Transhumanist Party Enlightenment Salon

On Sunday, March 29, 2026, the U.S. Transhumanist Party invited Pete Karas, who is running for Secretary of State in Wisconsin and seeking the USTP’s endorsement, to discuss his campaign and key ideas, as well as areas of alignment with the U.S. Transhumanist Party Platform. Pete Karas believes that government should embrace innovation and use technology to improve democratic participation, access to information, and transparency. His campaign is pushing back against the structural barriers that make it hard for independent and third-party candidates to compete. In his view, fair ballot access, open debates, and electoral reforms are essential if we want a political system that actually allows new movements and ideas to grow.Pete Karas thinks that that the Secretary of State should provide a platform for transparency, modernization of government systems, and making public information easier for citizens to access. Pete Karas has worked in both the public and private sectors, from managing teams at a large insurance firm to launching and running his own business. Pete has never voted for a Democrat or a Republican for President. He believes the two-party system is not just broken but fundamentally anti-democratic. He is currently running as a third-party candidate with the Green Party in Wisconsin.Visit the campaign website of Pete Karas at https://petekaras.com/. Join the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership Visit the U.S. Transhumanist Party website: https://transhumanist-party.orgJoin the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/See the YouTube playlist of all Virtual Enlightenment Salons: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTPn6dI5WUbjt19p2riEfk-qSfy_saOHm

Listen to the U.S. Transhumanist Party’s conversation with Boyang Wang, Founder of Immortal Dragons, a purpose-driven longevity fund based in Singapore focused on advancing life-extension and rejuvenation biotechnology, streamed on Sunday, March 22, 2026. This Virtual Enlightenment Salon discusses Boyang Wang’s support for longevity projects and what initiatives in the longevity field he considers to be most promising today and in the foreseeable future. Specific areas of interest include organ replacement and the study of long-lived animals, as well as efforts to engineer blood vessels, and to prevent and overcome cardiovascular disease through innovative drugs to lower LDL cholesterol levels. The discussion also ventures into frameworks for regulation of medical treatments in various countries, and Boyang offers his commentary about the key characteristics of each framework.This Virtual Enlightenment Salon was originally recorded on March 16, 2026. It is being publicly streamed for the first time. Panelists include U.S. Transhumanist Party Chairman Gennady Stolyarov II, USTP Director of Marketing and 2020 Presidential Candidate, Charlie Kam, and USTP Director of Visual Art, Art Ramon Garcia, Jr.Visit the website of Immortal Dragons: https://www.id.life/  Join the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership   Visit the U.S. Transhumanist Party website: https://transhumanist-party.orgJoin the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/See the YouTube playlist of all Virtual Enlightenment Salons: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTPn6dI5WUbjt19p2riEfk-qSfy_saOHm

On Sunday, March 15, 2026, the U.S. Transhumanist Party continued its exploration of the precursors of transhumanism and featured a special Virtual Enlightenment Salon stream that paid homage to one of the foremost thinkers of the original Age of Enlightenment, Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet (1743 – 1794). Condorcet wrote his “Outlines of a Historical View of the Progress of the Human Mind” during the final months of his life in early 1794, while in hiding from the Jacobin Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.U.S. Transhumanist Party Chairman Gennady Stolyarov II narrated the Introduction to Condorcet’s work, as well as his Tenth Epoch – the Future Progress of Mankind. This is one of the first historical writings which systematically articulated the possibility of indefinite life extension as a result of the technological and moral improvement of society. This remarkably techno-optimistic work was the parting gift to humanity by Condorcet – a polymath, philosopher, economist, and mathematician, who endeavored to preserve and expand the ideals of the Age of Enlightenment, even when those ideas were under attack by bloodthirsty revolutionaries and reactionaries alike.Read the full “Outlines of a Historical View of the Progress of the Human Mind” on the Liberty Fund website at https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/condorcet-outlines-of-an-historical-view-of-the-progress-of-the-human-mind/.Read Gennady Stolyarov II’s 2018 article, “Pioneers: Marquis de Condorcet (1743-1794)”, published by LongeCity: https://www.longecity.org/forum/page/index.html/_/articles/condorcetJoin the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membershipVisit the U.S. Transhumanist Party website: https://transhumanist-party.orgJoin the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/See the YouTube playlist of all Virtual Enlightenment Salons: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTPn6dI5WUbjt19p2riEfk-qSfy_saOHm

