Monday
13:00-14:30
Black-E
Studio
Cybernetic Socialism: Project Cybersyn in the 21st century
Autonomy
Project Cybersyn is one of the most remarkable initiatives in 20th century history. Before it was destroyed by a US-backed coup in 1973, Allende’s socialist government in Chile began to utilise cybernetics to coordinate a planned economy, with the aim of giving workers control over production. What does Cybersyn mean for us in today’s political and technological climate? What can social movements and radical governments learn from this historical episode? Join Raul Espejo, the Operations Director of the original project, to discuss.
Speakers
Raul Espejo
Author
Raul was Operations Director of the CYBERSYN project - the Chilean Government’s cybernetic project for the management of the national economy, under the scientific direction of Stafford Beer. He has since taught at numerous universities across the globe, published extensively and is a leading expert on organisational cybernetics.
Miranda Hall
Writer
//
New Economics Foundation
Miranda is a writer and activist interested in the intersections of work, gender and technology. She is excited about the development of new digital infrastructures built for people not profit while being cautious of tech solutions to social and political problems. She currently works at the New Economics Foundation in London.
Will Stronge
Think Tank Director
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Autonomy
Will is co-director of Autonomy, a think-tank concerned with the future of work. With Helen Hester, he is the co-author of the forthcoming primer Post-Work: what it is, why it matters and how we get there (Bloomsbury, 2019).
Francesca Bria
Chief Technology and Digital Innovation Officer for the City of Barcelona. Founder of the Decode Project.
