Why would you get a philosopher to open a conference for IT enthusiasts? When his topic is awe and the fear of change, as Jason Silva’s was at the opening of TechEd Australia 2012 yesterday, it suddenly makes sense.
More: Will Robots Really Destroy Humanity? Gizmodo Australia Interviews Jason Silva
The core of Silva’s presentation were his video art pieces offering “shots of philosophical espresso”, all of which you can check out online. But his key message has relevance outside of technology as well: “What I tell people is I’m not trying to compete with textbooks or TED talks or book-length treatises, but to provide another way in for audiences so they’re not scared of technology.”
“It’s important to create narratives that are beautiful as well as narratives that are frightening, because we tend to fear change.”
Disclosure: Angus Kidman is attending TechEd 2012 as a guest of Microsoft.