Eric Hennigan - Computer Science and its Occult

Eric Hennigan - Computer Science and its Occult

Author: KGRA Digital Broadcasting July 20, 2025 Duration: 1:55:41
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” So states Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s famous Third Law. On Sunday, July 20, 2025, at 1 p.m. U.S. Pacific Time, the U.S. Transhumanist Party Virtual Enlightenment Salon will delve into this insight further.
In "Computer Science and its Occult," Eric Hennigan, a Software Engineer at Google, explores the intriguing parallels between concepts in computer science and themes found in occult traditions. The talk delves into ideas like "True Names," which in computer science can uniquely identify a thing and provide power over it, much like a memory address. Hennigan also discusses "Sigils," demonstrating how autonomous vehicles can be "trapped" by specific markings or by placing a traffic cone on their sensors, rendering them inoperable. The presentation further examines "Spells" in the context of sorting algorithms and code snippets. Hennigan draws a compelling connection to "The Golem of Prague," comparing the legendary animated clay figure to the modern process of baking silicon into crystal, etching patterns, animating with electricity, and commanding with scripts, ultimately teaching machines to learn, write, speak, and paint. This leads to profound questions about consciousness, ethics in creating sentient beings, and the nature of free will in machines.
Eric Hennigan is a Senior Software Engineer at Google and a Volunteer Genomics Data Scientist at the University of Southern California. He holds Bachelor of Sciences degrees in Applied Mathematics and Physics from University of California Los Angeles, and a PhD in Computer Science from University of California Irvine. He enjoys communicating what he has learned to others and even acted as Instructor of Record for UCI and Cal State Fullerton while still a graduate student. Despite his formal education he recommends self-study as a path to skills improvement.
Watch the first U.S. Transhumanist Party Virtual Enlightenment Salon with Eric Hennigan, held on October 23, 2022, on the subject of historical anti-aging approaches that failed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMod8KtspxQ 

Hosted by KGRA Digital Broadcasting, Transhumanist Party Enlightenment Salon revives the tradition of thoughtful discourse for a new age. This podcast convenes experts and visionaries from fields that shape our tomorrow: longevity research, artificial intelligence, futurist philosophy, political theory, and cultural critique. The aim is to weave together these often-separate threads, fostering connections that can lead to genuine breakthroughs in how we see the world and our place within it. Each episode is structured as a deep, extended conversation, allowing ideas the space and time they need to fully unfold. You’ll hear discussions that grapple with the practical and ethical implications of emerging technologies, examine the philosophical underpinnings of a transhumanist future, and consider how art and politics intersect with radical scientific advancement. It’s a forum dedicated to rigorous, long-form dialogue in pursuit of a more rational and informed society. Tuning into this podcast means joining a modern salon, one where complex questions about human enhancement, societal evolution, and collective intelligence are explored with seriousness and intellectual curiosity. The conversations recorded here are not soundbites; they are immersive journeys into the minds at the forefront of redefining what it means to be human.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Transhumanist Party Enlightenment Salon
Podcast Episodes
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