FODI: The In-Between | 07 | S. Matthew Liao & John Rasko | Immortality, fraud and the future of the human species

FODI: The In-Between | 07 | S. Matthew Liao & John Rasko | Immortality, fraud and the future of the human species

Author: Festival of Dangerous Ideas February 25, 2022 Duration: 34:07
From the ancient tale of Gilgamesh to Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, the dream of immortality has long captured the imagination of writers and scientists. But how close are we to conquering death? In a conversation moderated by Simon Longstaff, neuro-ethicist S. Matthew Liao speaks with stem cell-researcher John Rasko about the age of regenerative medicine, the heroes and fraudsters of the past, and the reality of a distant future where genetic engineering helps humans to colonise future planets.

S. Matthew Liao is a philosopher specialising bioethics.

John Rasko is an Australian clinical haematologist, pathologist and scientist, pioneering in the application of adult stem cells and genetic therapies. 

Produced by The Festival of Dangerous Ideas, The Ethics Centre and Audiocraft.

 


For more than a decade, the Festival of Dangerous Ideas has curated a space where provocative thinking isn't just welcomed, it's the entire point. This podcast is a direct line to that stage, offering an archive of talks that deliberately unsettle comfortable opinions and interrogate the stubborn problems we often agree to ignore. Each episode captures a live conversation from Australia's original disruptive ideas festival, presenting arguments that can be exhilarating, uncomfortable, and vitally important. You’ll hear from a compelling roster of festival alumni-including leading experts, intellectual troublemakers, and visionary authors-who share perspectives that conventional discourse frequently sidelines. The discussions here aren't theoretical exercises; they grapple with the pressing and difficult issues shaping our society and culture right now. Tuning in means granting yourself access to a decade-long tradition of intellectual courage, where the core assumption is that some truths are only reached by first entertaining a dangerous idea. It’s a chance to listen as boundaries are pushed, not for shock value, but for clarity. The result is a consistently challenging and refreshing audio experience that complicates simple narratives and expands what feels possible to talk about.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Podcast Episodes
Speaking Bluntly (2024) - Antoinette Lattouf, Andy Mills & Josh Szeps [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:13
Journalists play a vital role in a democracy, holding power to account. The traditional model of journalism sees journalists as disinterested seekers of the truth, striving for 'objectivity' and suppressing their own opi…
David Runciman (2024) - Votes for 6 year olds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:40
When it comes our most divisive political, economic and social issues there is a fracture between the views of the old and the young. As older generations continue to monopolise wealth and how policy is shaped, younger g…
Jem Bendell (2024) - Breaking Together [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:32
The process of global collapse has begun – driven by the damage we have caused to the Earth's natural systems. And governments and corporations aren't going to save us. So are we going to cling to our old individual ways…