ARTIFICIAL AND HAPPY
Interview with transhumanist philosopher Riccardo Campa
Roberto Guerra
The President of the Italian Transhumanist and professor of sociology of science at the University of Krakow, Riccardo Campa, was recently invited to participate in the barbarian invasions, drive for success led by Daria Bignardi LA 7. (Streaming: http://www.la7.it/invasionibarbariche/pvideo-stream?id=i376620) The discussion dealt with the anti-aging therapies, a central theme of transhumanist philosophy. After the face to face with the secretary of the Democratic Party, Pierluigi Bersani, the presenter invited into the room a diverse group of participants, including the former AC Milan defender Billy Costacurta, actress Alessandra Faiella, the singer Dorina Leka, the writer Lidia Ravera, your doctor Filippo Ongaro, the basketball coach Dan Peterson, and - indeed - the transhumanist philosopher Riccardo Campa. As often happens in talk show, touching important issues, but for reasons of time and dynamics of the discussion, you can not properly investigate any matter. We have therefore asked Professor Campa to enter more in detail, answering questions in this interview.
Professor Campa, The Barbarian Invasions are an important audience. It is estimated that his speech was followed by a million viewers, as they are counted at least six million viewers zapping. At first his answer on the nature of transhumanism, but the leader has shown some concern. It really is an issue too "high" for the television audience?
I do not think this is so. The presenter does its job and goes right to the intellectual to speak with simple concepts, to reach a wider audience as possible. However, I wanted to be accurate at least at first on a "scientific", because I believe that the public following a transmission as the barbarian invasions took longer than that following other programs on other channels during prime time. Therefore, able to understand a concept such as transhumanism, for Incidentally, I have presented almost as a synonym or "self-directed evolution." What I meant is that the anti-aging therapies are only one aspect of a much more important philosophical question, namely: is it appropriate to intervene directly on human biology, with the most sophisticated technologies to eliminate or minimize the aspects of nature that we like less. For transhumanists, that's the most indigestible nature gives us a dowry, as a result of an evolutionary process does not efficiently managed, are in fact aging, weakness, disease, death.
Someone thinks otherwise. Some people consider these aspects of the human condition as inevitable or even necessary, desirable ...
This "someone" has every right to think as he wishes. We call them death, supporters of the death. No one is obliged to use them to slow down the aging of these technologies, to ward off death, to strengthen the human being. Living longer and healthier is a sweet fruit but it costs sacrifice. So you do not see how you can make someone. I worry about this rather when "someone" want to impose their way of life belongs to the past to others. Very often, the technophobes are not content to live without technology, but would forbid them from others. Even more often, hypocritically, to deny to others without denying oneself. When, for example, complain of technology and industrial companies on the Internet or on television. As if computers and cameras were produced on plants that are born.
You can do without technology?
To me consistency is a value essential. If anyone finds intolerable industrial society, why not go to live coherently in a pre-industrial? There are whole villages abandoned in the Apennines and the Alps who exalts the pre-industrial society should go to live in these places, with goats, lanterns, oil, wood heating. Away from the metropolis, from television, newspapers, publishers. But no. We also have computerized technophobes. They do not esteem them all. On the contrary, I have great respect for the Amish. In the U.S., the Amish have made a choice and anti-technology are consistent. Among other things, no one touches them, no one forces them to use electricity or internal combustion engines. So when my I student repeats the litany of how beautiful life in pre-industrial societies, I give it a simple task to do at home. As a test, ask him to give up to three months not at all, but only three products of industrial society: toilet paper, soap and toothpaste. Of course, I also ask to refer the outcome of the experiment by phone.
So are technophobes and mortality intolerant ...
You can not generalize. However, if an exception is made for compulsory gymnastics, proposed by Futurists in the early twentieth century, and indeed in force today in the schools (except as a last resort you can be exempt), there is no danger that the health, strength, youth, beauty are imposed by law. Everyone is free to make their own calculations and make the appropriate decisions. If a person wants to burn like a candle, enjoy fast and hard life, and then step aside, go ahead. Very often these people then we see old, sickly, suffering in the hospital ward, cursing the lifestyle that led them to that point - as rightly pointed out the doctor Filippo Ongaro. Billy Costacurta said that the anti-aging therapies have allowed him to extend his career another ten years. Dan Peterson is still on top, because it followed a balanced diet and made daily use of vitamins and other supplements.
