.
* ], Consulting Professor in the Neuroscience Institute at ].
* ], Co-founder, '']''.
* Aaron Kleiner, Kurzweil Technologies
* Hannah Kurzweil, mother of Ray Kurzweil
* ]
* Sonya R. Kurzweil, wife of Ray Kurzweil
* ], co-inventor of ], founder of ]
* ], Technologist/Koinonia Institute
* ], retired ] General in the United States Army.
* Steve Rabinowitz, college friend from MIT.
* ], creator of '']''
* ]
* ], Professor of Cybernetics, ].
* ]


==Music==
]
American composer ] scored the original soundtrack for the film. In addition to the ''Transcendent Man'' score, other music from Glass's collection was included in the soundtrack.
Ray Kurzweil theorizes that we will very soon merge with our non-biological creations, computers, in order to become trillions of times more intelligent and connected than we are today. If this idea doesn't scare you, maybe these facts will: Ray takes over 200 pills and supplements a day in order to re-program his biology and extend his life, he travels around the country and the world on an almost evangelical mission of spreading the word about our exponentially accelerating techology, and he is preparing for the day when technology will allow him to bring back his dead father.


*"A Brief History of Time"
Can Ray Kurzweil be taken seriously? Is his professional credibility undermined by his disruptive predictions?
*"Koyaanisqatsi"
*"Kyoko's House" (from Mishima)
*"Religion" (from ])
*"Satyagraha Act III" (Conclusion)
*"Symphony No. 3"
*"The Thin Blue Line"
*"Tirol Concerto for Piano and Orchestra"


==Release==
The filmmakers embark on a journey around the world with Ray to reveal just how accurate or inaccurate he may be.
The ''Transcendent Man'' tour visited five major cities in the U.S., as well as London. These screenings featured question and answer sessions with director Barry Ptolemy and Ray Kurzweil following the film, as well as V.I.P. receptions.<ref></ref>{{Primary source inline|date=September 2011}}


Ptolemaic Productions and Therapy Studios have pursued an alternative distribution strategy for ''Transcendent Man'', going through the Global and Music departments of agency ] to partner with iTunes and Media-on-Demand for a March 1, 2011 digital release and with ] for a May 24, 2011 DVD release.<ref name="Stewart"/> Marketing made use of ] and emerging technologies like ]s to appeal to a tech-savvy audience.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}
==Background==


]
Barry Ptolemy, a film and television writer, producer and director<ref>http://imdb.com/name/nm1182222/ Robert B. Ptolemy IMDB Profile</ref>, was also a life-long student of the sciences when, in early 2006, he picked up a copy of Ray Kurzweils most recent book, ]. While reading the first chapter, Ptolemy shared the profound ideas of the book with his wife, Felicia, also a producer<ref>http://imdb.com/name/nm1137454/ Felicia Ptolemy IMDB Profile</ref>. The most notable ideas they discussed were Kurzweil's theory on exponential growth which postulates that we are quickly gaining the technology to extend our lives by hundreds and thousands of years, that our technology is an extension of biological evolution and will continue to exponentially enhance our lives, experiences, bodies, and brains, and that these techological advances will happen in the next few decades. Kurzweil concludes by suggesting that humankind will saturate the universe with our intelligence<ref>http://www.singularity.com/bookexcerpts.html '''The Singularity Is Near''' Official Site</ref>. Within the next hours, these ideas inspired the Ptolemy's to seek funding for a feature-length documentary on the Singularity and Kurzweil.


==Film festivals==
In February of 2007, the Ptolemy's met with Ray Kurzweil for the first time before he spoke at the 2007 ] in San Francisco. They proposed the project to Kurzweil and came to an agreement. Two months later, in April, 2007 the Ptolemy's finalized a deal with Kurzweil in which they acquired the world-wide rights to Kurzweil's most recent three books and agreed that they and their company, Ptolemaic Productions<ref>http://www.ptolemaicproductions.com/ Ptolemaic Productions Official Site</ref> would produce a film on his life and ideas.
*April 28, 2009 - ], World Documentary Feature Competition.<ref>Lyons, D. (May 16, 2009). . '']''; Terranova, G. (2009). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110306052315/http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/archive/Transcendent_Man.html |date=2011-03-06 }}. ''Tribeca Film Festival''.</ref>
*November 5, 2009 - ] film festival, Los Angeles.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}
*November 24, 2009 - ] (]), Amsterdam, Netherlands, screened in competition.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}
*March 2010 - ].<ref name="mvtimes">Robards, B. (March 11, 2010). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101016062330/http://www.mvtimes.com/marthas-vineyard/news/2010/03/11/marthas-vineyard-film-festival.php |date=2010-10-16 }}. '']''.</ref>