On Sunday, March 8, 2026, the U.S. Transhumanist Party invited Michael Fossel, MD, PhD, to discuss key ideas from his new book “Reversal: Science, Medicine, and a Future Beyond Aging”, which characterizes aging as a specific failure of cellular maintenance. As telomeres (the ends of our chromosomes) shorten, they signal our genes to slow down molecular repair. Our cells accumulate damage not because it’s an inevitable outcome of entropy, but because our cellular cleaning crews fall behind.The book explains how this central mechanism drives not only aging, but downstream diseases from Alzheimer’s to heart disease and cancer. The solution lies in resetting the aging process at its most fundamental level. Telomerase can relengthen telomeres, resetting gene expression, and restoring the rapid, pristine self-repair of youth.Dr. Michael Fossel serves as chairman of the board of Telocyte, a biotech company developing telomerase therapy for Alzheimer's disease, with FDA-sponsored human trials planned to target the underlying disease process. A recognized expert in aging and telomere biology, Dr. Fossel has authored over 100 scientific articles, book chapters, and books, and has lectured internationally, including at the National Institutes of Health. His 2020 article, “A Unified Model of Dementias and Age-related Neurodegeneration”, generated significant global interest with more than 1,000 reprint requests, presenting both a comprehensive understanding of dementia causation and novel therapeutic approaches. His companion work, “A Unified Model of Age-Related Cardiovascular Disease”, similarly explores potential interventions in cardiovascular disease.Dr. Fossel earned his BA and MA from Wesleyan University before completing his PhD in Neurobiology (1978) and MD (1981) at Stanford University, where he taught neuroanatomy and experimental design. He subsequently focused on aging, particularly premature aging syndromes and the experimental testing of aging theories. For nearly three decades, he served as Clinical Professor of Medicine and held leadership roles, including director of the American Aging Association and editor of several medical journals.Find “Reversal: Science, Medicine, and a Future Beyond Aging” on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Reversal-Science-Medicine-Future-Beyond/dp/B0GKNGSL2X/ Visit Dr. Michael Fossel’s website at https://michaelfossel.com/ Join the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership Visit the U.S. Transhumanist Party website: https://transhumanist-party.orgJoin the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/See the YouTube playlist of all Virtual Enlightenment Salons: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTPn6dI5WUbjt19p2riEfk-qSfy_saOHm

On March 1, 2026, the U.S. Transhumanist Party hosted a discussion of the war that was initiated by the administrations of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu against Iran on February 28, 2026. Questions addressed included the following:- What is the U.S. Transhumanist Party’s stance on this war?- How would Transhumanist policies have led to different, more peaceful outcomes?- How will this war affect the likelihood of a transhumanist future for humanity being attained within the next several decades? - Are the goals of transhumanists in jeopardy because of seemingly unceasing militaristic geopolitical tendencies? - What are the risks arising from this war in regard to escalation of global tensions and entanglement of the United States in another perpetual conflict? - What does this war indicate about human civilization’s place within the Great Filter?- Is there any way to still attain a prosperous, long-lived future for the vast majority of humankind in the aftermath of this war? If so, what is needed to restore a good timeline of human history? Questions from the audience were also fielded and discussed. Join the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership. Visit the U.S. Transhumanist Party website: https://transhumanist-party.orgJoin the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/See the YouTube playlist of all Virtual Enlightenment Salons: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTPn6dI5WUbjt19p2riEfk-qSfy_saOHm

On February 22, 2026, the U.S. Transhumanist Party featured a special Virtual Enlightenment Salon stream in which U.S. Transhumanist Party Chairman Gennady Stolyarov II narrated two historic writings on transhumanism by the philosopher, biologist, and statesman Julian Huxley (1887-1975), who formulated the concept of transhumanism as a worldview in his lecture “Knowledge, Morality, and Destiny” in 1951 and subsequently articulated a vision of transhumanism in “Transhumanism”, the first chapter of his book “New Bottles for New Wine”, published in 1957. The readings by Mr. Stolyarov were accompanied by the relevant text of Huxley’s writings.Join the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membershipVisit the U.S. Transhumanist Party website: https://transhumanist-party.orgJoin the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/See the YouTube playlist of all Virtual Enlightenment Salons: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTPn6dI5WUbjt19p2riEfk-qSfy_saOHm

