Ep. 7 - The Ethics of Experimentation with Alex Pearlman
In this episode of the Future Grind podcast, host Ryan O'Shea interviews bioethicist and journalist Alex Pearlman about the ethics of experimentation, the future of gene editing technology (including CRISPR/Cas9), inclusivity in futurism, and more. Alex is currently receiving an advanced degree in bioethics from King's College London and has written extensively on the subject of gene editing and human enhancement for outlets such as New Scientist, International Business Times, Boston Magazine, Vice, Motherboard, Al Jazeera, WBUR, PRI's The World, and more.
Note - Alex is a new mom, so you may hear some (remarkably cute) baby noises in the background of this podcast.
Find Alex online - alexpearlman.com, @lexikon1
We're posting in two forms, an audio podcast and a video podcast. Please subscribe to both our YouTube channel and iTunes feed as we have some exclusive content that is not posted on both channels.
Listen to this podcast on iTunes (subscribe, download, review)
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “download as"
Watch this episode on YouTube (subscribe, like, comment)
Show Notes
What a bioethicist does [1:09]
How do academics react to biohacking? [2:02]
Why Alex considers herself a biohacker [3:13]
The crossover between medicine & biohacking [5:35]
Alex’s experience with an implant and ultimate rejection [7:59]
How regimented should biohacking experimentation be? [11:37]
How CRISPR piqued her interest in human augmentation [14:53]
Which biohacking techniques will be most impactful? [16:34]
The precedent set by cosmetic surgery [18:40]
The risk of gene editing for nefarious purposes [21:25]
Risk of government & corporate overreach [27:40]
Accessibility and inclusivity in Transhumanism and Futurism [29:08]
America or the UK, which is more futurist friendly? [35:28]
The Ethics of Experimentation [37:45]
What’s next for Alex [39:37]
The future of reproductive health [40:24]
Where to find Alex [43:46]
Mentioned
Zoltan Istvan
The Transhumanist Party
Tim Cannon
Grindhouse Wetware
Motherboard, "DIY Cyborg"
CRISPR
George Church
Alex Pearlman, "The Ethics of Experimentation: Ethical Cybernetic Enhancements"
Please like, comment, rate, and share this podcast to spread the word. Ryan O'Shea is on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and we'd love to hear what you thought and what you want to see going forward.
If you have any questions or are interested in supporting or advertising with Future Grind, you can reach us at hello@futuregrind.org.