Engineering Happiness & the End of Suffering

This week our guest is British transhumanist David Pearce, who was one of the co-founders of the World Transhumanist Association, which has since been rebranded as Humanity+. In addition to being on the front lines of the early transhumanist movement, David is also well known for his active work on what he calls the “Hedonistic Imperative,” which seeks to use genetic engineering and nanotechnology to abolish suffering in all sentient life.

Obviously this is a very bold agenda, and through this conversation I try to push David on the many nuances and challenges inherent in this goal. Along the way we explore the fundamental questions of transhumanism, whether we’ll ever upload our consciousness into machines, the dangers of giving humans (who are known for their tendency towards addiction) control over their own neurotransmitters, questions around regulation, whether suffering is necessary for appreciating life, and so much more.

You can find more about David’s work at www.hedweb.com/

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Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter

Music by: Amine el Filali