But if it becomes a trend and the majority of people begin to treat obsessive appearance and health, who does not risk being marginalized. Although there are no legal obligations.
right, but this is the rule of open society. So, similarly, to maintain equality, we should not study, read books, tell us? In the name of equality, we must all become poor as the poorest, as stupid as stupid, weak as the weakest, as sick as sick as the ignorant more ignorant, cowardly as the most cowardly, ugly as the ugliest etc? We all have weaknesses, flaws, problems. And no one says that we should not help the unfortunate, but it is not becoming like them who help them. Do we want to flatten down? We hope instead that competition, the players - that is a legacy of ancient Greek culture - rather than bring a general improvement in living conditions. But the one on which I insist is that the transhumanist philosophy goes far beyond the surface of healthy living.
then try to go deeper, because here we have the time and space to do so. What we did not manage to say in broadcast?
First consider vital to clarify that the anti-aging is not just a fad, nor is it a "new" fashion. There an ancient tradition focused on the search of the elixir of long life that dates back to Greek myths and continues in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance with the alchemical tradition, too important to leave traces in the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, in the future, in social work. In the myth of Prometheus, men receive from Zeus the secret of eternal youth, but lost badly to the benefit of snakes. In the Middle Ages, the Franciscan friar Roger Bacon - some listed as the inventor of eyeglasses and gunpowder - claims that God has deprived men of eternal life, but just to see if they can reclaim it for themselves through medicine. Bacon is just introducing the idea that aging is to be seen as an illness. Of course, the Catholic Church was not frowned upon, so that was imprisoned for many years, but his ideas will then be taken during the scientific revolution by Francis Bacon. The utopia of the latter, The New Atlantis, is a science company, where biotechnology has a central role in the struggle for longevity. Later, during the Enlightenment, Condorcet is that in his most famous work - Historical overview of the progress of the human spirit - said that science will be able to give man an unlimited life. And Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, who is also venturing into predictions futurology, says that man will be able to defeat aging and death merging with machines. The idea of \u200b\u200bevolution and self-directed correction of human nature converge even Leon Trotsky, one of the masters of socialist thought. In short, there is a noble and ancient tradition of thought behind today's anti-aging. And here I am only limiting to a few examples.
What works would indicate, in his, for those who wish to learn this?
Ethics pure science is a story of the ethos of science, namely the values \u200b\u200bthat support scientific research. But between the lines of that book is a real hidden genealogy of transhumanism. Work can be found in Mutare or perish, even though the book is focused more on current. But I'd say go even deeper into the issue in other essays such as "Ratzinger against Bacon", which appeared in Mondoperaio, "Leon Trotsky: a post-human face of socialism", "The Superman of the future" and "The pagan roots of the revolution biopolitics "Becoming appeared. Here, I would recommend above all else.
then I like Bignardi: could be summed up in simple terms the moral of the story?
In simple terms, should not get the message that now we talk about anti-aging because the new consumer society, the pharmaceutical industry, not knowing what to sell, you are invented this fashion, transforming ipso facto in the healthy patients, making us all hypochondriacs. This is not the philosophy of anti-aging, nor is this transhumanism. Of course, multinational companies have sensed the deal and are in turmoil. For this, I have been teaching sociology and I know these mechanisms, are the first to say it takes a lot of attention. We must beware of charlatans and speculators interested only in profit. So I say to our readers always turn to the medical officers. "Trusted" precisely to minimize the risk of becoming a guinea pig for unscrupulous entrepreneurs. Having said that, from time to time get a blood test to see which substances are lacking, and then integrating the power with some pills prescribed by a doctor, does not mean becoming hypochondriacs. It means making prevention.
I play devil's advocate, but are the doctors and the pills? Not just a diet based on natural foods or natural supplements?
The difference between natural and artificial is a true legend. Sure, you can make up for certain deficiencies by eating foods that are on the market. For example, if you are deficient in magnesium, it can take a lot of rice. However, cooking the rice you lose a large amount of magnesium and raw rice is not quite a treat. Then the pad can be comfortable. Because - and this is the thing I want to emphasize - there is a natural magnesium other than artificial. Magnesium Magnesium is always, wherever he is. It is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. Believing that the magnesium in the rice is healthier than the pad is a real superstition. Among other things, whether "artificial" means "man-made" with many foods of animal or vegetable we buy at the market are artificial. The pig, for example, is an artificial being. Does not exist in nature. He created man, through a process of genetic selection lasted for millennia. GMOs are just a new way to get what the first was obtained through insertions and selections. Our ancestors began as far back as the Neolithic to change living organisms.
But, coming to the sociological fact, this attention to your body is not a sign of individualism, hedonism, selfishness of our times? In other words, transhumanism will also have noble ancestors, but now the question is likely to be trivialized.
