Gabriel Weston's guest appearances

Gabriel Weston

A History of Ideas

PW Insider

Medicine Unboxed

Alison Levine

Jody Foster

Matt Rodbard

John Locke

Alyssa Cole

Lawrence Levy

Justin Martin

Noam Chomsky

Jon Stewart

Chris Harris

Zach Weinersmith

Richard Rothstein

Lisa Unger

Thomas Aquinas

Seanan McGuire

OwlTail

Surgeons of the distant past were little more than skilled butchers, trying to minimise the agony of their bone-sawing craft. Surgery itself was a last-resort and one you might not survive, and if you did, one of many brutal contagious diseases might wipe you out instead. But spool forward through history, past the growth in sanitation, inventions of anaesthesia, antibiotics, radiation therapy and the discovery of germ theory, and look at the world of the present-day medic. Safe, effective drug treatments are par for the course, and surgeons, operating in controlled, clinical environments, can count light-rays and robots-assistants alongside scalpels in their quiver of surgical instruments. Clearly medical technology has come a long way. But along with changing how we look, how we think and how we live, have these developments changed who we are as a species? And are we heading in a positive direction? The meteoric rise of elective, 'cosmetic' surgery is testament to the changing expectations we place on our bodies, but the idea of either drugging or cutting ourselves in pursuit of perfection leaves many feeling uneasy. Not everyone feels this way however; 'transhumanists' believe that it's not just possible, but philosophically noble, to try to break through our biological limitations through drugs, genetic modification, or enhancement therapies. They believe the future of our species relies on actively pursuing the dream of 'Superintelligence, Superlongevity and Superhappiness'. But at what cost?Surgeon Gabriel Weston looks at the past, present, and the weird and wonderful future of medicine to find the answer.

Surgeons of the distant past were little more than skilled butchers, trying to minimise the agony of their bone-sawing craft. Surgery itself was a last-resort and one you might not survive, and if you did, one of many brutal contagious diseases might wipe you out instead. But spool forward through history, past the growth in sanitation, inventions of anaesthesia, antibiotics, radiation therapy and the discovery of germ theory, and look at the world of the present-day medic. Safe, effective drug treatments are par for the course, and surgeons, operating in controlled, clinical environments, can count light-rays and robots-assistants alongside scalpels in their quiver of surgical instruments. Clearly medical technology has come a long way. But along with changing how we look, how we think and how we live, have these developments changed who we are as a species? And are we heading in a positive direction? The meteoric rise of elective, 'cosmetic' surgery is testament to the changing expectations we place on our bodies, but the idea of either drugging or cutting ourselves in pursuit of perfection leaves many feeling uneasy. Not everyone feels this way however; 'transhumanists' believe that it's not just possible, but philosophically noble, to try to break through our biological limitations through drugs, genetic modification, or enhancement therapies. They believe the future of our species relies on actively pursuing the dream of 'Superintelligence, Superlongevity and Superhappiness'. But at what cost? Surgeon Gabriel Weston looks at the past, present, and the weird and wonderful future of medicine to find the answer.

Surgeon Gabriel Weston on medical technology

Sarah Moss

Shaun Elyan

Sarah Moss, Gabriel Weston and Shaun Elyan in conversation with Sam Guglani at Medicine Unboxed 2014.

FRONTIERS - Sarah Moss, Gabriel Weston and Shaun Elyan

On today's show, author Gabriel Weston discusses her debut novel, 'Dirty Work.' Then PW senior writer Andrew Albanese and news director Rachel Deahl dig into the latest goings-on with Amazon and Hachette.

PW Radio 82: Gabriel Weston