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Turned off by Trump and Clinton? Vote Transhumanist!

Did you know there is a Transhumanist Party, which has a candidate in the U.S. Presidential race? Transhumanism espouses the transformation of humanity through genetic engineering, brain implants and other technologies. It is similar with the idea of Singularity, the idea that super-intelligence — in the form of a machine or human-machine cyborg — is imminent.

In 2014, Zoltan Istvan founded The Transhumanist Party and announced his intention to run for President. Istvan is a journalist, real estate mogul, and author of a science-fiction novel, The Transhumanist Wager. His goals, he said on Huffington Post, are:

  1. Attempt to do everything possible to make it so this country’s amazing scientists and technologists have resources to overcome human death and aging within 15-20 years—a goal an increasing number of leading scientists think is reachable.
  2. Create a cultural mindset in America that embracing and producing radical technology and science is in the best interest of our nation and species.

Istvan has also called for a “bill of rights” for “conscious robots and cyborgs.” I hadn’t heard of him until last month, when Glenn Zorpette, executive editor of the technology magazine IEEE Spectrum, emailed me. In 2008, Zorpette asked me to critique the Singularity for Spectrum, and he moderated a debate between me and Singularity guru Ray Kurzweil. I have called the Singularity “an apocalyptic cult, with science substituted for God.”

Zorpette asked if I would talk to Istvan live on Facebook, and I said sure. I met Istvan at the Manhattan office of Spectrum. In spite of his exotic views and name (he’s of Hungarian descent), Istvan looks like a clean-cut, all-American jock–and, in fact, he used to be into extreme sports, like “volcano surfing.”

During our conversation, I complained that transhumanist scenarios are based on wishful thinking, not on what science has actually accomplished. Gene therapy has not been approved in the U.S., and brain implants, with the exception of cochlear implants, don’t really work.

I pointed out that scientists are struggling to convince the public to believe in climate change, evolution and the efficacy of vaccines. When transhumanists make absurd claims about science’s potential, they damage science’s credibility.

Istvan handled my complaints graciously. He was disarmingly amiable and reasonable. He knows that he has no chance of winning the election, even though he claims to have as many as 1 million supporters. His real goal is to get people excited about science and its potential for improving our lives.

I told Istvan that if the election came down to a run-off between Trump and him, I’d vote for him. Of course, I would vote for IBM’s artificial intelligence program Watson before I’d vote for Trump. However, I like some of Istvan’s positions, especially this one which I wish Hillary Clinton would adopt:

“Create a scientific and educational industrial complex in America instead of a military industrial complex. Spend money on wars against cancer, heart disease, and diabetes—not on wars in far-off countries.”

John Horgan directs the Center for Science Writings, which is part of the College of Arts & Letters. This column is adapted from one published on his Scientific American blog, “Cross-check.”

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