Transhumanism: Path to Transcendence or Extinction? - Dr. Miklos Lukacs, USMP - DemystifyPod #256

The DemystifySci Podcast

Dr. Miklos Lukacs is a Research Professor of Science and Technology Policy at the University of San Martin de Porres in Lima, Peru. He also happens to be one of the leading critics of transhumanism, which he defines as the technologically-driven push for super longevity, super intelligence, and super wellbeing. Lukacs argues that this campaign threatens the historical relationship between humans and technology, where our tools serve us, rather than the other way around. He worries that by placing such an outsize importance on external tools, we allow ourselves to be molded into an entirely new form that emerges not from bottom-up evolutionary forces, but from an external, top-down locus of control. Our conversation lays out the basics of what Lukacs identifies as transhumanism, and then turns to an exploration of how to balance progress with tradition. Sign up for our Patreon and get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasB 00:00 Go! 00:03:55 What is transhumanism, really? 00:11:58 Out-shining god 00:18:17 Does transhumanism have a clear vision of the future? 00:24:30 Bottom up planning 00:36:35 Morality & evolution 00:45:27 Killing in the name of 00:57:01 The human animal 01:01:21 Institutions and human nature 01:09:42 Porn, universal morality 01:14:00 Blame culture, Bentham 01:20:29 Clubs v. universality 01:26:14 Reacting to the pain of traditional gender roles 01:32:04 Body modification & the human-machine hybrid 01:38:56 Corruption of protected identity groups 01:45:50 City life & tradition wasting #Transhumanism #Humanity #Technology #Ethics #Philosophy #Evolution #SciencePolicy #Longevity #Intelligence #Wellbeing #Progress #Tradition #HumanNature #TechnologicalSingularity #Posthumanism #Enhancement #BottomUpEvolution #TopDownControl #HumanTechnology #Futurism #TranshumanCriticism #longformpodcast Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671