LS7 - Dr. Calvin Mercer Talks Transhumanism Science

Dr Calvin Mercer teaches Religious Studies at East Carolina University and talks with Jason Hartman about transhumanism science, and the future social and religious implications of it.

 

Key Takeaways

01:35 – Transhumanism is a scientific and cultural movement that is using various technologies and therapies to enhance qualities and traits that people consider desirable, and remove ones that aren't.

02:43 – There are many different camps within the transhumanism community, but the more radical ones believe that in the future people will be able to download their personality into a computer and live forever.

05:58 – The questions people need to think about, are the implications of fiscal and others matters that will happen in future society.

08:08 – Radical life extension thinks about what changes that indefinite life will have on economic, political, and social in society. 

11:05 – Religions will respond in many different ways to transhumanism science, but it's important to have them in the discussion to have be remind on the quality of life and not just the quantity of life.

13:28 – Human enhances seems to draw the line on altering the gene pool in a way that impacts future generations.

16:21 – There should be a law in the future, that if people are going to participate in the life extension therapies to live indefinitely, then they can't have children. To help keep the population levels low. Many young people are interested and in the radical life extension community.

20:25 – Google Calvin Mercer for more info. One of Dr. Calvin project is with Palgrave Macmillan  co-editing books in social sciences and religion.

 

Mentioned in this episode

East Carolina University

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100 Plus: How the Coming Age of Longevity Will Change Everything, From Careers and Relationships to Family and Faith by Sonia Arrison

Palgrave Macmillan 

Palgrave Studies in the Future of Humanity and its Successors