This week my guest is science fiction author and activist, Cory Doctorow, who has such an extensive and prolific background that I’ll let him describe it to you at the top of the podcast. But I will say that whether you agree with him or not, Cory has an incredible clarity of insight that brings together a very wide variety of topics, and luckily he also has the ability to articulate those thoughts. In this episode, we explore science fiction's impact on the world, how we balance the cost of technological solutions and progress, the failures of blockchain, peak indifference, gig economies, climate change, digital IDs, and so much more. You can read more about Cory's work at his website (https://craphound.com/) or follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/doctorow * Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter Music by: Amine el Filali

This week our guests are evolutionary biologists, Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying, who many of you might recognize from their frequent appearances on the Joe Rogan Podcast, or from their very own show, the Darkhorse Podcast, where they explore current affairs through an evolutionary lens. They’ve recently released a brand new book, A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century: Evolution and the Challenges of Modern Life, where they combine their decades of expertise into a comprehensive overview of the many lessons evolution can teach us, including concepts like the precautionary principle, Sucker’s Folly, Chesterton's Fence, and more. This was a wonderfully expansive conversation exploring many of the ways in which technology and capitalism is being driven by our ancient genetic wiring. This includes exploring the impacts of social media, of technological infrastructure, of capitalism and its incentives, the biological influences of complacency due to technological comfort, and far much more than I can even begin to summarize here. ** Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter Music by: Amine el Filali

This week our guest is journalist and author Elizabeth Kolbert whose work focuses heavily on climate change. Her books on the subject include Field Notes From A Catastrophe, The 6th Extinction (which won a Pulitzer prize), and her most recent 2021 book: Under A White Sky. In this episode, we explore the content and ideas that Elizabeth puts forth in these books, with a particular focus on what kind of changes climate change is causing to the world and the ways in which humanity has been responding--for better or worse. Find out more about Elizabeth on her website (ElizabethKolbert.com) or on Twitter at twitter.com/elizkolbert ** Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter Music by: Amine el Filali

This week our guest is sociologist Steve Fuller, who has a long history exploring Transhumanism, including his 2011 book Humanity 2.0: What it Means to be Human. Past, Present and Future. To start this conversation, we first ask: what is Humanity 1.0? What is the version of humanity we’ve had since the dawn of civilization until today? And from there, we take a journey into the details of our transformation into Humanity 2.0, into the different flavors of post-humanism and the different challenges and opportunities afforded by each. This means a deep exploration of the sociopolitical, cultural, moral, and religious changes the future has in store for us. Steve's latest book on the subject is Nietzschean Meditations: Untimely Thoughts at the Dawn of the Transhuman Era Find him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/profstevefuller *Steve also asked to make a correction, as he meant 'George Church' and not 'George Graham' in regards to his thoughts on Mammoths, Neanderthals, etc ** Apply to join our Nov 7th - 11th Executive Program @ go.su.org/ep2021 ** Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter Music by: Amine el Filali

This week our guest is social psychologist, Katy Cook, who authored the 2019 book: The Psychology of Silicon Valley : Ethical Threats and Emotional Unintelligence in the Tech Industry. And so as you might expect, that’s exactly what we talk about. That takes us on a tour exploring ideas like empathy, capitalism, and the concept of progress. In a lot of ways, the key focus of Katy’s work and this conversation deals with the lack of the humanities (and to that extent humanistic values) in tech companies, which ultimately impacts all of us due to the monopoly such companies have on our attention. The ebook version of Katy’s book is FREE and can be found here on Google Books You can also follow Katy’s next adventure exploring individualism around the country on Instagram: @the.states.of.the.nation ** Apply to join our Nov 7th - 11th Executive Program @ go.su.org/ep2021 ** Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter Music by: Amine el Filali