On Sunday, February 15, 2026, the U.S. Transhumanist Party invited author and futurist George J. Chanos to provide his analysis of ongoing geopolitical conflicts and rivalries through the frame of the race to reach artificial general intelligence. The conversation addressed the risks and dangers of these great-power tensions and also explore the possibility of a better approach – one that could achieve a Second Enlightenment for the entire world, instead of a dystopian scenario.   George J. Chanos, served as Nevada’s 31st Attorney General between 2005 and 2007. He has been advising leaders in business and government for over 30 years. His most recent book, “Millennial Samurai: A Mindset for the 21st Century”, takes a look at the technological revolution, and how it will likely impact our lives over the next thirty years. Mr. Chanos has been called a futurist, a polymath, and a visionary. He believes that the world is at a “tipping point”, poised to either evolve into a “second enlightenment” or fall into “dystopian division.”   His newest venture, Uvolution.io is an empowerment community, whose goal is to provide people with the resources, tools, and relationships, required to navigate, adapt, and thrive in the rapidly and radically changing environment created by the technological revolution.   Visit the website of George J. Chanos at https://georgejchanos.com/   Visit the website of Uvolution at https://uvolution.io/   Find out about “Millennial Samurai: A Mindset for the 21st Century” by George Chanos and get your free electronic copy at https://millennialsamurai.com/   Join the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership    #USTranshumanistParty #VirtualEnlightenmentSalon #ArtificialGeneralIntelligence #AGI #Geopolitics #Uvolution #SecondEnlightenment #NewEnlightenment #NewColdWar #InternationalCompetition #GeopoliticalCompetition #InternationalCooperation #MillennialSamurai #USTPVisit the U.S. Transhumanist Party website: https://transhumanist-party.orgJoin the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/See the YouTube playlist of all Virtual Enlightenment Salons: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTPn6dI5WUbjt19p2riEfk-qSfy_saOHm

On Sunday, February 8, 2026, the U.S. Transhumanist Party hosted a stream to familiarize viewers with the Rodent Aging Interventions Database (RAID), a project of the Longevity Escape Velocity Foundation (LEVF). RAID provides a visual representation of the extension in lifespan achieved during published interventional studies in normally-aging rodents (mice and rats). It was co-developed by Maximus Peto, Anthony J. Floyd, Ben Zealley, and Dr. Aubrey de Grey and is the most rigorous source of information on mouse lifespan studies – what treatments have worked to extend mouse lifespans and by how much.  The Virtual Enlightenment Salon stream begins with an introductory video about RAID by Maximus Peto, discussing the background, motivation, and features of RAID.  The stream continues with a reading by Gennady Stolyarov II of the research paper on RAID, entitled “The rodent aging interventions database (RAID): a data visualization tool for all studies reporting rodent lifespan extension”, co-authored by Maximus Peto, Anthony J. Floyd, Ben Zealley, and Dr. Aubrey de Grey, available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40156933/.  Access the RAID tool and explore the studies compiled there at https://www.levf.org/projects/raidMaximus Peto designed the PubMed queries for RAID; performed the manual evaluation of titles, abstracts, and manuscripts; extracted and recorded relevant data from manuscripts; conceptualized the RAID data visualization tool; performed the statistical calculations; designed and created the tables; and wrote the manuscript for the research paper on RAID.  Citation for RAID Research Paper:   Peto MV, Floyd AJ, Zealley B, de Grey ADNJ. The rodent aging interventions database (RAID): a data visualization tool for all studies reporting rodent lifespan extension. Aging (Albany NY). 2025 Mar 27;17(3):851-862. doi: 10.18632/aging.206228. Epub 2025 Mar 27. PMID: 40156933; PMCID: PMC11984422.  Support the LEVF and efforts like RAID by donating at https://levf.org/donate  Join the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership #USTranshumanistParty #VirtualEnlightenmentSalon #RodentAgingInterventionsDatabase #RAID #MouseLifeExtension #MouseLifespan #RodentLifeExtension #RodentLifespan #LifespanStudies #AntiAging #LongevityEscapeVelocity #LongevityEscapeVelocityFoundation #LEVF #USTPVisit the U.S. Transhumanist Party website: https://transhumanist-party.orgJoin the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/See the YouTube playlist of all Virtual Enlightenment Salons: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTPn6dI5WUbjt19p2riEfk-qSfy_saOHm