If you consider this question by taking a basic truth of sociology - That there is no society without individuals and there are no individuals without society - one realizes that the issue has several facets. On the one hand it is true that the anti-aging therapies we do for ourselves first, to stay healthy. So, are inspired by our selfishness. But there is also a dimension altruistic, social, political I would even say anti-aging. The Italian company is already one of the longest in the world. We exceed Japan and a few others. However, the Italian company is also the one with the greatest number of lunatics. The senile dementia is manifested, among other degenerative diseases, aging because it hurt. The two issues of aging and diseases are held. Bacon had an extraordinary insight to see aging as a disease itself. But we are a social aspect. Older people often have a rich background of experience and wisdom. It would be important that you transmit to the young. As rightly stressed Lidia Ravera, there is a time for everything. When the body fades, our thoughts can still flourish. Provided it is not stupid. Avoid becoming demented is therefore also a selfless gesture in favor of the company, why not just avoid becoming a problem for the community, a burden, but we can still give even a good thing.
During the broadcast, he made a joke about sex. A media strategy to reclaim the word, to bring attention to itself, and therefore on transhumanism?
Well, I can not deny that I did not choose the topic at random. I started maybe too serious, considering that I had to speak with a comedian, so I then tried to play down. But this is not a joke. Many independent studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between frequency of sex and longevity. Of course the question is more complex. A correlation is not a causal relationship, although the role of hormone production in this process is well known. It should also be stressed that it must be a frustrating sexual activity, or stress-free. Many fans may not be the ideal solution. Statistics show that long-lived people in solid relationships with intense sexuality, sexually very active single people, or the faithless, but only if they have a steady partner and the first second is not too jealous, because stressful situations in a shortened life . Unfortunately there was no time to go into those details. But the main thrust of my point is that to live long and healthy should not be locked in a glass case. You can also enjoy life. The important thing is to find the right entertainment.
The speech was warmly applauded. And all participants in the talk show have agreed.
This means that the bigotry and sexual phobia that we have inherited from a certain tradition are disappearing inexorably. I think a good thing.
In the end, he has said that anti-aging is just a beginning. He talked about stem cells, genetic engineering. So, to transhumanists, pills and supplements are a no brainer. Much more in store ...
Yes, luckily I managed to mention the issue. The anti-aging therapies are important, but should be seen primarily as a bridge that can lead to more powerful technologies longevity. We do not know where these future technologies will be available. But we know that the more we stretch our lives, the more likely when there appear to be. Speaking directly on human biology, in practice we stop the aging process. Empirical research in the laboratory are conducted in different countries, with different objectives and methodologies. An attempt to disable or genes, the mechanisms that make us grow old and die. Or, and this seems the best solution at hand, periodically renewing cells through therapeutic cloning and stem cell based therapies. In short, the 'resurrection of the body "promised by Christianity, could be obtained thanks to science, even if you prefer the more prosaic term" regeneration of tissues. " But even this therapy can be seen as a second bridge to more powerful technologies. Also periodically regenerating tissues, we are weak human beings, exposed to various dangers. We can still die in traffic accidents, diseases or unknown, or killed by weapons. Here then it can also be convenient to think not only the strengthening and regeneration. We can, for example with Hybrid power cars by replacing biological organs with electro-mechanical organs, when will work best. After all, the Pistorius case is emblematic. With artificial legs, the South African athlete runs stronger than everybody else.
Although I fascinated by the transhumanist themes, in closing, I would do again the devil's advocate. Transhumanism emanates from a strong desire to live, to do, to fight. But if we can live for centuries, thanks to these technologies, we need not get bored? That was the punchline of Faiella ...
How did stop laughing, but it was just a joke. Dying is the easiest thing in the world. Just do not do anything. Who is bored with life does not have to do is go to an isolated, deprived of all technologies, including clothes, and wait. Time a few hours or a few days and died of cold, thirst, hunger. The Man Without a technology does not exist, nor has it ever existed. When not handled yet technology is called monkey, not man. The technology is therefore the essence of humanity. The technology is our life. Then, the anti-transhumanist, or those who say "I hate technology and want to die soon" (the opposite of what he would say a transhumanist, namely: "I love technology and I want to live forever"), if still alive, apparently is lying. In fact, it is struggling to survive, like everyone else. Mind or is in a state of false consciousness. I conclude by saying that live so long to get bored of life would be a good result. Basically, then, to die is a breeze. The tragedy is to die when you still want to live. Or having to live, think of the Welby case, when you would die. The optimum would instead be able to decide when to die. Thus, the base value of transhumanism is not so much life and our will. We do not want life at any cost, but rather to remove barriers to the natural and social existence of our will, wisdom and power. I think this is also the oldest and most sincere desire expressed by the man as demonstrated by the fact that, when he imagined the gods them eternal image and blessed. What he wanted to be.
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