==Production== ==Criticism==
One common criticism of Kurzweil's final prediction is that he does not consider that new technologies are never universally and immediately adopted due to the laws of economics. Start-up costs and ] mean that initially transhumanist technology would be prohibitively expensive for most people. This would cause the ], first adopters of brain enhancing technology to be transcendental above the less fortunate. One response to this criticism uses the technology of the automobile as an example. Even though a rich person might drive an expensive ], cheaper alternatives are available that perform the same task. In other words, no matter how much two cars differ in price, their function is virtually identical. One important element of Kurzweil's singularity is that the cost will come down to virtually nothing.<ref>Archived at {{cbignore}} and the {{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-iDUcETjvo| title = The Zero Marginal Cost Society {{!}} Jeremy Rifkin {{!}} Talks at Google | website=]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


Kurzweil readily defends AI as being controllable against malicious behavior, which he accepts is a definite threat. He never, on the other hand, confronts the dangers of AI fusing with the first humans.<ref name="mvtimes"/>{{Dead link |date=March 2014}}
Barry and Felicia Ptolemy began shooting Ray Kurzweil on April 18, 2007 in Newport Beach, California. The production continued to follow Ray around the country and the world through the end of 2007. Production resumes in February 2008. Some of the events the documentary team has filmed Ray at include:

]
World Innovation Forum, ], USA<br />
InterWoven Conference, ], USA<br />
], Receiving ], ], USA<br />
]'s eCybermission Awards, ], USA<br />
] Annual Synod (along with ]), ], USA<br />
Annual ] Convention, ], USA<br />
]'sTransvision 2007, ], USA<br />
World Business Forum, ], Italy<br />
ExpoManagement Conference, ], Brazil<br />
] Corporation Address, ], USA<br />
] Debate, ], USA<br />
Advanced Equities Venture Capital Summit, Laguna Niguel, California, USA

'''Transcendent Man''' has interviewed Aaron Kleiner (CFO, Kurzweil Technologies<ref>http://www.kurzweiltech.com/aaroncv.html| Aaron Kleiner, CFO, Kurzweil Technologies</ref>), ], ], ], ], Charles Kam, ], David Dalrymple, ], Desh Deshpande<ref>http://www.sycamorenet.com/corporate/bio_deshpande.asp| Desh Deshpande Bio</ref>, ], ], ], John Parmentola, ], Sonya Kurzweil, ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].

'''Transcendent Man''' will also feature: ], ], ], ], and ].

The film is scheduled to complete production in April 2008 and is scheduled for release in 2009.


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist|2}}


==Further reading==
<references/>
*Barker, A. (November 23, 2009). Transcendent Man. ''Variety''. 417 (2), 34.

*Gefter, A. (May 8, 2009). . ''New Scientist''. 202 (2707), 27. {{issn|0262-4079}}
*Shermer, M. (April 1, 2011). The Immortalist. ''Science''. 332 (6025), 40. {{doi|10.1126/science.1205601}}
*Tucker, P. (2009). The Cinematic Singularitarian. ''The Futurist''. 43 (5), 60.


==External links== ==External links==
* {{Official website|http://transcendentman.com/}}
<br />
* {{IMDb title|1117394|Transcendent Man}}
<br />
* '''' on ]
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />


{{Philip Glass |state=collapsed}}


] ]
] ]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 16:21, 20 March 2024

2009 documentary film by Barry Ptolemy This article is about the 2009 film. For the 1953 science fiction novel, see The Transcendent Man.
Transcendent Man
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBarry Ptolemy
Produced byBarry Ptolemy
Felicia Ptolemy
StarringRay Kurzweil
CinematographyShawn Dufraine
Edited byMeg Decker
Doobie White
Music byPhilip Glass
Production
companies		Ptolemaic Productions
Therapy Studios
Distributed byDocurama
Release dates
  • November 5, 2009 (2009-11-05) (AFI Film Festival)
  • February 3, 2011 (2011-02-03) (United States)
Running time83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Transcendent Man is a 2009 documentary film by American filmmaker Barry Ptolemy about inventor, futurist and author Ray Kurzweil and his predictions about the future of technology in his 2005 book, The Singularity is Near. In the film, Ptolemy follows Kurzweil around his world as he discusses his thoughts on the technological singularity, a proposed advancement that will occur sometime in the 21st century when progress in artificial intelligence, genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics will result in the creation of a human-machine civilization.

William Morris Endeavor distributed the film partnership with Ptolemaic Productions and Therapy Studios, using an original model involving a nationwide screening tour of the film (featuring Q&A sessions with Ptolemy and Kurzweil), as well as separate digital and DVD releases. The film was also released on iTunes and On-Demand on March 1, 2011, and on DVD on May 24, 2011.

The film debuted for the first public screening at the Time-Life Building in New York City on February 3, 2011. The same week, Time ran the Singularity cover story by Lev Grossman, with coverage about Kurzweil's ideas and the concepts, citing Transcendent Man. Kurzweil toured the film, appearing on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, Bloomberg News, and Charlie Rose. Additionally, Kurzweil went on to discuss the film on The Colbert Report, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Real Time with Bill Maher.

