In this talk, Dr. Slater will discuss his recent book, Jung vs. Borg: Finding the Deeply Human in a Posthuman Age, in which he contends that the industrial disruption of the outer world is being followed by a post-industrial disruption of the inner world. The shadow side of the online world and the impact of algorithms and AI on society and culture exemplify this disruption. Prominent plans to merge humans and machines focused on joining minds and computers are shown to be outgrowths of this phenomenon, which promises to alter the foundations of human existence.   

This lecture will set out critical areas of understanding that help us enter and reflect on this potentially radical turn in human evolution. It will particularly emphasize Jung’s insights into the dissociative and integrative dynamics of the psyche. 

Glen Slater, Ph.D., has taught for over 25 years at Pacifica Graduate Institute, where he has recently chaired the Jungian and Archetypal Psychology program. His publications have appeared in a number of Jungian journals and essay collections in the areas of Jung and film, psychology and religion, and depth psychology and technology and include an essay on the roots of gun violence in the U.S. was the basis of a talk he presented to the Nashville Jung Circle in 2023. His book Jung vs. Borg: Finding the Deeply Human in a Posthuman Age came out in January 2024.