The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
(IEET) is a "technoprogressive think tank"
that seeks to contribute to understanding
of the likely impact of emerging technologies
on individuals and societies by "promoting
and publicizing the work of thinkers who examine
the social implications of scientific and
technological advance".
It was incorporated in the United States in
2004, as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization,
by philosopher Nick Bostrom and bioethicist
James Hughes.The institute aims to influence
the development of public policies that distribute
the benefits and reduce the risks of technological
change.
It has been described as "[a]mong the more
important groups" in the transhumanist movement,
and as being among the transhumanist groups
that "play a strong role in the academic arena".The
IEET works with Humanity Plus (also founded
and chaired by Bostrom and Hughes, and previously
known as the World Transhumanist Association),
an international non-governmental organization
with a similar mission but with an activist
rather than academic approach.
A number of technoprogressive thinkers are
offered honorary positions as IEET Fellows.
Individuals who have accepted such appointments
with the IEET support the institute's mission,
but they have expressed a wide range of views
about emerging technologies and not all identify
themselves as transhumanists.
In early Oct 2012, Kris Notaro became the
Managing Director of the IEET.
== Activities ==
=== 
Publications ===
The Institute publishes, the Journal of Evolution
and Technology (JET), a peer-reviewed academic
journal.
JET was established in 1998 as the Journal
of Transhumanism and obtained its current
title in 2004.
The editor-in-chief is Russell Blackford.
It covers futurological research into long-term
developments in science, technology, and philosophy
that "many mainstream journals shun as too
speculative, radical, or interdisciplinary."
The Institute also maintains a technology
and ethics blog that is supported by various
writers.
=== Programs ===
In 2006, the IEET launched the following activities:
Securing the Future: Identification and advocacy
for global solutions to threats to the future
of civilization.
Rights of the Person: Campaign to deepen and
broaden the concept of human rights.
Longer, Better Lives: Case for longer healthier
lives, addressing objections to life extension,
challenge ageist and ableist attitudes that
discourage the full utilization of health
technology.
Envisioning the Future: Collection of images
of posthumanity and non-human intelligence,
positive, negative and neutral, e.g., in science
fiction and popular culture; engagement with
cultural critics, artists, writers, and filmmakers
in exploring the lessons to be derived from
these.
=== Conferences ===
In late May 2006, the IEET held the Human
Enhancement Technologies and Human Rights
conference at the Stanford University Law
School in Stanford, California.
The IEET along with other progressive organizations
hosted a conference in December 2013 at Yale
University on giving various species "personhood"
rights.
Fellows of the Institute represent the Institute
at various conferences and events, including
the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts and
the American Association for the Advancement
of Science.
== Reception ==
Wesley J. Smith wrote that the Institute has
one of the most active transhumanist websites,
and the writers write on the "nonsense of
uploading minds into computers and fashioning
a post humanity."
Smith also criticized the results of the Institute's
online poll that indicated the majority of
Institute's readers are atheist or agnostic.
According to Smith, this was evidence that
transhumanism is a religion and a desperate
attempt to find purpose in a nihilistic and
materialistic world.
The Institute's advocacy project to raise
the status of animals to the legal status
of personhood also drew criticism from Smith
because he claimed humans are exceptional
and raising the status of animals may lower
the status of humans.Katarina Felsted and
Scott D. Wright wrote that although the IEET
considers itself technoprogressive some of
its views can be described as strong transhumanism
or a "radical version of post ageing," and
one particular criticism of both moderate
and strong transhumanism is that moral arbitrariness
undermine both forms of transhumanism
