FQxI’s 6th International Conference

This conference was invitation only.

As part of a program in partnership with the Fetzer Franklin Fund, FQxI’s 2019 Conference will dive into the fascinating issues of how agency, intelligence, and consciousness relate to the world described by fundamental physics, mathematics, computer science, biology, and information theory.

This multidisciplinary gathering will bring together the FQxI membership along with more top minds to address foundational questions in this intersection, such as:

• How is biological intelligence constituted so as to comprehend the physical world, and how is our understanding of physics shaped by the constitution of our intelligence?
• What are fundamental limits to computation?
• What does it mean for agents to make choices in a world ruled by natural law?
• What sorts and levels of intelligence are physically possible?
• Can we have a rigorous theory of informational correlates of conscious activity that would allow us to assess the consciousness of other minds and intelligences?
• How intertwined are intelligence and computation, or intelligence and consciousness, or intelligence and choice/agency?
• Are there fundamental physical principles or analogies that can help us understand the constraints on, or functioning of, mental systems?
• How does mind relate to the fundamental structure of the Universe?

The conference will take place July 20-25, 2019 in the Tuscany region, near the ancient town of Barga, providing gorgeous views of the Serchio valley from our vantage point on the Il Ciocco mountain. As with all FQxI meetings, the conference program will be devised to maximize not just information transfer but interaction, depth of conversation, and social connection, including breakout sessions, excursions, and more.

We look forward to seeing you in Italy!

This conference is presented in collaboration with the Fetzer Franklin Fund.