FBL75: Peter Ward - The Failures and Opportunities of Immortality

FBL75: Peter Ward - The Failures and Opportunities of Immortality

Author: Singularity University October 17, 2022 Duration: 52:46

This week our guest is business and technology reporter, Peter Ward. Earlier this year, Peter released his book The Price of Immortality: The Race to Live Forever, where he investigates the many movements and organizations that are seeking to extend human life, from the Church of Perpetual Life in Florida, to some of the biggest tech giants in Silicon Valley. 

In this episode, we explore Peter’s findings, which takes us on a tour from cryonics to mind uploading, from supplements to gene editing, and much more. Along the way, we discuss the details of how one might actually achieve immortality, the details of senescent cells and telomeres, whether it's better to live healthy than to live long, the scams and failures that seem to dominate the space, as well as the efforts that seem most promising.

Find Peter's work on PenguinRandomHouse.com or follow him at twitter.com/PeterWardJourno

**

Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter

Music by: Amine el Filali


Hosted by Singularity University, The Singularity Discussion Series is a deep and ongoing conversation about the forces that will define tomorrow. Rather than offering quick tech news, this podcast creates a space for sustained exploration. Each episode features leading thinkers and practitioners who examine exponential technologies like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, blockchain, and quantum computing. The discussions go beyond isolated innovations to focus on their powerful convergence-the point where these fields intersect to reshape everything from global industries and economic models to the fabric of our daily lives. You’ll hear nuanced analysis on both the immediate implications and the long-term trajectories of these changes. The goal is to unpack the breakthroughs that are actively redefining the boundaries of the possible, providing listeners with a clearer, more thoughtful understanding of the complex future we are building together. Tune in for a consistently insightful and forward-looking dialogue that challenges assumptions and illuminates the path ahead.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Singularity Discussion Series
Podcast Episodes
FBL55: Looking Back at... Comedians of the Singularity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:18
As we pass the second yearly anniversary of the show, we take a look back at some of our favorite segments from past episodes with comedian guests who share our passion for everything "Singularity". This includes episode…
FBL54: Meghan O'Gieblyn - God, Human, Animal, & Machine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:09
This week our guest is Meghan O'Gieblyn, who has written regularly for entities such as Wired, The New York Times, and The Guardian, in addition to authoring books such as Interior States and her latest book: God, Human,…
FBL53: Robby Soave - Avoiding Tech Panic & Bad Policymaking [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:05
This week our guest is Reason magazine’s Senior Editor, Robby Soave, who recently published his newest book, Tech Panic, Why We Shouldn’t Fear Facebook and the Future. This work focuses heavily on how the societal panic…
FBL52: Micah Redding - Thoughts of a Christian Transhumanist [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:02
This week our guest is Micah Redding, who is the founder and Executive Director of the Christian Transhumanist Association, an organization that believes science and technology can be used to alter the human condition in…
FBL51: Scott Barry Kaufman - Becoming Your Best Self Among Technology [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:35
This week our guest is cognitive scientist, Scott Barry Kaufman, who has an impressive resume that includes teaching at NYU and Columbia, writing for Scientific American, hosting a podcast on psychology that is so defini…
FBL50: Jonathan Haidt - How Social Media Dissolves Society [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:50
This week our guest is social psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, who has authored several of my personal favorite books including the Happiness Hypothesis, The Righteous Mind, and the Coddling of the American Mind. We're luck…
FBL49: Kent Bye - The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Reality [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20:42
This week my guest is Kent Bye, the voice behind the podcast, Voices of VR, which has undoubtedly been one of the world’s leading sources of virtual reality information for nearly a decade now. This episode honestly feel…
FBL48: Nolen Gertz - The Nihilism and Philosophy of Technology [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:32
This week our guest is Nolen Gertz, who is an Assistant Professor of Applied Philosophy at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, and the author of several books including “Nihilism and Technology.” In this episode…
FBL46: Michael Lynch - Our Techno-culture of Truth & Arrogance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:50
This week our guest is Michael P Lynch, who is the Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut and author of several books including “The Internet of Us” and his latest “Know-It-All Society: Truth and Arroga…