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IEET Managing Director Mike Treder and CUNY Professor Massimo Pigliucci debate the pros and cons of the transhumanist agenda.
Is transhumanism fatally optimistic? (06:10)
Massimo’s ethical qualms with life extension (12:21)
The dangers of rapid technological advance (03:21)
Massimo vs. Mike on whether it’s possible to upload your mind (10:44)
Is the Turing Test a behaviorist blunder? (15:44)
Pesky limitations imposed by human biology (07:15)
You mentioned the 'heat death' of the universe as being the ultimate limit to lifespan, but this is not necessarily so. It may be that in the far future, say after a million years of technological development, we will have the technology to manipulate and control the fate of the entire universe. It may not be as difficult as you think.
Really interesting discussion. I agree with Massimo Pigliocci, in that biophysical characteristics, LIFE- that we share with other living organisms, living matter, makes us human, we all linked to the environment, a computer isn't, this is fundamental and central to what it means to be a human. Machines may "think" cognitively more intelligently than a human, so what? this doesn't make them human.
For example, the conative dimension of the human brain, depends on imput from the environment. Work in epigenetics also suggests that DNA isn't everything. We are connected to the environment, as we are becomming increasingly more aware due to the effects of global climate change, deforestation of the rainforests, etc. Humans are part of an indivisible whole.
Mike, you mention Intelligence that is inside the human brain that can sense? What kind of "sense" - this is a trade-off. We have evolved over millions of years, TIME - impossible to program the temporal dimension of evolution and the infinite complexities this involves into a machine.
SOCIAL ISSUES, social change, ethical issues, military abuses, corporate abuses, really good points. Great discussion!
Those are defiantly interesting points, what I personaly plan focusing my life on is trying to control evolution. I think that humanities only hope is to perfect our brains. Basically every one needs to be a genius is what i think, or atleast smart enough to not waste our time of things like competition ,greed. THeres alot more to it that just what im saying but im just being brief. But my money is on humans fusing our brains with computer chips or nano-tech A.i. like computers, i try to imagine what it would be like to be the entity that has a brain as complex and powerful as that. I think thats how gods are born, humans merely miss label the Masters of this Universe aka supper intelligent beings.
Greysen, when you say, "think that humanities only hope is to perfect our brains," do you mean "arrive at perfection" or do you merely mean "improve"? Although your money is fusing our brains with computer chips, you had just said that everyone merely needs to be smart enough to not waste their time on things like greed and competition. For that, I think "improve" should be good enough.
What is perfection really. Your right, we do need to "improve" our brains but an improvement could be as little as going on a better diet. We need a major chemical tune up for our brains is what i mean. Just like a clinically insane person takes medication to change there brain chemistry. So they can go from loony-bin to a more regular human life.
An example of something seriously wrong with the way our brains have developed, suicide. But ya we need major improvements in our brain chemistry for sure or we'll keep going down the path of self-destruction. Just as apes or monkeys brains evolved into humans , the next step will be even better. And my life goal is to control evolution in a sense, and force us to the next level.
Hi Greysen, i agree, in part, i can control/affect my environment; human and non-human environment. However, i feel, we are part of an indivisible whole. There's a lot more to it.
For instance, I can't imagine what fun a perfect or improved brain would have living in drought conditions, with no clean water or adequate nutrition. The diminishment factor of this existence would only be increased, i imagine for a perfect or improved brain.
I can imagine a perfect or improved brain wanting to solve these problems, not adjust to them through major chemical interference. To accuse the brain alone of depression is not fair.
The brain is acting on information from environment, human and non-human for its survival. Why not seek to control nature and by "control" I mean, by working With nature, ie. permaculture
If going on a better diet would improve our brains, as you mention, the possibilities, in an environmentally enhanced human environment with focus on human well-being are endless. It might even provide the "major chemical tune-up" you mentioned.
human environments; social injustice, poverty, climate refugees, overpopulation, these challenges, left unsolved result in feelings of hopelessness, loss of control, depression and suide. It's not fair to blame the brain.
I see what your saying, but what eles is there to blame other than the brain. Our brains make the decision of feeling those emotions to tell our body to do something differently than it currently is. Our brain is doing its best to make the world around us more hospitable to us. I just think the world needs to put more focus on more important long term things that improve the human race as a whole.
But what do you mean by ,"I can't imagine what fun a perfect or improved brain would have living in drought conditions, with no clean water or adequate nutrition." Are you saying with a perfect brain ,in a way, we couldnt have fun? The emotion of being happy or sad is a choice, period. Its just difficult to control and most wouldn't even think of trying. And for most people all they do there entire lives is try to be as happy as possible , am i wrong?
Thats where our brain chemistry needs to be changed i think so we can focus on more important things like preserving the human race after catastrophes, or being ready for them. And being ready for possible threats from outer space such as violent aliens or just gaint rocks heading towards us.
Ok. I believe we are all connected. We are part of an indivisible whole, part of a living organism that has evolved over time, and so the amount of pleasure I feel will be determined by the environment around me. I can only speculate, but if we were perfectly wired, wouldn't the discrepancy between our perception of perfection and that of reality today, in other words, the present state of the environment, for example, deforestation of our rain-forests, only intensify the pain felt in a more perfect/improved human brain?
I also feel it would be more logical and also less expensive to preserve the human race by attempting to avert possible catastrophes before they happen.
The amount of pleasure you feel is from chemicals in your brain that are triggered by specific thoughts ,images and chemicals that you put in your body. And over time the brain becomes associated to certain things that create any feeling. For people that are addicted to cocaine just seeing the drug is enough to produce the feeling of pleasure. What im trying to say is that our environment doesnt have anything to do with how we feel emotionally, it just contains the things we need physically. Feelings like pain doesnt equal someone being sad. The world as a whole has just got itself backwards putting control of our emotions in anything other than our selves.
You say we would intensify the pain felt because we have more improved brains? That's ludicrous, its like crying over split milk. In a sense that there is always a solution to a problem. Why do you assume we would feel some sort of pain to an event of any sort? Like i said, you can be happy and in pain at the same time.
And with a more improved brain it would be more easy to realize that being upset about something doesnt do anything. Someone has to do something physical to change something that has happened naturally, and to do that something requires science.
There are always going to be changes constantly occurring in the world , they can be negative or positive towards the human race but still the emotions we feel are still a choice. And if you think they are not, give it a try.
As for how much something costs that is a different topic.
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