Synopsis

Raymond Kurzweil, noted inventor and futurist, is a man who refuses to accept the inevitability of physical death. He proposes that the Law of Accelerating Returns—the exponential increase in the growth of information technology—will result in a "singularity", a point where humanity and machines will merge, allowing one to transcend biological mortality: advances in genetics will provide the knowledge to reprogram biology, eliminate disease and stop the aging process; nanotechnology will keep humans healthy from the inside using robotic "red blood cells" and provide a human-computer interface within the brain; robotics, or artificial intelligence, will make superhuman intelligence possible, including the ability to back up the mind.

Most of the movie has an implication of a religious background, and is applying technology to accomplish the goals with what is considered to be "god like" powers, through interdependent connection. Kurzweil has been criticized as being a modern-day prophet, however the film describes a detailed list of his inventions. Ray's dedication to improving the blind's quality of life is displayed in the climax of the film, with his miniature blind reading tool. Ray speaks of emailing someone a blouse, or printing out a toaster utilizing nanotechnology. Eventually swarms of our nanotechnology will be sent by us into the universe to, as Kurzweil puts it, "wake up the universe".

Against this optimistic backdrop of human and machine evolution, concerns about Kurzweil's predictions are raised by technology experts, philosophers, and commentators. Physician William B. Hurlbut warns of tragedy and views Kurzweil's claims as lacking a more moderate approach necessitated by biological science. AI engineer Ben Goertzel champions the transhumanist vision, but acknowledges the possibility of a dystopian outcome. AI researcher Hugo de Garis warns of a coming "Artilect War", where god-like artificial intellects and those who want to build them, will fight against those who don't. Kevin Warwick, professor of Cybernetics at University of Reading, advocates the benefits of the singularity, but suggests the Terminator scenario could also occur, where humans become subservient to machine and live on a farm, and the singularity is the point where humans lose control to the intelligent machines. Warwick basically spells doom for anyone who is human after the singularity. Dean Kamen observes that advances in technology have finally made immortality a reasonable goal. At the end of the film, Kurzweil states, "if I was asked if god exists, I would say not yet."

Cast

Music

American composer Philip Glass scored the original soundtrack for the film. In addition to the Transcendent Man score, other music from Glass's collection was included in the soundtrack.

  • "A Brief History of Time"
  • "Koyaanisqatsi"
  • "Kyoko's House" (from Mishima)
  • "Religion" (from Naqoyqatsi)
  • "Satyagraha Act III" (Conclusion)
  • "Symphony No. 3"
  • "The Thin Blue Line"
  • "Tirol Concerto for Piano and Orchestra"

Release

The Transcendent Man tour visited five major cities in the U.S., as well as London. These screenings featured question and answer sessions with director Barry Ptolemy and Ray Kurzweil following the film, as well as V.I.P. receptions.

Ptolemaic Productions and Therapy Studios have pursued an alternative distribution strategy for Transcendent Man, going through the Global and Music departments of agency William Morris Endeavor to partner with iTunes and Media-on-Demand for a March 1, 2011 digital release and with New Media for a May 24, 2011 DVD release. Marketing made use of social media and emerging technologies like QR codes to appeal to a tech-savvy audience.

Ray Kurzweil being interviewed by Barry Ptolemy on the set of Transcendent Man

Film festivals

Criticism

One common criticism of Kurzweil's final prediction is that he does not consider that new technologies are never universally and immediately adopted due to the laws of economics. Start-up costs and economies of scale mean that initially transhumanist technology would be prohibitively expensive for most people. This would cause the wealthy, first adopters of brain enhancing technology to be transcendental above the less fortunate. One response to this criticism uses the technology of the automobile as an example. Even though a rich person might drive an expensive Rolls-Royce, cheaper alternatives are available that perform the same task. In other words, no matter how much two cars differ in price, their function is virtually identical. One important element of Kurzweil's singularity is that the cost will come down to virtually nothing.

Kurzweil readily defends AI as being controllable against malicious behavior, which he accepts is a definite threat. He never, on the other hand, confronts the dangers of AI fusing with the first humans.

References

  1. ^ Stewart, A. (January 11, 2011). Futurist Kurzweil goes worldwide with 'Man'. Variety. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  2. Transcendent Man Film Screening Live with Ray Kurzweil
  3. Lyons, D. (May 16, 2009). I, Robot. Newsweek; Terranova, G. (2009). Transcendent Man Archived 2011-03-06 at the Wayback Machine. Tribeca Film Festival.
  4. ^ Robards, B. (March 11, 2010). Martha's Vineyard Film Festival this weekend Archived 2010-10-16 at the Wayback Machine. The Martha's Vineyard Times.
  5. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: The Zero Marginal Cost Society | Jeremy Rifkin | Talks at Google. YouTube.

Further reading

  • Barker, A. (November 23, 2009). Transcendent Man. Variety. 417 (2), 34.
  • Gefter, A. (May 8, 2009). Film review: Transcendent Man. New Scientist. 202 (2707), 27. ISSN 0262-4079
  • Shermer, M. (April 1, 2011). The Immortalist. Science. 332 (6025), 40. doi:10.1126/science.1205601
  • Tucker, P. (2009). The Cinematic Singularitarian. The Futurist. 43 (5), 60.

External links

Philip Glass
List of compositions
Compositions
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Concertos
Film scores
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