Spark Dialog / February 2, 2021
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.