On Sunday, February 1, 2026, the U.S. Transhumanist Party (USTP) streamed the video premiere of the 2024 Global Cryonics Summit presentation by Gennady Stolyarov II, Chairman of the USTP, entitled "Cryonics and Politics: Desirable Changes to Achieve Mass Adoption of Cryonics". Chairman Stolyarov spoke about the changes – political, economic, societal – that would be important in his view in order for cryonics to scale and achieve widespread acceptance. The presentation was originally delivered on July 20, 2024, in Miami, Florida, at the Global Cryonics Summit. This recording of the presentation includes a brief introduction by Max Marty, co-organizer of the Global Cryonics Summit, as well as a question-and-answer session, including questions by Bernard Siegel of the Healthspan Action Coalition and other attendees.   Join the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership   Visit the U.S. Transhumanist Party website: https://transhumanist-party.org   Visit THPedia, the Transhumanist Encyclopedia: https://th-pedia.org   Support the Longevity Escape Velocity Foundation (LEVF): https://www.levf.org/donate#USTranshumanistParty #GlobalCryonicsSummit #Cryonics #Transhumanism #TranshumanistPolitics #CryonicsAndPolitics #Cryopreservation #LifeExtension #LongevityAdvocacyVisit the U.S. Transhumanist Party website: https://transhumanist-party.orgJoin the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/See the YouTube playlist of all Virtual Enlightenment Salons: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTPn6dI5WUbjt19p2riEfk-qSfy_saOHm

On Sunday, January 25, 2026, the U.S. Transhumanist Party invited Professor Stefan Lorenz Sorgner to discuss his forthcoming book “Euro-Transhumanism” and to continue the conversation on how Euro-Transhumanism can offer potential ways to transcend the political polarization of our era. The first Virtual Enlightenment Salon with Professor Sorgner concluded with his remarks on how both the MAGA Right and the Cancel-Culture Left are characterized by essentialist attitudes that Euro-Transhumanism rejects. The present discussion continued to explore how Euro-Transhumanism would offer a different approach and would take different attitudes from either of the conventional political factions on prominent cultural “battleground” issues.   Visit the website for the “Euro-Transhumanism” book, where it can be pre-ordered and where the Table of Contents can also be found: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/euro-transhumanismThe book is described as follows: “What if the future of humanity wasn’t driven by Silicon Valley’s vision?   “At the edge of its dissolution, European humanism faces profound challenges as AI, biotechnology and posthuman theory reshape what it means to be human. The classical ideals of truth, goodness and beauty — once the moral and aesthetic compass of the European tradition — are being twisted.   “This book introduces the reader to Euro-Transhumanism—a distinctive, philosophically rich alternative to the individualistic, technocratic focus of classic transhumanism. It draws upon Europe’s continental cultural tradition, rejects Eurocentrism, utopian fantasies and dualistic thinking, and explores pragmatic ways of increasing the diversity of personal flourishing.   “This is a thought-provoking guide to critically reimagining our future.”   Stefan Lorenz Sorgner is a world-leading philosopher recognized for his work in posthumanism, transhumanism, Nietzsche, and the philosophy of music. He is especially known for his interpretations of Friedrich Nietzsche and his critical engagement with human enhancement and emerging technologies.   He is a philosophy professor at John Cabot University in Rome, Director and Co-Founder of the Beyond Humanism Network, and a Fellow and Advisor of numerous organizations, as well as Editor-in-Chief and Founding Editor of the Journal of Posthuman Studies, and a prolific public speaker.   Stefan Lorenz Sorgner has authored numerous books on philosophy, including “Metaphysics Without Truth” (2007), “On Transhumanism” (2020), “We Have Always Been Cyborgs” (2022), “Philosophy of Posthuman Art” (2022), and “Euro-Transhumanism” (2026).   Watch the first U.S. Transhumanist Party Virtual Enlightenment Salon with Stefan Lorenz Sorgner – September 21, 2025 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJUAC8oGd0w   Learn more about Stefan Lorenz Sorgner on his website: https://www.sorgner.de   Read the THPedia entry about Stefan Lorenz Sorgner: https://th-pedia.org//wiki/Stefan_Lorenz_Sorgner   Join the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership   Visit the U.S. Transhumanist Party website: https://transhumanist-party.orgJoin the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/See the YouTube playlist of all Virtual Enlightenment Salons: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTPn6dI5WUbjt19p2riEfk-qSfy_saOHm

