In this installment of the Future Grind podcast host Ryan O’Shea speaks with entrepreneur and author David Wood. David was one of the early pioneers of the smartphone industry, and in 1998 he co-founded Symbian and worked to launch their mobile operating system, which was used by Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, and more. Today David serves as Chair of the London Futurists, which hosts educational events dedicated to exploring the potential upsides, and the potential downsides of accelerating technologies. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Humanity Plus, a nonprofit dedicated to elevating the human condition. David has been included in T3 magazine’s list of the ”100 most influential people in technology”, and has authored or edited 8 books including his latest, the newly released Sustainable Superabundance: A Universal Transhumanist Invitation.
They discuss David’s background as a pioneer in the smartphone industry, the future of politics and how tribalism and vitriol can be overcome, and the path towards superabundance.
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Show Notes
How David became a smartphone pioneer [2:03]
David’s background in mathematics and physics [4:31]
The story & purpose of London Futurists [8:00]
A focus on AGI, transhumanism, & the future of politics [10:18]
The need for transhumanism [12:56]
Transpolitica & the future of politics [19:38]
Updates on the UK Transhumanist Party [23:40]
Why Technoprogessive? [26:46]
The story of Sustainable Superabundance [31:40]
What would superabundance look like? [33:49]
Overcoming transhumanist tropes [36:56]
The Invitation [39:34]
Overcoming political team sports [42:35]
Superdemocracy [45:20]
Criticisms: Too Anti-Capitalist [50:31]
Threats to Superabundance [52:44]
A call to action [55:13]
What’s Next: Focus on mental health [57:12]
Follow along with David [59:51]
Mentioned
Bill Gates, Microsoft
John Sculley, Apple
Psion, Symbian
Eric Drexler
Aubrey de Grey
Nick Bostrom
Ray Kurzweil
Eliezer Yudkowski
J.B.S. Haldane
Wayne Gretzky
David Wood’s The Abolition of Aging
Zoltan Istvan, The Transhumanist Wager
U.S. Transhumanist Party
UK Transhumanist Party
Transpolitca
- Anticipating Tomorrow’s Politics
- Envisioning Politics 2.0
Gennady Stolyarov II
James Hughes, IEET
Transvision
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