What will the world look like when humans step into technological maturity and take evolution into their own hands? Philosopher and transhumanist David Pearce believes that this is an inevitable step in human development, and that we must turn our attention to the most noble cause imaginable - the alleviation of unnecessary suffering. But just because we can, does that mean we should? 00:00 Go! 00:01:16 Pan-species welfare state 00:02:57 Why are humans the cosmic deciders 00:03:17 Humans gotta go - They're monsters. 00:04:50 Is it really a good idea to make super-humans? 00:06:28 Cranking up the hedonic setpoint 00:08:19 The Lottery Paradox 00:10:07 High tech civilization hasn't improved depression 00:12:54 Designer babies 00:14:43 Does the end of suffering imply the end of motivation? 00:19:40 The benefits of pain 00:22:53 Suffering as path to greatness? 00:27:27 Biotech vs. willpower 00:29:46 Ethical oversight for transhumanism 00:31:09 Is limited emotional range a good idea? 00:34:48 What is suffering? 00:37:55 Can we just change our behaviors to end suffering? 00:42:04 Ending all biological predation 00:44:26 Do plants have feelings? 00:47:51 The Binding Problem 00:52:45 The hierarch of consciousness 00:58:49 Hive mind v. conscious summing 01:01:24 The agency of biology 01:06:47 Talkin' Big Bang Blues 01:10:19 Clarifying Realism 01:13:29 Hoffman's proof of emergent spirit 01:18:28 Psychedelia isn't a magic bullet 01:27:03 Transcendence in psychedelia 01:30:45 Wire-heading 01:34:04 Abolition of suffering & Buddhism 01:35:11 Is ending suffering realistic? 01:37:52 Would I need tech if I had endless happiness? 01:40:16 Humans ARE going extinct. 01:42:22 Humans v. Transhumans #transhumanism #stoicism #evolution Support the scientific revolution with a monthly donation: https://bit.ly/3lcAasB Further Reading (affiliate links): David Pearce's Can Biotech Abolish Suffering?: https://amzn.to/3cECfwz Nick Bostrom's Superintelligence: https://amzn.to/3csFdnC Benjamin Todd's 80,000 Hours: https://amzn.to/3POefFx Peter Singer's The Life You Can Save: https://amzn.to/3czDJIm Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying microbial communication at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting and exploring the woods. Michael 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