On Sunday, January 18, 2026, a multifaceted U.S. Transhumanist Party Virtual Enlightenment Salon featured a philosophical conversation on intelligence and consciousness in the age of AI. What are the prerequisites of consciousness? Does intelligence necessarily imply consciousness or are the two distinct? At what point might an AI system become conscious, and how could we tell? What would be needed to create a true artificial general intelligence (AGI), and what would be the real-world effects of such a creation – both the benefits and the risks? These questions are at the core of the immense technological transformations being experienced throughout the world in our time.    The Salon included the following components:  - A reading of the article “Intelligence and Its Potential” (Immortalists Magazine, 2020) by U.S. Transhumanist Party Chairman Gennady Stolyarov II   - A conversation with Frederick Onwuka, an author and AI futurist, regarding his feedback on Chairman Stolyarov’s article and his own thoughts about the nature of intelligence and consciousness and what it would actually take for an AI system to become conscious. Both Chairman Stolyarov and USTP Director of Longevity Outreach Ben Ballweg provided questions and commentary in response to Frederick Onwuka's remarks.   - A virtual musical performance of the “Death is Wrong” Piano Sonata (Piano Sonata No. 3 in G minor) by Adriano G. Santos, composed in December 2025.   One of the major promises of AI, as articulated by Frederick Onwuka, is the prospect it presents to cure numerous major diseases and greatly expand human lifespans – and so the pairing of this conversation with the “Death is Wrong” Piano Sonata is fitting for this Salon.   Frederick Onwuka is an AI futurist, mathematician, and author of “The Great View of the Future: How AI Will Give Us a New Perspective” – available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Great-View-Future-will-perspective-ebook/dp/B0CH5C1ZD1/.   Mr. Stolyarov’s article “Intelligence and Its Potential” was published in Immortalists Magazine Issue #8 in September 2020. See screenshots of this article at https://www.facebook.com/gennadystolyarovii/posts/pfbid0W61ayZbkBhskqfRPmR3b5hPDDWdEMnGUbBCuwk6Nrb4iwAPt9huxPBW9U3oq4Ay5l.   Listen to the “Death is Wrong” Piano Sonata and read the program notes by Adriano G. Santos here: https://transhumanist-party.org/2026/01/04/death-is-wrong-piano-sonata/   Join the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership.   #USTranshumanistParty #VirtualEnlightenmentSalon #ArtificialIntelligence #Intelligence #Consciousness #Epistemology #OriginOfConsciousness #AGI #ArtificialGeneralIntelligence #DeathIsWrong #PianoSonata #USTPVisit the U.S. Transhumanist Party website: https://transhumanist-party.orgJoin the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/See the YouTube playlist of all Virtual Enlightenment Salons: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTPn6dI5WUbjt19p2riEfk-qSfy_saOHm

On Sunday, January 11, 2026, the U.S. Transhumanist Party invited Hunter Rand, a candidate for City Council in Sparks, Nevada, Ward 2, who was endorsed by the U.S. Pirate Party in November 2025 and became endorsed by the USTP in the course of the discussion.  This Virtual Enlightenment Salon provided an in-depth glimpse into Hunter Rand’s outlook on the issues, campaign, and broader policy thinking. Some transhumanist-aligned themes discussed included the use of technology for public safety while respecting privacy, strengthening emergency services - especially fire protection - to save lives, and facilitating infrastructure building to ease the traffic congestion in Sparks.   This was also an opportunity for U.S. Transhumanist Party members to get to known Hunter Rand and ask him detailed questions.   Learn more about Hunter Rand on his campaign website at https://www.sparkstogether.com/ Read the U.S. Pirate Party’s Endorsement of Hunter Rand: https://uspirates.org/pirate-candidate-announcement-hunter-rand-for-sparks-city-council-2nd-ward/   In September 2025, the U.S. Transhumanist Party and the U.S. Pirate Party entered a political coalition, All Hands for a Free Future, focused on the cross-endorsing of candidates. Find out more here: https://transhumanist-party.org/2025/09/04/ustp-allhandsfuture-grady-istvan-endorsement/   Join the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/ #USTranshumanistParty #VirtualEnlightenmentSalon #SparksNevada #SparksTogether #CityCouncil #Ward2 #SparksWard2 #LocalCandidates #USTPVisit the U.S. Transhumanist Party website: https://transhumanist-party.orgJoin the U.S. Transhumanist Party for free, no matter where you reside: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/See the YouTube playlist of all Virtual Enlightenment Salons: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTPn6dI5WUbjt19p2riEfk-qSfy_saOHm