Episode 5: Transhumanism and Existentialism

Episode Audio

Download: MP3 Audo (91MB)

Episode Notes and Links

Episode Notes

Neurophilosophers Pete Mandik and Richard Brown wax futurological on whether the post-human future will be populated by Kantian superheroes or Sartrean sociopaths. Other questions addressed include: Is your brain a douchebag? Are “uplifted" monkeys happy monkeys or sad monkeys? Is it OK to torture sims? And if so, what’s the best way to do it? Musical interludes provided by the New York Consciousness Collective and Quiet Karate Reflex.

(The music in the mid-episode break is “Tommy the Hobbes” by the New York Consciousness Collective. The rest of the episode’s music is by Quiet Karate Reflex. The song in the intro is "SpaceTimeMind Theme Song" [link to music video] and the in the outro is “FINST-icuffs." More of Quiet Karate Reflex's music can be heard here: http://quietkaratereflex.bandcamp.com/.)

(The video chat between Richard and Pete that this episode's audio is drawn from is viewable on YouTube.)

Links

• Roger Williams - The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect 
• Roger Williams - "Hannibal Lecter as Transhumanist Icon" 
• Roger Williams’ review of Transcendence 
• Greg Egan - "Reasons to be cheerful"  in the collection Luminous 
• Greg Egan - Diaspora  
• TED debate with Steven Pinker and Rebecca Goldstein 
• Timothy Williamson - “Logic, Metalogic and Neutrality” and Richard Brown’s blogpost on it. 
• KnowYourMeme - "Scumbag Brain Meme"
• Urban Dictionary - “Catfish" 
• Norn torture
• The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985 film)

• Chatbot: A.L.I.C.E.