Max More
Max More, Ph.D., is the founder of the extropian movement and the leading philosopher of the future. He is President of Extropy Institute and chairs the Institute's EXTRO conferences, whose speakers include scientists, social theorists, and artists, such as Marvin Minsky, Calvin Harley, Eric Drexler, Roy Walford, Kevin Kelly, Bart Kosko, Hans Moravec, and Michael Rothschild. More sets goals for the Institute and gives public talks to explain extropian ideas. His Extropian Principles serve as the central document codifying the values and ideas of the extropian ("New Enlightenment") movement. In addition to applying philosophy to technology, he uses philosophical reasoning in counselling individuals and in consulting for companies.
At least since watching the Apollo 11 moon landing at the age of 5, More has always been fascinated by the possibilities offered by technology for overcoming limits. He started a personal life extension regimen in his early teens, and created several publications to discuss ideas about space colonization, life extension, cognitive enhancement, and liberty. His deep interest in economics shifted increasingly to philosophy as he formulated a "big picture" of possible futures.
At the age of 37, More has been writing about these ideas and organizing practical activity for over 20 years. Before moving to the USA in 1987, he incorporated the first cryonics organization in Britain, generating considerable media coverage. His doctoral work on personal identity analyzed the effects of technology on the self, and alternatives to current conceptions of death and identity.
Max More has become a widely recognized thinker on the philosophical and cultural implications of advanced, emerging, and future technologies. Echoing the words of his instructors throughout his education, reporters have noted his ability to explain clearly and persuasively radical and complex ideas. Jim McClellan, in his major 1995 Observer (UK newpaper) article, said: "The funny thing about Max is that while his ideas are wild, he argues them so calmly and rationally you find yourself being drawn in."
The leading thinker and organizer in the burgeoning Extropian-transhumanist movement, More's ideas and background have been described in publications such as Wired (where Ed Regis described him as "the primary intellectual force behind Extropianism"), The Village Voice, Icon, GQ (Britain), GQ (Spain), The New York Times Magazine, Focus, .net, and c't (Germany), the national UK newspapers The Observer (featured on the front cover), The Guardian, and The Sunday Times, in books including Gundolf Freyermuth's Cyberland, Damien Broderick's The Spike, Chris Dewdney's Last Flesh, Mark Dery's Escape Velocity, Techgnosis, and numerous others.
Television and video appearances include two series on The Learning Channel and the Discovery Channel, documentaries in France, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, Russia, Chile, and Belgium, the Terry Wogan Show (then Britain's top talk show); CNN's Futurewatch; the CBS series Mysteries of the Millennium; several appearances on Breakthroughs: A Transcentury Update cable TV show; the documentaries New Edge and the theatrical release Synthetic Pleasures; and many other television and radio shows.
Dr. More studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at St. Anne's College, Oxford University (1984-87). More was awarded a Dean's Fellowship in Philosophy in 1987 by the University of Southern California. He studied and taught philosophy at USC with an emphasis on philosophy of mind, ethics, and personal identity, completing his Ph.D. in 1995. Before focusing primarily on philosophy, More studied economics extensively, and has always studied a broad range of sciences. Driving More's studies has been his desire to synthesize knowledge from diverse disciplines to apply philosophy practically to the central concerns of human life.