This week our guest is British transhumanist David Pearce, who was one of the co-founders of the World Transhumanist Association, which has since been rebranded as Humanity+. In addition to being on the front lines of the early transhumanist movement, David is also well known for his active work on what he calls the “Hedonistic Imperative,” which seeks to use genetic engineering and nanotechnology to abolish suffering in all sentient life. Obviously this is a very bold agenda, and through this conversation I try to push David on the many nuances and challenges inherent in this goal. Along the way we explore the fundamental questions of transhumanism, whether we’ll ever upload our consciousness into machines, the dangers of giving humans (who are known for their tendency towards addiction) control over their own neurotransmitters, questions around regulation, whether suffering is necessary for appreciating life, and so much more. You can find more about David’s work at www.hedweb.com/ ** Sign up for your 2 week free trial of Singularity's premium membership @ singularity.org/2weektrial Apply to join our Nov 7th - 11th Executive Program @ go.su.org/ep2021 ** Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter Music by: Amine el Filali

This week we have our first-ever return guest, Douglas Rushkoff, who was one of our first guests on the show. If you missed that episode or you’re not familiar with Douglas, then let me tell you--you’re in for quite the treat. Douglas is a no-bullshit media theorist who is undeniably one of the most influential thinkers who has been steering digital culture. We touch on many topics in this episode, but without a doubt the biggest focus throughout is how capitalism and digital culture are negatively impacting the ways in which we interact with one another and how we build our communities. We also briefly touch on topics like basic income, NFTs, cryptocurrency, and climate change. Find Douglas' wonderful podcast at www.teamhuman.fm  ** Sign up for your 2 week free trial of Singularity's premium membership @ singularity.org/2weektrial Apply to join our Nov 7th - 11th Executive Program @ go.su.org/ep2021 ** Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter Music by: Amine el Filali

This week our guest is Josiah Zayner, who just might be the most prominent and controversial biohacker out there right now. He’s done numerous experiments that have drawn both positive and negative attention, such as transplanting the microbiome of another person into his body, attempting to genetically alter the color of his skin, and injecting CRISPR modifications into his body to enhance his muscles. As radical as these things may sound, he does have a PhD in biosphysics and previously worked for NASA genetically modifying organisms for mars, so he’s not exactly an amateur. In this episode we explore Josiah’s journey from traditional scientist to biohacker, and along the way discuss the possibilities of gene editing, the dangers, and how we should regulate and navigate this future inevitability. You can access Josiah's company at the-odin.com and follow him personally at twitter.com/4lovofscience ** Sign up for your 2 week free trial of Singularity's premium membership @ singularity.org/2weektrial Apply to join our Nov 7th - 11th Executive Program @ go.su.org/ep2021 ** Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter Music by: Amine el Filali

This week our guest is author and speaker, Amber Case, who amongst many things is well known for her TedTalk titled, We Are All Cyborgs Now, and her book “Calm Technology.” In this episode we focus almost exclusively on the principles and ideas Amber puts forth in her book, Calm Technology, exploring how we can design technology in ways that won’t dominate our attention and undermine our humanity. We also talk about design for failure and edge-cases. Ultimately, this means promoting design that is more big picture, more human-centric, and more considerate of the actual environment it will be used in. You can find Amber at https://twitter.com/caseorganic or via her website at: https://www.caseorganic.com/ ** Sign up for your 2 week free trial of Singularity's premium membership @ singularity.org/2weektrial Apply to join our Nov 7th - 11th Executive Program @ go.su.org/ep2021 ** Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter Music by: Amine el Filali

This week our guest is science writer, Annie Murphy Paul, who just recently released her latest book, The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain. In the Extended Mind, Annie takes us on a tour of the different types of intelligence we are able to tap into, focusing primarily on three often overlooked forms: thinking with our bodies, thinking with our surroundings, and thinking with our relationships. In this episode we explore these ideas in much greater detail, and also dig into how these forms of thinking relate to our use of technology and to our lives. You can find Annie at https://twitter.com/anniemurphypaul & her newsletter at https://anniemurphypaul.substack.com/ ** Sign up for your 2 week free trial of Singularity's premium membership @ singularity.org/2weektrial Apply to join our Nov 7th - 11th Executive Program @ go.su.org/ep2021 ** Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter Music by: Amine el Filali