If you lost a limb, would you use technology to help you regain some of your ability? What if you were deaf? Chances are, if technology could help you, you probably would jump at the opportunity. But how about taking it one step farther. What if technology could make you smarter than you already are? […] The post Ep 92: Merging Man and Machine: Transhumanism and Religion – with guest Seth Villegas appeared first on SparkDialog.
Today, I am joined by Seth Villegas from Boston University's School of Theology to talk about transhumanism - gradually merging body with machine to become faster, stronger, or even live forever. Why is this movement so appealing? And what does this apparently secular movement have to do with religion?
If you lost a limb, would you use technology to help you regain some of your ability? What if you were deaf? Chances are, if technology could help you, you probably would jump at the opportunity. But how about taking it one step farther. What if technology could make you smarter than you already are? Stronger? Maybe even live longer, perhaps forever? Welcome to the world of transhumanism. Goals like these are what proponents of the transhumanist movement have in mind – the merging of man and machine for the “betterment” of themselves.
Sometimes this involves “upgrading” their bodies. Some go farther and hope for radical life extension, or even hope to achieve immortality by uploading their brains to the internet.
But at what cost? Would these measures actually help us avoid death? Today, my guest is Seth Villegas. Seth is a PhD student at Boston University’s School of Theology. He focuses on the intersection between technology and ethics, and how even a seemingly secular movement like transhumanism can have similarities with religion.
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Some of the background music you here are clips from:
Sudden Goodbye by Alex (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/AlexBeroza/43002 Ft: TheDice
The Sun Smiles on LightSail 2 by gurdonark (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/gurdonark/60157 Ft: 7OOP3D
Triptych of Snippets by septahelix (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/septahelix/60171
Depart (cdk mix) by Analog By Nature (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/cdk/50347
Ft: Tekno Eddy
The post Ep 92: Merging Man and Machine: Transhumanism and Religion – with guest Seth Villegas appeared first on SparkDialog.