Lifeboat Foundation

When I tell people I am a transhumanist, it often raises an eyebrow – or several questions. What is transhumanism? What is a ‘posthuman’? Why would anyone want to live forever? This article will briefly respond to these questions (amongst others) and consider what this may mean for the education sector. Key questions will be identified in the area of transhumanism and education as four themes are considered: teachers, human hardware, curriculum and lifelong learning. With ‘trans’ meaning ‘across’, transhumanism is a ‘technoprogressive’ socio-political and intellectual movement (Porter, 2017) that involves transforming our primitive human selves into selves enhanced through technology. Transhumanism aims to develop our physical, emotional and cognitive capacities and thus to open up new possibilities and horizons of experience (Thompson, 2017). The end goal is one day to become ‘posthuman’: combating ageing and freeing ourselves from current biological limitations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kkgs0alCLw&feature=youtu.be

I interviewed Aubrey de Grey from the SENS Research Foundation about the fight to eliminate ageing in humans, why he believes the first 1,500 year old human has probably been born and the transhumanist movement. Trying to grow the channel (on futurism/transhumanism) so please do sub if this is of interest.

I interview biologist Aubrey de Grey, Chief Science Officer of the SENS Research Foundation, about whether humans can overcome ageing (and therefore theoretically live for thousands of years). We discuss the obstacles to ending ageing, whether the first 1,500 year old human is currently alive and the transhumanist movement. Oh and I say longitudinal rather than longevity escape velocity which was a little embarrassing!

Continue reading “Can humans defeat ageing? Aubrey de Grey interview” »

A bionic revolution is brewing, as recent advancements in bioengineering have brought about scientific breakthroughs in rehabilitation for people with disabilities. The most cutting edge research is happening inside the human brain, where implanted technology allows people to communicate directly with computers, using their thoughts.

VICE’s Wilbert L. Cooper travels to Zurich to see the first-ever bionic Olympics and discovers a host of technologies that are expanding what it means to be human.

Continue reading “How Bionic Limbs Are Changing Lives | VICE on HBO” »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fah3LWF6Yzc&t=19s

I recently interviewed David Pearce, co-founder of the World Transhumanist Association (now Humanity+). We discuss how the transhumanist movement has changed over the past couple of decades, what obstacles it faces and how it should engage with politics. Planning a whole series of interviews on transhumanism/futurism related topics on the channel so please do subscribe if that interests you!

My interview with David Pearce, a leading transhumanist thinker and co-founder of the World Transhumanist Association (now Humanity+). We discuss how the transhumanist movement has changed over the past couple of decades, what obstacles it faces and whether the technologies it advocates could end all human and animal suffering.

Continue reading “Can transhumanism end suffering? David Pearce interview” »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFvj379MI0o&t=441s

I recently interviewed Professor David J. Gunkel, an expert in robot ethics at Northern Illinois University about the future of AI and the transhumanist movement. If this is your thing please do subscribe to the channel — lots more coming up smile

I interview Professor David J. Gunkel (@David_Gunkel), an expert in AI and robot ethnics at Northern Illinois University and author of ‘The Machine Question: Critical Perspectives on AI, Robots, and Ethics’. We discuss whether robots should have rights, if human and artificial intelligence are likely to merge and whether the transhumanist movement could become a serious political force. Hope you enjoy!

Had a very frank discussion with Greg Mustreader about transhumanism, learned helplessness of society in the face of aging and death, insufficient sense of urgency among researchers of aging, epigenetic rejuvenation, cryonics, and so on. No filter! 😁.

My blog on Medium: https://medium.com/@mustreader

Continue reading “Yuri Deigin on epigenetic rejuvenation, longevity research and transhumanists in politics” »

By definition, posthumanism (I choose to call it ‘cyberhumanism’) is to replace transhumanism at the center stage circa 2035. By then, mind uploading could become a reality with gradual neuronal replacement, rapid advancements in Strong AI, massively parallel computing, and nanotechnology allowing us to directly connect our brains to the Cloud-based infrastructure of the Global Brain. Via interaction with our AI assistants, the GB will know us better than we know ourselves in all respects, so mind-transfer, or rather “mind migration,” for billions of enhanced humans would be seamless, sometime by mid-century.

I hear this mantra over and over again — we don’t know what consciousness is. Clearly, there’s no consensus here but in the context of topic discussed, I would summarize my views, as follows: Consciousness is non-local, quantum computational by nature. There’s only one Universal Consciousness. We individualize our conscious awareness through the filter of our nervous system, our “local” mind, our very inner subjectivity, but consciousness itself, the self in a big sense, our “core” self is universal, and knowing it through experience has been called enlightenment, illumination, awakening, or transcendence, through the ages.

Any container with a sufficiently integrated network of information patterns, with a certain optimal complexity, especially complex dynamical systems with biological or artificial brains (say, the coming AGIs) could be filled with consciousness at large in order to host an individual “reality cell,” “unit,” or a “node” of consciousness. This kind of individuated unit of consciousness is always endowed with free will within the constraints of the applicable set of rules (“physical laws”), influenced by the larger consciousness system dynamics. Isn’t too naïve to presume that Universal Consciousness would instantiate phenomenality only in the form of “bio”-logical avatars?

After being blind for 16 years, scientists have plugged a bionic eye directly into Bernardeta Gomez’s brain, allowing her to see again without using her biological eyes after she had a computer port surgically embedded into her skull.

The vision system is being honed by neuriengineer Eduardo Fernandez in his lab at the University of Miguel Hernandez, and it is comprised of a few different parts according to the publication in MIT Technology Review.

There is a pair of glasses that are fitted with a camera that connects to a computer which translates the live video feed into electronic signals that are then sent via a cable to the port which has been surgically embedded into the back of Gomez’s skull and connects to an implant in the visual cortex of her brain.

James W. Clement is a longevity researcher who was the 12th person on the planet to have his DNA sequenced. In 2010 James launched his Supercentenarian Research Study, which he started in 2010 with Professor George M. Church of Harvard Medical School. Since then Clement has read 20,000 medical research papers on longevity and has acquired one of the largest DNA databases of supercentenarians, the youngest of whom is 106 years old. Most recently James W. Clement is the author of the Switch: Ignite your metabolism with intermittent fasting, protein cycling, and keto. Finally, I know James personally and have gone to visit his previous research lab in Apple Valley, California, so I can honestly say that he is among the most humble humans and the hardest-working longevity researchers that I have ever seen. I have learned a lot from Clement and I hope you do too.

During this 2 hour interview with James W. Clement, we cover a variety of interesting topics such as: Clement’s journey from being a lawyer to becoming a full-time longevity researcher; the name and story behind Better Humans; why James is a transhumanist; why we have to first make it to 100 before we start taking “magic pills”; the switch between mTOR and autophagy; the importance of intermittent fasting, its time and duration; the connection between gut bacteria and dopamine; why the biggest problem of our diet is the overconsumption of both dairy and meat; protein cycling and why we can’t sustain autophagy indefinitely; the dangers of coconut oil; why all centenarian blue zones in the world eat high-carb diets and why we should try keto.

My favorite quote that I will take away from this interview with James W. Clement is: