Ep. 4 - US Presidential Candidate Zoltan Istvan
In this installment of the Future Grind podcast, host Ryan O'Shea sits down with US Presidential candidate Zoltan Istvan of the Transhumanist Party, a controversial politician aiming to achieve immortality by putting health, science, and technology at the forefront of American politics. Zoltan is the author of the award-winning science fiction novel The Transhumanist Wager and a writer for publications such as VICE, The Huffington Post, Slate, and more. He recently completed a cross country tour in his coffin-shaped Immortality Bus to raise awareness of life extension science, a tour which ended with a delivery of the Cyborg Bill of Rights to the US Capitol Building. In this interview, Zoltan provides some advice on how you can raise your chances of living forever.
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Show Notes
What got Zoltan into transhumanism, and why does it appeal to him? [1:25]
Zoltan's experiences as a war zone reporter for National Geographic [2:10]
Jethro Knights, The Transhumanist Wager, and Teleological Egocentric Functionalism (TEF) [3:00]
Differences between Jethro Knight's TEF and Zoltan Istvan's political policy [4:43]
The coffin-shaped Immortality Bus and spreading the Transhumanist Party [6:30]
The perils of sensationalized media and clickbait [8:30]
The benefits and problems of the term "transhumanist" [10:43]
Are we already transhuman (Ontological Design)? Will we ever be transhuman? [13:50]
How can we avoid disaster? The death of capitalism & preparing for the future [17:30]
Drones, autonomous vehicles, and a lack of government preparedness [20:55]
Keeping America innovative & entrepreneurial [22:50]
Nietzsche and hidden gems in scientific journals [24:33]
America's flawed criminal justice system; rethinking "handouts" & education [27:00]
What happens when we have the resources to follow our passions? [31:33]
Religion, government, and standing up for rational thought [33:20]
The societal value of "shaming" [37:06]
Best strategies for extending your lifespan [38:28]
The importance of journalism; how to promote science and wellbeing [40:20]
Mentioned
Anne Marie-Willis and Ontological Design
Richard Branson
Elon Musk
Jeff Bezos
Mark Zuckerberg
Ayn Rand's Objectivism
Friedrich Nietzsche
Sam Harris
Ray Kurzweil
Maria Konovalenko's Longevity Cookbook
Tim Ferriss
Dave Asprey
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