Presentation given in London to UKH+, 15th March 2008. Transhumanism in the UK 2008-12: Hopes and fears, opportunities and risks

1. Transhumanism in the UK,
2008-2012
Hopes and fears,
opportunities and risks
And why this is important!
David Wood, UKTA, London
15 March 2008

2. What’s so important about
transhumanism?
Transhumanism supports and encourages
the thoughtful development and application of technology
to significantly enhance human mental & physical capabilities
Thoughtful: Technology:
Sceptical of snake-oil Biotechnology
Require peer reviews Nanotechnology
Avoid runaway scenarios AI, ICT
Avoid divisive outcomes Cognitive (brain) science
Prioritising and accelerating substantial enhancements:
Anti-disease & pro-cures: “Better than well”
Anti-aging & pro-longevity: expanding & extending life
Anti-constraint & pro-autonomy: more choices & experiences
Smarter, stronger, wiser, kinder: to solve our BIG problems

3. Questions for consideration today
What changes are feasible in the UK between now and 2012:
• Regarding public attitudes towards transhumanism?
• Regarding progress with specific transhumanist projects?
What role (if any) can interested individuals (such as us!) play:
• In regard to changing these attitudes?
• In regard to accelerating (or decelerating) these projects?
What could go wrong:
• What could generate adverse feedback to transhumanism?
• And how can we guard against these risks?
Is there a special UK angle to transhumanism
• Or should UK H+ fans all emigrate to eg Singapore?!

4. Summary of my answers
Transhumanism should be much more
influential in the UK by 2012 than now
(but there’s nothing guaranteed about it)
There are many reasons for us to be hopeful
about the future of transhumanism in the UK
(but also some reasons to be fearful)
We can make a lot of difference to the outcome
(through both local and global activity)

5. Drivers for the
development of technology?
The logic of science
Not much we can do to influence these?
The logic of business

6. Drivers for the
development of technology?
Science, which follows:
Lots of diverse internal logic
Funding policy decisions made by governments
Fashionable and interesting ideas advanced in the media
Prize funds established by individuals and groups
Research sponsored by businesses
Business, which follows:
The logic of business
The profit motive – goods that sell well
The future profit motive – goods that may sell well in the future
Opportunities enabled by new science & technology
Philanthropic motivations of well-placed individuals

7. Five factors that we can influence
– in order to change priorities
Science, which follows:
Lots of diverse internal logic
Funding policy decisions made by governments
Fashionable and interesting ideas advanced in the media
Prize funds established by individuals and groups
Research sponsored by businesses
Business, which follows:
The profit motive – goods that sell well
The future profit motive – goods that may sell well in the future
Opportunities enabled by new science & technology
Philanthropic motivations of well-placed individuals

8. Networks of interaction:
our chance to influence technology
Media
Politicians
Ideas Business
plans
Individuals
Transhumanism supports and encourages
the thoughtful development and application of technology
to significantly enhance human mental & physical capabilities

9. Transhumanism in the UK,
2008-2012
A battle of ideas
We need to advance H+ ideas that are
clear, striking, compelling, and sticky

10. 6 ideas that can work to our advantage
Pro-beauty, cosmetic surgery, anti-aging,
dietary supplements, memory enhancers
Just because something is “natural” doesn’t
mean it’s the best (this is “the nature delusion”)
It’s no longer “reasonable to be unreasonable”
(breaking “the death delusion”)
The right to prepare to vitrify our bodies for cryonic
preservation (self-determination)
The benefits of ever smarter, ever smaller devices for
computing, communications, and medicine
Environmental and energy problems could have smart
technological fixes (nanotech, geo-engineering et al)

11. 7 aspirations for UKTA: themes
Mutual support via face-to-face & online interaction
Collect and share reliable information about dietary
supplements, cryonic techniques, scientific developments, etc
Develop, debug, debunk, and prioritise ideas relevant to H+
Champion and highlight good art that supports H+
Novels, plays, poems, films, drawings, etc
Encourage others to see through the fallacies of the nature
delusion and death delusion, and to appreciate the value of H+
Outreach – in universities, to overseas H+ groups,
to media, to fertile ground wherever we find it
Avoid the risks of inaction and apathy, and of
other ideas driving out H+ ones from the public mind