#110 - The Philosopher Who Wants to Make Life Permanently Blissful - David Pearce

David Pearce is a British transhumanist philosopher and co-founder of Humanity+, best known for The Hedonistic Imperative; his 1995 manifesto calling for the use of genetic engineering to eliminate suffering from all sentient life.In this episode, I sit down with David for one of the most thought-provoking conversations this podcast has had. We cover whether suffering is a design flaw we could actually fix; the ethics of editing your children's genetic predisposition toward depression; the difference between genome reform and eugenics; why MDMA gave David his clearest glimpse of what mental health could genuinely feel like; and what three decades of banging this drum has taught him.Key topics:- Natural selection as an engine of suffering and how CRISPR could change that- Hedonic set points; what they are, why they matter, and how to raise them- The eugenics problem; why the word is probably "damned forever" even with good intentions- MDMA, psychedelics, and the blind rationalists parable- David's own hedonic set point; a surprisingly honest personal answerSubscribe wherever you listen, and if this one made you think, a review goes a long way.Chapters00:00 David's journey and the hedonistic imperative01:37 Why suffering has loomed large in his own life03:01 30 years of progress; CRISPR, AI and what surprised him10:27 What he'd tell world leaders; end factory farming first13:55 What is a hedonic set point and why does it matter?20:04 Would you want your children engineered to be happier?28:27 SSRIs, antidepressants and the case for genetic alternatives31:53 What is stopping us; the eugenics problem explained35:57 Does suffering produce great art? AI says otherwise43:09 MDMA as a window into what mental health could be45:26 Psychedelics, consciousness and the blind rationalists parable54:43 Atheism, physicalism and the hard problem of consciousness58:57 David's own hedonic set point; a personal confession1:03:12 Defining hedonic zero; apathy, numbness and mixed states1:05:43 Bliss vs motivation; can you have both?***LINKS***Websitehedweb.comThe Hedonistic Imperative (manifesto)hedweb.com/hedab.htmFacebook Group - The Hedonistic Imperativefacebook.com/groups/hedonistic.imperativeX / Twittertwitter.com/webmasterdaveWikipediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Pearce_(philosopher)MY STUFF:awakenoutofcontext.comJoin the indiip beta:indiip.com/beta15% Off Bare Bar (CODE: JASE):https://bit.ly/barejase