Fr. Michael Baggot joins the podcast to provide a Catholic perspective on transhumanism and superintelligence. We also discuss the meta-narratives, the value of cultural diversity in attitudes toward technology, and how Christian communities deal with advanced AI.
Timestamps: 00:00 Meta-narratives and transhumanism. 15:28 Advanced AI and religious communities. 27:22 Superintelligence. 38:31 Countercultures and technology. 52:38 Christian perspectives and tradition. 01:05:20 God-like artificial intelligence. 01:13:15 A positive vision for AI.
By popular request we’ve begun adding playlists of the show as Podcasts on Youtube Music, I’ll try to add a new one every 2–3 days till we have most of our inventory up there, but given today’s Episode is *Cities of the Future*, a collection of all of those seemed a good idea https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIIOUpOge0LuyCbYUhy-79RQKkOXonmx4 These are the (tentatively named) upcoming playlists/podcasts list I’ll be adding, in no particular order: Megastructures & Extreme Engineering The Fermi Paradox & Alien Civilizations Space Colonization & Habitats Post-Scarcity & Future Civilizations Transhumanism & Human Evolution Propulsion & Interstellar Travel Terraforming & Planetary Engineering Mind, Machines & Alien Intelligence Future Warfare & Defense Strange Worlds & Alien Life.
Meridian Magazine positions itself as a publication for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest Mormon denomination. I don’t know much about Meridian or the people behind it. But today I learned that they’re willing to publish a fear-mongering distortion of Transhumanism, “Human 2.0 Is Here — And You Didn’t Even Notice” by Alexis Tarkaleson. Despite their positioning, I wish to make make clear that such behavior is not aligned with the values that the Church advocates.
Tarkaleson says “mind uploading” is an outlandish tale. What’s her take on tales of transfiguration and resurrection? Are those equally outlandish? Surely she’s aware that those doctrines require the possibility of mind (or spirit body) moving from one physical body to another, consistent with hypotheses of mind uploading.
How about cryonics, yet another outlandish tale she identifies? I’m curious to know what she thinks about the Church’s advocacy to collect genealogy and preserve family history, with intent to facilitate redemption of the dead. And what about proxy rituals that we perform for the dead? Most of the world probably thinks the Church’s practices in these areas are at least as outlandish as those of cryonicists.
We live at a time when humanity has never experienced such a rapid pace of change. We’re in the midst of unprecedented technological change, cultural change, political change, and philosophical change.
Some observers predict that the pace of change will slow down, but others anticipate that it will in fact increase — largely due to artificial intelligence leaping forward in capability, to the point where it exceeds human cognitive capabilities in every dimension.
How credible is such a possibility? How should humanity prepare for it? What values should guide us in our reactions and proactions to various new opportunities and potential threats that seem to be emerging almost daily?
The guest in this London Futurists webinar, Ben Goertzel, has arguably thought longer, harder, more creatively, and more boldly, about these questions, than anyone else on the planet. But he’s not just a thinker; Ben is very much also a doer — an organiser, an entrepreneur, an architect, an engineer, and a leader of too many initiatives to mention them all individually.
But let’s briefly highlight: • Ben’s role as the long-time champion of the concept of AGI, artificial general intelligence; • his role as the founder and leader of SingularityNET, with its mission to create a decentralized, democratic, inclusive and beneficial AGI; • his leadership roles at Humanity+, the international transhumanist organisation, where he has served since 2008 as either Vice Chair or Chair; • and his commitment to the writing and publication of mind-expanding ideas, such as his 2010 book \.
Human cyborgs are individuals who integrate advanced technology into their bodies, enhancing their physical or cognitive abilities. This fusion of man and machine blurs the line between science fiction and reality, raising questions about the future of humanity, ethics, and the limits of human potential. From bionic limbs to brain-computer interfaces, cyborg technology is rapidly evolving, pushing us closer to a world where humans and machines become one.
When AI agents have the ability to create and promote their own cryptos, will humans still control monetary systems? It’s a question we should be thinking about, says Zoltan Istvan, a leading transhumanist thinker.
