The Transhumanist Future of a Radical Identity with Zoltan Istvan & David Wood #3

What does it mean to be human in a society in which we can use technology to modify our bodies beyond our normal capabilities, and how does that change our sense of self?

Transhumanism is a futuristic movement, and we’re joined this week by David Wood (Chair of London Futurists) and Zoltan Istvan (Founder of the Transhumanist Party in the US), two leading figures with unique foresight into our transhuman future.

How might we modify our bodies long into the future? Do we have the right to immortality and a duty to ‘fix’ disability? Should we be afraid to change into a different version of ourselves? We tackle all this, and so much more intriguing debate, on this episode of The Future of You.

This episode of The Future of You covers:

  • The traditional definition of transhumanism, and the form into which the movement might evolve
  • Maintaining our personal sense of identity in a society capable of collective consciousness and hive minds
  • Possible reasons for fewer prominent female figures in transhumanism
  • How we define our bodies, and at what point they should be considered to be failing
  • Whether we should allow ourselves to be immortal

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Links and references at: https://www.traceyfollows.com/

Om Podcasten

Hello, welcome to the Future of You podcast. 

Here we’re going to investigate and analyse all the ways emerging technologies are going to affect our identity. We used to argue about whether personal identity was in the mind or in the body; but now that psychology of the self and the biology of self has been joined by a third dimension - the technology of the self. 

In a digital, data-driven world, Facebook gets a say in verifying who we are, medical science can alter our genetic make-up, and AI will help us create our digital twin - just how many identities do we need in the multiverse? How is 21st Century technology changing who we are? 

I set out to research exactly that, when I wrote my book The Future of You. That turned out to be only the start of my journey into our changing identity in a digital world. And I thought rather than continue to research this on my own, I could invite you along too. 

I’m Tracey Follows, I’m a futurist and founder of Futuremade, the futures consultancy, and I’ve helped brands and businesses like Virgin, Google, Diageo and Farfetch spot trends, develop strategic foresight and fully prepare for what comes next.

 I believe identity is the defining issue of our generation. So every fortnight I’ll be releasing new episodes, featuring panels of experts as we delve into topics such as how we use media to express our selves, the emergence of the extreme self, transhumanism and the augmented self; anonymity, genetics, biometrics, mind clones, and the digital afterlife - these are just some of the innovations, and controversies, we’ll cover. 

Join the community, buy the book at thefutureofyou.co.uk or connect with me on twitter at @traceyfutures. Please come with me on this journey to explore identity in the digital world, as we investigate the future of me, and the future of you.