Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: geopolitics

My new story for Vice Motherboard on the future of political campaining:

Lest we think future elections are all about the candidates, perhaps the largest possibility on the horizon could come from digital direct democracy—the concept where citizens participate in real time input in the government. I gently advocate for a fourth branch of government, in which the people can vote on issues that matter to them and their decrees could have real legal consequence on Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Presidency.

Of course, that’s only if government even exists anymore. It’s possible the coming age of artificial intelligence and robots may replace the need for politicians. At least human ones. Some experts think superintelligent AI might be here in 10 to 15 years, so why not have a robot president that is totally altruistic and not susceptible to lobbyists and personal desires? This machine leader would simply always calculate the greatest good for the greatest amount of people, and go with that. No more Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, or whatever else we are.

It’s a brave new future we face, but technology will make our lives easier, more democratic, and more interesting. Additionally, it will change the game show we go through every four years called the US Presidential elections. In fact, if we’re lucky—given how crazy these elections have made America look—maybe technology will make future elections disappear altogether.

Zoltan Istvan is a futurist, author ofThe Transhumanist Wager, and presidential candidate for theTranshumanist Party. He writes anoccasional columnfor Motherboard in which he ruminates on the future beyond natural human ability.

Topics: the transhumanist wager, politics, Presidential elections, VR, AR, drones, tech, second life, Hillary Clinton, bernie sanders, Donald Trump, America.

Read more

An article & short interview on implants with Sputnik:

The US Navy has held talks with “Transhumanist” and presidential candidate Zoltan Istvan, who told Radio Sputnik about the US military’s concerns.

Last week it emerged that US naval officers have held discussions with Zoltan Istvan of the Transhumanist political party, who is also running as a candidate for the US presidency.

He advocates fitting human beings with technology, including microchips, to boost brain power or enhance physical attributes.

Istvan himself has a microchip in his hand that he uses to give out business cards, send text messages, or start his car.

Read more

Steps moving forward to make enhance human intelligence real — definitely would mean a major leap forward in achieving Kurzweil’s and Zolstaf Zoltan Istvan’s super humans.

Transhumanist Zoltan Istvan, from Calfornia, and presidential candidate, met with senior officials from the US navy to discuss policies on how to deal with microchip implants (pictured).

Read more

A new article considering chip implants:

Among other tragedies in Florida recently gripping America’s attention, a 2-year-old boy was snatched away from its parents by an alligator at Walt Disney World on Wednesday. I have a similar-aged toddler myself, and I followed this heartbreaking story closely. Unfortunately, it ended as horribly as it began, with the recovery of a dead child.

My presidential campaign with the Transhumanist Party is based on advocating for radical science and technology to make the world a better place for humans. As a result, for nearly two years I have been advocating for using chip implants in people to help keep them safer. Chip implants are often just the size of a grain of rice and can be injected by a needle in a nearly pain-free 60-second procedure. The implants can do a multiple array of things depending on the type. And much of the technology has been used in pets for over a decade, so it’s already been shown to be relatively safe.

I have a RFID NFC chip in my hand that is programmed to send a text saying “Win in 2016” to people who have the right type of phone. To get the text, all you have to do is put your phone by my hand. My chip can also start a car with the right software, hand out a business card electronically, or give out my medical information.

But the future of implants—as well as other wearable tech—may end up being most useful for the safety it provides.

Read more

A feature story in The Guardian on my presidential run to grow the transhumanism movement. Thanks for your support!

Zoltan Istvan leads the Transhumanist party and believes that, through science, humans will reverse ageing and eventually death. Can he convert the skeptics?

Read more

USA Today story:

As co-writer for USA TODAY’S “For the Record,” I’ve been writing about the campaigns of Republican, Democratic, Libertarian and Green presidential candidates since the newsletter’s launch last summer. But the first presidential candidate to reach out to me was Zoltan Istvan, the Mill Valley, California-based Transhumanist Party candidate who foresees the merger of humans and technology in the very near future. I spoke by phone with Istvan last week.

Big promises are the hallmark of presidential campaigns.

Four years ago, Newt Gingrich said he’d make the moon the 51st state by 2020. Bernie Sanders has proposed free college education for every American. Donald Trump has promised to build a 1,900-mile wall on the border with Mexico.

Transhumanist Party candidate Zoltan Istvan wants to conquer death.

Read more

Here’s a short video and story from CCTV America (China’s Public TV in America) from my interview at the Augmented World Expo. I discuss robots, the Immortality Bus, and a Universal Basic Income:

CCTV America’s Mark Niu interviewed Zoltan Istvan, the founder of the Transhumanist Party and a 2016 candidate for the U.S. presidency. He asked Istvan one more question about his “immortality bus” and whether robots will take over our jobs.

Read more

Here’s an article on transhumanism in Oregon’s largest paper, The Oregonian: It highlights something I’m trying to create: the impact of a “longevity vote” in the elections to make a difference for the length of people’s lifespans.

Zoltan Istvan is ready to encourage his supporters to vote for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in November — if one of the major-party candidates agrees to put him to work in the White House.

And they’d better take his offer seriously, because he figures he just might be able to tip the election whichever way he wants.

“If we’re getting down to the end, and it’s close, as expected, this could be appealing to a candidate,” Istvan told The Oregonian this week. He believes he could bring a candidate somewhere between 250,000 and a million votes.

If neither Clinton nor Trump takes him up on his proposed deal, he’ll keep those votes for himself. Istvan, a former journalist, is the presidential candidate for the Transhumanist Party, which he created in 2014.

Read more