Cyborg Buddha Blog
Dr. J. chats with Christian Miller, Professor of Philosophy and Director of The Character Project at Wake Forest University. They discuss the idea of virtue and moral character and its relationship to moral philosophy, personality theory, religion and neuroscience. Part 2 of 2. Also Dr. J. finishes his chat with Ted Chiang about his Hugo award winning novella “The Lifecycle of Software Objects” and the state of science fiction. (Part 2 of 2)
DOWNLOAD/LISTEN/VIEWNov 28, 2011
What is Character? pt1
Changesurfer RadioDr. J. chats with Christian Miller, Professor of Philosophy and Director of The Character Project at Wake Forest University. They discuss the idea of virtue and moral character and its relationship to moral philosophy, personality theory, religion and neuroscience. Part 1 of 2.
Nov 20, 2011
Octopi, Autism, Designer Psychologies and Religion
Sentient DevelopmentsIn this Sentient Developments Podcast George Dvorsky talks about octopus intelligence, the rise of wrongful birth suits in Israel and elsewhere, and the latest news and findings into autism. George reprises the talk he gave on designer psychologies at the H+ conference at Parson’s University in NYC earlier this year. Lastly, George discusses how religion works as a reproduction control system.
Music used in this episode:
“At Last” by Plaid
“Hours” by Tycho
“Ballad of Gloria Featherbottom” by Mux Mool
Nov 19, 2011
Contradictions of the Enlightenment: Liberal Individualism versus the Erosion of Personal Identity
by J. HughesEnlightenment values presume an independent self, the rational citizen and consumer who pursues her self-interests. Since Hume, however, Enlightenment empiricists have questioned the existence of a discrete, persistent self. Today, continuing that investigation, neuroscience is daily eroding the essentialist model of personal identity. Transhumanism has yet to come to grips with the radical consequences of the erosion of the liberal individualist subject for projects of enhancement and longevity. Most transhumanist thought still reflects an essentialist idea of personal identity, even as we advance projects of radical cognitive enhancement that will change every element of consciousness. How do ethics and politics change if personal identity is an arbitrary, malleable fiction?
Nov 19, 2011
The Case for Moral Enhancement
All in the MindAt the 2011 Adelaide Festival of Ideas Julian Savulescu argues we should be using science and technology for moral enhancement, and that the future of humanity depends on it. Julian is the Director of the Oxford Centers for Neuroethics, Practical Ethics, and Science and Ethics.
Sep 20, 2011
The Maitreya and the Cyborg: Connecting East and West for Enriching Transhumanist Philosophy
by Miriam LeisIn this essay I would like to reflect on Eastern and Western philosophy, their definition of enlightenment, and their connection to transhumanist thinking. How may Buddhist concepts like ‘Bodhi’ and the ‘Maitreya’ relate to the Western ‘Enlightenment’, human enhancement, and post/transhumanism?
Aug 10, 2011
Mindfulness Pills
Mindfulness Blog(Via Alexandra Carmichael of Quantified Self) “Nancy Dougherty made her own set of “mindfulness pills” – placebos labeled Focus, Willpower/Energy, Calm, and Happy. The pills were embedded with sensors that transmitted signals to her phone, recording each time she took the different pills, as well as her heart rate, activity rate, and sleep. Nancy works at Proteus Biomedical, in case you’re wondering how she made this self-experiment happen. She learned that taking an “Energy” pill actually made her bike harder to work and have a higher heart rate, and taking a “Focus” pill actually made her do more work. Watch her fun talk on managing mood and playing with the placebo effect below. (Filmed at the Bay Area QS Show&Tell Meetup #19, at Singularity University.)”
Nancy Dougherty - Mindfulness Pills from Gary Wolf on Vimeo.
Jul 1, 2011
Buddhism and Transhumanism: The Technologies of Self-Perfection
Changesurfer RadioJames Hughes, IEET Executive Director, speaking at the August 5, 2004 Faith, Transhumanism and Hope Symposium, Trinity College, University of Toronto. (and yes, seven years later I’m still working on that book…)
May 29, 2011
Designer Psychologies: Moving Beyond Neurotypicality
by George DvorskyDesigner psychologies, or customized cognitive processing modalities, describes the potential for future individuals to selectively alter the specific and unique ways in which they take in, analyze and perceive the world. Cognitive modalities are the psychological frameworks that allow for person-to-person variances in subjectivity, including such things as emotional responses, social engagement, aesthetics and prioritization. The day is coming when we’ll be able to decide for ourselves how it is exactly that we want to process our world.
May 28, 2011
When Gadgets Betray Us
Changesurfer RadioDr. J chats with security consultant Robert Vamosi, author of When Gadgets Betray Us: The Dark Side of Our Infatuation With New Technologies. They talk about the spread of identity theft and cybercrime, and the inadequacy of existing approaches to cybersecurity. Also, remembering the technoprogressive and cyborg-buddhistic awesomeness of Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.
IEET Blog