For transhumanists, the possibilities of human interconnectivity via technology is only the beginning of how people may eventually transcend the limitations of their bodies. Photographer David Vintiner and art director Gem Fletcher set out to meet the innovators, artists, and dreamers within the transhumanism movement who are pushing the boundaries of their biology to become something more than human. Their project I Want to Believe consists of three chapters — the first touching on wearable technology, the second on individuals who have made permanent changes to their bodies, and the last on how some transhumanists plan to transcend the human condition.
“Science and human advancement has always been propelled forward by the people who do things differently and those who are not afraid to break the rules.”
An interview I did on my transhumanist focused channel with Robert Zubrin, head of the Mars society, about the case for human space colonisation, his work with Elon Musk and how becoming a multi-planet species will affect human civilisation. Very grateful for any subscriptions!
I interview Robert Zubrin, founder of The Mars Society and author of ‘The Case for Mars’ and ‘The Case for Space’ on human exploration and colonisation of Mars, the likely role played by private enterprise (SpaceX etr) vs national programmes and what a future Mars settlement could look like.
This is a solid interview on core Transhumanist topics.
My interview with Anders Sandberg, a prominent transhumanist thinker and research fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University. We discuss how the transhumanist movement has changed, how it should engage in politics, whether pre-natural death cryogenics should be allowed and how long humans could live for amongst other things. Hope you enjoy!
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O’Connell’s previous book, To Be a Machine, was an inspired journalistic exploration of “transhumanism”, the subculture that wants to fast-forward to a technological future in which man becomes part-machine. This one is haunted by the idea that, unless we change our ways, or even if we change our ways, our species does not have much of a future at all. For O’Connell, those fears had been sharpened by recent fatherhood.
A timely study of the world’s growing sense of doom ranges from tourists in Chernobyl to Elon Musk’s plan to colonise Mars.
Research involving bowhead whales has suggested that it may one day be possible to extend the human lifespan to 200 years.
From the demigods of Greek mythology to the superheroes of 20th century comic books, we’ve been intrigued by the idea of human enhancement for quite a while, but we’ve also worried about negative consequences. Both in the Greek myths and modern comics and television, each enhanced human has been flawed in some way.
In the area of lifespan enhancement, for instance, Tithonus, though granted eternal life, shrunk and shriveled into a grasshopper, because his immortal girlfriend Eos, forgot to ask Zeus to give him eternal youth. Achilles, while super strong and agile, had a weak spot at the back of his heal, and Superman would lose his power if exposed to “kryptonite”. As for Khan’s people, their physical superiority, both physical and mental, made them overly ambitious, causing a third world war that nearly destroyed humanity in the Star Trek backstory.
Using genetic modification, nanotechnology, bionics, reconstructive surgery, hormones, drugs or any combination of these approaches, real-life human enhancement is looking ever more achievable. As with the fictional examples, the idea of enhancement being a double-edged sword will surely remain part of the discussion. At the same time, though, because enhancement means mastering and manipulating human physiology and the basis of consciousness and self-awareness, the road to enhancement will be paved with advances beneficial to the sick and the disabled. This point must be at center stage when we weigh the pluses and minuses in various enhancement categories, especially physical capability, mental function, and lifespan.
• LINK TO BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/Transhumanism-Handbook-Newton-Lee/dp/3030169197 IN THIS EPISODE: •
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This episode of Debt Nation is sponsored by Thrivous, the human enhancement company (https://thrivous.com). Thrivous develops and distributes advanced nootropic and geroprotector dietary supplements, to enhance cognition and promote healthy aging. Each nutrient and each dose is based on multiple human studies. And all quality control is completely open source.
CHECK OUT SEASON 1 PLAYLIST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic9AV4mMbOQ&list=PL_GIV9cvJ8b-F1QTPzFZVAitbMC34bPF
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• PLEASE CHECK OUR SPONSOR: WWW.IAMTRANSHUMAN.ORG/ • LINK TO BOOK: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FTranshumanism-Handbook-Newton-Lee%2Fdp%2F3030169197%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR06yPT-iFo6C98i-7uG1tbbOCTbVcJdUWqXPjxZR0GU1oqnrNbjPDU2fpU&redir_token=bzGxV_Me3OVPiV7VOzfjrgvPtzV8MTU4NjA4ODQ2NEAxNTg2MDAyMDY0&event=video_description&v=qyQqqBCoW44
This episode of Debt Nation is sponsored by Thrivous, the human enhancement company (https://thrivous.com). Thrivous develops and distributes advanced nootropic and geroprotector dietary supplements, to enhance cognition and promote healthy aging. Each nutrient and each dose is based on multiple human studies. And all quality control is completely open source.
We must remember our values and life will always hold more value than money and or corporate profits.
I have seen a number of posts and comments from Transhumanists putting economy over lives during this COVID-19 Pandemic.
This mentality is not who we are. We hold life as the highest endeavour and it is to be fought for to the bitter end. We do not bow to the Economic Elitists because the costs are too high. I am going to point out some of the finer points from Zero State, a group that existed some time ago that gave birth to a vast number of Transhumanist leaders of today.
Over the last five years, London-based photographer David Vintiner and art director Gemma Fletcher have been documenting the subculture of transhumanists across Europe, Russia and the United States. Their photobook I Want To Believe, due out this spring, explores these enthusiasts’ achievements and motivations.
• LINK TO BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/Transhumanism-Handbook-Newton-Lee/dp/3030169197?fbclid=IwAR06yPT-iFo6C98i-7uG1tbbOCTbVcJdUWqXPjxZR0GU1oqnrNbjPDU2fpU .com%2Fsignin%3Faction_handle_signin%3Dtrue%26app%3Ddesktop%26feature%3Dpassive%26next%3D%252Fsignin_passive%26hl%3Den”]
