Robert Walden Kurtz's guest appearances

Robert Walden Kurtz

The Christian Transhumanist Podcast

Robert Wright

Kevin Kelly

Taryn Southern

Robin Hanson

David Deutsch

Katharine Hayhoe

James Hughes

Greg Boyd

Steve Fuller

Aubrey de Grey

Derek Webb

Justin Lee

Peter Enns

Rene Girard

Thomas Jay Oord

OwlTail

Robert Walden

Can a Seventh-Day Adventist be a transhumanist? Robert Walden Kurtz, Adventist pastor and Professor of Philosophy, says yes! Join us as we discuss robots stealing your job, mind-mapping Jesus, the hidden threat of washing machines, zero-sum games, hacking the mind, and radical humility.  Why Singularitarians are like early Seventh-Day Adventists The origins of Adventism, and what to do when your apocalypse fails The impact of communication on historical cycles in culture, and how this connects the Adventists, Mormons, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and the Bahai What's different about utopian expectations this time around? Ray Kurzweil &amp; the Transcendent Man Documentary Will there always be an economy? Redefining what value means Transhumanism: the prospect of becoming superheroes. But will it also make us super-villains? What happens when you get everything you really want? "Earl Grey, hot!" — Star Trek &amp; the world of 3D printing we're now entering Altruism isn’t popular — especially in modern Christianity Must others fail for you to succeed? Zero-sum games — amplifying competition, what about altruism? Robots stealing your jobs? Washing Machines: the robots already among us! Did the washing machine destroy community? What do you do about it? Mind-mapping Jesus, The Buddha &amp; Mother Teresa Hacking the neural correlates of spiritual experiences, controlling oxytocin, and amping up our pro-sociality Prayer and meditation as the original brain-hacking technology Why brain modification doesn't make zombies, but can help us overcome our zombie addictions, and become more human How Robert became a more effective police officer, and spent 15 years in law enforcement without needing to hurt anyone Aubrey De Grey &amp; Calico Labs “I have never been okay with accepting death and destruction as somehow beautiful and natural” Why Christianity agrees with Ray Kurzweil about the beauty of life, and the ugliness of death John 10:10 “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Adventists pioneered some of the finest hospitals and medical technologies—desiring to extend life and relieve suffering David Brin’s Bible study David Brin, novelist &amp; futurist, author of The Postman, speaking to atheists about how to communicate with theists The biblical motif of God as parent, and humans as growing children God saying "not yet" to humans But ultimately inviting them into his family business Stephen Pinker and The Better Angels of Our Nature Darwin — a patron saint? Why nature films skew our perception of nature in the direction of conflict Schadenfreude — Why people will destroy their own best interest to spite others Why humility is the gateway to curiosity Does the Big Bang contradict the Second Law of Thermodynamics? Do our theologies amuse God? Why the criticism of "Playing God" is hypocrisy—and why Christianity calls us to "Play God" better For further reading: The Four Gospels!

<p>Can a Seventh-Day Adventist be a transhumanist? Robert Walden Kurtz, Adventist pastor and Professor of Philosophy, says yes! Join us as we discuss robots stealing your job, mind-mapping Jesus, the hidden threat of washing machines, zero-sum games, hacking the mind, and radical humility.</p> <ul> <li>Why Singularitarians are like early Seventh-Day Adventists</li> <li>The origins of Adventism, and <a href="http://micahredding.com/blog/2013/04/21/better-apocalypse" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">what to do when your apocalypse fails</a></li> <li>The impact of communication on historical cycles in culture, and how this connects the Adventists, Mormons, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and the Bahai</li> <li>What's different about utopian expectations this time around?</li> <li><a href="http://www.kurzweilai.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ray Kurzweil</a> &amp; the <a href="http://transcendentman.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Transcendent Man Documentary</a></li> <li>Will there always be an economy?</li> <li>Redefining what value means</li> <li>Transhumanism: the prospect of becoming superheroes. But will it also make us super-villains?</li> <li>What happens when you get everything you really want?</li> <li>"Earl Grey, hot!" — Star Trek &amp; the world of 3D printing we're now entering</li> <li>Altruism isn’t popular — especially in modern Christianity</li> <li>Must others fail for you to succeed?</li> <li>Zero-sum games — amplifying competition, what about altruism?</li> <li>Robots stealing your jobs?</li> <li>Washing Machines: the robots already among us!</li> <li>Did the washing machine destroy community? What do you do about it?</li> <li>Mind-mapping <a href="http://micahredding.com/blog/2015/08/07/infinite-morality-jesus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jesus</a>, The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Buddha</a> &amp; Mother Teresa</li> <li>Hacking the neural correlates of spiritual experiences, controlling oxytocin, and amping up our <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosocial_behavior" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pro-sociality</a></li> <li>Prayer and meditation as the original brain-hacking technology</li> <li>Why brain modification doesn't make zombies, but can help us <em>overcome</em> our zombie addictions, and become more human</li> <li>How Robert became a more effective police officer, and spent 15 years in law enforcement without needing to hurt anyone</li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubrey_de_Grey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Aubrey De Grey</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.calicolabs.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Calico Labs</a></li> <li>“I have never been okay with accepting death and destruction as somehow beautiful and natural”</li> <li>Why Christianity agrees with Ray Kurzweil about the beauty of life, and the ugliness of death</li> <li><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10&amp;version=NIV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John 10:10</a> “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”</li> <li>Adventists pioneered some of the finest hospitals and medical technologies—desiring to extend life and relieve suffering</li> <li>David Brin’s Bible study</li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/David-Brin/e/B000APAXV6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">David Brin</a>, novelist &amp; futurist, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Postman-David-Brin/dp/0553278746" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Postman</a>, speaking to atheists about how to communicate with theists</li> <li>The biblical motif of God as parent, and humans as growing children</li> <li>God saying "not yet" to humans</li> <li>But ultimately inviting them into his <a href="http://micahredding.com/blog/partnership-with-god" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">family business</a></li> <li><a href="http://stevenpinker.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stephen Pinker</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/0143122010/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Better Angels of Our Nature</a></li> <li>Darwin — a patron saint?</li> <li>Why nature films skew our perception of nature in the direction of conflict</li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Schadenfreude</a> — Why people will destroy their own best interest to spite others</li> <li>Why humility is the gateway to curiosity</li> <li>Does the Big Bang contradict the Second Law of Thermodynamics?</li> <li>Do our theologies amuse God?</li> <li>Why the criticism of "Playing God" is hypocrisy—and why Christianity calls us to "Play God" better</li> <li>For further reading: <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+1&amp;version=NIV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Four Gospels</a>!</li></ul>

Ep 28: Robert Walden Kurtz & the Zero Sum Game