Ep. 30 - Ethics and Emerging Technologies with Dr. James Hughes
In this installment of the Future Grind podcast host Ryan O’Shea sits down with Dr. James Hughes. Dr. Hughes is a bioethicist and serves as the Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, which he founded alongside Nick Bostrom in 2004. He is the author of Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future, and has previously served as the Executive Director of the World Transhumanist Association, which is now known as Humanity Plus. James is well known for his contributions to the technoprogressive movement, and was previously a Buddhist monk.
They discuss the potential of a technoprogressive future, ideas for the regulation of transformative technologies, the controversies around brain augmentation and animal uplift, and more!
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Show Notes
What is the IEET? [1:54]
The differences between IEET and the WTA (Humanity+) [5:42]
A Technoprogressive path forward? [9:17]
Democratized Access with Universal Healthcare [12:43]
Where to elective, aesthetics mods fit in? [14:28]
How can you regulate tech when bodily autonomy exists? [18:14]
CRISPR, self-experimentation, and the bifurcation of the human species [23:16]
Next-level brain augmentation [26:18]
The dangers of non-augmented humans [30:39]
Into the weeds of animal uplift [33:11]
Anthropocentric concerns of animal uplift [39:03]
Benefits of Buddhism [42:52]
Mindfullness & meditation [46:45]
James’ thoughts on transhumanist politics [49:32]
What is transhumanism, anyway? [52:13]
The Enlightenment root of transhumanism [54:11]
What’s for James & the IEET? [56:24]
Mentioned
Journal of Evolution and Technology
Future of Humanity Institute
George Dvorsky, io9
Singularitatian
Peter Thiel
Technoprogressive Declaration
Dallas Buyers Club
The 4400, Promicin
Peter Singer
Sam Harris
Zoltan Istvan
Condorcet
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein
JBS Haldane
Julian Huxley
HG Wells
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