Ep 41: David Pearce & Engineering Paradise
David Pearce lays out a plan for building heaven on earth, shows us why vegans need more science fiction, and explains why computers may never become conscious.
Bio:
David Pearce is a philosopher, a founder of the World Transhumanist Association (now called Humanity+), and the author of The Hedonistic Imperative.
Topics:
- The Naturalization of Heaven
- How do we make heaven on earth? A 3-step plan:
- Stop systematically harming living beings. Shut down factory farms & slaughter houses. Introduce in vitro meats.
- Designer babies & free genetic screening.
- Raise our "hedonic set-point" — How much pleasure and pain we experience on average.
- Wireheading vs Paradise Engineering?
- Genetic Engineering, Smart Drugs, and why natural selection won't let us become wire-headers
- Wireheading, Faith Healing & the Placebo Effect — Micah's comprehensive theory of placebo, faith healing, and the genetics of spiritual authority
- Will genetic engineering increase biodiversity?
- Do we need pain in order to experience pleasure?
- Should vegans be more ambitious?
- What is the role of humanity in governing life?
- The significance of Science Fiction & Religious Visions
- Will computers become conscious?
- The Binding Problem of Consciousness
- Is there one consciousness or many?
- What does consciousness do?
- Consciousness as Quantum Coherence
Links:
Pull-Quotes:
"Computers may never become conscious." <-- Click to tweet
"The pain-pleasure axis exposes the world's metric of value." — @webmasterdave
"Every child born today is a unique genetic experiment." — @webmasterdave
"All that matters is the pleasure-pain axis." — @webmasterdave