February 19, 2012

David Pearce: Five ways transhumanism can help reduce suffering

Philosopher David Pearce says there are five ways that transhumanism can eliminate suffering:

  1. We Shall Soon Be Able To Choose Our Own Level Of Pain-Sensitivity
  2. We Can Soon Choose How Rewarding We Want Our Daily Life To Be
  3. Steak Lovers and Vegans Alike Can Soon Eat Cruelty-Free Diets
  4. Carnivorous Nonhuman Predators Can Be Phased Out Too
  5. We May Be On The Eve Of An “Intelligence Explosion”

Details here.

1 comment:

davidpearce said...

Just because it's technically feasible and ethically desirable  to phase out the biology of suffering doesn't mean it's actually going to happen.  But if experience below "hedonic zero" still exists in the world two centuries hence, its persistence won't be explained by the technical challenge proving too daunting, but rather because we decide, for whatever reason, to retain it.